Just for showing up and spreading your sunshine!
Good morning, shiny, happy people!
6 years ago when I moved to our beautiful Lincoln Square Chicago (or Ravenswood or Northcenter depending on who you ask) and I was preparing for my grand opening celebration at New Day, I hit the streets to get the word out.
When I look back now, I am shocked and a bit embarassed at my naivete that bordered presumptuousness. For example, I would show up at a local business and start talking to the people who worked there about how I was opening a new chiropractic office in the neighborhood.
Many greeted me warmly. Others regarded me with a fairly dismissive air. And who can blame them? Businesses come and go. And chiropractic is something the public generally has a neutral to slightly negative connotation for. Why should they have cared?
One of those places I stopped into at the recommendation of a friend was Gather restaurant, where I was greeted warmly. I purchased a gift certificate for the raffle I would have at the grand opening. The place has become one of my favorites in the years since!
You, or your friend or family member, could win THIS!
Also, don’t forget, while we won’t be open for adjusting hours this Saturday, there will be FREE mini-adjustments for our practice members with Dr. Virginia.
Because it is important for us to be responsible with the work we do and its profound effects, it is important to remember that the free mini adjustments are for practice members only, not for the public.
BUT the Appreciation Day is a GREAT opportunity to share our community with friends, loved ones, and random acquaintances 😉 Please bring guests to help add to the energy. They’ll be entered into the raffle and will have the opportunity to see and experience what New Day is all about.
RSVPs are not required, but do let us know if you are definitely coming by emailing or letting us know at your next appointment.
We should have more fun!
I’m back! After a week of vacationing in Aruba, which of the following do you think I am? A) Happy and grateful B) A bit exhausted from travel C) LESS tan than when I left OR D) All of the above?
Aruba is so beautiful! Every day is partly sunny and 80 degrees. And most of what you do is lay around on the deck of the hotel near the pool. There were some other adventures too, involving nature, ATVs, paddleboard yoga, a party bus, and the beach. And the restaurants are amazing! I ate soooo much.
When I saw this photo as an ad in the Aruba airport, there was no question that I had to get on this bus!
Having fun is definitely part of a healthy life. And I was so happy to share a bit about this trip with so many of you through my blogs and through social media while I was away.
I remember when I was in chiropractic school, soon to graduate, and I was reading the website that one of my mentors had created for his Network Spinal office. I just wanted to get a feel for how I would organize my future website. I read something there that I never forgot.
When I read this, it felt bold. And brave. The idea that your clients would be such a part of your life that they would simply call you by your first name. Claiming the role of doctor involves a lot of responsibility, but there is some safety in it as well. The roles are clear. There is certainty, and significance.
Doctor describes the amount of schooling and training I have done. It also describes an important aspect of my relationship with you. But I appreciate that we are more than our roles with each other. As Donny Epstein creator of Network Spinal describes, when we can be more than roles, when we can be souls with each other, we bring more energy richness to the field.
I am so excited that one of the, if not THE, most fun party for the souls of the New Day community is coming up Saturday, April 13th! That’s right, our 6th anniversary party and Appreciation Day is upon us!
I am not exaggerating in the least when I say that our party last year was the pinnacle of energy richness that I had experienced with our community. Being together for food, drink, conversation, FREE mini-adjustments for our practice members with Dr. Virginia, and an unveiling to celebrate some of New Day’s brightest lights was incredible. I am so happy we are doing this again!
This day will include food, drink, joy and laughter, activities for kids, and FREE mini-adjustments for our practice members by Dr. Virginia. We will also be raffling off a $100 gift certificate to Gather Restaurant in Lincoln Square. You are encouraged to attend and bring friends and loved ones!
We will be talking to you about this more in the coming weeks, but for now please mark your calendar for the 13th from 12-3PM at New Day. RSVPs are not required, but we would love to know if you are definitely coming so that we can better plan.
Introducing our Practice Member of the Month for March 2019!
We are so grateful for who you are, the progress that you continue to make, and the commitment you have made to your spinal health and wellness. You are making the world a better place! We honor you this month and thank you for being both a part of our outstanding New Day team and our amazing New Day community.
Why I came to New Day: I had a friend who had severe back pain and he was in this form of care that had “totally changed everything for him”– so he told me about Dr. Katie’s office and her work. In some ways it didn’t make sense to me that Network Spinal would work. On the other hand, my trainer in college educated me as to the importance of the nervous system and how it relates to athletic performance. The fact that the prime focus was the nervous system lead me here. Due to a history of sports, sports injuries, and concussions– I played football in college and have taken many hits– I got to a point where I had exhausted many of my treatment options without investing a significant amount of money into it. And so I figured I would at least come into New Day and check it out. The first initial visit had me leaving here with more questions than answers. But, I decided that I might as well just try this, and if it didn’t work it would just be on the list of the many things I’ve tried that didn’t work out.
