Back to Basics

Is it spring already??  2010 got off to a roaring start and it’s been
so exciting to receive weekly updates from my clients whose offices are
bursting at the seams in service and love!  It’s the most amazing time
to be a chiropractor!

Is it spring already??  2010 got off to a roaring start and it’s been so exciting to receive weekly updates from my clients whose offices are bursting at the seams in service and love!  It’s the most amazing time to be a chiropractor!
If you’re like nearly every chiropractor I talk to, then you’re sensing something different in the air these days within our profession.  That something different  is the fact that more and more women are chiropractors, now, and that, as women, we want to be heard and served. 

This movement in chiropractic was a major topic of conversation at our recent, and first-ever, Women Chiropractors FUN in the Sun Retreat and Slumber Party.  (E-mail me for more details on this great event!)  We had the most amazing time: it consisted of connection, exploration, and growth. 

What we came up with
The reality is that, as women, we learn and operate differently than men do.  This is not a new revelation as there is evidence of our differences everywhere.  Heck, men and women don’t even have the same “hardware” – nor is our wiring the same.  (Anyone who’s dated and/or been married can attest to these realities.)  There’s a reason that the book shelves are lined with offerings such as Women are from Venus; Men are from Mars.  In some fundamental ways, we are different. 

Here’s one difference for you to consider:  have you ever noticed how men will continue to try out different brands of beer, in search of the perfect beverage, whereas women will try entirely different drinks – usually ‘fufu’ drinks with umbrellas and other accessories? 

How the heck does this translate to chiropractic practice, you ask?  The problem for women DCs is that what we’ve been offered, thus far, as a model for practicing is like a different brand of beer but what we want is the fufu drink with an umbrella-thank you very much!!   Our desire isn’t a lager instead of an ale. Our desire is something completely different because we are completely different. 

For instance, having a chief who tells the warriors how to do everything doesn’t make our heart’s sing and dance.  We want to have conversations that lead to connecting  while we learn about others’ experiences.  From connecting and sharing with one another, we mold what we’ve heard into a format that uniquely fits us…as women. 

What does this mean?  For one thing, our women’s weekend was transformational on many fronts, and namely because we all discovered that, guess what, we like gatherings more than we like seminars.  We loved sitting by the pool in the backyard, roasting marshmallows, preparing our meals together, and even doing yoga in the mornings in our pajamas.   The weekend was void of the chief on the platform telling us what to do as the warriors.  Instead we learned from each other.  We did it our way and yes, it felt great!

Here are some more areas where we are different:  as women, we create and then nurture what we’ve created.  It’s our nature.  Men, by their very nature, contribute and then fix.  That’s just the way things are.  Also, we desire role models who know what it’s like to be pregnant, be a mommy, and live to find the balance between wanting a solid career while also wanting to nurture our sweet babies.  Furthermore, instead of playing “king” of any mountain, we desire to help one another to the top.  We want to lock arms and cherish the bonded journey.  And yes, we’ll likely throw a party when we’re each accounted for at the top of the mountain.  

We are not suggesting, by any means, that the way men approach things is wrong.  Men have rocked our profession and we say thanks!  We fully support those women who want to listen to a man’s suggestions regarding how to run their business.  We know that they offer practical ways to balance being the mom who never misses a field trip; musters to put on a happy face after endless nights of no rest, and being there for every one of our kids’ “firsts” all while operating a successful practice.  But, on the other hand, women affirm and recognize that there are areas where we want to break from some of those suggestions and do things differently, basing our inspirations on female role models.

This isn’t about who’s right and who’s wrong.  All of it is right-it just depends upon perspective.  Identifying a better beer is a great exercise for those who want beer.  We have just determined that finding the best beer doesn’t serve our hearts to their fullest. We don’t want a newer version of the same.  We want paths that are feminine through and through.  We want to be our own role models.  I think we can all agree that bliss and global awareness is most possible when each person is living out what’s engraved on their own heart.

The vision of a new paradigm
The reality is that women comprise nearly half of our profession. 
And, although we applaud and appreciate how far the men have taken us, and will continue to take us, we no longer desire to ride the coat tails of a paradigm that doesn’t allow us to take our vision to its full potential.  We want to achieve greatness on our terms and in our own ways.  Gentlemen, you’re doing it right for you and have thus triumphed! We just want a new paradigm.  We don’t want to be represented in a way that reflects a man’s goals, more than our own.  Men have a model that works well for them.  But we women who are also chiropractors would like to point out that we may not want to guide ourselves by the paradigms that men have prescribed for the profession, any more.  We’ve got it and we appreciate your support!  But,  it’s time we explored our own journey in our way – when each of us lives authentically, there is magic!  

Both ladies, and gentlemen, consider this:  what if the older paradigm has limited chiropractic expansion into every home throughout the world because of a subluxation we weren’t even aware of?  What if it’s not so much the insurance companies, drug companies or fighting within our own ranks that’s kept us serving only 10 per cent of the population?  What if it’s simply that half of us are wired one way, and the other half is wired differently and that we have needed separate game plans to have a unified conclusion? 
What if? 

It’s not women against men
It’s not women against men. It’s all of us together working as a unified force, driven by love and innate intelligence to ensure that every man, woman, and child has the opportunity to be cared for by a Doctor of Chiropractic.  And that, my friend, is what we propose to radically transform the public’s perception of who we are as chiropractors, as we passionately march onward to become the predominate choice for healthy individuals world-wide.
Women in chiropractic are invited to complete an anonymous on-line survey to share their opinions and ideas.  This is for all DCs, students, spouses, and CAs.  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TheVoiceofWomenChiropractors.