Danielle Ourada
Active Life Chiropractic, Redwood Falls
Opened September 2015
Ever since I was in 10th or 11th grade, I’ve only ever wanted to be a chiropractor. The number one person who influenced me was Dr. Brian Boen in Bird Island. I had a lot of injuries in sports and stuff, and he was always the one that was there and got me back playing. He brought chiropractic to my attention and basically planted that seed, and he slowly helped it grow over the years. I fell in love with it.
Being a chiropractor is such a fun, social job. I love working with athletes. I love babies and toddlers because they react much quicker to the adjustment. You can see it before they leave. Someone will come in because their baby’s not sleeping and then they’ll call and say, “Will you tell Dr. Dani my baby slept through the night?” Beau, my son, got his first adjustment at two days old and now he gets one twice week.
With one or two adjustments, you can take away pain. You’re not adding anything to the body: You’re just assisting the body in healing itself. That’s the reason I love chiropractic so much. It’s not me fixing you, it’s just me helping your body heal itself. I manipulate the spine to help the nervous system and the brain work together.
I started out as a student at Gustavus Adolphus College but left before my senior year to attend chiropractic school at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington. I got both my Doctor of Chiropractic and human biology bachelor’s degrees from Northwestern. After college, I did an internship in Bird Island. There were certain things I wanted to do differently as a chiropractor, so I decided to start my own practice. I opened Active Life in 2015. I love being my own boss.
There was a need for chiropractors in Redwood Falls, and I knew I wanted to be here. Michael, my husband, is from Wabasso, and I’m from Franklin, and my parents still live there. This is where my family is, and I would not have a business without my family. There were bumps along the road, and my parents were always there to remind me, “This is what you want.” When I was a sophomore, I said, “Mom, if I do this, will you come help me?” And now she’s my receptionist. It’s just me and my mom. It’s simple. It works.
I wouldn’t have a business without Southwest Initiative Foundation. From taking a chance on me with a loan to Jackie (Turner), who has helped me build my business from pretty much day one. I give them so much credit to where I am today. If I have even the simplest question, that’s who I go to.
Jackie is my rock when it comes to marketing. In school, we didn’t’ really touch on marketing; we had a few random classes. Now I’m learning how to present myself and present my business in a way people can relate. I’ve been more focused on what I wanted to accomplish in my business.
In the beginning, you have such high expectations and you’re thinking the business will grow really fast. But that doesn’t always happen. It’s been five years since opening Active Life, and we’re just starting to see a real jump in clients. Last year was probably one of our best years in terms of growth, even with the pandemic. In the beginning of COVID, it was rougher. We definitely had times where we didn’t have patients. We had to cut back on days, but we never had to close, so that was a good thing. We lost patient volume until about September, then it picked up a bit more. I’m still only working four days a week, but it is doing well.
I don’t know what 2021 is going to bring. That’s scary. I’m just hoping for continued growth we’ve been seeing. I also want to become certified in acupuncture, but life gets in the way. I’m expecting my second child. We’re so excited! When Beau was born, it was very hard to find a balance. Since then, I’ve learned it’s OK to take time for yourself. My fear was, “Are people going to be upset that I’m not here?” They’re not. They understand. And the day you come back, they’re right there waiting for you.
A lot of my patients, I get to know them. I get to know their families. You have more of a personal relationship with each patient. You know what’s going on in their lives. The amount of people we’re able to help, that’s probably been the greatest thing.
