Today we’d like to introduce you to Kati Schwabe.
Hi Kati, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I think I’ve always known that I wanted to do something in life to help others and I’ve always been the person who was massaging friends, walking on my dad’s back as a kid, fixing friends up, and listening to them. That, along with a love of the sciences, led me to a Bachelor of Science all focused on human anatomy and physiology. While in my undergrad program, a friend recommended I see a Chiropractor for my headaches. I had headaches for as long as I could remember, but they were just “little headaches”. My Mom suffered from terrible migraines that landed her in bed for days and I had migraines in the past as well, so the minor daily headaches that I had seemed insignificant and something to just live with. I was wrong! One visit to that Chiropractor and my headaches were significantly better and after a few visits, they were completely gone. The Chiropractic philosophy and the science behind it all made sense to me as well. That said, I wasn’t quite ready to go back to school for another four years yet. I decided to go to massage school knowing that it would only complement Chiropractic if I ever went back to school. I loved learning more about the body, doing massage and bodywork, and I found that my clients loved my work! I got to continue my study of the human body, and work on athletes of all levels, as well as people who just needed some hands-on care. I loved that I could help people to feel better in their bodies and help them to continue playing and doing the things they loved in their lives. That brought me to Colorado where, of course, everyone is an athlete of some level or loves to play and be active! Eventually, I found myself wanting to do more and to have more tools in my toolbox to help people. I met other Chiropractors while in Vail and I think that got me thinking again about going back to school. I left Colorado and carefully chose Palmer College of Chiropractic – West, in San Jose, CA, and graduated in 2011.
After an associateship, I started Schwabe Chiropractic in January 2013. As is typically my way in life, the universe presented an opportunity and I jumped! A space on South Pearl Street, where another friend was operating her business, opened up at the perfect time. I started in a beautiful one-room office in an old home and I loved the feel and light in that space as well as working in the same building with other female entrepreneurs who shared a similar vision of health and wellness. As my practice grew, I wanted a little more space so I moved to another building on South Pearl again with wonderful office building mates who shared a love and desire to promote wellness and treat people as a whole person in their quest for health. I really enjoyed educating and inspiring patients to take control of their own health and to be an advocate for themselves in their wellness journeys. Little did I know that my own health journey was about to get very interesting.
In March 2016, I ended up in and out of the emergency room with an extremely high fever with no known origin and very few answers. After several tests, they termed it a “virus of unknown origin” and told me to rest and wait it out. I was unable to get off the couch most of the day during those 10 days and from then on, my body was not the one I had known. Up until this, I had never even been in the emergency room for treatment (and I played rugby in college!) so I was feeling very vulnerable and out of sorts. I followed up with a Medical Doctor as recommended and, again, was left with few answers and a “wait and see” prognosis. I wasn’t ready to sit back and wait for my body to continue to weaken. I started to dig into my own health and use the knowledge and desires that I have as a Doctor of Chiropractic to seek out the root cause of all this. It was feeling and behaving like some sort of AutoImmune issue so I pushed for more testing. I was eventually diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Autoimmune Thyroiditis. I also had higher levels of insulin autoantibodies and the possibility of other autoimmune processes and I still wasn’t feeling good in general. I began to seek out more holistic options to dig out the root cause of why my body was attacking itself in an autoimmune process and why I got sick that March. That journey is now at 6.5+ years and I’m doing worlds better after years of ups and downs, not being able to enjoy the lifestyle that I loved including mountain biking and other outdoor adventures that we love here in Colorado and not being unable to spend as much time with friends due to fatigue and feeling ill. Autoimmune disease and other “invisible diseases” can feel very lonely as anyone who’s experienced this can tell you.
Not only that, but I had a lot of cognitive symptoms. Running a business was difficult. Being a Doctor of Chiropractic involves a lot of very physical work and giving of yourself to your patients. I found that I had no choice but to cut back on the number of patients I was seeing in order to continue giving my patients my best self and the quality care that they deserved and had come to expect. This was difficult to do mentally and emotionally after having worked to build my practice up to where it was thriving, but it was also a lesson in self-care that I now try to remind my patients of in their own care with Schwabe Chiropractic. I share all of this because I strongly believe that my own health journey has given me more empathy and understanding when my patients are in pain or unable to live the lives they want to due to injury, pain, or dysfunction. It has also reminded me to always look at someone as a whole person and try to understand what might be going on that we can’t immediately see. At Schwabe Chiropractic, we always ask questions about your life from birth and childhood until now. We want to know how you have been shaped by your birth story, sports, injuries, family and personal health concerns. All of these things might contribute to the space your body is in now and our focus is to get to the root cause. Of course, we care about the symptoms you’re having now, but we want to know WHY you’re having those symptoms and work through it all and also give you the tools to help yourself!
