Director; APA Sports & Exercise Physio; Olympic & Commonwealth Games Physio 
B.App.Sc (physio){HonsI}, M Sport Physio
APA Sports & Exercise Titled Physio
Australian Olympic Team Physio (2012, 2016, appointed 2020)
Australian Commonwealth Games Team Physio (2018)
Fellow Australian College Physiotherapists (FACP)
Member APA & Sports & Exercise Physio Australia
Member Sports Medicine Australia
Physio to Swimming Australia & The Qld Academy of Sport. Previous Physio to Triathlon Australia, the Australian Institute of Sport program, Previous Physio to Canoe/Kayak Australia, Australian Open Water Swimming Teams & BMX Australia.
Main interests: Swimmers, Ultra-runners, Endurance, Triathlon & Multisport athletes, Trail runners & loves helping rehab from Bone Stress Injuries and pelvic, SIJ & shoulders injuries!
Britt Caling is an Australian Physiotherapy Association Sports & Exercise Physiotherapist and Director of Gold Coast Physio & Sports Health. Britt has a special interest in endurance athletes, biomechanical analysis of swimming, cycling and running, improving sports performance and rehabilitation.
Britt graduated from the University of Sydney in 1998 and moved straight into Sports Private Practice working under 3 of Australia’s experienced Sports Physio’s of the time. She then moved to the Gold Coast in 2003 to work with Triathlon and for a change in lifestyle. In 2005 she graduated from Griffith Uni with a Sports Physio Masters, including the Val J Simpson award for best in Manual Therapy.
Britt continues to provide physiotherapy services to Triathlon Australia’s Elite Program, after her first appointment started in 2002. Britt has previously been extensively involved with The Australian Institute of Sport Triathlon, Kayaking, and BMX programs, Swimming Australia, The Queensland Academy of Sport, and The New South Wales Institute of Sport.
In 2012, Britt was appointed to the Australian Olympic Team as the Official Triathlon Australia Sports Physio for London Olympics. She had a very successful 2012 London Olympics campaign where she was in-camp as Sports Physio pre-Olympics with the Gold-medal Winning Mens K4 Sprint Kayaking Team, Gold-medallist Sprint Hurdler Sally Pearson and then was Sport Physio to the Triathlon Australia Elite Team where Erin Densham won her Olympic Bronze Medal.
In 2016, Britt was appointed to the Australian Olympic Team for Rio Olympics as part of the Australian Headquarters Team, providing Sports Physio across the whole Team with Specific assistance to Cycling Australia, Slalom Canoe/Kayak, Triathlon Australia and Table Tennis Australia.
At the home-town 2018 Commonwealth Games, Britt was appointed again as part of the Australian Headquarters Team, providing Sports Physio across the whole Team, this time with Specific assistance to Triathlon Australia (Mixed Team Relay Gold, Mens Silver, Mens paratri Silver & Bronze) & Beach Volleyball Australia (Mens Gold & Womens Silver) plus many other individual medallists (Katrin Garfoot Womens cycling TT Gold, Alex Graham & Elijah Winnington mens 200m Swimming relay Gold, Dani Stevens womens Discuss Gold).
Britt is a contributing author of the Human Kinetics text, “The Woman Triathlete” and has contributed to Womens Running and Coast Multisport Magazines. Britt’s professional interest in sport is demonstrated by her own sporting achievements and participation. She has represented Australia for Hockey and has competed in multiple age group Triathlon World Championships. Britt currently competes in adventure racing and multisport events that vary in duration from several hours to multiple days, and Ultra Running. In 2015 she won the Great Barrier Reef 76km and in 2017 the Coastal High 50km, plus numerous 25km local Trail events.
Britt has been managing physio to Olympic Gold Medalist Sally Pearson (sprint hurdles) since 2004 so has experience in helping athletes through all periods of their sporting careers.
With her personal interest in running, Britt has been coaching Run Technique Clinics since 2011 and has provided the Run Technique session and Drills to the Gold Coast National Triathlon Performance Squad since 2017, so she has a real passion for helping athletes enjoy running, become more efficient and reduce their risk of Injury. With this association, Britt leads the Run@mygcphysio Run Group for the Wednesday morning runs.
Britt can be found working at both clinics as well as a weekly Qld Academy Sport shift.
Britt’s Story – Business Owner, Mentor, Director & Principal Physio
Growing up in a small NSW Country town (Armidale) from the age of 16 I knew I wanted to be a Physio. I was an Australian Rep Junior Hockey Player so had had contact with local Physio’s treating me for Back Pain. My parents were teachers- my mum Science and Chemistry so taught me to be analytical, to ask questions and get details, and my dad taught Physical Education, so taught me the a love for activity and sport. I was an independent and motivated kid who also found pleasure in teaching and helping people, so careers advisers had highlighted Physio as a suited profession for me.
At age 18 I moved to Sydney to attend Uni so I moved from a Town of population 30,000 to a Uni of Population 30,000. Sydney was awfully daunting to a Country Kid and I had many challenges adjusting to city lifestyle. I continued to play Rep Hockey through Uni, with my personal Physio’s being located at Olympic Park in Homebush. I used to turn up for treatment with my anatomy study cards in hand to read while being stretched, poked and prodded by my own Physio. This impression of me as a student Physio obviously had good effect as I was offered a job at this multidisciplinary Sports Physio clinic as a new graduate Physio. At Sydney Sports Medicine Centre I was trained by 3 of the best Sports Physio’s around in the day- Physio’s whom I continue to respect and now work alongside in the Sports & Exercise Physio world. I can’t Thank these Physio’s enough for inspiring and developing my passion for wanting to be the best Sports Physio I could be, and they fuelled my desire to work as Physio with Australian Teams & Athletes, and with other Health disciplines who had the same passion. Through this clinic I was given my first real Sports Physio role- I was appointed to the Australian Junior Elite Triathlon Team in 2002. This really started my love for helping athletes be the best athletes they could be.
