Why I Became a Chiropractor

Let’s get personal and get to know the person behind the credentials and a glimpse into what fuels my deep seated ambitions towards a healthy movement lifestyle.

My name is Dr. Liz, and I am a Doctor of Chiropractic, located in San Diego California.

I grew up in Washington state, in a home that prioritized wellness as I watched my father, the triathlete, train and compete in Ironman competitions since I was a child. I aspired to be like my father, and competed in my first triathlon at age 11 with my brother and sister. We were the weird children who ate wheat (brown) bread for our school lunches, we had to stir our peanut butter and instead of Oreos we could only offer rice cakes as an after-school snack to our friends.

Our spring breaks and family vacations were usually geared around my dad’s next triathlon or bike event. We spent multiple summers as a family being a support vehicle for relay bike races across Washington state as well as riding portions of it ourselves. My dad owned a bicycle shop and so our “family vehicle” was a mobile bike repair shop. Today, when I walk into a bicycle shop, the aromas and sites bring back a flood of childhood memories.

As part of our active lifestyle, the entire family went to a chiropractor for regular preventive care to aid general pediatric wellness/prevention for postural dysfunctions, and for youth sports injuries as we got older. I was often confused as to why other kids didn’t go to a chiropractor and would comment to my mom after doing a header in soccer that “I feel like I should go see Dr. Sharon.”

Now looking back, I realize how fortunate I was to grow up with a taste for nutritious foods, a passion to have healthy activities or sports as an outlet, proactive parents when it came to spinal health and a constant flow of inspirational athletes around me. I believe it was my constant interaction with health and wellness that attracted me to go into the healthcare field “when I grow up.”

The whole “when I grow up” thing really came to focus at age 12 when I decided to do a science project on the skeletal system. This was suggested by my chiropractor (now a close family friend). When she spoke about the skeletal system, I was so enthralled and was absolutely fascinated by what a marvelous machine the human body is. I had come across something that I was very excited to learn about and found my calling. Right there, at 12 years old, I decided I was going to become a chiropractor and help people continue to thrive within their own marvelous machine.

Over the years I have combined my wellness lifestyle from childhood into adulthood and now, onto my patients. I am so grateful to have found a career I am passionate about. It’s an amazing thing to give a service to people that will help them to feel better, move better and live better.