Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Rivera.
Hi Nicole, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I always knew I wanted to be in the healthcare field, thinking that Pediatric Neurology was going to be my future. Fast forward to my first year in college, one of my closest little cousins was diagnosed with autism – I used to travel a lot to see my family and would spend weeks with him. I was in shock at how everything was unfolding and seeing a family member on the spectrum. Long story short, my family went on a more holistic route to support him, and one of his providers was a Chiropractor that I got the chance to meet and see how he worked with neurodivergent kids. At that moment, I fell in love with Chiropractic and knew that’s exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I started Chiropractic school in 2016 at Life University in Marietta Georgia. It was such a wonderful experience, and I got to dive deep in pediatrics, perinatal, and pregnancy classes. I practiced for two years in Decatur, GA and got the opportunity to come to Dallas to work inside Swiss Avenue Birth and Wellness Collaborative, which has been a dream.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all! A year before starting Chiropractic school my grandfather passed away from colon cancer, and that was really hard. However, it continued to add fuel in my passion to help people live a healthy life. School in general was really hard starting with finding an academic workload that worked for me while being active in various clubs and taking care of myself and my relationship with my family and partner. My last year in school is when the pandemic hit so everything was different and was unable to be in campus for the last time and savor those last moments. Navigating my first year in practice and really finding where I wanted to be and what kind of doctor I wanted to be was challenging as well.
As you know, we’re big fans of Illumin8 Chiropractic. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
We have 3 offices in the DFW area in East Dallas, Plano, and Mckinney and soon expanding! Our mission is to change the culture of health care globally, and we are very passionate about that. I am specifically located in the East Dallas office inside of Swiss Avenue Birth and Wellness Collective. I build a strong tribe of health-focused practice members through education and chiropractic adjustments. I take care of entire families and individuals looking to live a healthier and fuller life. I am Webster certified, which means I have extra knowledge and skills to provide excellent care for pregnant people and help them have a wonderful pregnancy and birth experience. I also see babies and kids – even kids that have autism, ADD/ADHD, dyslexic, and other neurological or any developmental struggles they have. I am beyond proud of my ability to help people live a healthier life and feel-good long-term supporting the body’s innate ability to heal and function optimally on its own.
At Illumin8 Chiropractic, we offer initial consults that come with neurological studies that helps us see where exactly is the body struggling and designing care plans for every individual to reach their health goals no matter how big or small. We become family, and it fills my heart with joy seeing my practice members thrive and reaching their goals.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I don’t really believe in luck; I think we can all make our own luck by the hard work we put in our dreams. One of the things I love about myself is that I am always up for a challenge and when I’m clear in what I want, I work so hard to achieve those goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.illumin8chiro.com
- Instagram: illumin8chiro and drnicolerivera
Image Credits
Meagan at Raising Stone
