Do you ever feel like you missed a day of class?
Or a week or more 😂
Good morning, New Day “practice members” ☀️
(What’s a “practice member”? More on that in a minute).
Do you remember how it was when you were a kid and you would miss school sometimes?
Whether it was for a day or a week didn’t seem to matter. However long it was, there was always the lingering feeling that something would come up later that you missed learning about, and everyone else was on the same page except for you..
For me, it was Roman numerals 😢ⅠⅩⅪ🙏
For the next couple of DECADES, I just never felt very confident with Roman numerals. All because I missed something (or just felt like I missed something?) in the beginning.
(I finally caught up again later, in chiropractic school– thanks Cranial Nerves!) 🤗Ⅺ🧠
I found myself thinking about this several times in the last couple weeks, after having had the opportunity to spend time with many of you in a small group setting 💥💥💥
💥 First, there was the series of small Group Follow Up workshops for longtime New Day practice members– those of you who have been in my care anywhere from months up to 8 or 9+ years
💥💥Second, there was an Intro to Care class I held in person at New Day, focused on new clients, as well as those who are just “interested.”
💥💥💥Third, there was the Business Networking Happy Hour at New Day last week. This event usually attracts at least a few of our New Day practice members (there’s that term again!), amongst many other business networking contacts I have around the neighborhood and city.
All that time with you all outside of regular adjusting hours brought out so many interesting questions and comments for me to ponder about your care with me. It was SUCH time well-spent!
Now, back to Roman numerals. . . . ⅩⅠⅪⅤ 😂
Over and over, I have seen it be the case that a new client “misses something,” or much more often just FEELS like they did, toward the beginning of their Network Spinal care process with me. This feeling affects you, me, and the rest of us in our ability to have the care work to its highest possibility 🌍🙏☀️
And this has ESPECIALLY been the case over the past two-and-a-half years, when so much of the group dynamic at New Day, with it’s energy richness and uncanny ability to bring questions, concerns, and breakthroughs to the forefront, was much less accessible.
😐 We weren’t doing regular reassessments with most of you during that time.
😐😐 We weren’t having Intro to Care classes. Or other classes to stimulate those of you who continue care with me over months and years. Virtual options seemed difficult to organize and execute, and it felt hard to motivate their importance to clients.
😐😐😐 We weren’t able to have the in-person Business Networking Happy Hour for much of the time.
And our ability to have SRI/Focused Breath workshops was reduced as well. For this we did get into a nice groove with Facebook Lives for a while, but this again lacked the interaction and often needed intensity that the in-person group experience provides.
The one place where the group format was enshrined permanently has been in the adjusting room. It is a place where you can share with me or ask a question, but it isn’t conducive to longer conversation or discussion.
I don’t know about you, but I really think all of this has lead to me feeling like I “missed a day” or a week, or longer of class with some of you 😂💥🌍💓Ⅺ
These recent gatherings we have been having have been the perfect antidote to all of this. I’ve noticed you getting even more out of your adjustments after you attend any one of these events with me– with both of us perhaps feeling more tuned in to the other, like we are finally caught up on that missing day or missing lesson, even subconsciously ✨
I even had one of you, a longtime practice member of mine and 9 YEAR altogether client of Network Spinal Care, make a surprise appearance at my Intro to Care class.
I was thrilled and touched by the amount of renewed curiosity and joy this person experienced in learning and re-learning the fundamentals to Network Spinal care, and sharing their experiences with a newer client 💓🌀🌍
Many of you at New Day started care with me since March of 2020, so you may not even know what you missed! But maybe you’ve sometimes felt like you missed something (?!?)
Prepare to have an EVEN BETTER experience out of care as we go forward, with more opportunities to connect and engage with me and more importantly, your fellow practice members 🤗
Ok real quick. Back to that term “practice member.” ☀️
Practice Member has its roots in Donny Epstein’s idea that clients in our offices really aren’t “Patients.”
The word “patient” implies a passive, outside in, medically oriented model that erases the central role of client engagement, participation, and community inherent in this life-changing form of care.
Words matter. You just don’t get to have all the benefits of Network Spinal care and think of yourself as a “patient”! It’s just not possible 💥
And so I’ve never used the word “patient” at New Day. But over the past few years my use of “practice member” has waned. I have instead found myself using the word “client” much more often.
One reason I started dropping “practice member” is that “client” is usually a much more understandable term for outsiders to New Day, who seem to find it confusing. For example, I’ve had people hear “practice member” and think I was talking about an employee in my office instead of a client 😂
The other problem I was having with “practice member” again comes back to the post March 2020 timeframe.
Soooo many of you were in and out of care and less regular with receiving care than you had been in the past. Our options for pricing, packages, and scheduling eventually changed to reflect that new reality 😊
Suddenly, this warm and inclusive term that we used at New Day that had people focused on their connection to and engagement with me, the care, and the other souls in this community began to feel overly rigid and exclusive; like you were either in the in-group, a member, or you were on the outs with us. That was how it all occurred for me, anyway.
Fast forward to last week at the Business Networking Happy Hour at New Day. One of you was speaking to other “practice members,” and found out about the term “practice member” for the first time.
This client/practice member, who’s been in care with me for about a year and a half, shared elation and a sense of pride at discovering that she was indeed a “member.” It felt right to her.
And so I’m wondering– what do you think? Do you think of yourself as a client? A patient? A practice member”? I look forward to hearing your comments over the next couple of weeks as we explore this together. 😊
I also look forward to more in-person, small group gatherings and I will be continuing to encourage you to attend! 💥🌀🤗💓
And, speaking of small group gatherings, do not forget that we are CLOSED this Thursday, September 1st, aka 2-days from now, for our outing to Ravinia! 🌳🧺🌙
I’ve opened up some extra hours on Wednesday night to help make up for this. Don’t forget to schedule at www.newdaynsa.janeapp.com
Happy and excited always to be with you my clients, practice members, community members, and friends, and looking forward to seeing you today, tomorrow night, and maybe even Thursday??? ⚓️🎶💃