But Sydney never felt like home, so in 2003 after my best friend had moved to the Gold Coast 6months earlier, I followed her. The Gold Coast gave me the opportunity to study my Sports Physio Masters in 2004-2005, and during these years I worked at a local Sports Medicine/Physio clinic that had a great reputation, notably due to the Principal being one of the official Physio’s to the Australian Swim Team. Hard work in the clinic in developing my Sports Physio skills gave me the opportunity to travel as Australian Open-Water Swimming Physio for a few years, before then transitioning back into travel as Physio to the Australian Elite Triathlon Team in 2008.
While my Sports Physio career pathway was going gangbusters due to the hard work and enthusiasm I put into it, 4years after starting work in the clinic a friend, who was also a qualified and driven Massage Therapist, Thea, approached me and told me if I ever wanted to own my Own clinic that she would be interested in a partnership with me. And so was born the first seed of Gold Coast Physio & Sports Health.
One year later in 2008 after lots of time, energy & thoughtful Business planning, Gold Coast Physio & Sports Health opened in June with 2 Directors: myself as a Physio & Thea as Massage Therapist, plus one Frontdesk Team member employee.
We worked 6 days per week. We attended Business seminars to improve our Business skills. We read books. We asked questions of lots of people. Through our Sports Contacts, hard work and passion, we grew quickly so 6months later we already had a Physio employee and another part-time Massage Therapist at this Runaway Bay location.
With our reputation for Sports Physio & Sports Massage skills, we were approached by the Australian Canoe/Kayak Team to work with them. Our original clinic was located 25min drive from the Canoe/Kayak training location out of the Australian Institute of Sport facility, and like all Gold Coasters (particularly GC athletes), 25min was too far to drive. So we sourced a small 2 room space in the back of a gym close to the AIS facility, reviewed our Business plan and decided this was the start of our second clinic location, at Burleigh. This was 2009 and our Team at Runaway Bay clinic was already growing with the addition of another Massage Therapist.
Through the Business growth, I was still travelling as Sports Physio to the elite Australian Triathlon Team (a journey that had started in 2002!). It was hard juggling periods of oversees travel and being a Business owner not always being present in the clinic. I worked hard IN and ON the business, always setting both personal and professional goals and working out how to achieve them.
By 2012, we had 15employees across the 2 Clinic Locations and the clinic reputation was growing for our Sports Physio & Massage services. 2012 was one of the most exciting years of my life. I was appointed to the Australian Olympic Team as the official Triathlon Australia Sports Physio. An appointment like this makes all the hard work worthwhile- all the extra hours standing on pool deck watching swimmers swim hundreds of laps; All the Sports Camps being paid minimal amounts for long days of work; The international flight changes, delays, cancellations & repeatedly arguing the cost of excess baggage when travelling with a physio table; Managing athletes under time pressures of competition.
To add to excitement of going to my first Olympics, I was asked to provide Physio to the Australian mens kayaking program for their pre-Olympic camp AND to spend 3weeks with Sally Pearson as personal physio prior to her heading into pre-Olympic camp. I had been working as Sally’s Physio since 2004, and with Sally favourite to win Gold in the womens 100m Hurdles at the London Olympics, I was unbelievably excited to be offered these opportunities.
Then I found out I was pregnant. A not-quite-planned event in a busy Sports Physio career year with all these opportunities! And a Business to run that had 2 clinic locations and 30 employees!
Neverless, I have always been a motivated and determined person who believes you set Goals and go to work achieving them. I’m not afraid of hard work or commitment. This pregnancy was to prove no challenge in achieving my Sports Physio career goals of going to an Olympics. So after jumping through a few hoops to appease both my Obstetrician and the AOC, I was given clearance to travel to London Olympics as an Australian Sports Physio. To date, 2012 has been one of the best years of my personal AND professional life: Sally Pearson won Gold, the Mens K4 kayak team won Gold and Erin Densham won Bronze in the womens Triathlon. The business survived me being away for 10weeks oversees gallivanting as a Team Sports Physio. And 6weeks after returning from London, my husband and I had the most incredible event of our lives- the birth our first baby daughter. What a successful year!
BUT, at this time Thea wanted to leave the Business. She wasn’t enjoying the responsibilities of being a clinic Owner, so in 2012 I become the sole Director of Gold Coast Physio & Sports Health- and the sole leader & mentor to our 15 or so employees at the time. It was daunting at first knowing I had full responsibility over ever clinic decision. My husband, Albie, had many years of management experience, so at this time we decided it was time for him to become officially employed as our Business Manager.
Now I have a second daughter, Eva, and I have had the privilege of being part of the Australian Olympic Team as Sports Physio within the Headquarters Team for Rio Olympics 2016, and the Australian Commonwealth Games Team on the Gold Coast in 2018.
My long-term clinic Vision remains to make the Gold Coast the most fulfilled & healthy community through Exercise/Activity as a medium, and I am SO proud of every employee that has contributed to Gold Coast Physio & Sports Health’s community reputation.
My Why: I wake up every morning to help as many people achieve a goal as possible, including my family, my clients and my team, so that they can experience the amazing emotions and feelings that go along with achieving a goal, in particular those related to sports and exercise.