Reminder about upcoming closures; I’m going on vacation, y’all!
I’m going on vacation, y’all!
Great morning, practice members and New Day community!
I wanted to take a moment to remind you about some upcoming closures and days that Dr. Virginia will be covering the practice.
We have had so much going on at New Day lately– we’ve literally been bursting with energy and aliveness.
In addition to having had one of the most packed SRI with Essential Oils workshops we’ve ever had (we’re going to need to start having these workshops more often!), we have our Bright Souls Gathering this Wednesday night and BEMER Day on Thursday from 10AM-1PM.
And as some of you know, this flurry of activity is being capped off for me by a vacation– I’m going to Aruba for a week, starting THIS Friday!!
I’ve never been on a tropical vacation like this, and so I am SUPER excited.
I have been very touched by the happiness and excitement some of you have already expressed that I am going on this trip. Thank you for taking an interest in my health and happiness!
Suffice it to say, taking a break like this to re-charge will significantly contribute to my continued ability to be energy rich in service to our community.
The office will be closed this Saturday, March 16th. We will be open next Monday and Tuesday March 18th and 19th with Dr. Virginia working in the practice. We will be closed again Thursday, March 21st and Saturday, March 23rd.
When I come back, we will be full-steam ahead in preparing to celebrate our upcoming Practice Member Appreciation Day.
At the Appreciation Day, like last year, we will be having a celebration and open house to celebrate our practice members and their families and friends.
Like last year, we will be honoring some of New Day’s brightest lights by adding their likenesses to the wall inside the adjusting room. But more on that later (this is just a teaser for you to save the date!).
Workshops and events. . . why bother?
Workshops and Events. . .
But seriously, why? Why bother having all these events?
Honestly, our workshops and events are my favorite part of having a practice. But it’s not because I’m SO nice, and just love giving so much of myself and my time. Nor is it because I just love the sound of my own voice and imparting “knowledge” on my practice members.
Last Sunday’s Healing Intensive at New Day with Dr. Susan, myself, and 9 amazing practice members!
Workshops and events are a key part of the experience at New Day because we get to go from consumers to active participants and contributors to the collective, and in so doing we experience ourselves differently. We transform. And it’s not a one time deal. If you ever feel like you’re in a rut in your care (and/or in life), committing to a workshop is the perfect way to re-engage that process.
The reality is, in every moment we are either contributing, or we are taking away. Being in a group adjusting room like we have at New Day allows us to begin that process of perceiving the reality– that we are part of a collective– more and more often in our lives.
When you start care and I see you for the first time at SRI or another one of our workshops, I get really excited. I’m excited for the whole new you that you are going to know yourself as through this experience. This experience of a whole new you isn’t a side bonus to hanging around New Day; being a member of a community is what it’s all about.
One thing that has changed recently (and if you’re very observant you might have noticed) is that I have reconfigured the workshops to meet the needs of our changing community. It’s a work in progress, but here’s the gist of what’s happening.
It became clear over the past year or so that the workshop schedule was heavily weighted toward educating and integrating our newer practice members. As time went on, a larger percentage of our practice members had been in care for 1 year or more, and had done all the introductory workshops. You’re growing up, y’all!
It was necessary to change gears and allocate more time and energy to some of our more seasoned practice members as well as the newer bright lights. And hence, the Bright Souls Gathering was born.
Our Bright Souls Gathering is a regularly held gathering for the leaders and influencers in the New Day community to experience and share together to bring even more value from the care into their lives. This upcoming gathering will focus on the distinction between the seasons of Transform and Awaken. Whether you are new to New Day and Network Spinal and are unfamiliar with the Levels of Care, or you already know something and would like to experience more, this workshop is for you!!
Thank you and we wish you the best, Amber!
Happy Monday morning to you, New Day.
I believe I have blogged before about some of the how and the why as to how I came to name my practice New Day. I have some ideas about this, but otherwise it was a bit mysterious to me, at the time, why I was choosing this name.
I even recently wondered if I chose the name New Day due to the subconscious impact of having loved the book and movie “Anne of Green Gables” when I was a kid.
After all, “Today is a new day– with no mistakes in it!” is one of the ever-adventurous Anne’s signature taglines.
