#25 Getting Your Health Back on the Agenda, with George Vernon

You can find time for a clinical course, a team meeting and another conversation with your accountant. But when it comes to your own health, there never seems to be a spare hour. In this episode of Conversations with Chris, I’m joined by health and performance coach George Vernon to explore a problem familiar to many practice owners: knowing something needs to change, but struggling to make it happen. George’s route into dentistry began in a boxing gym. A shy eleven-year-old went on to compete in 33 fights, study sport and exercise science, complete a master’s degree in strength and conditioning, and work with elite athletes. Today, much of his coaching focuses on dentists and practice owners who want lasting improvements in their health, energy and performance. We discuss the familiar cycle of enthusiasm, unrealistic commitments and disappointment. You return from holiday, decide you’re never drinking again, promise to survive on celery until Christmas, and discover that your ambitious new regime doesn’t fit your actual life. George explains how he helps clients set expectations they can sustain and understand what drives their habits. His approach brings together five areas: systematic management, psychology, stress management, nutrition and physical training. We explore why he starts with time, values and recovery, and how accountability and regular adjustments help turn good intentions into repeatable routines. One phrase that will resonate with busy clinicians is “minimum effective dose”. George describes working with the time and circumstances a client actually has, identifying the few changes worth concentrating on, and building from there. A longer timescale can be a sensible choice if it allows someone to maintain progress without turning their life upside down. We also look at what coaching involves. George talks through onboarding, education, regular conversations and the process of identifying each person’s immediate constraints. His examples include exploring a practice owner’s feelings about selling her business and helping another client reconsider eating patterns that were leaving them exhausted at the end of the working day. That brings us to a question with relevance well beyond fitness: how do you help people change their behaviour? I ask George about the connection between influencing your own habits and becoming more effective at influencing others. We explore the potential for group programmes and training leaders to apply coaching principles within their businesses. These are ideas under discussion, with interesting possibilities for dentistry. You’ll hear about: - Making health a priority alongside practice ownership. - Connecting personal goals with the things you value most. - Recognising how stress can shape everyday habits. - Choosing realistic actions and reviewing what works. - The relationship between personal wellbeing, leadership and performance. If your own health has slipped down the agenda, this conversation offers a useful starting point. George’s emphasis is on understanding your circumstances, learning the principles and making progress through consistent, manageable adjustments. Find George at georgevernon.co.uk, search George Vernon on LinkedIn, or find him on Instagram. If this episode brings someone to mind, please share it with them and start a conversation about it.