Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Tillotson.
Hi Joshua, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Well, I grew up in a small town in south central Kansas called Towanda. I was living out in the country and was raised in a very tight-knit family where family reunions were often, and you always had someone you could call on for help. Throughout high school I was involved in football and track, and I was extremely involved in our vocal music, theatrical, and instrumental departments. Due to the latter, I actually started college doing vocal music. I know, seems like a big left turn to go to chiropractic! I loved performing in high school, and I had an opportunity to continue to pursue it, and I thought I wanted to make a living doing it. Unfortunately, I found out very quickly that this can be very difficult for even the most talented individuals. Although I would consider myself good, I’m not great enough to make a career out of it! It was around this time that I was taking a human anatomy class. I truly enjoyed it and excelled in the class itself. Since it seemed I had a knack for it, I decided I should do something in healthcare. I went and talked to my cousin who practices chiropractic and asked him about the profession. After listening to his explanation of what he does, along with the knowledge I had been gaining from my class, I knew that this was the field that I wanted to dive into and pursue. I knew it was a career that I would feel fulfilled doing, while also helping the public and being able to support my family.
I started my change to chiropractic by first switching my major to kinesiology (the study of human movement) and transferred to Kansas State University. I grew up loving and watching K-State football with my dad, and it seemed like a natural choice to go there. It also helped that two of my best buddies were going there as well, so I already had two roommates ready to go! Soon after starting the kinesiology program at Kansas State, I discovered that it had one of the best kinesiology programs in the nation, and we had several of the foremost men and women in the field as faculty and professors. I truly attribute a great deal of my success in chiropractic, and my understanding of the human body to the great education and mentorship I received through my alma mater. I graduated with my kinesiology degree with an emphasis on physiology in the winter of 2016.
I then started at Cleveland University, although at the time it was known as Cleveland Chiropractic College. I thrived through my time there and enjoyed my classes, even though they were extremely difficult. I was able to pay for most of my rent and utilities by spending most of my free time in between and after classes tutoring Biochem I and II, Spinal Anatomy, Embryology, and Neuroanatomy. Outside of just getting to know some of my lower classmen and paying the bills, I really appreciated my time tutoring. I think it really helped improve my communication skills and set me up for success communicating with my patients about their care and the healing process. I graduated Summa Cum Laude and Valedictorian in my class in August 2020. The absolute perfect time to go out and do a career that is solely done face to face!
My original plans for after graduation were for me to move back to my hometown and set up a practice there. Unfortunately for my plan, I met my lovely wife in April 2019 and knew after a few months of dating that my future plans were going to have to change! When I graduated, I found a job as an associate chiropractor at a clinic in downtown Kansas City. I was able to develop my skills as a practitioner a great deal there and learned a lot about patient care mostly through hands on experience for nearly 5 years. This office was able to show me some things I wanted to implement in my own future practice, as well as plenty of things I will not want to do. I began working at Select Chiropractic rather recently and have greatly enjoyed the transition here. I’ve been able to continue doing what I love in a clinic that I believe is more reflective of the one I hope to open up some day on my own.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been relatively smooth the whole way if I’m being completely honest. The only struggles I can really speak to are when I had my first child! Anyone who has a kid will tell you; it’s hard work! I remember that the only thing that worked for our son for the first several weeks of life was for him to fall asleep on my chest on the couch out in the living room. He just refused to go down in that bassinet for the first wee hours of the morning! So, every night for that whole time, I would tell my wife to go to bed, and I would promptly slam 1-2 espresso drinks from Costco while he slept on my chest. In order to stay up, I watched TV with subtitles on until he woke up for his feeding at 2-3 am. Me and the wife would then switch off, I’d get some sleep, and then I would head into the office. Luckily for us, he only did this for the first 2 1/2 months of his life. That’s not to say there haven’t been plenty of hard times along the way with new stepping stones in parenthood and life struggles. But I would definitely say that this hard turn to parenthood has been the biggest rocky patch!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a chiropractor. Chiropractic is the medical profession that focuses on treating, evaluating and maintaining motion of the spine, and thusly, your nervous system. In a nutshell, it’s a field where we make sure the spine is moving well at every level so that our body can properly function and operate. I would say that what can set me apart is that I specialize in treating other joints of the body as well, not just the spine. I really do believe that most musculoskeletal dysfunction occurs from the spine, but I also think a great deal of it can originate from the hands, elbows, shoulders, knees, ankles, etc. So, I make sure to evaluate all joints of the body in order to allow for global improvement in how the body functions. I would really say that the things I am most proud of since getting into this profession all pertain to patient care. I have helped improve the lives of hundreds of patients over the years, and really truly love going to work every day. I know that a lot of people don’t have this unique privilege, work can be a slog for some. I thank God for the opportunities He has given me as often as I can, and I’m happy I am in a profession that is also focused on getting people better.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory is probably when my family and I traveled to Marian Lake for vacations when I was little. I can’t really say a single one was standout better than the other ones, but to be fair, they were all mostly the same. We’d go out there and camp for about a week or so. During that time, we would go swimming, play board and card games, cook out “camp” style, would go on bike rides, and sometimes just sit down in lawn chairs and chat. It would really just be a week for me and the family not having a care in the world and just spending time together. The nostalgia from these vacations is a big reason why I still enjoy camping as much as I do when I get the opportunity. As my son and any children we have in the future get older, I look forward to taking them camping as well. Hopefully my wife and I can make some great memories with them like my family did for me!
Pricing:
- $70 Full consultation and examination.
- $5 Electrical Stim
- $10 Cox Flexion Distraction
Contact Info:
- Website: https://selectchiro.com
