Chiropractor, Acupuncturist, Mom, Goldthwaite, Texas
She is a mom, she worked on a ranch, studied psychology and owns (and expanded) her business where she makes people feel better. Dr. Amanda Campbell is a calm professional with an air of knowing stuff, seeing into your heart, having substance. She is soft spoken, proud and graceful but also the first to roll up sleeves to raise goats and cows. She has averted disasters with snakes and turbulent Texas weather, rode economic downturns and most importantly prizes the need to make a difference in people’s lives as her primary goal. In her county, she was recognized as the best chiropractor, doing the “best job in the world”. Finally, it is amazing to watch Amanda’s son grow and witness a strong role model in his mother, in all her unpretentious fortitude.
1. Name
Mandy or Amanda Campbell (depends on when and where we met).
2. Where is your hometown?
Goldthwaite, Texas
3. What is your profession/career/title/self-label/designation?
Chiropractor, Acupuncturist, Mom
4. What did you study in school?
I have a doctorate degree in chiropractic and bachelor’s degrees in biology and psychology. I also studied acupuncture and became certified to perform acupuncture while attending chiropractic college.
5. What was the journey like to get where you are (in life and career-wise)? What are some accomplishments you’re most proud of, and what was the turning point to set you on a current path in life?
I was raised by some of the kindest, most hard working and resilient people you will ever meet. I think my work ethic comes from my dad. He is a brick and stone mason by trade but a true artist in fact. He is honest and fair, he out-works everyone around him, he makes the ordinary look extraordinary, he invests himself in his product and he knows his worth. He started his business from scratch and has worked hard to make it what it is today. More on my mom later.
I grew up in Goldthwaite, a very small central Texas town. I had a great childhood but I always wanted to experience more and do more than I thought was possible in a small town. As soon as I graduated from high school I moved. I enrolled in college courses the summer before my freshman year in college just to get on with it. I found love early in my life and have been fortunate to share many amazing life experiences with my husband, Charlie. We have been taking on the world together for nearly 20 years now.
A turning point for me was during my last semester of undergraduate school. Psychology had been my major throughout college and child psychology had specifically been my interest. I was participating in two internships related to that path in preparation for graduate studies. It is one thing to know how to do something and an entirely different thing to actually do it. One of the internships was working directly with children to assess psychological damage caused by abuse. It was heartbreaking. I knew my heart couldn’t handle the career I had been preparing for. I had to re-evaluate what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to be in healthcare, I wanted to be able to go home every day and feel like I made a difference but not at the expense of my own mental health, and I wanted to help people in a way that was substantial and immediately evident.
Researching options, I discovered there was a chiropractic college near where I lived in Houston at the time. As a teenager I had received treatment from a chiropractor for some sports related back pain and I remembered him saying “you should go to school to be a chiropractor, it is the best job in the world”. I remembered how upbeat the office seemed. It was less “clinical” and people were happy to be there, even when in pain, because they knew they were about to get some relief. I called the school and arranged for a tour and the rest is history. I loved it, all of it, and still do.
After graduation from chiropractic college I was fortunate to find a great position as an associate in a very successful practice. We were busy. I treated every type of patient…big, small, elite athlete, homeless, wheelchair bound, 1 day old, 100 years old and everything in between. That experience, I believe, greatly developed my skills and confidence as a chiropractor. I worked for the same practice for 4 years and enjoyed early success in my career.
My husband and I had been living in Houston Texas for several years when we felt like we needed a change. I say we decided we needed some grass and goats! We made a decision to move back to Goldthwaite, where we both had grown up. We bought a family homestead and began renovations about a year before the move. I resigned my position with plans of opening my own practice once there. We went from being the couple who lived in an urban loft above a bar in downtown Houston to the couple who changed the population in town from 1880 to 1882. During the move I looked for office space in Brownwood and Early, Texas. The population and demographics there were similar to my previous practice area. By circumstance I was put in contact with another chiropractor in Early and he offered me some space in his practice. It was not what I had planned for myself but it seemed like a smart transition at the time. I remember being physically ill the first morning driving to that office. I should have listened to my gut. The arrangement was awkward and working relationships deteriorated over time. It was a very humbling experience. Despite my bad practice arrangement at the time, I loved spending more quality time with my husband and family and I loved being back home. We got our grass and our goats and some cows and a donkey! I enjoyed raising livestock and spending time on our ranch. We were in the right place. Soon the stress of my career life was pushed aside by excitement over my future as a new mom. My pregnancy served as a push to move on from the professional limbo I had been in. I resigned and decided to take a break from my career, get my head straight and enjoy my pregnancy. That lasted for about six days.
