Hutt City Podiatry | Helping those from all walks of life

Ashleigh Steiner's experience as a top-level competitive gymnast has given her a thorough understanding of sports medicine and rehabilitation within the podiatry profession. While that is her specialty, Ashleigh is passionate about all aspects of podiatric care and offers a comprehensive service for patients from all walks of life, from elite athletes to weekend warriors, children, and the elderly.

One of the most significant rewards she says is seeing her clients become free of pain. "It's great to be able to make an impact in people's lives, particularly those who live with chronic pain. No matter what a client's age or stage in life, I enjoy helping them establish and achieve their goals, whether it is walking out of the clinic pain-free or being able to heal an injury."

Ashleigh bought Resonance Hutt City Podiatry in Lower Hutt in 2017, from Resonance founder and clinical director, Lisa Whiteman.

After gaining a Bachelor of Health Science majoring in Podiatry at AUT University, Auckland, Ashleigh began working in Lisa's clinic in Wellington. "Lisa mentored me from the beginning. One of my goals has always been to own my own business, and I felt very well supported as I made the transition into ownership."

Resonance Podiatry group offers business support and professional development as a limited liability partnership rather than a franchise. There are Resonance clinics in Wellington, Manawatu, Auckland, Nelson, Christchurch, and Central Otago. "It's great to have that wider support," says Ashleigh.

Even when she was studying, Ashleigh knew she wanted to specialise in a particular area of podiatry. She says the profession offers a lot of scope for that.

"Competing as an artistic gymnast for 11 years has helped me understand the athletes I see in my clinic, particularly the psychology around an injury. When I was a gymnast, I struggled with my injuries and was often told I needed to quit. That was heart-breaking. My experience has given me an empathy for injured athletes, particularly those competing at a high level. Many gymnasts come to the clinic because they know I get what they are going through.

"I love the fact, too, that we do minor surgery and are involved in wound management of the high-risk, diabetic foot and the rheumatoid foot."

Ashleigh enjoys getting to know clients' families. "It's rewarding looking after someone and seeing what it means to their family."

The aftermath of the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 meant Ashleigh had a massive backlog of clients needing her services. She was so busy there was very little time to do the administration side of her business. After chatting to a colleague who highly recommended Moore Markhams Wellington, director Bruce Stormer and his team came to the rescue.

"I'm fully booked with patients all week and was struggling to find time to work on my business administration; it became very stressful.

“Now, with Moore Markhams managing my Xero, GST and payroll, it makes a world of difference to my mental well-being. I love looking after my patients, so having this support allows me to focus on being a good clinician rather than panicking about all the other things. I can focus on the business development side, which I'm passionate about."

It also gives Ashleigh time to go to the gym or go out walking with her husband Matt and their little dog Marley around Upper Hutt, where they live.

Of Moore Markhams, Ashleigh says, "They are very thorough and have a good understanding of my business as well as understanding what our family's personal and life goals are. I know if I have any concerns, such as when we were in lockdown, I could ask Bruce about anything, and he'd come right back with an answer."

Having come through a challenging time and gaining the vital support she needed, Ashleigh is full of energy and enthusiasm for the next step. In the next 12 months, her goal is to employ two podiatrists to grow her business further.

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