Today we’d like to introduce you to Holly Garrison.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in a small town in West Virginia on the poorer side of the Kanawha River. My parents and grandparents were teachers, so while we weren’t the poorest family around, we were solidly lower middle class. I never went hungry and always had love and shelter, and with my parents being educators, I was particularly aware of children growing up in the more rural “hollers” who faced real hardship.
With two generations of teachers behind me, college was a given. After changing my major a few times, I ultimately took my parents’ advice and earned my teaching degree from Marshall University in 2001. I graduated, got married, and quickly became pregnant with twin boys.
Throughout my pregnancy, I struggled with pain. My formerly athletic body, which had always bounced back from anything, was failing me. After delivering via C-section, I found myself in chronic pain. I’d heard of chiropractic care but didn’t know anyone using it for anything beyond car accident recovery. Back then, it wasn’t widely accepted for prenatal and postpartum care as it is today. Like many people, I tried everything else first. Finally, after some additional complications, a friend suggested chiropractic treatment.
The relief was remarkable. I learned so much about living a more holistic lifestyle for myself and my children that I decided to go back to school to become a chiropractor. With twins, returning to school was challenging, and I had tremendous help along the way. I also had two more children during my journey. The traditional path typically takes three and a half years—it took me five. But in 2011, I graduated with my Doctorate of Chiropractic from Life University with my 6-year-old twin boys, a 3-year-old son, and a 1-year-old daughter by myside.
Over the years, I attempted to open my own practice but became overwhelmed and wound up taking associate positions with other companies. Now that my children are 21, 21, 18, and 15, I decided to take one last leap and give running my own clinic a real shot. Money from a few auto accident cases that had closed the year before helped me launch Westshore Chiropractic in Cumming, Georgia. Cumming sits on the west shore of Lake Lanier, and the North Georgia mountains remind me so much of the foothills where I grew up.
We’ve had plenty of trial and error along the way, and I credit God and my faith for my persistence and perseverance. Last year, I wrote and self-published a book about Jesus to help young people who may have questions about God and why the journey to the cross was necessary. Through Christ: Divine Frustration to Perfect Grace is available on Amazon. To continue and strengthen my own faith journey, I just completed my first semester at Liberty University, where I’m pursuing a Master’s in Theology online in my spare time. My dad jokes that as my nest empties, I keep filling it with more animals and more things “to do.” He’s absolutely right. We’ve rescued two dogs and three cats (well, the third cat adopted us).
When I’m not treating patients for conditions like headaches and back pain, I work with pregnant and postpartum mothers to share the benefits of chiropractic care throughout pregnancy. My greatest passion is educating the community about the benefits of chiropractic, not just for crisis care and pain relief, but and as a lifelong health habit that really enhances your quality of life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The financial aspects of raising kids while I was in school were definitely the biggest challenge. I also went through a divorce during that time. My parents, grandmother, and sisters were incredibly supportive—I wouldn’t have made it without them. I also had tremendous help from fantastic childcare providers, friends, and other family members who became my “village” and helped raise me and my kids while I pursued my education and career. I’ve definitely been blessed in that department.
Similarly, the financial aspects of running a business are the most challenging part. You have to wear so many hats as a business owner. I’m not just a chiropractor—I have to be an accountant, office assistant, marketing expert, IT person, and at times a mechanic and plumber. I look forward to growing the practice to the point where I can hire staff to delegate these tasks so I can focus on what I love most: patient care.
We’ve been impressed with Westshore Chiropractic, 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?
At Westshore Chiropractic, we focus on chiropractic care as a lifestyle choice for improved quality of life—from prenatal care all the way through treating patients in their 90s. Chiropractic is safe for most people, and we’re proud to serve such a wide range of patients at different life stages.
We treat chronic pain conditions in older populations, including degenerative pain in the neck, back, and other joints like shoulders, knees, and hips. Our goal is to help people regain and maintain their mobility so they can continue doing the things they love. We also help patients recover and manage their healing from car accidents, assist student athletes in recovering from minor injuries and improving athletic performance, and treat conditions like TMJ and headaches.
What sets us apart is our versatility in treatment approaches. We use traditional chiropractic care as well as more gentle techniques specifically designed for children, pregnant mothers, and older, more delicate patients. Our office is equipped with various therapeutic modalities, including ultrasound therapy and a percussion (shockwave) device that’s excellent for regenerative therapy and pain relief.
I’m most proud of our commitment to accessibility. We strive to keep our fees on the more affordable side so that cost doesn’t prevent patients from getting the care they need. Everyone deserves to feel better and live without pain, and we work hard to make that possible for our community.
Ultimately, what I want readers to know is that chiropractic care isn’t just for back pain or car accidents—it’s a lifelong health habit that can improve your quality of life at every stage, from pregnancy through your golden years.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m looking forward to finishing my Master’s in Theology in a timely fashion and continuing to write more books about my faith. I’d also love to branch into writing about holistic living. I’ve learned so much through my own journey into motherhood, and now, heading into perimenopause, I’m discovering holistic approaches to health for this stage of life as well.
My biggest goal is to grow the clinic to the point where I can hire more staff and serve as many people as possible. I want to improve my community and impact the lives of thousands—both with my physical hands through treatment and through my work educating people about living a healthy lifestyle, even when faced with challenges and injuries. There’s so much potential for chiropractic care to change lives, and I’m excited to expand our reach and help more people discover what’s possible when you prioritize your health and wellness.
On a personal level, I work on visualizing a happy future, and one vision I hold close is having a house full of grandchildren around a big table, feeding them all and filling my life with even more love and laughter.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.westshorechiropractic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westshorechiro/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/61558021272582/reels/?_rdr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/westshore-chiropractic/about/
Image Credits
These are my family members posing for adjustments and Santa.
