We were lucky to catch up with Alyson Cramer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alyson thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

I had just graduated from chiropractic college in Kansas City and decided to move to Ahwatukee, Arizona with my fiancé to open my dream practice, Awaken Chiropractic. Nothing was easy about opening up my own practice, but it has been the most rewarding decision I have ever made. It has required an extreme amount of patience, determination and perseverance. Learning how to set up the legalities of a business, working with contractors and city officials, and maintaining focus on my vision were just a few of the many steps I had to take. I was very fortunate to have great resources to help ease me into the uncharted waters, but so much of this process one can only learn through experience. If you are thinking about starting your own business, just know that there will always be someone to help, someone who has done it before, and if they can do it, so can you. If this is something that you are passionate about, take the risk and don’t look back. The only person standing in your way is you.

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 had always known that I wanted to help people, specifically in the medical field. It wasn’t until junior year of college at The University of Arkansas that I considered chiropractic. It kept popping up in front of me throughout the year and then a chiropractor invited me to his office to shadow him. From then on I was hooked. I was inspired seeing the joy people had when being there and the incredible connection made with patients to help their body’s heal themselves.

So many people think that chiropractic care is only for neck and low back pain, but it is so much more. It is people taking their lives back in a natural and drug free way. By stimulating the nervous system through adjustments, we are helping the body do what it naturally can do. Fighting off chronic sickness, improving focus and concentration, helping with breathing difficulties, alleviating digestive issues, the list goes on.

Chiropractic care is for anyone, at any age. My youngest patient has been 2 weeks old and my oldest at 91 years old. We all have health and wellness goals we want to achieve, and I am honored to be a part of my patient’s journey.

My practice runs efficient and effective, I understand that families and individuals are busy, life is moving fast, and I can make wellness attainable for them by respecting their time. I am also a safe and gentle adjuster, some people are afraid of chiropractic, they may have been hurt or heard about bad experiences. I utilize a gentle and specific technique that works with your body rather than against it. I listen to your goals and celebrate your achievements, no matter the size! We are all strong individuals and when you are in pain or limited functionally, it can be hard to see your true inner strength. I pledge to help you tap into that strength and awaken the best version of you.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

If you are like me, you might have a perfectionist side. Since starting my practice I constantly felt like I wasn’t doing enough and was putting unrealistic standards on myself.

Growing up my self worth came from my accomplishments. Getting good grades, doing well in sports. In my practice my perfectionism manifested as how impressive I was, if I was giving the perfect answers to any patient questions, if I was getting perfect results. I cared so much about being “perfect”, to let the patient know that they made the right choice by choosing me as their chiropractor. My therapist recommended me to read Atlas of The Heart by Brené Brown and there was a section about perfectionism. “Perfectionism is not striving to be our best or working towards excellence. Healthy striving is internally driven. Perfectionism is externally driven by a simple but potentially all-consuming question: What will other people think?” This was a huge wake up call for me. My drive for perfection was not about meeting my own expectations, but of those around me. Whether those expectations are in fine print, or ones that I assumed were held by those around me. You cannot give others that power over you. You can never please everybody.

A quote from an animated lab named Mr. PeanutButter from my favorite tv show “if you care about what other people think, then you’ll never do anything.”

We are all human and can never be perfect – but we can always be 100% even if that isn’t the same day to day.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I first opened my practice I had all of these big goals set in my mind, and when I wasn’t reaching them it really affected me. I wanted to rush the process. There were times that I had wanted to quit, to close up shop and take the easy route. When financial pressure was on, when confidence was low. But I always showed up, on the hard days, on the easy days. I knew that all of my hard work would pay off, I did not know when, but I knew it would if I kept strong. It can be hard to take a step back and see how far you have came, or how you are still new in your journey. Give yourself grace and let go.

You cannot hard work yourself through everything to reach your goals. Yes, hard work and drive is important, but you cannot control everything. Keep your vision and focus on what you want. You can’t control how or when you’ll get there, that’s for the universe to decide. I have a hard time coming to terms with that. Some days I do great at not thinking and just being in the moment, and other days not so much. But those days that I am present in the moment are starting to outweigh the days where I am being demanding and impatient.

Another quote from the same animated show I used earlier, but this time from a running baboon: “It get’s easier. Everyday it get’s a little easier. But you have to do it everyday, that’s the hard part. But it does get easier.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.awakenchiropractic.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaken.chiropractic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awakenchiro.az