Whether You Think You Can or Can't, You're Right

haileycrawford3
May 7
4 min read

Dr. Ryan Wigodsky, owner of Wigodsky Chiropractic, is a chiropractor with a true business-focused mindset. He is a 2019 graduate from James Madison University, where he authored his first book, How to Grow Bigger Stronger Muscles by Training the Mind. He is also a 2024 honors graduate from chiropractic college, where he began to create informative, short videos about the chiropractic industry. These videos amassed over 1 million combined views before he graduated from chiropractic college and that number continue to grow today!

Episode Highlights

1:23 – Business school to chiropractic school. “I've been going to chiropractors pretty much my whole life, but I never really considered becoming one until my chiropractor told me he was thinking of retiring in 2018 or 2019. I had dislocated my shoulder and couldn’t raise my arm above shoulder level, so I went to see him. After the first treatment, I had nearly full range of motion, which I didn’t think was possible for me. It changed my mindset. At the time, I was halfway through business school and wanted to complete that degree because it was super competitive to get into. After graduation, I completed the sciences I needed for chiropractic school and went out to California to become a chiropractor. I wanted to do what my chiropractor did for me - help patients recover from sports injuries and pain in general.”

3:03 - How to Grow Bigger Stronger Muscles by Training the Mind. “I published my first book in undergrad, How to Grow Bigger Stronger Muscles by Training the Mind. A lot of people assume it's super chiropractic-based, but I wrote it before I wanted to be a chiropractor. I learned and studied a lot about the body and the mentality of approaching the gym and life in general. I learned that the things you overcome in your personal life can translate to physical strength. I wanted to explain that relationship and all I had learned over the years. I never really planned on sharing it, but one of my professors at school, who I happened to be training, suggested it and I ran with it from there.”

4:06 - Three most important aspects of mental and physical strength. “The first one is self-belief. You’ve probably heard this saying before: whether you think you can or can't, you're right either way. The second thing is finding the balance. You can determine your own version of balance, where you pursue what you want, create your own schedule, and allocate your hours to your priorities. The third thing is patience. Your current dreams might not occur tomorrow, but you can really plan and execute it as long as you have the patience.”

6:06 – Dr. Wigodsky’s hardest barrier to overcome. “Aside from having a business background and needing a science degree, I'd say getting rid of that self-doubt. A lot of people can do great things, and people assume they are just really special or unique, but what are you doing with what you have? Once the self-doubt is gone, it's just a matter of time before you do what you set out to do.”

14:09 – Unexpected entrepreneurial challenges. “I went to business school because I wanted to have my own business, before I even knew I wanted to be a chiropractor. I've always had that business mindset and, when I graduated, I wanted to be in a position where I can have a head start in making a business. To do so, before I graduated, I started making videos online for people to consume and learn information about chiropractic, what we learn in school, how we can treat various things, etc. By the time I graduated, I had over a million views on those videos. Although a lot of people saw my videos and learned from them, they could’ve been seeing it in other states or countries. This became a challenge for me because I needed to get my name out in the local community as much as I was online.”

21:47 - What are you really excited about? “On top of treating more patients and getting out into the local community, I want to continue to have that online presence where everything is pretty much limitless. You can get a quarter million views in a day, so I'm really looking forward to continuing to spread what we know, what we learn, and what we can do through my videos and some real-life examples, so I'm very excited about it.”

23:06 – Becoming a business owner. “Initially, I was considering the option of working as associate or independent contractor in various offices, so I wanted to explore that option before committing fully to being a business owner. I've always wanted to, but I didn't know if day one after graduation was that time. I talked to lots of doctors about general advice or recommendations. After a while, I figured out there was always something missing at these particular offices, so if I want to do something that meets everything that I want, I should do it myself. That is a little scary, especially for your first time making a business fresh out of school, but I did research and had a lot of help from the chiropractic community.”

Episode Resources