The Business of Ergonomics Podcast

Why Starting Small Is the Key to Success in Ergonomics Consulting (And the 90-Day Plan That Makes It Real)

Most healthcare professionals who dream of building an ergonomics practice don't fail because they lack skill. They fail because they never had a plan broken down into pieces small enough to actually act on. In this episode, Darcie shares the single tool that has kept her on track more consistently than anything else in building her own business: the 90-Day Goal and Action Plan. It's not complicated. But it works, and in this episode you'll find out exactly why. You'll also hear the honest truth about what gets in the way when healthcare professionals try to launch ergonomics services, why consistency beats intensity every time, and how to reverse-engineer a real income goal so you're never guessing what to do next.   What you'll take away from this episode: •       Why starting small is not a compromise, it's the actual strategy •       The three types of goals you need: safe, hairy scary, and baseline •       How to break a $100k/year goal into a $270/day action plan •       The minimum viable service for ergonomics consultants, and why it's not a website •       Learn-Execute-Learn: the loop that builds skill and business at the same time •       Affinity marketing and why it beats cold calling every time in this field •       Why the comparison trap kills momentum faster than anything else •       The step-by-step 90-day reverse engineering process you can use today •       The honest take on AI and why there are no shortcuts in ergonomics assessment Whether you're thinking about ergonomics as a side hustle, a part-time pivot, or a full-time business, this episode gives you the framework to stop waiting and start moving. Want to go deeper with mentorship, tools, and a community of ergonomics professionals building their practices together? Learn more about Accelerate: The Business of Ergonomics at ergonomicshelp.com/biz If you're a healthcare professional and this episode got your wheels turning about office ergonomics - good. I've got free resources to help you take the next step at ergonomicshelp.com/resources.  [https://www.ergonomicshelp.com/resources]

The Certification Trap: What No Ergonomics Course Taught You About Actually Building a Business

Ergonomics is not a regulated health profession. You do not need a license to do office ergonomics assessments. And yet there are healthcare professionals all over the world sitting on the sidelines, waiting for a certification that, in most jurisdictions, the law doesn't actually require. That waiting is costing them time, clients, and income they could already be generating. In this episode, we have an honest conversation about the gap that nobody in the ergonomics training world wants to talk about. Most ergonomics courses teach half of the problem. They teach assessments. They don't teach business. And when a healthcare professional finishes a course, gets competent and confident in their assessment skills, and then realizes they have no idea how to find a single client, they're left with a credential and a blank calendar. Listen to this episode to find out these 2 things that true at the same time right now and almost nobody is connecting them: back, neck, and joint pain is the most expensive chronic health condition in North America at over $300 billion a year, and new business formation is at record highs. The demand is real. The practitioners are out there. The gap is visibility, not skill. This episode is about closing that gap. What you'll take away: •       The honest truth about ergonomics regulation and why waiting for a license is often waiting for something that doesn't exist •       Why competence and confidence matter deeply, and why a bad certification is worse than no certification •       The catch-22 that most ergonomics courses create: they teach you to assess but not to find anyone to assess •       The $300B context: why the market for ergonomics services has never been bigger or more ready •       Why the real barrier right now is visibility, not skill, and what to do about it •       Why a chatbot can't solve the business problem, and what actually can If you trained in ergonomics and you're not yet consistently getting clients, this episode will tell you why. And more importantly, what to do next. If you're a healthcare professional and this episode got your wheels turning about office ergonomics - good. I've got free resources to help you take the next step at ergonomicshelp.com/resources.  [https://www.ergonomicshelp.com/resources]

5 Signs ANY Workplace Needs an Ergonomic Assessment (Not Just New Equipment)

Most companies that need an ergonomic assessment don't know they need one. They've bought new chairs. They've done the wellness training. They've put up the stretch posters. And people are still hurting. So they conclude that ergonomics doesn't work, when the real problem is that they've been buying solutions without ever diagnosing the actual problem. In this episode, we break down 5 clear, observable signs that a workplace needs a proper ergonomic assessment and why recognizing these signs is one of the most powerful tools an ergonomics consultant has for starting a real client conversation. We unpack the research behind why comprehensive ergonomic intervention outperforms equipment-only and training-only approaches, what each sign is actually telling you about the underlying problem, and how to use this framework in your marketing, your proposals, and your very first conversation with a prospective client. In this episode: * Why buying new equipment without an assessment almost never solves the problem and what the research says about equipment-only interventions * The 'improvised fixes' signal: why cardboard boxes under monitors are a diagnostic finding, not just a quirky habit * Why cross-departmental complaints are the red flag that changes the conversation from 'individual problem' to 'systemic issue' * Why 'we don't know what's causing it' is the single most expensive position a company can be in * The 40% reduction finding  and how to present comprehensive assessment ROI to a client who's already tried 'fixing it' on their own Whether you're a new ergonomics consultant building your client base or an experienced practitioner looking for sharper language to open doors, this episode gives you a framework you can use in your next sales conversation this week. If you're a healthcare professional and this episode got your wheels turning about office ergonomics - good. I've got free resources to help you take the next step at ergonomicshelp.com/resources.  [https://www.ergonomicshelp.com/resources]

