Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Anne Kitchens. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dr. Anne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.
I believe my defining moment in not only my professional career, but in my life was when I decided to become employed after being self-employed for four years. There’s never really an easy time to decide to dismantle your entire life, but I definitely made that leap out of wanting to have progress. I started working for myself in the winter of 2021 out of necessity. I spent time after school working for a few different doctors and in the Chiropractic world there’s a big saying “Chiropractors eat their young.” Well it definitely happened and I was not even considered part of the team of doctors in both scenarios. Part of our entire journey as chiropractors is doing one thing that only we can do and that is adjust the spine for subluxation. Learning how to analyze, correct and remove subluxation. This is taught to us at school, but it’s really up to our older chiropractors and our senior doctors to help us learn how to analyze and help people. This wasn’t something that was happening for me so I decided to venture out on my own and seek technique help from anybody that I could find. I spent hours and hours on the weekends at school to learn what I could to be helpful and decent at my job when I graduated. I applied this same mindset while opening a business. I was learning all that I possibly could so my business and I could help care for people well and for a long time. This is when I found Dr. Amy Spoelstra. She found the company that I work for now but more over the technique and mind set I choose to work through every day. We work with children and families through a brain based lens and through a program she founded called Brain Blossom. While in my last year of school i found my passion in my career and the things that would help me face the world’s challenges head on, Pediatrics. I actually wanted to specialize and work with Kids. I worked through all of my ICPA ( International Chiropractic pediatric Association) Seminars and became certified in Webster technique along with prenatal and I’m still working on my pediatric Certification. Hopefully that will be done by the end of 2025.
In the winter of 2021 I found something called the FOCUS Academy and learned that there was a great way to take care of kids. My life before my chiropractic program was all about psychology and social needs. I worked with adults and kids with higher needs and challenges. As soon as I realized both of these worlds could work well together the light turned on and my path became clear.
I worked with Dr. Amy as a mentor for three years before deciding to close my private practice and join the fountainhead of the FOCUS Academy and Brain Blossom where I could help and learn from my mentor. I am happy and fulfilled but more than that I get to help people and I get to help kids that were like me growing up and help parents understand their kids. Thats where the magic happens. Because I get to watch families heal, I get to watch parents reconnect with their children because they now understand that behavior is a window into a developing brain. I get to witness wins for kids and families that are beyond explanation. Other than their foundational neurology is now set up appropriately because they’ve had our type of care and they’ve been taken care of appropriately for their challenges.
When I was growing up, I didn’t know it, but I struggled having dyslexia and reading was incredibly hard for me and so was homework and I would put it off. I was very high achieving and for me extremely hard. Just knowing that there was something different about me, I couldn’t wrap my brain around it because I was doing so well at so many things. Sports and athletics came super easy to me. Socialization peers came super easy to me. Most of my schoolwork was so easy and then it came to reading. I was 26 years old when the first person asked me if I was dyslexic and then actually tested me. Since then, I have been diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD and knowing what I know now from the Neuro developmental realm that I work in, the signs to me are clear. You know that feeling of if I knew then what I know now things would be so different. This is all part of my turning point and I decided to work in the field that I work in is because I was a lot of those kids and our family struggle, but I know how to help and so you know once you see something you can’t see it and once I know how to help I can’t unhelp and I can’t be quiet and I want everybody to know about what I know about. Choosing to dismantle the Spokane office and move to Idaho and work at the fountain head wasn’t a hard choice, but it was emotional and it definitely was something that has taken a lot of time for me to reconcile with. In the end, that is also the beginning, we find our strength of character and for me I feel in constant realization of this exact thought.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Well yeah! I am a pediatric and prenatal chiropractor, specializing in behavior and brain development.
I work with kids who have behavioral learning, socialization, and or developmental challenges. We walk alongside families to help them understand the foundational need for the way our brain receives Information. When we have the capacity to receive information, process it in our brain and then send output we have clear brain to body communication. This helps to structure the way the brain develops and integrates the information coming into it, well.
