Local StoriesNovember 10, 2022

Inspiring Conversations with Zeynep Tuzcu of Evren Chiropractic

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zeynep Tuzcu.

Zeynep, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I had no idea I wanted to be a chiropractor, but I always knew I wanted to help people. I was (and am) always the person family and friends went to for pains, struggles, and ailments because they knew I would have a “woo-woo” treatment in mind for them. I have been a yoga teacher since 2014 and would always teach my grandpa new yoga poses and make him weird green juices, pour essential oils all over my friends who were suffering from headaches and hangovers, and brew yummy tummy tea for my anyone who had digestive issues.

I held leadership roles in many groups over the years growing up and after studying leadership and psychology in college, I decided to take a job offer with Target after interning in the stores with them. My mental health took a deep dive and I wasn’t taking care of myself in the way I needed to. One day I woke up and said, this isn’t for me, I need a change. So I quit! No game plan, no income. I dabbled in health coaching and got a certificate in it, but it still didn’t feel right. I started teaching yoga part-time at a chiropractic clinic and realized I was in a space where folks were being treated for ailments with holistic care as the first line of defense, and I loved that. My bosses became my mentors and helped me apply for chiropractic school. I suffered through the first few years among my peers who had studied exercise science and kinesiology while I was learning full-blown anatomy and biology for the first time ever. But once I got to the clinical internship portion of my education, I began truly thriving and that’s when I realized it was the right fit. I loved listening to patients and helping them build a treatment plan that worked with their lives to help relieve and prevent their pain. It all clicked.

Right before graduation, after receiving a job offer at the clinic where I was interning, I called my mom and told her I wanted to start my own clinical practice because what I sought to create didn’t exist yet. She said, “okay, cool, let’s do it!”. From that moment on, I put all of my soul into creating a chiropractic clinic where patients felt safe, validated, and like they had someone on their side. Chiropractic care has become a boutique version of healthcare primarily targeting middle to upper-class white patients. I saw so much work that needs to be done in our profession with addressing healthcare disparities, particularly in communities of color and the LGBTQIA+ community, all of whom have been historically mistreated within the medical field. And so, Evren Chiropractic was born with the mission of providing equitable and accessible trauma-informed care to create an inclusive healing experience for my community.

As challenging as it is to get a business off the ground as the sole practitioner (particularly during a pandemic), it is one of the best decisions I have ever made and I can truly say I love my job. I spend a lot of time listening to my patients, addressing their health concerns while acknowledging and stressing the importance of mental health and providing as many tools as I can for each of them. I am a provider, but above all, a teammate. My patients have been living in their bodies much longer than I’ve known them, and they know what works and what doesn’t work. I provide wellness empowerment by helping patients learn that they can advocate for themselves through actually knowing what’s happening in their bodies! It’s a beautiful thing. I have been open since August 2021 and have so many dreams for the future. But I’m so glad I’m here.

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?
Starting a small business is never completely smooth but I have had so much support to get me through the bumps along the way. I had to push off my clinic opening date many times due to delays in the licensure process due to COVID, I had no idea how to build a following as a brand new practitioner, and I have no experience as an entrepreneur so half the time I battle imposter syndrome and have to convince myself that I’m qualified and have the skill set to continue to build this business. The struggles have largely been mental blocks as I mentioned, but there have also been logistical struggles with my booking software/website, learning how to create and promote content, how to do administrative tasks like filing my taxes and keeping up with my continuing education. But the part of this job that is most important – the patient treatment – is where I feel most comfortable and I have just been leaning on that and trusting that the rest will follow if I just ask for help.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Evren Chiropractic?
As I’ve mentioned, I am a Doctor of Chiropractic and I own a business called Evren Chiropractic. I was born in Turkey and the name Evren means “universe” in Turkish as I believe there is a cosmic universal power that guides us through our lifelong journeys and that we are all connected. I created Evren with the mission of providing equitable and accessible trauma-informed pain management and prevention care to create an inclusive healing experience for my community.

As a chiropractor, I listen to patients’ needs around their pain and musculoskeletal complaints and work with them as their teammate to help them relieve and move through their pain in a way that makes sense for them. This includes chiropractic adjustments to the spine and extremities, various therapies to help with muscle tension, education around what is happening in their bodies, and co-management with other healthcare providers to ensure they’re getting well-rounded care. As their teammate, I help them set attainable goals and help motivate them to achieve these goals. These are also the things for which I am known in my community.

Brand-wise, I am most proud of the patient experience I have created. My patients say my space feels like safety and home. This is my biggest goal as a provider behind helping with pain relief. Pain is connected to so many different things and affects everything in our lives, and that gets to be acknowledged and heard. On a more personal note, my logo is a cardinal bird which signifies my grandpa, with whom I was extremely close. He had Parkinson’s disease which made movement very difficult and up until the very end of his life he would ask me questions about how to get better. The day of his funeral was the day I received my acceptance letter to chiropractic school and I often say that was his parting gift to me. The day after the funeral, everyone in my family saw a red cardinal. And that’s how I built my logo. I know he would be so proud of me for what I’ve created.

My specialties are trauma-informed care and injury recovery, regardless of cause, and what sets me apart is that I’m not afraid to ask tough questions and encourage my patients to do their part outside of clinic to help them become the best versions of themselves overall.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
This is a huge question because so many things make me happy. Having loving family and friends, sticking my feet in the dirt and being out in nature for grounding, doing yoga, moving my body, nourishing my body, playing music (I sing and play guitar and piano), listening to music (concerts), helping people out of their pain. All of these things make me happy because they help me feel more connected to my purpose on this earth.

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