Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Karissa Lacy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Karissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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 had the amazing opportunity to intern with one of the legends in the Women’s Chiropractic. I remember on the last day of my internship I asked Doc, what is the one piece of advice you’d share with a new doc about to start her career. And she responded with the most genuine, and memorable answer.

She said “never take for granted the miracles you see everyday”.

I think about this statement often. When you see people heal in amazing ways all of the time, rather than celebrating those wins you can get trapped into focusing on paperwork, the business growth or lack their of, or the one person who can’t seem to get to their appointment on time.

We can forget and trivialize the power for which we have the opportunity to work with. The innate wisdom that designed us in the first place. This is a beautiful reminder for however easy or difficult the work gets we are changing peoples lives one adjustment at a time, simply by connecting them back to the source that which created them. Some see these changes as miracles, others see them simply as the way we were designed. To heal.

So when the day is getting me to, I always lean back on that statement, and rejoice in wins of my patients. For that is why we do what we do.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I got into my industry by either happen chance or divine calling, I’m still not sure. But the short answer is rugby. This sport changed my life in so many ways, the biggest one being, helping me find my dream career in chiropractic. About a year ago I opened my own office in my hometown in Edgewater Florida where I provide chiropractic care to my community. My home town is right next to a chiropractic college so setting myself apart is a part of the fun. Our work is so needed in the community that I don’t see my fellow chiropractors as competition, rather all working on the same team so every member of the county has the opportunity to be under chiropractic care.

However, if I were to define what sets my office apart from the others, it’s my love for movement and fun. I have created a studio space in my office were I hold different classes and workshops that use movement as a form of healing, in the most fun ways you can imagine. My practice members are a part of community who are learning to trust their bodies more and more every day.

For example last Friday we had yoga bright and early in the morning, had our regular adjusting hours in the morning., and then a group came back Friday evening and we maxed out the space for a “cortisol reboot work shop”. We focused on our fascia, breath work, and then ended the evening with a sound bath.

At my office, we blend the science of movement with the art of healing—creating a space where people can find what resonates with them and feel safe enough to begin their healing journey.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I LOVE what I do. If I could go back, I would choose my same profession. I feel so fortunate to have found a career that aligns so perfectly with my value system, and allows for me to practice in a way that builds the lifestyle that I desire for myself. With that being said, chiropractic school prepares you to be a great chiropractor, it does not prepare you to be a business owner. If I were to do it all over again, I would have furthered by business education before diving in the deep end of owning my own practice.

It has been a blast, and I have loved every day of learning as I go. But a bit more preparation on the front end is never a bad thing.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I was finishing up my first year as an associate in a practice that I loved working at, however unbeknownst to me the practice was failing, despite doubling the practice size since I arrived. So the business owner had made an arrangement to merge with the local medical facility, meaning I would no longer be working at the practice I was hired for, but rather a government subsidized hospital.

They made the transition as flawlessly as they knew how, a big pay raise, theoretical autonomy, and support from the managing doctors. However, something didn’t sit right in my spirit. I prayed about it for months, and on the day of the meeting on making my final decision, I was reading scripture and the Lord made it very clear to me that this taking this job was not the right decision. The moment I had made the decision to move home, the weight that I had been carrying for months vanished. I was overcome with a sense of peace, even though I had not a single clue of what I was going to do next.

This was the starting point of where my business is now almost two full years later. Man what an incredible journey it has been. Building Breath of Life Chiropractic from the ground up has been one of the most rewarding and fulling acts I have yet to accomplish in my life, and I can’t wait to see where the journey continues to take me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.breathoflifechiro.com
• Instagram: Drkarissajoy_BLC
• Facebook: Breath of Life Chiropractic
• Other: TikTok: Drkarissajoy_BLC

Image Credits

Claudia Adkins – Oh So Sweet Studios