It started with a few phone calls. A few people that had heard about me and some former patients asking if I would consider treating them even if they had to come to my house. I thought why not and set up a little home office. A couple of patients turned into many, with the mudroom hallway in my house suddenly serving as a waiting room. I look back now and think about how crazy it all was but somehow it worked! I was happy and my patients were happy and my practice grew. After my son was born, I bought a commercial building in Goldthwaite, renovated it and moved my practice there. I also opened a small office in Early with some encouragement from friends that own a business there and had some extra space.
My business has enjoyed amazing growth over the last few years mainly due to word-of-mouth referrals and referrals from other local healthcare providers that know I take great care of my patients. I am proud to have been voted “Best Chiropractor in Brown County” for the last two years with 8-9 total chiropractors in the area (and until very recently I was the only female chiropractor in the area). It is very embarrassing to admit but the first year I won I didn’t even have a sign. My husband and I attended the awards ceremony where they announce the businesses that received the most votes and when they called my name I was very surprised and my husband looked over at me and said “You won! I think its time you get a sign.”
I did finally get a sign and this year I also expanded and renovated my Early, TX location so I have more room to grow . I am excited to see where these changes will take me. I love what I do and I love my patients. I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish, the practice I have built and that I have been able to serve and improve the lives of so many.
6. How is your life different from what you pictured at 20?
I currently live in the same small town that I grew up in. I am a mom. I own goats! Life is so different than imagined back then but so much better. I love being a mom, running my own business, working on the ranch and spending time with my family. And, I am pleased there were forks in the road and unexpected twists and turns that have led me to where I am now. I did always imagine a life full of new experiences and adventures and I believe 20 year old me would be pleased with my progress so far.
7. Was there a time when life knocked you down or out and how did you get back up on your feet?
I have certainly felt a few bumps. As I described above, my professional success during the big move certainly took a hit and lowered my self-confidence at the time. As a follower of the WOW women website I couldn’t help but notice that a number of the women featured (entrepreneurs, business owners) have suffered from anxiety and feel like it caused a set back at some point in their journey. It can be exhausting being a WOW Woman. I have also felt too much pressure at times to be able to do it all and this has similarly led to periods of anxiety that most certainly impacted my career and my home life.
The stress is mostly self-inflicted through over-commitments and self-criticism and the recovery from this has been owning responsibility for my own happiness. It has been saying “no” more often, paying attention to what is truly important day to day and practicing some self-love and forgiveness.
8. Advice for other women?
Follow your intuition. Do not compare yourself to others. Find your strengths and talents and use them to better your life and the lives of those around you.
9. Knowing what we know now in a current political climate, can women be "all that we can be" in today's world? What is the way forward, as you see it, for "feminist values"?
I think we can be all that we can be. I work in a male dominated profession with females only representing 20%. I have never felt like this held me back in creating a successful practice. I do think stereotyping in general is a problem as it leads to social categorizations and us versus them attitudes. I have been told “you look too young to be a doctor”, “you look too small to do what you do”, “you seem too sweet to be running a business”, “your too pretty”…it is amazing what people will say and the qualities they will ascribe to you at just a glance. This is something we should all work on.
I will also say there is power in adversity. Some of my proudest moments and greatest successes have come out of being underestimated. This is certainly one way to fuel progress. I have been fortunate to have had help in raising my child, my husband is a great partner in parenting and grandparents are close by when needed. This ability to share family responsibilities has certainly enabled me to have a career. Values are instilled first at home and by those around us that support and nurture us as we discover the world. One way forward is leading by example and educating our children.
The values I hope to instill in my son are that we are all unique with individual strengths and weaknesses but not one person is better than any other and we should all have equal opportunities no matter our gender, race, ethnicity, age or religion. And, although there has been some progress, we really need to close the gender wage gap in the corporate world – that’s just ridiculous.
10. Where in the world do you feel “tallest” (i.e. where is your happy place)?
In nature. Our ranch specifically. I love just being still and listening to the tall grass in the wind. It sounds like the waves at the ocean but more peaceful. It renews me. I am an introvert so even though I love my profession and I love my patients I need to be alone sometimes to recharge. This is also why you may frequently find me eating lunch in my car outside my office or at the park.
11. What extra-curricular activities/hobbies are you most proud of? Why?
I need to work on this. I know it is important but running a business and being a working mom occupies most of my time. I love my work and I love racing to T-ball practice and flag football Saturday mornings. I am proud that owning my own business allows me the flexibility to be where I need to be for my son. Some day I will be able to say yoga or photography or freelance restaurant critic but not today.
12. What do you want to be when you grow up? Future goals/challenges?
More organized. I feel like I have been flying by the seat of my pants to this point. I hate to even imagine where I might be had I been organized! This is certainly something I am not proud of. Future goals for my practice are creating better systems so I can stop micro-managing and start doing more of the things I enjoy like spending quality time caring for my patients. It would be nice to have systems in place that would allow me to step away for a while if needed or wanted. Better organization in my practice will hopefully help me with my personal goals as well (being a better mom, better friend, better wife and still have time for some self-care somewhere in there).
