Podcast
The Rooted DC- Reclaim Your Legitimacy
Hosted by Dr. Alexandra Swenson-Ridley · EN
You became a chiropractor because you believed in something. But somewhere between the skeptics, the insurance battles, and the business advice that never quite fit — you started to lose connection to the dream that brought you here. The Rooted DC is a podcast for chiropractors who are done trying to fit inside a system that was never designed for them. Hosted by Dr. Alex Swenson — fellow DC, PhD researcher in organizational development and change, and someone who built a seven-figure practice, lost everything, and rebuilt it with an entirely new foundation — this is where we go beneath the surface and reclaim what was always ours: our identity, our worth, and our legitimacy as a profession. Ready to go deeper? Find the community at The Practice Beneath The Practice on Substack.
14episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
S3E2 What Your Pricing Model Reveals About Your Worth as a Chiropractor
4d ago00:19:43Tap to summarizeHow you price your practice is not a business decision. It's a worth decision.Most chiropractors don't see it that way — and that's exactly the problem. We dress up our scarcity in generosity. We call it patient-centered. We call it accessible. But underneath the frustrations with insurance, fears around charging cash, big care plans or heavily discounted rates is programming our whole profession struggles with: I don't fully trust that what I offer is enough.This week Dr. Alex shares what happened when she asked her patients a simple question — what could make this better? — and what the answer revealed about the worth work she still had to do.What you'll explore in this episode:Recognize when your pricing structure is driven by worth wounds rather than valuesUnderstand what "giving it all away" or staying trapped in the insurance racket actually signals about your relationship with your own legitimacySee how the insurance system trains chiropractors to outsource their sense of worth — and what it costsHear how one small feedback conversation shifted an entire pricing model without drama or discountingUnderstand why spiritual grounding isn't optional if you want to set your fees with convictionBegin to notice the difference between serving from fullness and serving from needResources + Community: practicebeneaththepractice.substack.com Find Dr. Alex on Substack at The Practice Beneath The Practice for deeper conversation between episodesWe'd love to hear what comes up for you on this episode: dralex@rootedpractice.coCHAPTER SUMMARYThe System We Keep Fighting to Be Part Of [00:45] Drawing from a Kabbalah training where two healthcare providers in completely different worlds both said the same thing — the system's broken, so I've been doing my own thing — Dr. Alex names the undertone that runs beneath chiropractic's worth wound: why are we still trying to belong to something that we were never designed to fit into?The Pediatrician With Three Practices [04:19] A real example of what happens when a servant heart runs the business instead of a grounded one. A pediatrician with a traditional clinic, a mental health program, and a mobile practice — the one he was most passionate about getting the least of him. The dilution that comes from trying to fill every need is not generosity. It's a worth problem wearing a mission statement.The Dark Side of the Servant Leader Heart [06:07] Most chiropractors were taught to give, serve, and pour out. The problem is almost none of us were taught to fill back up first. Dr. Alex names the shadow side of servant leadership — when giving comes from emptiness rather than fullness — and connects it directly to how that dynamic shows up in the structure of our practices.The Unlimited Trap [09:57] The teaching case at the center of this episode. Dr. Alex walked her subscription patients through a simple feedback question — what could make this better? — and what she heard back cracked something open. Nobody needed the unlimited visits she thought made a subscription "appealing". Nobody was using them. The option was never for them. It was a mirror to her own worth conversation.What You Give Away When You Take Insurance [12:41] A frank account of what it actually cost to be inside the insurance system — not just financially, but in terms of power, integrity, and identity. When a company can reach back one to three years and reclaim money already spent, you don't have a billing arrangement. You have a relationship built on someone else's terms.The Even Exchange [15:38] What it looks like when pricing comes from worth rather than fear. Not a dramatic overhaul — small, clear corrections from a steadier place. And the deeper truth underneath all of it: your fees can only be held with conviction if your sense of worth is rooted in something that can't be taken away.Worth Has to Come From Somewhere [16:25] The close. A real conversation about why the external world — the economy, the patients, the profession — will never be a stable source of worth. And why the spiritual dimension of this work isn't a luxury add-on, but the foundation everything else is built on.
