Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Gloria Stone-Ozbek.
Dr. Ozbek, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up, in the heart of the civil rights movement, Selma, Alabama, I felt that my options were limited. No one in my immediate family had graduated from college, so the insight I needed to succeed was scarce. At the last minute, I decided to attend Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama, and pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Unfortunately, during my senior year, I was kicked out of off-campus housing after giving birth to my daughter, as I was not allowed to have a child in the school apartments; I was unwed, a single mother, and living with a roommate. I was devastated. I was left with two options: to move back home and finish school at a later time or move into public housing and obtain my degree. I chose the latter. Southtown Projects in downtown Birmingham, Alabama became our new home. I felt embarrassed, yet I knew this was something I had to do in order to achieve my goals. And I did… I graduated. Shortly after graduation, I obtained a job as a microbiology lab technician for a pharmaceutical company, yet something was off. Making $14 an hour was not nearly enough for my daughter and I to survive. Subsequently, I began researching other options.
I remembered a past conversation with my undergrad professor mentioning Life University in Marietta, Georgia, as an option and an opportunity to receive a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. As a result, I reached out to him and he put me in contact with the recruiter and he stated that I should attend Life Leadership Weekend to learn more about the school and the chiropractic program; so, I did. Everything about this weekend felt so right. I prayed about it and ultimately made the decision to quit my job and enroll in chiropractic school. Two weeks later, everyone was laid off from that job. This opportunity was a blessing in disguise. I went on to complete chiropractic school and receive my Doctor of Chiropractic degree. Since then, I have received licensure to practice in Georgia, Delaware, and Alabama. I have joined chiropractic mission trips to deliver free chiropractic care to the natives of Haiti and Jamaica. And I have started a non-profit to deliver health, education, and nutrition to poverty-stricken areas across the globe. My life has been filled in more ways than I could ever imagine and I am excited to see what the future holds.
Great, 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 definitely not been a smooth road. For example, during my senior year in chiropractic school, I signed up for an internship in Dallas, Texas. The head doctor had made a lot of promises to me, yet when my daughter and I relocated there, he failed to deliver. I was alone; no family, no friends, or anything. On top of that, two weeks before graduation, I was in a terrible auto accident that totaled out my Jeep, and the other driver had left the scene. The ambulance took me to the hospital and because I didn’t have proper insurance and barely any money, they sent me home and I had to walk from the hospital. The week of graduation, I flew home and never looked back.
As a practicing doctor, I have faced discrimination and patients not wanting to see me because I was black. I’ve worked for doctors that were verbally abusive or tried to take advantage of me thinking that I was uneducated and that I didn’t understand the power of a contract.
Vintage Chiropractic – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Vintage Chiropractic offers my expertise as a chiropractor to treat the source of pain. I provide coverage work for doctors that have to take a break from the office for whatever reason. I specialize in treating families or as I like to say from the womb to the tomb. I am a member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association and the Brain Injury Association of Delaware. I am most proud of how my journey has molded me into the doctor that I’ve become today. What sets me apart in my compassionate spirit and the ability to connect with people from all walks of life; no matter their ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic class.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Perseverance, because without it, I might have given up on faith a long time ago.
Contact Info:
- Website: drgloriastoneozbek.wixsite.com/portfolio
- Email: Drstoneozbek@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.gloriastoneozbek/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drgloriastone
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