We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kimia Shakerpoor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kimia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The biggest risk I ever took, was deciding to become a chiropractor.
At UC Davis, I was dead set on the route to medical school. I held a board position in our on campus pre-medical association, I had taken my entrance exam, the MCAT, and was one click away from sending off my application.
Two months before graduation, I had to fulfill one more requirement in my campus pre-medical group by attending a talk they provided. I chose the one on alternative medicine, which included an acupuncturist, chiropractor, and music therapist. I was interested in listening to the music therapist speak about a day in their life, as I experienced some of it while interning at the UC Davis Medical Center. However, once it was the chiropractor’s turn to present, consider my mind BLOWN.
When people spoke about their “a-ha” and “light bulb” moments, I did not understand what they meant until I truly experienced it sitting in that auditorium. I remember nodding my head, agreeing with every word the chiropractor was presenting on, and understanding that my medical philosophy was more holistic in nature. I wanted to treat my patients as people and not as their symptoms. I wanted to figure out the most conservative approach to care, before referring out to a practitioner who would take a more aggressive approach.
The biggest risk I ever took was two months before graduation, where I scrapped my medical school application that I worked hard on putting together, creating a new one, and sending it off to chiropractic school instead.
And 10 years later, I have not looked back since!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I graduated with Cum Laude honors, from Palmer College of Chiropractic – West.
My approach to chiropractic is to help patients achieve and live a more comfortable life by eliminating obstacles brought on by musculoskeletal pain. I understand the importance of wanting to be able to successfully complete a task at work, school, or home with family, without pain and discomfort.
I individualize care for my patients through chiropractic adjustments, soft tissue techniques, and personalized exercises.
I have two focuses that I truly enjoy making a difference in, which are athletic individuals and family health care, which includes pregnancy.
I created a program called Medical Strength Training, which teaches patients how to perform weight lifting movements to strengthen and rehab an acute or chronic area of injury. This is perfect for anyone who wants to improve their range of motion, decrease pain, and get back to functional living.
Pregnant patients benefit heavily from chiropractic care, as their bodies are changing rapidly during those nine months. This is done through the Webster Technique. Whether it is low back or pelvic pain relief, labor prep, or helping the baby find an optimal position in the uterus, this technique is safe, gentle, and effective!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Networking, all the way!
Joining a referral based networking group is in my opinion, the best way for business owners to thrive.
I could be fantastic at what I do, but no one would know of my work if I did not have patients coming into my office and helping keep my business alive.
A networking group gives you visibility amongst your members and peers, which not only help promote your business, but is a great way for you to give back to the group with referrals to their work as well.
What you put out into the world, is what you get back. If you give business and help others, you will receive the same!

How’d you meet your business partner?

Initially met Dr. Jennifer Walker and Dr. Ly Ho of In Health Clinic, through my classmate who is their cousin.
Initially I wanted to join their clinic after graduating from chiropractic school, but they already had a chiropractor working for them at the time, thus filling the position.
I then went on to open up my own practice as the in-house chiropractor for a small fitness studio, and all was well until the pandemic hit. While I was technically an essential worker, the owner of the studio did not allow me to practice since the studio itself was non-essential.
Upon hearing the news, and since their previous chiropractor had then left, Dr. Walker and Dr. Ho were gracious enough to allow me to work under them, while bringing my own patients from the studio into their office.
After experiencing what a truly inviting, professional, transparent, and incredibly fun workspace felt like, I chose to close my practice and officially join In Health Clinic!
Being a part of this group is one of the best decisions I have made in my career. It is very important to surround yourself with people who will support you in every aspect of your career, and I have the team at In Health to thank for that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://in-healthclinic.com
• Instagram: @drkimiashakerpoor @inhealthclinic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inhealthclinic
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/in-health-clinic-san-jose?uid=KGYQFUSqOFMj1T65cBcGgA&utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)