We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Faith Swartzendruber. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Faith below.
Faith, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
Looking back on my life, I realize that all of the forward movement I’ve made has come because I’ve taken a risk.
Even though professional opportunities for women were more diverse by the time I got to college, many girls elected to become educators, social workers, or nurses. Although I was interested in pursuing a career in chiropractic, it didn’t seem like an option.
My sister chose to become a teacher, so I followed her. There were certain things about being an elementary teacher that I enjoyed, but I still had this calling inside to do something different in my life. Without a backup plan, I resigned from my teaching position and enrolled in massage therapy school.
In a way, I felt like the door had opened for me a bit. I could see a light that I had not seen before. I enjoyed providing a space for people, whether they needed to relax or had an ailment. I just kept learning more and more about the body by studying muscular structures, myofascial tissues, and connective tissues.
It wasn’t easy to leave massage therapy or my hometown, but I knew that I wasn’t doing what I was put on Earth to do. Again, I set aside everything else to study at Palmer College of Chiropractic, studying our body’s innate ability to function and heal for three years. I was a poor college student again, but the sacrifices I made during that time have been worth fulfilling my vision.
Coming out of chiropractic school, we all have a decision to make: do I look for a position as an associate chiropractor or do I try to go out on my own and establish my own office? One option is safer but can be limiting. The other option is a huge risk but has no ceiling.
Again, I chose to pack up my world and move to a city (Cincinnati) where I knew no one, and purchased an office so that I could bring to life my vision of holistic chiropractic care that drastically impacts people’s lives.
I don’t think that life is about getting everything “right” the first time. It’s certainly a journey. But what I’ve learned over the last 20 years is that those big, scary risks are just our inner beings pulling us toward becoming our authentic selves.
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 interest in becoming a chiropractor started at a young age. I remember having some issues with my digestive system, probably related to stress. While medical doctors were unable to help, the chiropractic adjustments I received did.
Not only did I continue to see the chiropractor regularly, but I learned and implemented chiropractic philosophy into my everyday life. On a basic level, chiropractic care helps with aches and pains, but an aligned spine also allows for the nervous system to effectively communicate with all aspects of our being: cardiovascular, immune, muscular, digestive, respiratory, endocrine, reproductive, etc. This allows the body to work and heal as it should.
It’s important to note that when our physical being is taken care of, our emotional, mental, and spiritual beings can also function.
The holistic approach that chiropractic care offered me as I navigated different healthcare issues made me want to offer that same quality of care to others. That dream came true when we opened the doors to Simply Well Chiropractic in June 2022.
Every day, we see patients who are living their best lives because they’ve consistently sought chiropractic care. Some don’t get sick as often as they once did, some are still active well into their senior years, and some even say that they’re taller now. On the flip side of that, we also have patients who come in because they’ve been in a car accident, bent down the wrong way when they were gardening, or need to recover after a long run. We even have parents who bring their children in because they can’t poop or are repeatedly getting ear infections. Our immediate goal is to help the patient find relief, but our long-term goal is to get to the root of the problem so that it’s not something they have to deal with again.
Chiropractic care is a huge part of getting there, but I also talk to patients about eating nutritious foods and staying active through appropriate exercises. We are learning more and more about how strength and nutrition play a vital role in our well-being as we age.
Earlier, I talked about the physical component of reaching our healthcare goals. At Simply Well Chiropractic, we also know that being able to trust your healthcare provider is essential. I had a patient stand at the door the other day and say, “She’s the only doctor that looks at me as a whole body, and not just a joint.” This is certainly how I want everyone who comes into our office to feel. We are committed to seeing every patient as a whole person: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—understanding that everyone has their own unique set of life experiences, that everyone needs a safe space, and that everyone deserves to belong.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
How do we get to the point where we can’t trust one another? That’s kind of hard to pinpoint, as distrust is built into our society. I guess that I was raised in a time where there were some entities that we could trust: teachers, for one, and scientists, to name another. I was also raised in the 1980s, when children who went outside had to look for the white van that would come and kidnap them and also had little to no autonomy in voicing their thoughts or desires.
I’m sure we can all go back, dig into those little moments, both personal and societal, and come up with reasons we don’t trust one another. Even being able to recognize that I have issues with trust, both internal and external, is big for me.
For a long time, I just felt angry. I don’t know how else to explain it. I was always on high alert in every situation, wondering if the person I was learning from, working with, doing business with, or talking to was going to do something to hurt me. I still do this sometimes. Would I say something they’d use against me later? Would they charge me a fair rate? Would they talk behind my back to another person?