But the name New Day isn’t meant to evoke the idea that we have to move away from or get rid of the past or the mistakes in it. Living a life that simply tries to out maneuver old pain and problems simply leads to new (old) pain and problems.
In Donny Epstein’s concept of the Levels of Care/Seasons of Wellbeing, when we move from a Discover into a Transform energy state and awareness, we stop trying to fix and manage, and instead create new possibilities from the energy we feel stirring.
When we move into an Awaken energy state and awareness, we officially leave the realm of the mind. Now we truly open to an experience of a new day for what it is, not what it represents. It’s something we feel it all the way to our bones, and it reminds us that we are all part of something so much bigger and more beautiful than the mind can comprehend.
And so it is with a bit of bittersweetness that we announce that Amber is leaving her position as Office Manager of New Day and has already had her last day of work. She loves New Day and everyone in this community very much, and so it was a difficult decision for her.
After 3 years, she is ready to move on and we very much support her in opening up to her next highest possibility. She will still be around the practice for care and events, so this is likely not the last time you will see her.
Thank you, Amber, for choosing to shine so brightly! Click here if you would like to send Amber a message to thank her for her work or any other message you would like to send.
Priceless tool for becoming present– to use at New Day and beyond!
Do you know your “triad”?
Good morning, New Day! Hope you can warm up this day a little bit from where you are!
We discussed this topic from several different angles, with some experiencing in SRI to help us as well. One of the topics that was most interesting to our practice member Bright Souls is the idea of the Triad.
Donny Epstein, creator of Network Spinal and SRI, is known for creating a number of concepts around the care to help both the practitioner and the practice member direct their focus for a more powerful healing experience.
The Triad, or The Triad of Change, is simply the idea that each of us has our own special way of experiencing in our bodies and in life that combines the three elements of structure, behavior, and perception. When we know ourselves well enough that we can use this focus, both on the adjusting table and everywhere else, magic seems to happen seeming as we have our best access to pure experiencing, pure presence.
Sometimes we don’t know ourselves well enough and how to direct our focus optimally to awaken our presence. Other times we may be focusing in a way that “gets the job done” but isn’t particularly easy or energizing. Or maybe we know what to do, but we just need practice.
For example, some practice members at our recent Gathering discovered that focusing on their breath during their adjustments exhausts them and leaves them frustrated. Others discovered that focusing on breath brought them ease and peace that seemed to bring everything together. This is an example of how we can practice presence through our care in ways that will benefit us in all areas of our lives.
Curious about what using your triad with your care and outside the office would open up for you?
What better way than with the much loved and talented Dr. Susan Gullion, and myself, at an afternoon intensive!!
Now, some of you are lucky enough to have already been to one or both of the intensives Dr. Susan and I have put on together, and you would probably sign up again in a heartbeat because you know how amazing she is! You wouldn’t have even needed this long preamble!!
Dr. Susan has been practicing Network and SRI for decades. She has been mentored by Donny and even purchased and worked in Donny’s original practice in New York back in the day. Even though Susan is now living in Massachusetts, she is excited to come back here to share her insights in a powerful day with you!
Awakening Pure Presence will be held on Sunday, February 24th from 12-5PM. The experience will include 2 Network Spinal adjustments, SRI breath work, personal attention and guidance, community, “aha’s”, and healthy food and refreshments.
How do you know the Awakening Pure Presence intensive is for you?
3. You can’t go to the Gate, but would like to, and will use this experience as a mini-Gate.
4. There’s something in your body or life that you’d REALLY like to make progress on right now, and you’d like to bring it to the intensive.
5. You have, or are going to, the gate, but also want to come to this intensive.
If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these, I invite you to register!
The cost to attend this 5-hour event is $275.
Registration is only open to the first 12 to contact us and submit payment. Register now by emailing us, or at your next appointment, to ensure that there is space for you!
Introducing our Practice Member of the Month for January 2019!
We are so grateful for who you are, the progress that you continue to make, and the commitment you have made to your spinal health and wellness.
We honor you this month and thank you for being both a part of our outstanding New Day team and our amazing New Day community!
I spotted Dr. Katie on the way to Tony Robbins’ Unleash the Power Within (in Chicago), doing some strange adjustments to a man laying on a massage table in the middle of a parking lot. I couldn’t help but be intrigued!! We exchanged information and a couple weeks later or so, there I was in her office, deeply knowing that, what I have been manifesting during my Tony Robbins experience ­to heal the pain that lived within me ­was about to take place in my life.
