We recently connected with Betel Aklilu and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Betel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

Amidst the uncertainty of the 2020 shutdown and a season of immense grief, I realized there would never be a “right time” to pursue what mattered most. That clarity gave me the courage to stop waiting for the perfect moment and finally build the practice I had always dreamed of. When my contract ended, I stepped into entrepreneurship and chose the name Dream Chiropractic as a symbol of my decision to stop wishing and start building.

The early days were both exciting and scrappy. I found my office space on Craigslist, had a kind friend willing to build my first website, and hired a former colleague who was also ready for a new chapter. Hiring Allison Appleby, our Director of Operations, is probably the single most significant decision I made in the beginning because she genuinely believed in the dream.

That leap eventually evolved into Kelayi Chiropractic & Wellness Boutique. Now, six years later, I’m grateful I trusted that instinct to begin. For anyone considering starting their own practice, my biggest advice is to seek mentorship, hire someone you trust, and give yourself permission to start before everything feels perfect. You don’t need every detail figured out, you just need the boldness to begin.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Dr. Betel Aklilu, and I am a perinatal and pediatric chiropractor and the founder of Kelayi Chiropractic & Wellness Boutique in Alexandria, Virginia. Our mission is to support families through holistic, hands-on care that nurtures a balanced nervous system.

Chiropractic care is transformative during pregnancy and infancy because it shapes the foundational experiences of both the parent and the child. By supporting a mother’s body as it adapts to pregnancy, we can meaningfully improve her labor and delivery experience. For newborns, we provide the structural support they need to navigate vital developmental milestones, from lifting their heads and rolling to crawling, walking, and eventually finding their first words.

Our practice is defined by a deep, unwavering commitment to the craft and the intentional time we dedicate to everyone who walks through our doors. At Kelayi, we have moved away from the “revolving door” model of healthcare; instead, we create a sanctuary for thoughtful, individualized care where clients feel genuinely cared for.

I am most proud of the community of families we’ve supported. Witnessing mothers grow in confidence and seeing babies reach their milestones is profoundly meaningful; being invited into these sacred life moments is truly the most fulfilling aspect of the work we do.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

Absolutely. The alignment is real. Pun intended.

Chiropractic allows me to live and work in a way that feels very true to who I am. I get to work with my hands, which feels natural to me. I have always been someone who even talks with my hands. In the office, I often have music playing on my record player, changing albums throughout the day to create a calm and welcoming atmosphere for each person who walks in.

Most importantly, I get to empower people to live in better alignment with their bodies and minds. Supporting families through pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and early childhood is incredibly meaningful work. I also get to work with babies, which I absolutely love. Watching them grow, develop, and reach those early milestones is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.

Chiropractic has also given me the opportunity to build and lead my own business. That journey constantly challenges me to grow, stretch, and think about the legacy I am creating through this work. At the end of the day, I feel like I am exactly where I am meant to be. I am deeply grateful for the profession and the passion I have for it.

Can you open up about how you managed the initial funding?

I started my practice in 2020 during the uncertainty of the pandemic, when traditional funding options were almost nonexistent. I didn’t qualify for a PPP loan, banks weren’t willing to lend to a brand-new practice, and I had very little guidance at the time.

To get started, I used what I had. My last paycheck went toward paying my assistant, and many of the early business expenses went on credit cards. My credit score definitely reflected that risk, but I believed deeply in the vision and was willing to bet on myself.

In the beginning, the practice grew through the support of people who believed in me—clients who wanted to continue their care with me and others who simply wanted to see the dream succeed. My family played a vital role in helping me navigate that early financial pressure. Their support allowed me to keep moving forward, and it’s something I remain deeply grateful for.

That experience taught me lessons no textbook ever could: how to manage debt, how to think about money strategically, and how to ride the emotional rollercoaster that comes with building something from the ground up. Looking back, those challenges shaped me not just as a business owner, but as a leader. In many ways, starting with little to no money forced me to become resourceful, resilient, and deeply committed to the mission of Kelayi.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kelayi.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelayi__chirowellness
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KelayiChiropractic/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelayichirowellness/

Image Credits

Staff photo: Dr. Betel Akliu, Warren Paul (massage therapist), Allison Appleby (Director of Operations)