We recently connected with Dr. Whitney Donohue and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Whitney, appreciate you joining 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 believe you can take, is betting on yourself. I believe if you have a vision and the skills to execute, staying the course, following your heart and your gut, pays off every time. When it came to starting my own practice there was a lot about what it should look like from other people, what other people wanted me to do and what they expected of me. At the end of the day, none of that felt good to me & the risk of moving forward with how I wanted to practice medicine, how I envisioned helping people heal, was not something many people understood. At risk, was turning down safer and much easier options but they were not aligned with what I wanted to do. Yes, what I do is really different and that is a risk in itself but knowing how powerful it is and how much it can help people on their healing journey is worth every ounce of risk there was/is. Now, with a thriving practice that has evolved immensely and better than I could have imagined myself, all the risks were worth it. Being able to help guide people on their health & healing journeys at the level at which I envisioned, has been more amazing than I ever thought possible! The risk is worth it!! You just have to commit fully but be open to the evolution!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Natural medicine really found me! I had severe injury that left me in chronic pain for years but opened the door for natural healing modalities and I did it all. I mean, ALL! It took a few years to gain my health and active life back but I knew at the end of the day that my body was truly healing and I was not just suppressing the pain or symptoms I was experiencing. In the middle of this whole process I started Naturopathic Medical school and shortly after starting, it was exactly where I was supposed to be! The journey introduced me to many other healing modules outside of school, which is everything I do today in my practice. Still on my own healing journey I was introduced to Applied Kinesiology, Neuro Emotional Technique and more, which all played huge roles in helping my own body heal. When I personally experienced something new and found it to significantly helped me, I went to learn it so I could help people heal in the same way. So, everything I practice every day is very personal to me, as each modality helped me heal, so I can truly speak from personal experience on top of clinical experience on how I can help people on their own journey back to health.
Our bodies are incredibly intelligent & obtain their own innate ability to heal themselves. Here at Quantum Body Optimization we take into consideration all aspects of being human, how they contribute to your pain, performance and healing journey. We look at the physical, structural, emotional and chemical insults that can occur and by identifying these roadblocks, we can remove them so that your body can restore balance and heal itself as it was naturally designed to do.
Healing happens much like an onion, in layers. To get to the root cause & eliminate pain & dis-ease, you must peel back the layers one at a time. Within each layer is a physical, chemical & emotional component that must be addressed in order for the layer to be released. Some layers release faster than others but with the amazing tool of Applied Kinesiology, each component and layer can be identified, addressed & corrected quicker and with more efficiency. This leads to incredibly individualized treatments & plans to restore health & get you back to doing what you love faster!
I work with active people who have pain or injury that is preventing them from living a full and active life. I believe you don’t have to live your life in pain and give up the things you love. I also believe in empowering patients to eliminate their pain and facilitate their bodies to heal naturally, with the knowledge and tools to take action and gain back control of your health and eliminate pain, so you can live an active, healthy life, free of pain.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I officially launched my own practice in February of 2020 and the world shut down shortly afterward. I had two options, to completely pivot, shift gears and change the whole way I was going to practice or stay the course on my vision. Pivoting made sense for everyone else around me but it didn’t feel like the way I wanted to start my practice and felt that it would take on a life of its own that didn’t align with the way I wanted to practice. So instead, I stayed true to my vision and took that time to really iron everything out, automate everything I could so that once I started, I could hit the ground running and that is what I did. I learned a lot about tech and the behind the scenes things I otherwise would have outsourced and I really got clear on exactly who I wanted to help and how I was going to do so. So much has changed since then but what I found to be true, is that even when there is doubt or comparison or other people telling you want to do, you have to listen to your gut and follow through on your vision and be open to its evolution. That is where resilience is built from. Creating, implementing and most importantly taking action. If it works, run with it, if it needs to shift or change, be open to that as well. Just keep moving forward.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The most effective strategy is by far, caring for the people in front of you / clients you already have. Over deliver and you get personal referrals which are worth their weight in gold. Secondly, getting in front of people face to face. People need human connection, they need to know there is a person there and they want to hear your story and connect with YOU! Anytime I meet someone online, in passing or in a networking setting that I think will be a great connection I always ask to set up a face to face over coffee or something simple to learn more about them and create a personal connection. They are more likely to refer to you, as you are to them because they know and can build a genuine connection with you! Personal connections have been the greatest growth strategy on all levels; new patients, other professional referrals, business opportunities and great like minded friends.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.drwhitneydonohue.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drwhitneydonohuend/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drwhitneydonohuend
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-whitney-donohue-nd-b9b140133/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_60p_CsdJcnV5Ky-pzDeMw
Image Credits
Jared Murray