Transcribe →S3E1 Where Does Your Worth Come From? Reclaiming Chiropractic Identity
2w ago00:25:34Tap to summarizeThere's a chiropractor in a parking lot hut in Maui who told a second-year chiropractic student to get out. She wrote him off at the time. Twenty years later, she understands exactly what he meant.This is the first episode of a new season — and a new focus. Dr. Alex is done talking around the elephant: chiropractors are carrying a legitimacy wound that has shaped how we build our practices, set our fees, design our intake processes, and decide what we're worth. And most of us don't even realize we're doing it.What you'll hear in this episode:- Why a practice that looks like success from the outside can still feel like something vital is disappearing — and what that's actually telling you- How to tell the difference between a clinical decision made from values versus one made from fear of not being taken seriously- The real cost of defining chiropractic worth through the lens of Western medicine's acceptance- What your new patient process reveals about where your decisions are actually coming from- Why asking your patients what they need might be the most radical act of leadership you can practice right now- What it looks like to co-create a practice model that is genuinely congruent — not borrowed from someone else's success storyConnect on SubstackEmail Dr. Alex: dralex@rootedpractice.co
Transcribe →Welcome to The Rooted DC-Reclaim Your Legitimacy
2w ago00:01:46Tap to summarizeYou passed the boards. You opened the practice. You adopted the “fake it till you make it” approach to practice everyone told you to do in school. You did everything right.And still — there’s this voice that follows you everywhere. It says you’re not quite legitimate. You have to prove something. That you have to work twice as hard to be taken half as seriously. That you’re a third rate doctor who will never have a seat at the table. And the reality is you’re slowly losing your soul to a profession you love but feel let down by.That voice is a wound the entire profession holds — and very few talk about.I’m Dr. Alex. I’m a chiropractor, a PhD researcher in organizational development and change, and a practice owner who built a seven-figure practice, lost it all, and am now on a journey of rebuilding it with an entirely new foundation.The Rooted DC is where we go beneath the surface of chiropractic practice — into the identity questions, the legitimacy wounds, the conflicting values, the gap between who you were trained to be and who you actually are as a practitioner and a person.This isn’t a clinical skills podcast. It isn’t a business tips show.It’s about you. The DC who chose this profession on purpose and is looking to reconnect to why that choice still matters.This is the show where we keep it short, but go deep in talking about the things our profession tends to ignore or sweeps under the rug. Join me on:The Rooted DC: Reclaim Your Legitimacy.
Transcribe →S2E8-Why Health Practice Owners Stay Stuck — And How to Shift It
Apr 2300:33:43Tap to summarizeIn the concluding episode of the first season, Dr. Alex Swenson Ridley delves into the concept of the 'practice beneath the practice.' She reflects on her personal challenges of overcoming hustle culture and the associated anxiety, emphasizing the importance of aligning one's business practices with personal values for true fulfillment. Highlighting the transformation needed for personal and professional growth, she shares her journey of creating a sustainable practice that supports well-being and success without the traditional hustle mentality. The episode sets the stage for the next season’s focus on financial growth and overcoming limiting beliefs.SHOW NOTESMost practice owners have tried the surface-level fixes. New systems. Better marketing. A different schedule. And still — something isn't moving. This episode goes somewhere different.What you'll hear in this episode:Why intellectual insight alone doesn't create change — and what actually has to happen firstHow a nervous system wired for hustle can keep you plateaued even when everything else is alignedWhat two years of dragging your feet on a business decision actually revealed — and how it broke open in one sessionA real-time example of what the practice beneath the practice looks like when you're living it, not just teaching itWhat the Grow Your Roots community is, why it exists, and why it's priced at $12 a month on purposeA 30-second HeartMath coherence practice you can use today to start shifting your emotional regulationConnect + Resources: Email Dr. Alex: dralex@rootedpractice.co Learn more about Grow Your Roots
Transcribe →S2E7 Balancing Legitimacy and Identity in Your Practice
Apr 800:29:34Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Rooted Health Practice Podcast, Dr. Alex Swenson Ridley explores the complex interplay between organizational legitimacy and identity within healthcare practices. She delves into how practitioners often face the dilemma of conforming to societal norms to appear legitimate while striving to maintain personal and organizational values. Highlighting her experiences as a chiropractor, Dr. Alex encourages practice owners to assess whether their business decisions stem from a desire for legitimacy or alignment with their values, underscoring the potential for burnout when these elements clash.
