We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Tricia Marquez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Tricia, appreciate you joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My parents divorced when I was 8 years old. Being raised by a single mom taught me so much and has led to who I am today. My mom raised 3 girls on her own. So much credit and admiration must be given to this woman. It was a very difficult divorce leaving her to start over. For a lot of people this may have stopped them from achieving their dreams. My mom had always wanted to be a nurse, so while raising 3 girls on her own, she went on to receive her nursing degree, followed by 2 masters degrees. I am the oldest, so therefore I was able to witness all that she went through and all that she did to provide for us. I often tell her she needs to write a book about her journey! Witnessing her strength, perseverance, and faith in God has been such an inspiration.

I didn’t always know I wanted to become a doctor of chiropractic medicine, but I did know I wanted to do great things with my life and most of all be a positive influence on others. Once I made the decision on my career path it took me down a path I had never imagined. It was full of obstacles and many challenges. Whenever faced with a challenge in my life, I can’t help but rely on the strength my mom has shown her entire life. It gives me the comfort and drive to push and keep going. If my mom could do it (and still does-like I said, she needs to write a book!) then what is stopping me! After almost 18 years of being a chiropractor, I am still in love with this profession. In fact, I have grown to love it more each year. Treating my patients and seeing them heal is so rewarding. I consider my patients to be a part of my family… my chiropractic family! Of course, life doesn’t come without its challenges, being a business owner can often be a very challenging job. I am so thankful for the support of my patients, my staff, my husband, my sisters and of course my mom. She is the one person I think of whenever I am faced with a challenge. I think, “What would mom do? ” Without the sacrifices she made, the strength and resilience she has shown over these years, I would not be the doctor, wife, mother, daughter and sister I am today and still becoming!

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. Tricia Marquez, DC, CIDN. I am a chiropractor in Tempe, AZ. I have been a chiropractor since 2006. I absolutely LOVE what I do. I wasn’t one of those people that always just “knew” what I wanted to do when I grew up! You could say I was a bit of a late bloomer but it wasn’t without the drive or passion to do and be something great! Out of high school I was thinking of being an attorney and maybe even an art major (I know, two totally different directions). Still finding my path, I moved to California to continue my studies there. I was raised by my mom who is a nurse. This led me to work in a hospital while in school. While working in the hospital I grew to love being a service to others and I had such a heart for helping people. At this point I thought, “Hmm perhaps I should change to pre-med?”. Having my own health challenges at that time opened my eyes to what my calling should be. I also worked as a personal trainer while putting myself through college. I fell in love with this side of health. I just loved learning about nutrition, healing the body through natural methods, and balancing the nervous system through chiropractic adjustments. It was like God spoke to me and told me what I needed to do. I changed my major, finished undergrad and went to chiropractic school.

Being a chiropractor has provided so many amazing avenues for helping people achieve their health and fitness goals, heal from chronic pain issues and help people choose a wellness over sickness path of health for their future. Patients need someone that will listen to them and be there for them on their journey. Being a chiropractor has provided that ability for me. In our clinic we take the time to really get to know our patients and have a patient first attitude.

We have a variety of tools to help our patients heal and feel their best. We offer chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy (including hot stone, sports massage, deep tissue, etc.), physical therapy, Class IV deep tissue laser therapy, dry needling, cupping therapy, Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM), kinesiotaping, wholefood supplements, functional nutritional counseling, and percussion therapy among others. We treat babies, children, athletes, men and women of all ages. I am also Webster certified which is a special certification for treating pregnant women.

My goal is to help my patient get to the root cause of their problems. Chasing symptoms is not how I work! I feel what sets me apart from others is my heart and willingness to go above and beyond for my patients. I am constantly learning and improving my knowledge and skills. I will be advancing my skills to include animal chiropractic in the future (yes, animals need adjustments too!). I am also working on perfecting my skills doing muscle testing (a form of energy work) to assist in getting to the root cause of your problem. I love learning new things and becoming the best doctor I can be for my patients! I am most proud of the culture we have created in the office. My staff is like family to me. We all have the same goals in our office and that is to make our patients a priority while helping them to heal and become their best. When you come in to our office you will be greeted with a smile and we will do our best to make sure all of your health needs are met.

When not treating patients, I am a busy mom and wife. I have a 9 year-old daughter, 12 year-old son, and we can’t forget our 8 year-old husky (who you will often find greeting you at the office!). We keep busy on the golf course, playing basketball, hiking. I love lifting weights and kickboxing. I call my kids my chiro kids. They have grown up in the office and love getting adjusted! I feel you have to practice what you preach so I am vey active in taking care of my health while positively influencing others. I am always excited to meet new people and love being a resource to those looking to improve their health!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

There are definitely an unlimited number of resources available for helping with growth as a leader, a manger and entrepreneur. You can’t go wrong with anything from John Maxwell, Tony Robbins, Ed Mylett, Napoleon Hill, and of course the Bible. I love podcasts. I listen to Ed Mylett, John Maxwell, Wake Up Aligned, Andy Frisella and Arete Syndicate among many others. One of the biggest things you can do to move the needle to improve your mindset as a leader, business owner and entrepreneur is to get a coach or mentor. Can’t stress enough how important that is. I have had one for 10 years and it has been a game changer. Develop a good routine. It is critical to start the day with a good routine. Doing quiet time and mirror time, grounding, moving your body. Read over your goals and affirmations 3 times a day. Put together a vision board. Dial in your nutrition and exercise routine. Get to work at least 30 minutes early. Leave the negativity at the door. Most of all, stay humble. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Being a successful business owner is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep your mind on your goals and go for it. No one ever said it would be easy!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start?

This definitely was not easy. No one ever told us in school how hard this would be! When you are in medical school you think you will bust your butt to graduate and take the boards, then you get out into the “real world” and think you will just open a practice. Well, you are broke when you get out of school and no experience to support a loan. I tried to get approved for so many small business loans to open my practice. They all told me the same thing, “you don’t have enough work history to qualify”. Talk about feeling defeated. I am so thankful a friend and family member who took a chance on me and loaned me $10,000. Yep, $10,000 is what I had to open an entire practice. That included rent, deposits, computers, furnishings…everything! I was so thankful for having that $10,000 but knew I had to be very smart on how I used it. I initially started with all second hand furniture. I was able to get my adjusting tables for $500 a piece. Sometimes God provides people in your life at the right time to help you. An interior designer donated her time and discounts to help me get my office looking it’s best. I will be forever grateful for these women who helped me get my start.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.acwtempe.com
• Instagram: @alignchirotempe
• Facebook: @alignchirotempe
• Linkedin: Dr. Tricia Marquez
• Twitter: @alignwellness
• Youtube: @alignchirowellness
• Yelp: Align Chiropractic and Wellness

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