Exploring Life & Business with Connie Chipp of The Health & Wellness Clinic

Today we’d like to introduce you to Connie Chipp.

Hi Connie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I always knew from a young age that I wanted to work in the health field in some capacity. I’ve always loved the idea of connecting with people on a deeper level. Originally, I thought I wanted to go into psychology, but as I got older – and as a die-hard football fan – I started to lean more into physical therapy with the dream of working for an NFL team (Go Bengals!) While I was in undergrad for exercise science, I took a job as a receptionist for a local chiropractor and began to realize the benefits of chiropractic medicine to the individual. I went on to receive my Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. I then relocated to Los Angeles, California to begin the Doctor of Chiropractic program at Cleveland Chiropractic College.

I ended up in Kansas City to finish up my internship and while I had no plans to stay, I ended up meeting a fellow student – Dr. J Nathaniel – and we began dating. We were both motivated to start our own practice and from that both a business and a marriage emerged!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
As anyone who has started a business before knows, there’s a lot of uncertainty that comes with the territory. My now-husband and business partner – Dr. J. Nathaniel – was still finishing his schooling and I found myself in a new city with very few connections. Plus, like most people who just finished their doctorates, we were pretty broke! When we went to the bank and presented our business plan, we walked out with the president of the bank who guaranteed us a small business loan. However, like too many Black business owners know, our loan wasn’t approved and we had to find other ways to make our dream a reality.

Dr. Nathaniel used some of his student loan money for the $2000 needed for the first month’s lease of our clinic and we even ended up bartering services with the contractors that helped us make our dream a reality. We traded our services with the painters, the flooring guy… we were very fortunate to find some wonderful people who were willing to help us build our dream.

On a more personal note, one of the more daunting tasks I faced was how much of myself I wanted to present to our clientele. There’s a stigma towards female chiropractors and I struggled with how much I should advertise myself as being the heart of the business. Over the years, I have become more comfortable with promoting myself as the face of the business, but there can still be pushback from patients who don’t feel like female chiropractors can offer the same care as their male counterparts. I’m always happy to prove them wrong!

This past year has been full of challenges for everyone surrounding the pandemic and there were hard decisions that had to be made. Even though it might not have been the best business decision, I made sure that all of our employees were not only safe and protected but that everyone continued to get their paychecks. We’re a family here and I wanted to make sure that each and every employee was still able to support themselves and their own families.

We’ve been impressed with The Health & Wellness Clinic, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Health & Wellness Clinic is a luxury chiropractic clinic in Overland Park, KS offering chiropractic adjustment, medical massage therapy, weight loss therapy, physical therapy, along with laser hair removal, laser liposuction, and laser tattoo removal. We pride ourselves in being a place where people both start and continue on their wellness journey. Most other chiropractors deal just in adjustments, but at The Health & Wellness Clinic we offer a multitude of services that help our patients get on a customized wellness plan that fits their health goals. We’re partners in their health journey. The thing that I love most about chiropractic medicine is how differently we approach the body than most medical doctors. While a medical doctor might only prescribe certain physical therapies for an ailment, the chiropractic mindset is to look and see how the entire body is functioning as a unit. The Health & Wellness Clinic is all about a holistic approach to health and understanding that our bodies’ systems are all interconnected is at the heart of what we do. I love the freedom that gives me the opportunity to treat the whole person and not just one part of them.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
It might not be my favorite childhood memory, but a memory that explains my childhood pretty well is one where my brother and I were playing on the sofa while our older sister was supposed to be watching us. Being a teenager, my sister wasn’t watching us but was talking on the phone to her friend. Since we were bored, my brother decided to make a game of jumping on the sofa and decided to up the ante by jumping on the cushions with a nickel in his mouth. Of course, he didn’t actually have a nickel in his mouth but 5-year-old me didn’t realize that and when it came to my turn, I put the nickel in my mouth and jumped! The next thing I know the ambulance came and drove me to the hospital to give me x-rays. I was never in any real danger, but I never pass up the chance to remind my brother of that!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thwckc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thwckc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/THWCKC