I always think about something called the four burners theory. I do not recall where the theory came from, who authored it or which seminars I attended that spoke of it but the theory is your life is like a stove with four burners (1.Family, 2.Work, 3.Health, 4.Friends) and in order to be successful at any of the four parts you have to turn some burners down or off. In theory if we have all the burners going at once we will not be at our full potential in any of them. Frustrating, right? So, for me, better balance is the challenge and the goal.
13. What fears are you still hoping to overcome?
Change has always been a struggle for me. I am a creature of habit. I know it is so important to be adaptable and I am getting better at challenging myself at this. Public speaking (can I get an amen). A few years ago I was set to give a presentation to a group of high school kids (yes, I said high school kids) about chiropractic for their career day and much to my surprise when I opened my mouth to speak my voice trembled and cracked. I had not spoken publicly to a large group in quite some time and I guess I thought it was just an old fear I had recovered from. No such luck. At least I can laugh about it.
14. Anything you'd do differently, if you had another go at life?
I think more than do differently I would like to go back just to experience some things again. Things like the first time I held my newborn baby. First kiss. That time I dove into the ocean and swam very far from a boat to shore even though I was certain I would be eaten by sharks. We only get so many breath-taking, heart-racing moments in life.
15. What inspires you?
Many things but #1 would be my son. Recently he has taken it upon himself to remind us all to smile. He is my new smile coach. The heart of a child is so pure and genuine and some how he just knows that joy comes from within and should be shared with those around us.
16. What are you hopeful about?
I am hopeful for the future of my profession. I am starting to see changes that are encouraging and exciting. Our healthcare system in America has been more “sick care” than “health care” with more money and energy invested in treating illness and disease rather than actual prevention. Insurers still pay minimally or not at all for alternatives to medications that are scientifically proven to work. I think all doctors have been frustrated with this because it has created a “quick fix” attitude among patients and the “fixes” are often just band aids masking the real issues, so patients continue to get sicker and sicker. I am hopeful that out of this mutual frustration comes more collaboration between chiropractors, medical doctors, and other healthcare providers to provide the best care for our patients (I have been fortunate to see this type of collaboration grow significantly within my practice in the last few years).
I am hopeful that people are becoming more proactive in regards to their health and educating themselves (I am seeing more and more patients coming in for wellness care and asking for exercise and nutritional intervention). Chiropractic care has always been a whole person-centered approach aimed at treating the root cause of pain, dysfunction and illness and I am hopeful that this will become a leading model for healthcare reform going forward. “The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease”-Thomas Edison.
17. What are some ingredients to a good life?
Laughter, love, family, friendship and purpose.
18. What is a quality you most love about yourself?
I am kind and I am open-minded.
19. What advice would you give your 14-year-old self?
Don’t be afraid to be yourself, it is your greatest asset.
20. What are you reading now? (what books do you gift most and what are your favourite reads?)
The last book I gifted was Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women. It was for a friend’s young daughter and the coolest thing ever. It is a compilation of short biographical stories about women, past and present, who have accomplished amazing things, each written and illustrated in a way that keeps a young readers interest.
Right now, the only READING I do is at night with my son but I drive a lot and LISTEN to audiobooks. I just finished Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins. I usually have 2-3 books I alternate through depending on my mood but Can’t Hurt Me had my full attention beginning to end. Now I am listening to The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks for motivation, Nortorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg for inspiration and Killing Sacred Cows for some financial savvy.
One of my favorite all time reads is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. So much life leading inspiration in it. A few of my favorite quotes from the book that I feel resonate in my life are:
“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure”.
21. Who is a WOW woman in your world who inspires you and why?
I know so many WOW Women it makes it really hard to narrow to just a few. My #1 WOW Woman would have to be my mom. She is a great lover of life, people, plants, animals…if it is living she cares for it and it thrives. She became a paramedic while I was away at college and jokes that we all thought she was crazy for beginning something like that later in life. It was her calling. Her days consist of saving lives, confirming deaths, reassuring scared families and even making a pot of coffee and a sandwich for a patient that just needs a little help. She witnesses the best and worst of humanity and handles it with grace. She is also an amazing artist, cook, wife, mother and Nana.
One of my favorite WOW Women is Dr. Tenesha Wards. She has been a close friend of mine for I guess 17 years now. We met in chiropractic college and have shared all the ups and downs, laughs and tears, successes and failures that life brings. She has a functional medicine practice in Austin, TX that specializes in treating those conditions that most doctors give up on. She has built an impressive practice, is currently launching an online program to help people with causes of chronic fatigue and she has plans to publish. Tenesha is a bright light, true to herself, confident and has the chops to back it up. She is my entrepreneurial inspiration.
22. Where can others find you/your work (links to websites, blogs, etc.)?
Website www.newleafcw.com
FB business: @newleafcw
FB personal: @dr.amandacampbell