Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Kendall Dorion.
Dr. Kendall, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in a small town in Louisiana (Lafayette to be exact) and I didn’t always know what I wanted to do with my life. I can remember as a teenager laying down at night and thinking about my future and how I would make a difference. Although I didn’t know much outside of where I grew up, I knew my life was meant to be bigger. My thoughts would be filled with one word, and it plagued me; “hands, hands, hands”. I had no idea what this word meant in my life at the time. But 5-6 years later I gained understanding of how it would apply to my life.
While in college, I was lifting weights with a friend of mine and doing so, I injured my lower back. This was the first time in my life that I encountered pain so intense; I couldn’t walk, or move, literally. This was serious. You can only imagine the fear that set in. It even hurt to take a breath. My legs went numb and I was immobile and completely dependent on others. It took five people to get me into a car and take me to the hospital. I was sent home with not much of a solution, and thought this would be life now, in pain, not able to enjoy the small things we so often take for granted. After about a week or so of being confined to my small apartment, a co-worker recommended me to a chiropractor. I had no clue what a chiropractor did, but she assured me this doctor could help. And I was desperate! The chiropractor helped me in more ways than I could fathom. After getting this unique and outstanding care for my injury I knew this is the way I wanted to impact others. As I like to call it, helping “hands”.
Fast forward, filled with excitement, six months later I was enrolled in Chiropractic College in Dallas, Texas. My dream was being realized. But as the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”. And chiropractic school was hard work. It not only required a lot of studying, but time, patience, and commitment. It felt as if I were learning a whole new language. Soon thereafter, I graduated with my Doctorate of Chiropractic degree. I was proud to be the 1st Doctor in my family. My mentor approached me and presented the once in a lifetime opportunity to move to South America and assist in treating the athletes there. This opportunity was so much more than I anticipated. I was, one of few, principal chiropractors in Bogota, Colombia for the Colombian Olympic team and state athletes. After about a year, I decided to move back to the states to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where I served my community and opened my first practice. Five years ago, I made one of the best decisions to move to Atlanta, Georgia and I finally found my forever home!
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 hasn’t always been a smooth road. I was homeless for a brief period. Not by choice but by circumstance. My dad had an interesting way of thinking, most probably wouldn’t agree with. Once you turn 18, “Two kings could not occupy the same castle”. The only problem was I didn’t know his philosophy until I was 18 and he put me out. He didn’t do it with malice rather he wanted me to stand on my own two feet. I was both confused and hurt. But in hindsight it was one of the best things to ever happen to me. In that moment, he called something out of me I didn’t even know was there. Tenacity and perseverance. A fire was lit.
I love telling this part of my story because it exemplifies that same tenacity that was called out of me by my dad. After I applied to Post Graduate Chiropractic school, I received a rejection letter. Yes, a rejection letter. I refused to believe it. I knew this was what I was supposed to do. I knew this was my passion, and others needed what I had. So, in my disbelief, I called the school and spoke with admissions. I explained to them, very matter of fact, that I didn’t receive my acceptance letter. They were so baffled by my statement that I was placed on hold, and passed through to several admissions reps. The more I was connected up the chain the more I explained that “I never received my acceptance letter”. Looking back on this it’s quite amusing because they were so confused. They could see in the system that I had gotten a rejection letter, but I was calling because I didn’t receive an acceptance letter (perception is reality). Ultimately, I was transferred all the way up to the Dean of Admissions. I explained to him the exact same thing I told to the other reps, “I never received my acceptance letter” he looked at my account after a brief pause and said “Um, OK. I don’t know why you got a rejection letter, we’d love to have you”, he emailed my acceptance letter on the spot.
I could go on and on about the challenges I’ve faced but another instance that stands out is when I made the move to Atlanta in 2014. I was excited and nervous because I didn’t know anyone here. Even though I wasn’t too far from home, I was opening an office in Buckhead and I knew it would need my undivided attention. It’s not the best algorithm to open a practice where you don’t have a network of people that know your work, but there’s a lesson in that to. I learned how to strike up conversation and get to know people. Neither here nor there, I closed my practice a year later. Experience is the best teacher. After that, I decided to work for a Chiropractic Franchise, where I was the Clinic Director, overseeing two offices, one of which I worked out of. My plan was to buy one of the franchise offices for myself. After negotiations began for me to purchase the office 2.5 half years later, they came to an abrupt halt. I constantly inquired and was misled into believing they were still on. I showed up to work one day about four months later and the office was sold unbeknownst to me and I was introduced to the new owner. Imagine my surprise. I had first right of refusal but was bypassed from purchasing the office. Like all entrepreneurs, I dusted myself off and tried again. I proudly opened Adjust Atlanta in 2018. My best decision to date!
Adjust Atlanta – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Adjust Atlanta was founded in 2018 because we want to enhance the healthcare experience. We strive to make care affordable, accessible and personal.
We are a boutique chiropractic office specializing in quality patient care, personalized care plans and measurable functional improvements. We also specialize in safe, natural & specific chiropractic adjustments to correct dysfunctions.
Our goal is to teach communities near and far the principles of measurable health and proper spinal hygiene.
What sets us apart in addition to receiving care in our office, is we have a home health department where we treat patients in the comfort of their home. We also have a corporate wellness program where we educate businesses, big and small on spinal hygiene and corporate wellness. And lastly, we have a production program where we treat on multiple platforms, television, movie production sets and film. We go outside of our doors with purpose to reach our community and set the tone for healthier lifestyles.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
After ten years in practice, you see a lot of faces. You learn many things about conducting business with the patient in mind. But the moment I’m most fond of is realizing I’ve performed over 45,000 Adjustments in my career. My hands have made me proud!
Pricing:
- Drop In Treatment $29
- Monthly Care Plan $69
Contact Info:
- Address: Adjust Atlanta
1827 Powers Ferry Rd Suite 150 Building 7
Atlanta, GA 30339 - Website: www.adjustatlanta.com
- Phone: 404-793-0774
- Email: drkendall@adjustatlanta.com
- Instagram: @adjustatlanta
- Facebook: adjustatlanta
Image Credit:
SlingShots ATL
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
