August 24th 2023.
Tammia Guest has been using her healing hands to make a difference as the owner and founder of Rejuvenating Chiropractic. According to KSBY, Guest is among a small percentage of African American chiropractors in the field. After opening in 2013 and attending to nearly two hundred patients a week, her offices have expanded to a second location.
Guest had twenty years of hospital experience and used that to pursue her interests in chiropractic care. She was able to enter the entrepreneurial industry by setting up two chiropractic offices in the Dallas area. To open her first office, she relied on college savings and support from her family. However, she faced a challenge in building her clientele. “I’m very shy, an introvert. You can be a good adjuster as far as chiropractic and wellness, but you’re gonna have to be able to get people in the door because those things really don’t matter if you can’t get people in the door,” Guest said.
Her prior experience in healthcare was integral to her success as a chiropractor. “I already kind of had a feel for how the medical field works with many doctors, nurses, and patients. So when I brought that to my clinical experience as a chiropractor, it was very natural, and people felt like they could trust me,” Guest said.
Trust is a major factor when it comes to African Americans seeking care. A 2020 poll by The Commonwealth Fund found that 55% of Black Americans do not trust the healthcare system. Despite this statistic, Guest provides comfort and trust among her patients. “Many clients do specify that they would like to see a Black provider, in the sense that they say they feel like they’re very comfortable. They feel like they’re heard,” Guest said.
The relationships she has with her patients have been long-standing. “I’ve had most of my clients since my clinic years. I believe that many of them stay with me because I make them feel like family,” Guest said. Despite the statistics of Black businesses, Guest said, “there was nothing in my mind that brought me to think I couldn’t make it, you know, putting in the work.”
Guest has hopes to train the future generation of chiropractors and business owners to help them build their communities. She is an inspiration to Black business leaders paving the way in non-traditional industries.
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