As I continued to work on my own health and improve, I was able to grow the practice again and enjoy helping more people again. In March 2021, I moved into a bigger, brighter, healthier space which is where we are today. I was grateful to collaborate with Katherine Altneu of The Point Acupuncture and Holistic Medicine within that space. Not long after, we also welcomed Dr. Erika Enos, ND of Healing Roots Natural Medicine and Heidi Ver Kuilen of True Health Massage & Wellness. It’s wonderful to be able to partner with an exceptional group of like-minded female providers to address a variety of needs all under one roof.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think anyone opens a business without any bumps along the way! Of course, there have been some bumps and bruises. My gift is as a healer, someone who helps people’s bodies to feel better and to keep them moving. Business isn’t my first love! I learn something every day about what it takes to run a business. It’s cliché but you have to wear many hats, all the hats when you’re starting out. I’ve slowly learned to do that, but also that it doesn’t serve me or my business to put all the Kati energy into every little thing. Sometimes being a business owner means getting help from other experts. That said, the biggest struggle has probably been my own health issues as mentioned above, but I’ve learned from those as well. I’m still learning from them, but they make me a better provider and healer. My newest challenge is learning how to grow as a leader as well as in business. I’ve brought on an office manager this year and it’s been wonderful having another team member. We also hope to bring on the perfect associate to grow with the practice. It’s challenging and fun to work with others and I love sharing this practice and its journey with our wellness community, and our office manager, Regina.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Schwabe Family & Sports Chiropractic, PC?
I’ve been doing bodywork in some form or another for more than 25 years. My massage therapy background, as well as Chiropractic, means that when I put my hands on someone, I can immediately feel more in-depth what they’re feeling in their own body. My patients often ask me how I always find “the spot” when I’m working on them. I tell them “my hands just take me there”. There’s a lot of education, a lot of experience, as well as some intuition in my work.
Schwabe Chiropractic itself is a unique find in the Chiropractic community. We spend a lot more time understanding you as a whole and your appointment is spent entirely with the Doctor. Not only do we take an in-depth comprehensive look at your overall health and how you can benefit from our care on your first visit (an 80-minute visit), but when you visit our office, you will receive more direct and hands-on time with your doctor than at many other Chiropractic Offices. Our typical follow-up visit is 25 minutes long and spent entirely with your Doctor reviewing your current status and receiving your Chiropractic adjustments and treatments which may include some exercises or stretching advice as well as nutrition or at-home care to help your body heal and persevere! You will always receive a personalized treatment plan dedicated to addressing you as an individual which really looks at your health and full body history.
Our goal is to assess, not only your spine, musculoskeletal system, and nervous system but to also look at you as a whole person. This includes your muscles, extremities, and maybe even your gut health and stress. We provide a wide range of services including Women’s Care, Prenatal & Postpartum care, Pediatric Care, Sports related Treatment and Injuries, Soft tissue treatment including hands-on, instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) like FAKTR and Graston, and Cupping Treatments as well as exercise therapy. We are trained and qualified to treat the whole family!
We are extremely proud of our practice and those we partner with in our office and outside networks who have dedicated their careers to providing comprehensive holistic care and education to improve the overall health and well-being of our communities.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I’m not sure I believe in luck. I do believe I’ve been very fortunate in my life, however, and I’m grateful for all the people, experiences, and connections along the way that have helped move me to the place I’m in today. Even my health journey, as hard as it has been, has helped me to grow as a person, a partner, and as a provider. Everything comes into your life for a reason and it’s up to us as to what we do with that!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.schwabechiropractic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schwabechiro/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SchwabeChiropractic
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/schwabe-chiropractic-denver
Image Credits
Mihana Johnston (photographer for majority of the images), and Regina Carey (photographer for the portrait of Dr. Schwabe and Dr. Malia.)
