We recently connected with Dr. Artelia Wadley and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Artelia, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents who have been married for 43 years and still together until this day have played one of the biggest parts in who I am today. Growing up my parents were very open about allowing me to choose what it was I wanted to do and never making or forcing me to participate in things that didn’t interest me. Their parental approach was firm ,but very laid back at the same time. My mom taught me how to be loving, forgiving, caring, and that beauty on the inside is just as important as beauty on the outside. I remember a time when I had a disagreement with a friend and I was done with the friendship. Well at least I thought, when my mother heard about this she was not having it! She forced me to go to the movies with this friend, even though I didn’t want to and I was so mad at my mom for making me do this. But looking back, I realized that my mom was teaching me about life and how to deal with people, and the most important lesson forgiveness, On the other hand my dad taught me to be strong, independent, charismatic, to speak my mind and that I could be or do whatever I wanted to as long as I put my mind to it. This reminds of when I decided to go back to school to become Chiropractor. I thought about having two kids, having to provide for them, having to complete sciences before even applying, and how this journey would look for me. At first, I was discouraged because it seemed hard, difficult and dang near impossible. Then, the things my dad taught me played back over and over again in my head and I made the decision and never looked back. Going back to school and attending the graduate program to become a Chiropractor was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. At the same time one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. With out a doubt, that had everything to do with the things both my parents instilled in me. Today I am a Doctor of Chiropractor, that is loving, caring, forgiving, charismatic, strong, independent, and loves to serve my community through chiropractic. This had everything to do with my what my parents did right, I’m sure I could list a million more things they have done right, but these are just a few that stood out to me. I love them more than an infinity of lifetimes and so grateful and blessed I have them as parents!

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?

I was born and raised in Fort Worth, TX, graduated from Dunbar High School. Went to college at University of North Texas in Denton, TX and received my Bachelor’s in Business Administration in the professional field of Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management in December 2001. I graduated the December right after September 11th happened, so finding a job in my field was harder than I ever imagined. Discouraged but yet determined, I kept searching and was finally able to seek employment. I worked for several companies in several different positions and yet I wasn’t fulfilled and felt that I was in a rat race. This lead me to starting a more holistic journey in my life such as detoxing, working out, and figuring out who I was and what I really wanted for my life. In this journey, I felt as if the jobs that I was taking was not allowing me to make a real difference in the world or fulfilling my true purpose in life. As I continued to stay in deep thought about what I wanted to do, I decided that I would return to school to become a nurse. I returned to school at TCC to complete some of the sciences required to apply to the nursing program and to my surprise one my science instructors asked me to stop by his office. When I stopped by his office, he asked me if I knew what Chiropractors did and my response was yep crack backs. He laughed and asked me to do him a favor and check it out when I had time and let him know what I thought. I agreed and started to do my own research. In doing my own research I was simply amazed at this modality of healthcare and at that time decided I want to be a part of this amazing profession. Excited to know what direction I was going in, I met back with him and shared with him that I was going to Chiropractic school.

I immediately contacted Parker College of Chiropractic which is now Parker University and applied to the graduate program. I was accepted and started the program January 2011. I graduated in April 2014 earning my Doctorate of Chiropractic and Bachelors in Health and Wellness. After graduation, I worked at several different clinics that included: accident and injury, workers compensation, even traveled once a week to Houston, TX to treat patients. However, I still had a passion for health and wellness which lead me to opening my own practice Wadley Chiropractic in 2017.

Wadley Chiropractic is a family practice, that treats patient from 0-99 years of age, including infants and prenatal care. Health and wellness is the focus in my practice and I take a whole-body approach when treating patients. Quality of care is my main focus and treating my patients like extended family and not just a number. I am experienced in several techniques and modalities such as: Activator protocol, Diversified (Manual), Thompson technique, Flexion/Distraction, Electrical Stimulation, Ultrasound, Manual Therapy. and Therapeutic Exercise. I am a member of the I.C.P.A (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association) since 2015 and Webster Certified, a special technique for pregnant women. Every patient gets individualized care according to their needs. I believe what sets me apart from others is allowing my patients to be themselves, creating a fun environment for them to embrace chiropractic, putting a smile on their face or making them laugh, and most importantly helping them understand their bodies. What I’m most proud of brand-wise is going above and beyond to make sure people have a great chiropractic experience at Wadley Chiropractic.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

If I had to go back I would definitely choose the same profession. When I was younger, I originally wanted to become a doctor but somehow I convinced myself that I didn’t want to go to school for that extended amount of time. Now, what I didn’t know is the type of doctor I wanted to become. As I became older and started to work in other industries my passion to help others never left it only became stronger. The only thing I would change if I could go back was to have taken this path sooner and not let the time it takes to become a doctor discourage me from what it was I really wanted to do.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

I believe that being a people person and having a good bedside manner is helpful in succeeding in my field. What I mean is people want to be heard and understood and not treated like a number. I also believe having a sincere passion to help, serve, and educate plays a big part in succeeding in this field.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fortworthchiropractor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drarteliadc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrArteliaDC