We were lucky to catch up with Ava Frick recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ava, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

There are two that were significant.

1. 1988 playing community women’s soccer. Get blasted from the side. Down and cannot get up. Next morning no better. Go to the local Dr who happened to be a DO. Not knowing anything about chiropractic I get adjusted and walk out upright! I thought he was Jesus!! From then on became very interested in that approach to wellness.

2. 1996 at 40 years of age, I have a son and my focus to health and caring for others shifted. 1997 got certified in animal chiropractic, pioneered veterinary rehabilitation, and began my deep dive into clinical animal nutrition.

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

wow – that’s a lot.

1. born on a farm and from the age of 3 i planned to be an animal doctor. My biography, Conversations with Animals. From Farm Girl to Pioneering Veterinarian, the Dr. Ava Frick Story, is available.
2. now my practice is totally chiropractic, physiotherapy and nutrition. I also do a lot of teaching others via Pet Summits to pet owners and via my Integrative Veterinary Education helping doctors and nutrition professionals learn how to interpret hair tissue mineral analysis testing and apply in a nutrition practice. Also, many other topics in the area of chiropractic and physiotherapy as well.
3. I solve what other doctors can’t. I enjoy the weird and tuff cases. Hidden causatives that are creating dis-ease in animals. Many doctors consult me for this. And I get clients from all over the world asking for help. My LifeExtend Method is unique in that it totally customizes the recommendation to that specific individual.
4. Most proud – When Dalton, my son, at the age of 17 and a senior in high school, took first place in the 182# bracket in wresting at the state finals in Columbia, Missouri.
5. It’s all on my website – AvaFrick.com. You can google me and find out much more too.

We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.

In 2000 the day came while I was doing a surgery (which i totally enjoyed being excellent at) when I decided that was the last one i needed to do. I was done with my traditional veterinary practice and ready to focus just on the holistic aspects of wellness. So, I put it on the market and sold it in Oct 2001.

A big part of the successful sales was that I had been working with a professional business management company where we were trained in management by statistics. I had SOAPS for every post, booklets and handouts for each post, and we were a well-oiled machine. The purchasing veterinarian could see how easy and seamless it was going to be to “replace” me. She was offered on a golden platter a rare opportunity. Few other clinics had anything like this in place.

The other aspect was that i was willing to continue to help her in good faith, for pay, to keep the stats up until she was on board with it all. My job was mostly continuing the high-volume surgery production as I had secured a contract with the local Humane Society.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When one is a visionary and working on the fringe of what is considered “acceptable” in medicine, be prepared for many arrows to come your way. From the moment i became certified in chiropractic, I was a target. Others in the profession tried to reduce my credibility. I was black balled from my very alma mater in 2001 for promoting to their Holistic Club chiropractic and laser therapy. Now laser is used by almost every veterinarian nationwide. But at that time, I was a pioneeer venturing to previously unchartered territory. Even though the research was there, they could not accept this new approach to health and wellness.

However, I studied, I applied, I saw the great results and the happy clients and so i continued in my path. I learned that when it is right and true that I did not need some other person or group to validate my great work. I did get published in veterinary journals 3 times, which is basically unheard of for a small-town practitioner. That is generally considered a product of a doctor within a university setting.

Now I am an opinion leader world-wide in my areas of expertise – veterinary microcurrent therapy, physiotherapy, chiropractic, and nutrition.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: [email protected]
• Facebook: [email protected]
• Linkedin: [email protected]
• Twitter: [email protected]
• Youtube: [email protected]
• Yelp: [email protected]
• Other: I dont do a lot of those other than the website but i do have some Youtubes out there

Image Credits
I did not upload those other images as they are not in my personal laptop. There are many of me working with animals and giving presentations on my website at www.AvaFrick.com Please feel free to pick out the ones you like. They are all owned by me. Other than the 3 on the first page banner.