Chiropractic Associate PTSD – Are You Sabotaging Your Own Practice?
Release Date: 05/05/2025
How Much Money Should Chiropractors Spend on Marketing?
Rocket Chiropractic Podcast
One of the most common questions chiropractors ask is, “How much should I be spending on marketing?” Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Your marketing budget depends on your goals, experience, available time, and financial situation. In this episode of the Rocket Chiro Podcast, Jerry Kennedy breaks down what chiropractors need to consider when setting a smart, sustainable marketing budget. What’s Normal? Most small businesses spend 5–10% of gross revenue on marketing. Growth-focused businesses often spend 10–20%. Chiropractors? Usually far less. Many operate with...
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I'm a Chiropractor - How Do I Ask For Online Reviews Without Sounding Desperate?
Rocket Chiropractic Podcast
In this episode of the Rocket Chiropractic Podcast, host Jerry Kennedy, former chiropractor and founder of Rocket Chiro, discusses how chiropractors can effectively request patient reviews without feeling desperate or sales-oriented. The goal is to foster a comfortable approach that enhances practice visibility and appeal. Why Reviews Matter: Jerry emphasizes that online reviews significantly impact local SEO rankings and patient decision-making. Fresh reviews boost your visibility on Google Maps and provide credibility to potential patients. Reviews older than six months begin to lose...
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How Chiropractors Can Build a Referral-Based Chiropractic Practice
Rocket Chiropractic Podcast
In this episode, Jerry Kennedy explores what it takes to build a referral-based chiropractic practice. While many chiropractors say they want more word-of-mouth referrals, most don’t have a clear strategy in place to make it happen. