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Hello beautiful soul! I'm Dr. Victoria!
I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up... until chiropractic chose me.
It was spring 2009 when I started working at the front desk of a chiropractic office. I suffered daily with anxiety, depression, headaches, digestive issues and far too many aches and pains for "someone my age." In mid-May, I was rear-ended in my car while stopped at the end of a highway exit ramp. When I returned to work, the doctor explained what happens when whiplash injuries occur and offered to take care of me. I didn't realize the adjustments she gave me were going to change the entire course of my life! Not only did I have relief from the increased pain caused by the accident, but many of the other symptoms my body had been screaming at me about for years (that I only knew how to silence through the medication prescribed by my medical doctor at the time) started to improve. I began learning about the body's ability to heal itself and realized how much faith I had put into the doctors and medications I was told were supposed to help. It wasn't until I was given chiropractic as an option that I was able to make the choice to do something different and learn to *actually* heal my body! Why hadn't anyone told me about chiropractic before? I had been in an accident in 2004 that seemed worse than this one; did the same thing happen back then? Was there any correlation between that accident & the slew of symptoms that now plagued my every day existence? Why hadn't anyone suggested I visit a chiropractor before? After this massive lifestyle and mindset shift, I knew I wanted to share this new-to-me way to heal with anyone who wanted to listen! I didn't even know that I didn't even know at the time I had no idea what chiropractic was really about! |
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In the fall of 2009, I left the chiropractic office and returned to corporate customer service. Instead of taking care of myself as I had learned to do during the few life-changing months prior, outdated, still-hardwired habits started to return and I dropped back into my "old life," working in front of a computer for 8-12 hours per day, getting little to no sunshine, movement or true nutrition. I wasn't at the new job for 30 days before my body started screaming at me again. (I know NOW that my nervous system was massively stressed and the "screaming"/symptoms were an attempt to get my attention!) I tried to ignore myself for as long as possible, but I knew I didn't have to suffer in my body like that anymore; THERE WAS ANOTHER WAY TO LIVE!
By early 2010, I was back under weekly care with an awesome husband-wife chiropractic team and had re-committed to taking better care of myself. As they had before, my physical aches and pains improved over time. What I found more interesting was my fascination with learning the truth about the way our bodies & minds work and how we can help ourselves in ways we didn't learn in school & that to this day are not being offered on any regularly scheduled tv programming! When I expressed my desire for a greater understanding, one of my chiropractors told me about a school in Georgia; compared to some other schools, it was nowhere near the ocean (which is where I really wanted to be), so I wasn't interested at all and began to search for other options. I requested information from other two schools close to large bodies of water I thought would be a good fit, but nobody ever sent anything back - no phone call, email, snail mail postcard... nothin'! By January 2011 I was fed-up with my job (and myself), and decided to visit Life University - inland Georgia, near millions of people - TOTALLY out of my comfort zone (I grew up "in the country" back home!). When I got to campus I immediately knew that was where God wanted me to be. Through what I can only describe as a series of divine events, I moved south that July, worked toward finishing my pre-requisite courses, and started training for my new career! (Fun side note: Before leaving for college, my mom told me my great aunt was a chiropractor AND I used to get adjusted as a baby!! 😍 So cool!) |
Me & my sister at Life University early 2011
My sister & I were honored to meet the legendary chiropractic defender & founder of Life University & Dynamic Essentials,
Dr. Sid Williams! |
At the beginning of chiropractic college, I stumbled upon (really, I was guided to) one of the most unique, gentle, life-changing chiropractic techniques developed to date. I watched my first Network Spinal entrainment (adjustment) from the doorway of a classroom I didn't know existed until that day. I sat outside, taking it all in, not understanding anything I was seeing or what they were doing; it was so different from everything I knew chiropractic to be! How could people report having such profound changes by breathing into certain areas accompanied by a gentle touch to their neck and/or pelvis? What were those movements they were making? Why do they look like they're flopping on the table?! How are these changes possible without the twisting and popping commonly felt during the "more common" adjustment? I didn't know such profound changes were possible until I experienced them for myself! Studying and personal experience with Network Spinal has deepened my understanding of how chiropractic can offer re-connection to people who have disassociated their mind from their bodies & offer a choice to reclaim their sovereignty. Chiropractic offers more than settling for restoration to a previous state of being!
Chiropractic school also introduced me to the countless benefits of gentle adjustments for babies and children (no surprise there!😍) including and especially those with sensory processing disorders and birth trauma. Not only can chiropractic offer support to mothers who want to bring their children into the world at home without intervention (something I didn't know was an option for women in America until returned to college at age 26!), it can help parents re-imagine what is possible for the trajectory of their child's life! Chiropractic can offer hope to parents with children who have been told by other providers that medication or surgery are the only way and "they'll be like 'this' forever." I was blessed to serve for almost two years and complete my internship at one of the largest pediatric, special needs, prenatal and family wellness chiropractic offices in Georgia. (Let me just tell you, the day a non-verbal child who doesn't make eye contact and hates to be touched crawls into your lap and only lets the doctor adjust him when he's sitting with you is life changing! I'll never forget how happy his parents were or the day he turned around and said "BYE!" 😭) I took every prenatal & pediatric elective course offered at school, and began training with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association in 2015.
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Since graduating in 2016, I have had the honor of serving hundreds of families at offices where lady chiro-friends of mine (focused on family wellness!) needed help because they were having babies of their own! From Tampa to Jupiter, I've met some of the most humble parents looking for a way to teach their kids about a life connected to source, free from constant intervention and medication use. I've seen kids shift from non-verbal to saying "I love you," and watched their parents get hope back as their child's nervous system heals. I've seen mamas, threatened to be scheduled for c-sections, have natural, unassisted births as their bodies begin to function more efficiently. Especially since 2020, I've helped many experiencing anxiety and depression learn to trust their body's amazing ability to keep them safe, even when everything else seems chaotic.
In December 2021 I graduated from 200-hour yoga teacher training & am currently working toward my 300/500-hour certification! I love holding space for people to reconnect with their bodies and innately comprehend what it's trying to tell them. It lights me up to offer gentle, congruent ways for people to re-connect their mind, body and soul, calm their nervous systems, and gain a greater understanding of their free self without a ton of force! I'm always fascinated to hear about what people notice and learn about themselves. I'm a firm believer that when there is a greater understanding of how your mind, body and spirit work together to keep you alive, you are able to choose more freedom, ease and flow, honor your body when it whispers "slow down" & work toward fulfilling the mission for your life! |
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Krystal Capone Photography
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When I'm not in the office, you will probably find me with with my husband. We met during our last pre-requisite course and started chiropractic school together in 2012! Hubby & I love to be outside as much as possible, and spend a lot of time doing various types of yoga, from gentle yin & hatha to active Kundalini & vinyasa flows.
We moved to Florida in 2017 knowing we want to create a family-friendly space where everyone feels loved, appreciated and supremely cared for. The name AWAKEN came to us while listening to the song "Awake and Alive" by Skillet during one of our semester breaks. I remember us looking at each other at the same time in the car... "are you thinking what I'm thinking?!" We verified the lyrics & knew we had the name! 🔊 Have a listen! Inspiring, right?! Sure was for us! On 11-11-2018, I married my best friend on the beach with some of our most precious friends and closest family beside us. |