We know that when typical brain development is altered it affects everything else down the line and what you and I see is a child struggling. What is typically missed here is the child and their behavior is not the problem. It’s the foundational aspect to the developing brain that has either been skipped over or hasn’t been utilized enough so now our typical trajectory is skewed. Does this mean this child is bad or wrong? Absolutely not. What it means is that their ability to process information is different and is going to take a different path leaning to a less sophisticated way of interacting with their environment.
It is my job to help create a stable foundation and remove any neuro-structural shifts that have happened. A term coined by Dr. Amy Spoelstra the founder of The Focus Academy, Brain Blossom, and my dear friend and mentor.
What we know is a body in stress does not responded that same way. We know that stress impacts the way the brain develops. My job is to ask an answer two big questions for our patients and then put them on a path to help fill in gaps we may have skipped over during development.
By answering these critical questions through our innovative functional brain-based exam and process, we gain profound insights beyond a child’s challenges or “deficits” and uncover the underlying reasons behind them.
We want to know how is the brain processing perceiving and receiving information and is that a sophisticated process? Have there been any gaps and development and where are they landing right now on the developmental hierarchy?
This gives us a great window into how kids in our practice are processing and engaging with their world. It also helps us with brain-based tools for parents so that we can see the kid for who they are instead of their behaviors and we can help them navigate things by incorporating different games and exercises to help.
Our work and office is unique but one of almost 300 that are available world wide.
I am proud to do this work and I know I’m here for this purpose, this is who I am.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Listening. People hear the word doctor and typically aren’t excited to enter a space because there will be one there. Unless , you know ,you’ve broken your leg and then you’re grateful that there are doctors. I firmly believe when somebody comes in to our space, into my practice, they deserve to be heard as if it’s for the first time, even if they’ve told their story 1 million times and I’ve cared for similar patients a million times.
Each individual person has a story to tell we are all different. Listening is the key to my success. Understanding, and knowledge base are the second pieces to this puzzle.
When a patient and their family come in, I want them to know that I hear them and that I am there for them. I want them to know that they are special, individual and part of a community now.
When we listen to people truly hear what they are saying most of the time that’s not done with words it’s done with body language. It’s done with eye contact. It’s done with my body posture. Most of the parents that come into our office are struggling so much that they themselves are experiencing not only their child’s stress but their own stress as well because they are the caregivers. They are the ones that are with their kids that are struggling 24 seven they also deserve to be listened to.
I don’t say this to be rude or pompous , but I say it to be real and heartfelt. My goal is to create such a safe space when communicating with parents that they let down their guard and cry. For a few reasons 1.)Because tears are filled with cortisol. cortisol is our stress Hormone. Crying Is a great way to release the back load of stress parents are carrying around. And 2.) I want them to feel as if somebody finally got what they were going through and they were finally able to to be heard. That is one of the greatest gifts that anybody could give to anybody and it’s my goal. Because I do get it and have been there and our office does too.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Being an active member in my community. For me that means working for the community , volunteering for projects and working with non profits that help my key demographic. Currently I sit on 2 executive boards for vital non profits in our area. Both strive to help families that are struggling and it has opened my eyes to a deep understanding of what our families actually need. The first is Failsafe for life a suicide prevention non profit where we educate and create understanding around suicide and how we can help the community recognize signs and create viable, peer to peer networks to help with prevention. I lost my father and 4 other people in 2017 to suicide and it was a life altering experience to say the least.
The second is the Rosalie Murrey memorial foundation. We are in the midst of building a school to help children with higher needs between the ages of 3-6 receive the services they need and have aged out of. The state of Washington and every state needs a more robust knowledge of how to help families in this age group as it a mid land of no help.Children ages of 0-3 have support and help and 6+ have help. However 3-6, when we are developing and growing ,especially our brains, the most help and services are absent. Our goal is to bridge that gap.
I want to be apart of where I live, of the people that are here, and help improve their lives. My work does not stop at my office door, instead it covers all aspects of my life. This is why I chose this work because it is me and I am it. I couldn’t imagine my life any other way. My partner, family and friends know my heart and so does my community and I’m proud of that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Cdahealth.com
- Instagram: Drannekitchens
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