Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Whitney Maldonado.
Hi Dr. Maldonado, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am the owner and founder of Empowered Living Chiropractic located in the Coconut Grove and Coral Gables communities of Miami, FL.
Growing up in South Carolina, I remember being fascinated by science. I loved working with my mom on science experiments and watching her take care of her patients. Even though she is a nurse, she is like the doctor of our family. We would reach out to her first whenever we hurt ourselves and did not know what to do about it.
Reflecting on my childhood, I always knew I would work in the service sector and healthcare was a natural progression for me, as it allowed me to combine my love of science with my love of serving and helping people. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology, I was ready to take on the world, forge my own path, and help a lot of people along the way. Quite commonly, I thought I would end up in medical school but instead, I was lead to Chiropractic.
Chiropractic changed my life. There is no simpler way to put it. When I was first introduced to it, I knew immediately that this was what the right path for me. Not only would I be able to help patients feel better, but I would get to teach them how to empower their own bodies to live better. And I would get to do it naturally, without the use of drugs and surgery. I like to think of the chiropractic lifestyle as going back to basics.
Going back to basics means simplifying and going back to the beginning. The beginning of life starts with pregnancy and the birth of a child. A path is started when an infant joins the world, and for as long as I can remember, caring for infants has been the calm to my storm. They are so precious and pure, and the world has always seemed to stop for me whenever I would hold them. So I quite naturally took a special interest in chiropractic for infants and expectant mothers. Whenever there is an infant in my arms, I am literally holding the future so whenever I can help an infant start life with healthy habits, it is a HUGE win for the baby and their current family and their future family.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I initially launched Empowered Living Chiropractic in 2017 but after a lease issue, I decided to shelf it until after my impending wedding. I just had too much on my plate at the time to fully dedicate myself to the practice and most importantly to the patients. Fast forward a few months after the wedding, I found out that I was pregnant! I couldn’t believe that this was happening and that it was happening so fast! So needless to say, I devoted myself to my family for a few years until the timing was right for me.
During the pandemic, the vision for this office was reignited. The pandemic, and all of the initial fear and uncertainty that came with it, really forced me to take a deep look into my life and admit what was important for me. So, I decided that now was the moment for me to take this leap of faith.
I searched for over one entire year but I found the most perfect location. Needless to say, the newly improved Empowered Living Chiropractic was reborn, ready to heal families, transform communities, and change the way the world does health.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Empowered Living Chiropractic was really born from the desire to help families live healthier lives. We do that by performing spinal adjustments and realign the spine and improve communication within the nervous system, allowing natural healing without the use of drugs or surgery. We couple our spinal adjustments with healthy sustainable lifestyle habits that promote overall wellness.
At Empowered Living Chiropractic, we cater to expectant mothers and infants. We want children to live the healthiest life possible and we believe that happens by instilling healthy habits early, even before birth.
Regarding expectant mothers, proper pelvic alignment allows mom to have a more comfortable pregnancy experience, shorter labor and less invasive delivery because the baby has more room to find the ideal positioning in preparation for labor. We advocate for adequate nutrition, movement and healthy weight gain to reduce unnecessary pregnancy complications.
Regarding infants, labor can be a traumatic process when you consider that amount of pressure that is being applied to the baby, especially the baby’s neck. Any positioning less than ideal or if the baby happens to get stuck during delivery increases the likelihood that the cervical spine and cervical nerves may become damaged. Because the nervous system is directing all development, we want to ease the load and correct any spinal misalignments right away.
Being a mom and a women myself, I understand a lot of the challenges that come from raising a family. Couple that with working and time constraints, and I can see firsthand how unhealthy habits are easy to establish. This is why I want to un-complicate health into actionable habits that even the women and/or moms with little time to spare can create a wellness lifestyle that gives them more mobility, more energy and ultimately more vitality.
I am most proud of the fact that our office and our brands choose to focus more on the possible. We want every patient who enters our office to know they don’t have to accept a life that is limited by pain and sickness- that they can take steps to free themselves from those restrictions and the habits that led them there. Here at Empowered Living Chiropractic, we want to help patients who are ready for more than just pain relief but real change in their health and in their life. We want patients to have hope again.
We offer chiropractic care, functional medicine services (to be launched in the next few months), medical grade supplementation, trigger point therapy, essential oils, and will be adding other natural products soon.
How do you think about luck?
The only lucky thing I would say I have experienced would be the impact of a really good supportive family who spoke to my potential and told me I can do anything. Other than that, I would not say that I have lived a lucky life. I would definitely say that God has been an amazing force in my life and has been with me every step of the way. Just like everyone, my life has not been perfect, and it has not been without struggle.
This difference may be that I choose to look for the possibilities in life. I choose to look for examples of people being who are doing the things that I wish to do, and I use that as inspiration that I can also do those things. I 100% believe that God and my willpower is stronger than any circumstance that I could face so because of that, I decided to be fearless in my pursuit of my dreams.
I have a natural tendency to root for the underdog, those that against all odds can emerge victorious. Maybe I see a little of myself in the underdog because the underdog is more concerned about his ability than his or her limitations.
Contact Info:
- Website: elchiropractic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elchiropractic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ELChiropractic
