We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. Anne Etonga, DC. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dr. Anne below.

Hi Dr. Anne , thanks for joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My mother and father were born and raised in Cameroon which is located in West Africa. They moved to the United States when they were in their early 20s to complete their undergraduate studies, start their careers and build their lives together. My mother attended Howard University where she completed her degree in Nursing, later becoming a Registered Nurse. My father attended Yale Law School, later becoming a Corporate Lawyer. Once they settled into their careers and had my brother and I, they stationed themselves in Virginia where they hoped to start their lives and continue to grow their family. Plans would soon change a couple years later, when my mother and father decided to go their separate ways and get a divorce. This divorce officially made my mother a single parent as we never saw my father again. In 2011, we received the news that my father had passed away due to diabetic complications.

I faced the odds of becoming the stereotypical kid that went down the wrong path, with a single parent, but I never did. Having a single mother made me the strong person that I am today. Watching my mother live from pay check to pay check when I was young was difficult. It was always hard for my mom to keep up with other parents but, she still somehow managed to get me everything I wanted, and more. Even though I was too young to understand, I could feel the stress, and the struggles my mom faced every day. She was only in her thirties with two kids; because of that she had no choice but to grow up fast. At such a young age, I saw the effects of being a single parent, and the ways it changed my mom. She not only had to be a single mother of two but she also had to find a way to replace the void of a father, or a father figure in my life. My mom was strong, courageous and independent. Growing up watching her work so hard and keep a smile on her face despite the obstacles against her, made me want to strive for a better life. She would always say she never wanted me to have to work this hard or this much to live a decent life, and I promised her I would work hard now so I wouldn’t have to later.

Eduction, discipline and having faith in God were two really important things to my mother. She raised us to always have faith and never give up. She was truly the best example of this. I watched my mother work 12 hour shifts (6 days per week) and still have time to cook, clean and help my bother and I complete our homework before bed. Some days we would literally see the physical exhaustion on her face, yet she never complained and never gave up. This was my first lesson, Never Give Up! My mother did everything she could do to keep a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs and food in our stomachs. She emphasized the importance of education and made sure that we were on top of our books. She would get tutors, speak with our teachers, buy books and learning tools just to ensure that we were ready academically for school.

In 2001, my mother bought her dream home in Elliott City, Maryland. This was my second lesson: the importance of saving money. This would be where my brother and I would complete middle school, high school then college. My brother attended Towson University for undergrad and later became an Accountant. I attended The Pennsylvania State University for undergrad and later became a Doctor.

Being raised by a single mother has been such an essential to my identity because my mother has always shown that hard work, dedication, and independence is what it takes to be a strong person. These qualities are what I hope to strive for with all the things I may face along my journey in life.

The strong relationship I’ve built with my mom has helped me develop who I am. Having women’s influence and opinion, I’ve become strong minded and determined to go for what I want without the reliance of others. I believe that growing up with a strong women role model has influenced me in taking recognition to feminism because of her strong traits as women. I also have come to believe that my mother had influenced my interest in finding a career in the health field.

I find growing up with a single parent to have made me a better person. A better person who has learned the values of hard work, dedication, and overall being strong. I could never show my mother the thanks to shaping me into who I am.

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

I am both the Owner and Chiropractor of One Eighty Chiropractic. My practice is based in Atlanta, GA and serves all of Metro Atlanta. One Eighty Chiropractic serves its patients and community by providing a high-quality and affordable health care in a comfortable environment. As a Chiropractor, I know that many factors affect your health, including exercise, nutrition, sleep, environment and heredity. Therefore, every individual’s adjustment is tailored to their specific needs. Regardless of the condition, the entire person is taken into account. My mission is to reduce pain and discomfort through manipulation and adjustment of the spine. By delivering specific chiropractic adjustments, using physiotherapy modalities and providing wellness coaching/patient education, I aim to provide the highest quality of Chiropractic care. I’ve had success treating patients ranging from infants to seniors. I specialize in preventing, diagnosing and treating conditions associated with the neuromusculoskeletal system, while improving each patients functionality and quality of life. Conditions treated include: low back pain, neck pain, pregnancy, acute/chronic pain, wellness care, sports injuries, spinal deformities (Scoliosis), TMJ disorders, Sciatica, migraine and headache management, extremity care arthritis pain, among many others.

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

In the beginning, I wanted to be an Orthopedic Surgeon. As a child, I participated in many sports including: Track and Field, Cheerleading, Dance and Boxing. As an athlete I sustained many injuries, the most severe being a torn meniscus in my right knee. My orthopedic at the time advised me to have surgery immediately but warned me that I was more likely to have a second surgery if I went the surgical route. With a cheerleading competition and track meet scheduled the following month, I knew that I could not have surgery as it would prevent me from participating. I ultimately decided to not get the surgery and allow my meniscus to heal on its own with the help of some knee rehabilitation exercises. My meniscus did indeed heal and I was able to participate in my track meet but not my cheerleading competition; this sparked my interest in holistic medicine. Knowing that I no longer wanted to pursue allopathic medicine, I had to figure out what type of holistic medicine best fit me. Being an empath and extrovert, I knew that I wanted to work with people and help assist them in their body’s ability to heal itself. Trying to find a good career fit was the hard part because I wasn’t sure which direction to go towards. My guidance counselor at the time was the one who suggested I look into Chiropractic care because she had been seeing a Chiropractor and felt that it would be a good fit for me. I had never been to a Chiropractor and was unfamiliar with who they were and what they did. I did my research and immediately felt that this was for me. I reached out to my mother to get her advice and she expressed that she supported my career change and had actually been seeing a Chiropractor for low back pain that was caused by a disc herniation she obtained from working as a Registered Nurse. She revealed that the Chiropractor had really helped with her low back pain and was the reason that she could resume work and avoid surgery. At that very moment, I began to research different Chiropractic Schools and came across Palmer College of Chiropractic – West which was located in California. I loved that it was established in 1897 by Daniel David Palmer (Founder of Chiropractic) and was the first school of chiropractic in the world. I also appreciated that Palmer College had more than 28,400 alumni practicing worldwide. I immediately began my application and was accepted to attend in September 2016. I would later graduate September 2020 as Dr. Anne Etonga, DC.

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

Other than training/knowledge, there is a lot more that is required to be successful in this field. Firstly, I believe that you must have an entrepreneurial mindset. In order to really excel in this field, most Chiropractors have to open up their own practices. Though this process can be very laborious I believe its achievable and necessary for any Chiropractor to be successful. Secondly, you must be good with people. Being affable, congenial and adaptable makes it easier for you to get patients in. People want to feel like they can relate to their doctor and like their doctor cares about getting to know them. Having these personality traits can make prospective patients feel comfortable in your care. This also helps with referrals. It’s no secret that if someone likes you and trust your service, they will refer others to you. Lastly, you need resiliency. This industry has its ups and downs. There will be good days and there will be bad days. Resilience will prevent you from giving up no matter how hard it gets or how sore you are from working on dozens of people. Resilience will push you out of your comfort zone and force you to grow even when you are where you desired. Resilience is the one thing that will carry you to the finish line.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.oneeightychiropractic.com
• Instagram: @OneEightyChiropractic, @TheChiroBae
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/anneetonga

Image Credits
Joshua-John Frank | Photographer & Owner of Creative Vanguard Photography