For registered psychologist Damien Adler, practicing psychology was a natural fit. He loved working with others, so after holding senior positions in the public health sector, he and his wife, also a psychologist, established a group private practice. The practice opened in 2007, and rapidly became successful. Months in, Damien was surprised to learn he was spending more time on his paperwork than with his patients.
Damien quickly realized there was a gap in the tools provided to clinic owners and embarked on a journey to make life easier for himself and other health practitioners. His brother, Paul, had 25 years of expertise in building and scaling technology solutions. They joined forces in 2010 to launch Zanda, a practice management software company.
Helping healthcare practitioners run a business they were never trained for
As a private practice owner, Damien learned first-hand what it took to run a small business without sufficient administrative support. Since then, he’s met numerous practitioners who don’t have a lot of experience operating a business and are bogged down by endless paperwork. Zanda has become the main solution to their problem. The Adler brothers have made it their mission to make it easier for health practitioners to operate their health practices and focus on better patient care and their own well-being.
“Rather than just be a technology provider, we really kind of view ourselves as creating an ecosystem around us that supports practitioners.”
The hidden cost of caring
Damien and Paul continue to build a better way for practitioners to deal with the heavy workload that exists outside of patient care. They also teach practitioners how to run a successful business. Health care practitioners and practitioner owners train for years to help their patients, but they often don’t see the hidden admin workload that becomes their second job. These pressures have far-reaching negative consequences that go beyond the office door, including stress, burnout and mental health issues. Damien and Paul built Zanda to change that.
A practitioner’s second job: the data speaks for itself
Canada’s health care crisis is compounded by the endless paperwork that physicians and Allied Health practitioners (physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic, etc.) deal with every day. The Canadian Medical Association’s physician wellness survey (2021) showed 60% of respondents said the burden of admin work was directly related to burnout and worsening mental health.
In 2025, the survey showed 46% suffering from high levels of burnout and 64% spent time on reporting outside office hours. The startling results are less time with patients, reduced patient care and practitioners retiring early or cutting back on hours due to stress and burnout.
Allied Health practitioners, Zanda’s primary client base, are among the most overlooked in health care research. Many, like physiotherapists, run solo practices, carry enormous admin loads, and yet remain largely unstudied as a professional group. That gap matters. Without data, it’s harder to advocate for their needs, build better tools or drive systemic change. Zanda is working to close that gap.
“We want to help people feel like you’re not alone in that. That’s actually the norm. It’s not the exception.”
What makes the Zanda story unique?
In many cases, tech-start-ups are founded by someone who has identified a gap in the market and then develops the solution. Typically, this person has a background in that industry and then hires technical people to build it. Alternatively, it might be a person with technical skills who identifies an opportunity, but doesn’t have the expertise and deep understanding of the industry. They may not be able to identify with the end-user.
What happens is that either they build a tool that is technically strong but doesn’t meet the market’s needs. Or, they develop a tool that tries to meet the needs of its audience, but is not technically robust or scalable.
Zanda is a case of perfect synergy. The Australian based health tech platform was built on the combination of Damien’s hands-on experience running a clinic, and Paul’s extensive background in technology. Zanda now operates in 23 countries, including Canada, and is set to scale in non-English speaking markets.
Zanda’s story: built by practitioners, for practitioners
One way Zanda solves tech and admin problems for its clients is by using a built-in AI transcribing technology called BizzyAI: Scribe. This technology, which transcribes live sessions, is already saving practitioners time spent on note taking by more than 60%. The company is also set to release an AI module called BizzyAI: Insights. Insights does the prep work before sessions, saving practitioners time by looking at its client’s history and previous session notes and evaluating the client’s needs to deliver a concise synopsis.
Zanda not only educates practitioners and practice owners on how to run and grow their business (e.g. blog articles, webinars), they help them answer the tough questions like, “How do you have difficult conversations?” How do you think about pricing?” and “How do you work with people who have limited income?”
Building a better road for practitioners
Zanda’s unique value stems from Damien’s experience as both a health practitioner and a patient. He understands what it takes to run a practice and what clients need. Most practitioners still need to learn the former skill. This is where Zanda excels: streamlining admin tasks while giving practitioners the tools, education and guidance to build practices that actually work.
“Let’s make it profitable and fun for these businesses to operate. And let’s strip out the admin, strip out all these pain points that are sucking the joy out of running health and psychology practices.”
Are you an Allied Health Practitioner? Check out Damien’s book ‘The 9 Secrets of Successful Health Practices’ (Aug 2025). This book covers ideas and key practices about running an Allied Health business. Learn about financial management, leadership, and how to create and run a business without an MBA.
A dual Australian/Canadian citizen based out of Australia, Damien is known publicly through his 10+ years of regular guest segments on ABC Radio, as a public speaker and corporate trainer, and as a contributor for various TV, radio and print outlets.
When he’s not working, you’ll usually find Damien outdoors in his veggie garden, engaged in an endless list of DIY projects, or off biking and exploring with his family.