Why Everything You Think You Know About Posture and Pain Is Wrong — And What That Means for Your Practice

Sit up straight. Chin in. Ears over shoulders. Fix your forward head posture and your neck pain will improve. Sound familiar? If you've been in ergonomics for any amount of time, you've probably said some version of this — and so has almost everyone else in our field. But two studies published in April 2026 are pushing back on that framework in ways that every ergonomics professional needs to hear. In this episode, Darcie Jaremey unpacks both studies and what they mean for your assessments, your service offerings, and your sales conversations. The first: a cross-sectional study of 92 adults that found no association between forward head posture and chronic neck pain. The second: an EMG case-control study that found text neck patients showed less muscle activity, not more — which flips the standard 'muscle hyperactivity causes pain' model completely on its head. If the problem isn't overactivation but deconditioning, the intervention your clients need isn't a stretch card. Darcie also covers the April 2026 integrated review showing that combined ergonomic and physical activity interventions produce 38% reductions in neck pain and 37% reductions in hand and wrist pain — compared to education-only programs, which are the weakest approach in the evidence base. And she shows you exactly how to use all of this in your next client proposal. What you'll take away: •       Why forward head posture is not as reliable a predictor of neck pain as we've been taught — and how to reframe your recommendations •       The text neck EMG finding that changes what intervention actually works for screen-heavy workforces •       Why stretching-only and education-only programs are the weakest evidence-based approach — and what to offer instead •       The 38% neck pain reduction finding and how to use it to justify combined, longer-term program contracts •       Three practical takeaways: audit your posture narrative, upgrade your service offering, and turn this research into your content This is part of a series of episodes diving into the April 2026 ergonomics literature — research you can use in your practice, your proposals, and your marketing this week. If you're a healthcare professional and this episode got your wheels turning about office ergonomics - good. I've got free resources to help you take the next step at ergonomicshelp.com/resources.  [https://www.ergonomicshelp.com/resources]

Exoskeletons: Game-Changer or the New Back Belt? What the Research Actually Says

Exoskeletons are showing up in warehouses, distribution centres, construction sites, and surgical suites and the marketing behind them is compelling. But before your clients start outfitting their workforce in wearable tech, there's a question that isn't being asked loudly enough: are we solving the ergonomic problem, or just covering it up? We dive into a direct parallel between the exoskeleton boom and the back belt era of the 1990s, a time when an intuitively appealing device was adopted widely, rapidly, and without adequate evidence, creating a false sense of protection while the underlying ergonomic hazards went unaddressed. NIOSH eventually concluded that back belts should not be recommended for occupational use. Are we heading down the same road? We dive into including a 2024 systematic review of 49 studies, CCOHS guidance on overreliance, and peer-reviewed evidence on risk transfer, deconditioning, adoption barriers, and the donning and doffing problem to give you a clear-eyed, evidence-based framework for when exoskeletons make sense and, more importantly, when they don't. What you'll take away from this episode: •       The back belt history and what the science said, what the industry did anyway, and why it matters now •       The superman effect and deconditioning: what happens when a device makes workers feel more protected than they are •       What the research actually shows about exoskeleton effectiveness, including the lab vs. real-world gap •       Five critical concerns: risk transfer, overreliance, donning/doffing time, the enthusiasm drop, and long-term compliance •       Where exoskeletons belong in the hierarchy of controls, and why they're often being deployed at the wrong level •       High-impact, low-cost alternatives that should come first •       The specific conditions where exoskeletons genuinely add value If you're an ergonomics consultant advising clients on technology decisions, or a practitioner trying to make the case for doing the ergonomic work properly before reaching for expensive tools, this episode is required listening. If you're a healthcare professional and this episode got your wheels turning about office ergonomics - good. I've got free resources to help you take the next step at ergonomicshelp.com/resources.  [https://www.ergonomicshelp.com/resources]