Mom of twins and advocate for chiropractic care as a means to support children's health and well being, Kelly Robb of Hello Chiropractic shares her story of how one door in life leads to the next. Her perseverance and openness to doing the next right thing to move forward has resulted with finding the best fit for her work to deeply benefit the community. Read or listen in, as she shares a story that began in an unlikely place and has carried into meaningful work through a sequence of unpredictable events. Her story reminds us that even in the most difficult times we can discover new doors of opportunity that move us to where we are meant to be.
What sparked the desire to be an entrepreneur?
I had never wanted, dreamed or desired to be an entrepreneur. I always lacked confidence and was controlled by my deep seeded shame around numbers. I had grown up with undiagnosed severe dyslexia and internalized those painful feelings of being "the dumb" kid in math class. I wasn't looking to take on Quickbooks, payroll, taxes, assets, expenses, numbers..numbers..numbers..numbers. I wanted to stay in my comfort zone of just collecting a paycheck for the rest of my life. Then two really big things happened for me, my twins were born on March 1, 2019 and COVID hit in March of 2020.
Who or What were key influencers in your journey?
My twins, Kai and Simone have by far been my biggest influencers. After my twins were born it was a massive struggle. Things just weren't working for me anymore in my current associate position now that I was a single mom of two newborns. I couldn't pay the bills, I started needing more state assistance and finding childcare was a nightmare. By the time they were 1 I had found myself working on the catamaran's out of Port Allen for cash tips so I could pay my rent. I was moving further and further away from my purpose, Chiropractic. When COVID hit I lost my job, lost my childcare and lost hope. My life wasn't about just me anymore though, it was about my babies. I knew I had to be the woman they needed me to be. Strong. Resilient. Never give up. So, I sucked it up, faced my fears and dated my Articles of Incorporation for Hello Chiropractic LLC on Kai and Simone's first birthday, March 1, 2020.
What have you learned about yourself through the process?
I learned that I'm a lot stronger than I gave myself credit for. I also learned how to ask for help, sometimes even scream for it. Most importantly though I've learned that as long as I'm staying true to myself and my purpose, everything's going to be ok.
What challenges in this journey have been useful in moving forward?
This whole last year was a challenge. Everything about it. However, I know that if I can start a brand new practice at the height of a global pandemic while being a full time single Mother to twins toddlers... I can literally do anything!
Share a defining moment that reaffirmed the work you are doing.
Not only did I launch my own practice I also made a big shift in who I served. I felt called to begin working with keiki who struggle with behavioral, learning, socialization and developmental challenges. My business coach told me this was professional suicide and it was too out of the box for people to connect these challenges with Chiropractic being a solution. Well, one of my first practice members was 8 years old, a phenomenal young lady and she had a lot of challenges when she started. After working with her for a little under 3 months we had her reevaluation and I was sitting down with her Mother going over all of the wins we were seeing. Then, her Mother started to tear up and she said, "I feel like I LIKE my daughter again." That one moment is by far my most profound to date. Yes, all the wins were great but seeing this mother with tears of joy, pain and relief over having a connection with her daughter again and being able to enjoy her instead of "deal" with her... That was it for me and has fueled my drive for every family I begin to work with.
What are the different roles you play in life and how do you balance them?
My two main roles are Dr. and Mom. I learned that work/life balance was not possible and instead switched to work/life integration. My life as a Dr. and life as a Mom are one in the same. Most of my practice members know my kids because they've been a part of their visits. I actually think they're more excited to see them than me! I used to joke that Simone was the office manager and Kia was my receptionist. Simone's my little leader and likes to direct people to where they're supposed to sit and how they're supposed to get adjusted. Kai is a softer, more sensitive soul. He's driven by connection, not control, and will hold new keiki's hands to help them feel safe and comfortable. My kids are learning the meaning values of hard work, empathy and connection by running my practice with me.
What are you reading?
I'm the queen of "self-help" books. Right now "The Code to The Heroic Self" by Ryan Fletcher is on my nightstand.
What are you listening to?
Since March of this year I got very educated and dove head first into cryptocurrency. When I have my headphones in I'm usually listening to my favorite Youtubers catching up on the Crypto news for the day.
What are you watching?
I've made an intentional decision this last month to delete my Netflix account. I did this because I want to be a better Mother, better Dr., better business owner, better daughter, better friend and better me. So, instead of watching an hour or two of shows a night I've now shifted my focus into becoming a better version of myself.
When do you feel most alive?
When I experience a true and genuine connection with someone, that's when I feel most alive. When it feels like the world stops and it's just you and them. Time. Space. Everything. Stops. That's what I live for.
What impact or influence do you hope to have with this business for Kaua'i?
When I shifted to working with keiki who struggle with behavioral, socialization, learning and developmental challenges I was very clear in my reasons for doing it. I want to heal kids, heal families, heal communities, heal islands, heal states, heal counties and heal the world. Going through the pain myself of struggling with behavioral, socialization and learning challenges, I believe that if I would have seen someone like me when I was little, my life would have looked very different. It's common for kids who enter into care at Hello Chiropractic to no longer engage in certain spectrums and to shed diagnoses. It's not about learning to cope or manage these challenges but to overcome them. I believe that Hello Chiropractic is going to change the island’s way we approach, advocate and care for our keiki with behavioral, socialization, learning and developmental challenges.
What advice would you offer to others?
Keep going, keep learning and keep growing. Whatever you're going through just don't give up. Listen to yourself, ask for help and build a village around you. LEI is a phenomenal resource of amazing women. Whenever I don't know how to do something, I just look at the LEI index and I can find whoever I need. I've built my whole practice using local, women run businesses. I've gotten support, friendships and the most importantly, true and genuine connection from LEI. You're definitely in the right place.