Transcribe →S2E6 Rooted Relationships: Boundaries, Capacity, and Connection in Your Practice
Mar 3000:31:46Tap to summarizeIIn this episode, Dr. Alex explores how your relationship with yourself, your team, and your patients directly impacts your energy, leadership, and sustainability as a practice owner.What You’ll Learn:Why over-responsibility leads to burnoutHow boundaries shape sustainable leadershipThe difference between caring and losing yourself in the processHow your internal patterns show up in external relationshipsKey Takeaway:Burnout often lives in your relationships—not just your workload.Resources:Leadership Energy Audit → rootedpractice.co/audit
Transcribe →Creating a Practice that Works for You: The New Healthcare Paradigm
Mar 1900:28:22Tap to summarizeDr. Alex Swenson-Ridley delves into the often unacknowledged struggles faced by healthcare professionals who venture into entrepreneurship. This episode sheds light on the contradiction of seeking to help others while feeling constrained by the business models inherited from previous mentors. The discussion revolves around the concept of 'reinventing the wheel' in healthcare, promoting creativity and autonomy over conforming to outdated norms. Dr. Alex shares her personal journey of overcoming a lack of self-worth and the necessity of establishing clear boundaries to prevent burnout, ultimately advocating for a redefined approach to healthcare business leadership.
Transcribe →S2E4 Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling of Self-Worth
Mar 1100:24:21Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Rooted Health Practice Podcast, Dr. Alex Swenson Ridley explores the concept of self-worth and the challenges it presents in business ownership. She delves into the idea of the 'upper limit problem' from Gaye Hendricks' book 'The Big Leap,' discussing four fundamental fears that often inhibit our growth and success. These fears include feeling fundamentally flawed, being a burden to others, leaving others behind, and outshining others. Dr. Alex shares personal experiences, including a battle with illness, which reflects how these fears manifest as self-sabotage, hampering both personal and professional development.Referenced in this Episode:The Big Leap, by Gaye HendricksDownload the Leadership Energy Audit Here
Transcribe →S2E3 Finding Fulfillment in Practice: The Eudaimonic Path to Wellbeing
Feb 1900:29:35Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Rooted Health Practice Podcast, Dr. Alex Swenson Ridley shares her compelling journey from an unexpected pregnancy and a tumultuous job in Alaska to opening her own chiropractic practice. Despite facing significant challenges, including a chaotic and traumatic work environment and a high-stress pregnancy, she persevered to build a successful business. This story underscores the importance of understanding the true driving force behind one's entrepreneurial pursuits, whether it's necessity or opportunity, and emphasizes the significance of aligning one's business with personal values to achieve sustained wellbeing and fulfillment.Articles referenced in this episode:Gilstrap, C. M., Weber, T., & Gilstrap, C. A. (2024). Navigating the Unknown: How Healthcare Entrepreneurs Manage Uncertainty. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, 29(2), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1084946724500146Kearney, C., Dunne, P., & Wales, W. J. (2020). Entrepreneurial orientation and burnout among healthcare professionals. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 34(1), 16–22. https://doi.org/10.1108/jhom-09-2019-0259Manchiraju, S., Akbari, M., & Seydavi, M. (2023). Is entrepreneurial role stress a necessary condition for burnout? A necessary condition analysis. Current Psychology, 43(5), 4766–4778. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04704-zRyff, C. D. (2018). Entrepreneurship and eudaimonic well-being: Five venues for new science. Journal of Business Venturing, 34(4), 646–663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2018.09.003Take the Leadership Energy AuditAs always, feel free to reach out to Dr. Alex with any questions, deep thoughts or support: dralex@rootedpractice.co
Transcribe →S2E2-Unlocking Your Leadership Genius: The Key to Sustainable Success
Feb 600:19:01Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dr. Alex Swenson Ridley delves into the complexities of leadership for healthcare entrepreneurs. Exploring insights from the book 'The Six Types of Working Genius,' she highlights the importance of aligning work roles with personal strengths to prevent burnout. Dr. Alex shares her personal journey of discovering her creative strengths, emphasizing the significance of understanding one's unique leadership style. By embracing personal strengths, entrepreneurs can lead practices more authentically and effectively. This episode offers thought-provoking perspectives on developing positive leadership and reshaping practice roles for genuine entrepreneurial success.Resources from this episode:Working GeniusVIA Character StrengthsLeadership Energy AuditAligned Authority Workshop--Available 2/16Connect Call with Dr. Alex
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