Name:
Dr. Emily Kiberd
Company:
Urban Wellness Clinic
Contact info:
Website: https://urbanwellnessclinic.com, Phone: 212-355-0445, Email:emily@urbanwellnessclinic.com
Address: 57 West 57th Street, Suite 1406, New York, NY 10019
Instagram: urbanwellnessclinic, Facebook: facebook.com/urbanwellnessclinic, Twitter: dremilykiberd
How many years have you been in business in NYC?
10 years
How did you get your start and what was your initial inspiration?
I originally started at a multi-disciplinary clinic in NYC run by an orthopedic surgeon and I was the chiropractor in a team with physical therapists, massage therapists, and medical doctors. It was what the industry calls a “mill” but it got me to NYC after studying in Portland, Oregon for my chiropractic degree. At this clinic I was only adjusting patients also known as a chiropractic manipulation, and wondering if I had gone into the right field. I started seeing patients on my own using a more holistic approach with chiropractic, massage, and rehabilitation outside to the 9-5 job. I would start at 6am and see patients til 10pm renting a space from an acupuncturist in the area. Within 6 months I was too busy with my own private practice and jumped ship to fully go out on my own. After a year I couldn’t do it all myself so I started to hunt and hire the best people at what they do. This is the team at Urban Wellness Clinic today.
The initial inspiration to become a chiropractor came from an experience when I was 16 years old. I sprained my ankle playing soccer, rehabed it through physical therapy but started getting headaches 2 months later. My chiropractor connected the two and found the instability in my ankle was causing my neck to lock down and cause headaches. Since then I’ve been fascinated by how injuries can affect the kinetic chain up and down the body.
What do you feel differentiates you from others in your field?
We strive to add value to each visit, give high level service, and deliver the best tools in our tool box. The worst experience is when you can feel a healer, whatever field they may be in, massage, physical therapy, chiropractic, even medical doctors going through the motion and giving everyone the same treatment. We think outside the box to help find and heal the root cause of someone’s pain, whether it be a breathing drill, a strength exercise to teach a mother how to push a stroller without back pain, or a crawling motion to retrain movement.
What do you feel gives you longevity in this big city with so many options?
I’m always looking to fill a need and give back. I’m also obsessed with continuing to learn more about the human body on a daily basis, taking continuing education courses and immersing myself in other brilliant and passionate doctors and trainers. I’ve had the privilege to work with all walks of life, CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies, A-list celebrities, pro athletes and corporate warriors. I saw a need for those workers that sit 14 hours a day hunched over a computer and created a corporate wellness program. We teach those corporate warriors how to sit properly, stretch and strength moves they can do at their desk, yoga classes to breathe better, on site massages, and nutrition consultations. I saw a need for patients once they were out of pain but needed to pick up their baby with good form, so we created a 6 week transformation program to teach them our Essential 7 moves to be a human being. (more info here:https://urbanwellnessclinic.com/why-the-essential-7/)
How do you positively impact your clientele?
Being in pain can ruin someone’s day, put strain on their relationships, and be a real blow to their self esteem. Our goal is to get our patients moving better, smarter, and pain free. The process is an active collaboration where we are a partner in their health. If what we are doing isn’t getting them better quickly, we will join them in their workouts to see if they are hurting themselves or go to their work to assess their desk set up. I don’t know many people who can say, my doctor came spinning or went to Barry’s Bootcamp with me to see what I was doing wrong. That is our essence, going above and beyond for our patients.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I’m a problem solver by nature so I love working in a collaborative team with other Doctors, trainers, and therapists at Urban Wellness Clinic. I love hunting for that missing piece, an old scar, a stuck big toe, or cutting out gluten, that can help our patients move better and heal faster even after they have seen everyone else. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen patient who have seen three different physical therapists, had two back surgeries and are still in pain. I think of that Einstein quote, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” We try those other options that the majority don’t look at.
What is your favorite secret NYC spot?
I find midtown to be a bit of a void for good food but I love A Cafe for breakfast. For a delicious dinner, Battersby in Brooklyn.
How do you benefit mamas?
We love our mamas and mamas to be. We love getting them ready physically for the birthing process. (for info here:http://wellroundedny.com/fitness-moves-for-motherhood/ ) We love supporting them during pregnancy since low back pain is very common with all the hormones flowing through the body and relaxin making it harder to stabilize the joints. More info here: (https://urbanwellnessclinic.com/top-tips-to-support-your-body-during-pregnancy/ and http://wellroundedny.com/chiropractor-during-pregnancy/).
And our specialty, we love supporting them after they’ve given birth, working with those hush topics that no one tells you about. One of them being difficulty getting your core strength and glut strength back after a c-section which can lead to secondary neck and back pain down the road. We do very specific massage around the scar to help soften the scar and then we give exercises to promote muscle memory in the core and other stability muscles.
What is the most memorable feedback a client has given you?
So many to remember. I had a patient who had all Capricorn healers, therapists and doctors. She called me her Capricorn Angel.
Pay it forward and name your top colleagues in the same field or related field:
Marcy Tardio-homebirth midwife
Emily Splichal-podiatrist and barefoot specialist
Holly Jean Cosner-Pilates Queen, god I wish she would move to NYC from LA
Elena Brower- Yoga teacher extraordinaire
What is the best advice anyone's ever given you? Or what is your "mantra" / words to live by?
Quote for all the new mothers like myself: “Win the morning, win the day.” I have that one on repeat since having baby elvis a year ago
From a business/ find your passion: “Do something you would want to do even if you were failing” -Tom Bilyeu, co-founder of Quest Nutrition. I think about this daily, what would I do if money was no object and didn’t matter. Exactly what I wake up to do each day now, our work at Urban Wellness Clinic.
As moms, the day can escape us, what is your best time-saving trick?
Wake up 10 minutes earlier than you think you need and write down the night before your top 3 priorities you need to get done in your day.