Without the help of Dr. Katie, I don’t think I would have ever let go of so much hurt and pain that accumulated over the years. After each adjustment, something inside of me told me that everything will be okay, even if it didn’t look any better now, I knew I had to give it my all and be patient. With the patience and commitment, I changed physically, having no more neck pain or headaches. I changed mentally, having clarity and being able to focus on living and loving myself more. Most importantly, I changed spiritually, becoming immensely connected to the Power that guides me every day on my path to fulfillment and growth.
Receiving healing, as I would like to say, has helped me become in tune with that Source within, where all the wisdom resides. All the pain that clouded my truest being, went away and clarity took over. I became free to make the decisions that made ME happy, I became unafraid to follow my heart. Dr. Katie’s work has, without a doubt, made a huge impact on the way I live my life ­ it opened so many doors that I never knew existed. Everything, once again, simply became…simple!
I trust my intuition and I trust Dr. Katie ­ that is why I continued to see her! And as I will find myself in a different environment pretty soon [moving to New York], I may not continue this particular type of chiropractic care, but will search and discover many other amazing ways to heal ourselves, which will go hand in hand with Network Care. This is just the beginning!
Do you ever find yourself in a rut with healthy living (or anything else)?
Anyone who knows me knows that I love essential oils. You’ve seen the tray of oils on my dresser in the adjusting room, most likely. And you should see my mantle at home (full of oils!).
I even got made fun of (in a fun-loving way) by a New Day practice member for busting out and passing around some essential oils at the start of a concert we attended together as a Bright Souls Gathering.
But recently it came to my attention that I had lost the spark in my relationship with essential oils! I was in a rut.
Not to worry, though, I got my groove back. Like in any relationship in a rut, I just needed a way to experience anew what oils add to my life. In this video I did in my kitchen, I share how this happened for me.
Even if you don’t like oils (or think you don’t! hahaha!) you might like this.
Good morning to you, New Day– Chicago and beyond! I hope you are settling in to the first normal(ish) week since the holidays. For my part, as some of you know, I am 9 days into a dietary cleanse AND beginning DAY 4 of no caffeine. Wheeeee!
Now, to the topic at hand.
You might think that my telling you that you’re not a turkey or a ham is some kind of foolish joke. Bear with me though, I have something important to share with you about these points.
There are a lot of things that a person could say to describe chiropractic care and what makes it different from a medical approach. The same is true for other alternative forms of care out there (including BEMER and essential oils as well) and what makes them different from medicine.
You might think alternative healing is different than medical care because it happens in a different sort of setting, or because it treats different sorts of ailments. Maybe they seem different because of the differently trained and licensed doctors or practitioners performing the care. Chiropractic and alternative healing modalities may also seem different because you get a different result or because there’s a different way the care makes you feel compared to medicine.
There’s something else though. The other day, something popped into my head that I read about 8 years ago. I remember that it made a big impression on me at the time, and so I was happy to have it come back to me.
This memorable quote came from a book called “Medicine, Monopolies, and Malice; How the Medical Establishment Tried to Destroy Chiropractic in the United States” by Chester Wilk, DC.
The book, which was assigned reading in an early quarter class in chiropractic school, detailed the true story of a federal antitrust lawsuit brought by chiropractors against the American Medical Association alleging a decades long conspiracy to end the chiropractic profession. The chiropractors won, by the way. Talk about some hidden history!
At any rate, as a comment on these true events the author, one of the 4 chiropractors who brought the lawsuit, expressing exasperation at some of the questionable evidence being brought into court by the medical side, made his comment about chiropractic and hams.
What I’m trying to tell you is that it’s important to understand that one of the main differences between chiropractic care and medical care is a difference in philosophies.
Chiropractic is based on a vitalistic philosophy. What that means, in a nutshell, is that you are a living system, the whole of which cannot be reduced to a sum of parts. The life within you, through your brain, spine, and nervous system, is in charge of making you, growing you, and in charge of healing you. There is no adjustment without a living system. In the same way, you cannot bruise a slab of meat by pressing your fingers into it. In fact, the chiropractic “adjustment” as we call it isn’t the mechanical force introduced by the chiropractor, it’s what your nervous system and body DO with that force.
You are not a ham. You are also not a turkey. Adjusting you longer and harder, or cranking up the settings on BEMER doesn’t cook you faster. Nothing changes from within you without full engagement and participation of your nervous system and body. Drugs, one of the main tools of the medical profession, work instead by hijaking your system. There are times when it may be necessary, but it’s not the most sustainable approach for daily life.
I have chosen to include Network Spinal, BEMER, and essential oils in my practice because of the way these help your nervous system turn on the life within you. I hope that you remember at your next appointment that you– even in the level below your consciousness– are they key ingredient to your health, energy, and aliveness.