We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr Joey Mattina a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dr Joey, appreciate you joining us today. Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style. Do you have an interesting story from that stage of your career that you can share with us?

I got into the profession of chiropractic bodywork when I met an established and respected chiropractor. The timing was right, and he took me under his wing as an apprentice. The things I learned and the information I was able to absorb simply from being in his presence catapulted my career. To say my time spent as an apprentice was invaluable would be an understatement, as it compounded my knowledge as a practitioner and showed me how to run a successful business.

When I first met my mentor, I remember cleaning out old clerical files, fetching lunch for the office, and performing all sorts of other odd-jobs because I was willing to do anything to learn. And I would say this was the most important part of the apprenticeship experience for me – feeling in my bones that this was the right path, and doing everything I could to be helpful and earn my stripes. Within a few years, I achieved many of my career goals that I thought would take decades, and
it was a great lesson that when you focus all of your energy on something, incredible things happen.

Dr Joey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a chiropractor that takes a more traditional osteopathic approach to treatment – that is, I use gentle positional and stretching techniques much more than I do aggressive cracks. My work is a combination of Rolfing, Craniosacral, Reiki, Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Osteopathy, and a few other techniques I’ve picked up along the way. I got into this field around twelve years ago when I met a chiropractor who would later become my mentor. Shortly after meeting him, I withdrew my acceptance to medical school and went down the path of studying chiropractic. I was passionate about living a holistic lifestyle, and becoming a chiropractor made sense as it aligned with my values and beliefs towards health.

My main passion now is helping others thrive in their bodies and in their lives. I get immense fulfillment from taking care of my patients and doing the best I can to improve as a practitioner so I can provide the best care possible.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Word of mouth. Aside from having a website that explains a little about what I do, I have never paid for marketing of any kind. The first year in practice my patient volume was low, and I remember telling myself that every patient that came through my door was going to have the best experience at a chiropractor’s office in their lives. As I focused on providing this experience, the numbers started to grow and word started to spread. By the second year, I more than tripled my patient volume and soon I was at capacity. I love growing organically like that and it just feels like a natural and traditional way of doing things, which I like.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Continual learning and desire to become a better practitioner. To me, success in the field isn’t about how much money you make. While I enjoy the business side of my work, I get the most fulfillment out of taking a patient who has had chronic back pain for 20 years and fixing it in a few visits (as an example). My success is measured by my effectiveness as a doctor. So, constantly learn, constantly seek out new experiences and places and ideas so you can continually grow. The more you grow, the more deeply you’ll be able to help others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.drjoeymattina.com
• Instagram: @joeymattina
• Youtube: @joeymattina
• Other: tiktok: @joey_mattina

Image Credits
Scott Leon ig: @scottleonphoto