Your practice is growing.
It shouldn't feel this exhausting.
You have patients. You have revenue. You have a clinic that works. But you are working 60-hour weeks, hitting a ceiling around $600K, and wondering if this is just what private practice feels like.
Too many low-margin visits. Too much time on documentation. Too many decisions you keep putting off because the schedule keeps filling and nothing feels urgent enough to stop and fix.
I still run a full podiatry practice. I teach what I actually do.
I am not a consultant who left clinical practice to sell courses. I see patients every week at Central Massachusetts Podiatry. I finish my charts before I leave the office. I am home for dinner. I have been doing this since 2009.
I spent years trying to grow by working harder — more patients, longer days, more procedures. It worked, until it didn't. I was hitting a revenue ceiling and burning out. The shift happened when I stopped thinking about volume and started thinking about value per visit.
The principles that work are not complicated. Most podiatrists are sitting on $200K–$400K in untapped revenue right now. They just need someone to help them see where it is leaking — and what to stop doing.
I have been mentoring podiatrists since 2015. I host the Podiatry Practice Mastery podcast — over 880 episodes. I have authored three books on patient education. My YouTube channel has been cited in peer-reviewed academic research. I have spoken at national podiatry conferences including PRESENT Podiatry.
But none of that matters as much as this: the podiatrists I work with actually implement. They raise their per-visit value. They hire scribes. They stop doing low-margin work. They go home earlier.
This is not a course. There is no curriculum.
There are no modules to complete. You bring your real practice. I help you make better decisions about it, week after week, as things change.
What that looks like in practice: direct messaging access for strategic input on real decisions. Weekly small group calls for live questions with other DPMs at the same stage. A second pair of eyes from someone who has seen your pattern before and knows what works.
I tell clients to stop seeing low-margin nail care when it is creating drag. I tell clients to raise their orthotics pricing and stop discounting. I tell clients to hire a scribe before they think they can afford one. The work is specific. The advice is direct. The goal is always fewer low-value visits, cleaner positioning, and stronger decisions.
The path from where you are to where you want to be.
Diagnose
Complete the 64:4 Business Diagnostic in week one. Map your practice structure across positioning, offers, delivery, and owner dependency. Surface where revenue is leaking. Make initial fixes. Most practices identify $100K+ in untapped revenue in the first session.
Delegate & Standardize
Hire a professional scribe to remove administrative drag. Stop doing $15/hour documentation work that prevents you from doing $300/hour clinical work. Implement structured patient education using Google Slides and printed treatment sheets. Replace verbal explanations with consistent visual presentations that increase treatment acceptance.
Maximize Per-Visit Value
Shift focus to Per-Visit Value (PVV). Target $200+ per visit by prioritizing custom orthotics, shockwave therapy (EPAT), amniotic injections, and DME over low-margin routine care. 20 patients per day at $200 PVV = $1M annual production — without adding a single patient to your schedule.
Calibrate
Continuous adjustment as your market shifts and opportunities arise. The value compounds because I know your practice deeply. Most members arrive to sessions having already acted on the previous one — decisions made, changes implemented, problems solved without checking in first.
This works if you are the right fit.
I work with a small number of podiatrists at a time. That is intentional. The value comes from knowing your practice deeply enough to give specific advice, not generic frameworks. That only works with a small group.
This is for you if:
This is not for you if:
The podiatrists who implement, win.
"The coaching with Dr. Pelto has been a big success for my practice. From the very first session, I received excellent advice that was a big success. He suggested giving patients a coupon for a second pair of orthotics at a discount. Within two weeks, we sold 20 or 30 extra pairs of orthotics which paid about a third of my yearly rent. Another valuable piece of advice was how to book more diagnostic ultrasounds. Dr. Pelto is full of great ideas. His brain is on fire and he comes up with unique perspectives, imaginative solutions, and useful guidance. I give him 5 stars for outstanding coaching."
KRISTINA JANSON, DPM — Manhattan, NY
"I've known Don for years. He is absolutely amazing. There are a lot of people out there who have courses, but they don't do what they teach. Don lives what he is teaching in his own practice. Any new idea he tests in his own practice first and then gives his honest feedback on whether it works."
TOM BIERNACKI, DPM
"My husband and I regularly go through your content. We took over Lower Cape Podiatry on January 1. Since then, we purchased an X-ray machine, filled our SoftWave schedule more consistently, and developed a more repeatable approach to patient interactions. Your material has given us a much clearer framework for how to grow the practice in a more intentional way."
JORDAN MCNEILL, DPM — LOWER CAPE PODIATRY
"Dr. Pelto has put together a collection of extremely well-made patient-facing presentations that leave patients with few if any questions. Frankly, I can't believe the quality of what he gives away. For helping to shape and solidify your clinical protocols, Pelto can't be beat."
STEPHEN D. LADSAY, DPM, FACFAS
"I listen to your podcasts, subscribe to your monthly emails, and am a user of the Practice Mastery. You have been a huge help to me and our clinic. It is now a running joke with my office manager that I say often, 'What would Don do?' — so you are famous in Arkansas!"
GINA ESTES — ARP FOOT & ANKLE
"I've been in practice 30 years and Don's insight has changed how I view treating patients. Good common sense, practical, actionable information. He frequently reminds me of aspects of practice that I have let slip and need to level up. I have increased my use of a scribe in the office — it has definitely improved my time at home and made me happier."
BILL JOHNCOCK, DPM — NORTH CAROLINA
"Listening to Dr. Pelto's podcast each week has been a huge help in getting my practice started. It's straightforward, practical, and full of real-world advice I could actually use on Day 1. The Podiatry Practice Mastery podcast is a must-listen for any podiatrist looking to learn and grow within the realm of private practice."
CHRISTOPHER SULLIVAN, DPM — TIMBERLINE PODIATRY
Practice Mastery Mentoring
$2,500
per month
No long-term lock-in. Try it for 30 days. If it is not for you, cancel anytime. Most members stay because the value compounds as I learn your practice more deeply. No discovery calls. No lengthy applications. If this page speaks to you, join. If it doesn't, don't. If you are unsure, start with the Practice Audit.
JOIN MENTORING →Availability
Mentoring is capped at a small number of clients. That is intentional. The value comes from knowing every member's practice well enough to be useful. When spots are filled, new members join a waitlist. Smaller means better. That is the whole point.
CHECK AVAILABILITY →HAVE A QUESTION?
Ask Don
Tell me what is happening in your practice and where it feels stuck. I will give you a straight answer.
NOT READY FOR ONGOING MENTORING?
The Practice Audit
Start with a one-time structural diagnostic. Complete an intake, receive a private video walking through what to remove, keep, and redesign.
Join Podiatry Practice Mastery Email
Short insights from real clinic days on how to increase value per visit, reduce friction in patient decisions, and grow without more patients or longer days. No hype. No spam. Just practical thinking you can apply immediately.