I was also upset with myself. I tend to feel like I’m never making “the right” decision. The path to where I am today, a chiropractor in an office I love in a city I’m excited about, has been long and winding. At this moment, I can trust that this journey has been the absolute best for me. I can see why things unfolded the way they did. But for a very long time, I’ve questioned every step I’ve taken along the way.
Trust is one of the fundamental building blocks of community and society. Trust in others makes us feel comfortable and safe, knowing someone else won’t take advantage of or exploit us. Trusting in yourself gives you the freedom to live your life without second-guessing or feeling guilt or shame for making the decisions that you do.
I have been fortunate enough to have friends who have created spaces for me to grow along the way. That doesn’t mean that they’ve come to rescue me; it just means that they have allowed me to be where I am in any particular moment in my life, have encouraged me as I’ve made decisions for my life, and have been soft and gentle with me even when I was not giving myself that grace. It was through these friendships that I learned about healthy relationships and that there are people you can trust.
I also needed to learn that nobody is perfect. Everyone is on the same journey, trying to figure out who they are, where they belong, and where they are going. Sometimes people make mistakes, and those mistakes will hurt me. I will also make mistakes and hurt other people. This is why empathy, compassion, and grace are so important.
Even though I’ve had a great support system, trusting myself is something I struggle with every day. Through owning Simply Well Chiropractic, I have grown to trust myself a little bit more, though. I’ve learned that the way I talk to myself is important. I’m even working on replacing some of the bad things I tell myself with factual, positive affirmations. This helps to give me perspective.
I’m not sure that we ever really unlearn some of the lessons we learned when we were younger. But I also know that we are not victims. As adults, we can learn new things, and then choose to apply them to our lives—or not. The important thing is that we identify what’s holding us back. We can sit beside it, let it take us over, or use it for something good.
Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?
When I moved to Cincinnati, I purchased another chiropractic office, turning it into Simply Well.
Having shadowed the other doctor for a few months prior to taking over the practice, I was peripherally aware of the climate of the office. Still, the transition from observer to doctor was quick, and the shift from employee to employer was sudden.
I don’t want to go into too much detail because everyone runs their practice and business differently. I respect that. For me, though, I wanted to transform a quiet office where patients moved in and out quickly into a vibrant, warm, and inclusive space. But I didn’t want to make too many changes too quickly because, honestly, I was scared that I would lose patients.
Not only had I grown to care about these people, but I also knew that they needed healthcare that looked at them as human beings. Additionally, like every business owner, chiropractors have overhead to consider.
Making Simply Well Chiropractic into what it is today took me getting up every morning, making the little changes needed to do both things: care for patients and pay the bills. Patients didn’t see the behind-the-scenes moments that led up to 2023, but in the first six months, we have drastically improved the way this office functions. One patient recently said, “You’ve taken a good office, and made it extraordinary.”
Part of that movement was bringing on my chiropractic assistant, Gina, She is so warm with our patients. Her conversations with them make them feel valued and heard. She is the first and last face they see as they come in and out of the office, and I never worry that one patient will get a different experience than the next. She is also at the helm of our patient management systems, making it so that I can focus on patient care.
Just before she came, we gave the office a little facelift, brightening the walls, and adding educational and uplifting artwork. There have been other little changes, too, like changing the content on our screens in the waiting room, showing patients we appreciate them with treats and parties, and giving them content related to how they can take care of themselves on our website and social media channels.
I understand that changes to the office are cosmetic, but I do believe that providing a relaxing and inviting environment is important. Chiropractic care is focused on removing dangerous thoughts, traumas, and toxins. Making the office an enjoyable environment helps us reach that goal.
I would say our patient-centered approach to healthcare is paramount, though. Our focus is to afford people dignity, compassion, support, and respect. By properly educating our patients, we afford them the opportunity and support to make decisions about their care and treatment in partnership. People who possess a greater understanding, abilities, and self-assurance in managing their well-being and healthcare are more inclined to adopt beneficial health practices and experience improved health results.
We’re looking forward to the upcoming months. I’m excited about the programming we have coming up. We’d like to offer educational opportunities for preschoolers and adults alike. Hopefully, we will also be able to bring in other holistic healthcare options to better serve our patients.
I am beginning to see this little spark I had many years ago come to fruition. But it’s taken deliberate steps forward to get here. I’m looking forward to continuing down this path, knowing that hard times often lead to something really good.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://simplywellchiro.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplywell_chiropractic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimplyWellChiro
Image Credits
Gina Lamb Dani Tietz