In this episode, I sit down with occupational therapist and director of Thrive Together Therapy, Aileen Mathyssen - a remote OT, private practice owner and leader in rural & remote allied health in Western Australia.

Aileen’s story starts in Ireland, moves through Bondi and lands in Paraburdoo - a tiny mining town in WA where she became a true generalist OT and one of the only allied health professionals families could access. We speak honestly about how hard rural and remote practice can be — and why so many of us stay, build businesses here, and wouldn’t change it for the world.

Aileen shares her path in creating Thrive Together Therapy — a neuroaffirming, community-led OT practice serving kids and adults across remote WA — while raising two boys, navigating Pilbara life and learning to back herself as a business owner building something sustainable.

Inside this episode, we cover:

• What surprised her most about moving from city OT life to remote WA


• The realities of starting and growing an OT practice in a town hours from the nearest major city


• How Thrive Together Therapy grew from one OT with a vision into a values-led allied health team reshaping what remote care can look like


• We speak about the model Aileen created where her support doesn’t stop at the therapy room - it ripples into classrooms, families and the whole community.


• How mentoring, support and group supervision helped her leave her government role and go all in


• What freedom in business looks like for her now: school carnivals, family travel, and a rural OT business she genuinely loves to lead

AND if Aileen’s story has you imagining a business that finally feels like you — with community around you, systems that make sense, and space for your life outside client work - The Freedom Therapist Club is open for enrollment for the 2026 cohort.

Early Bird ends tonight.

This is the last day to join with the reduced pricing and the full stack of bonuses for 2026. We won’t offer this pricing or these bonuses again for this round - and we’ve already had returning and new members quietly slide their names onto the list.

If you want support to grow a sustainable, profitable, values-led practice next year - and you don’t want to do it alone — you can learn more and join us here: https://www.thefreedomtherapist.com.au/club

Connect with Aileen:

Instagram: @busybrains_kids
Instagram: @thrivetherapypilbara
Thrive Together Therapy: https://thrivetogethertherapy.au/