We're passionate about transforming the health industry.

After completing high school in 1995, Shayne played professional tennis for a couple of years before his career was cut short by a serious ankle injury in 1998. Pushed to pursue a career beyond the court, Shayne developed a keen interest in physiotherapy while undergoing rehabilitation for his injury. As an athlete, he was fascinated by the experience and felt compelled to help others through similar journeys.

Shayne officially graduated as a physiotherapist at the end of 2003. Over the next few years, he gained experience working across different sectors of physiotherapy before honing his skills into musculoskeletal private practice.

In 2008, he founded Active Physio Health in Gladstone, Biloela and Tannum Sands, Queensland. The following 12 years were not without their challenges, but Shayne ultimately led the company to success and sold the business in early 2020.

Determined and resilient, Shayne decided to co-found another business in December 2016 while still managing Active. He established Total Physio Group (which was renamed to Health First Group in September 2020) with fellow physiotherapist, Phil Smith, as a small clinic in Nerang, Gold Coast.

With the experience he gained during his time at Active Physio Health, Shayne strives to build Health First into Australia’s leading Allied Health Business. Now, with 14 clinics established in just 3 and a half years, it’s clear Shayne is well on his way to achieving this dream.

When Shayne isn’t overseeing operations at Health First, he can be found on the court playing tennis or at home, working on a new renovation project.

Phil knew early on in life that he wanted to be a Physiotherapist. As a teenager, his interest in playing a wide range of sports combined with his passion for biology steered him into studying physiotherapy at Kings College University, London. At 21, he graduated with Honours in 2008 and set his sights on becoming a well-rounded, musculoskeletal physiotherapist.

The first five years of his career were spent working at a large teaching hospital in London where he got to experience not only a world class education, but the reality of working in a team of over 150 physiotherapists. During this time, Phil wanted to broaden his experience even further by stepping into the private sector. So, he also worked with a number of small organisations and private practices across London.

In 2013, Phil’s desire for knowledge and experience brought him to practice in Australia. Here, he not only discovered a new home but an opportunity to create something that he believed was missing within the local Allied Health Sector on a large scale. After 4 years of working within Australia, he co-founded Total Physio Group in 2016 (renamed to Health First Group in September 2020) with fellow physiotherapist, Shayne Podbury.

In 2016 the company had 3 clinics and by 2020 they now have 14 locations across the country. With Health First, Phil’s primary aim is to provide a city-like level of service, exceeding client’s expectations in regional locations across Australia. As Health First continues to expand its portfolio of practices, Phil hopes to enable Australians everywhere to get access to the holistic care they need.

In his downtime, you can find Phil hanging out with his toddler, playing a game of football (soccer to us Aussies) or heading out on the water for a scuba dive.

Toni’s involvement with Health First Group blossomed from a few hours a week of book-keeping in the early days as a ‘favour’ to her husband, Shayne Podbury – Director and Co-owner. As the company has evolved, she has enjoyed the challenges brought on by Health First’s rapid expansion and has continuously risen to meet the demands of her position as finance manager.

Toni’s finance background began with bookkeeping and accounts in a previous company. She has studied Business Administration and is currently furthering her studies in the area of Accounting and Bookkeeping. Prior to her work in finance and with Health First Group, Toni gained her Veterinary Nursing qualification and worked in the veterinary industry for many years. When she’s not spending time with her family and two labradoodles – Winnie & Nellie, Toni enjoys reading, adventuring and exploring new places.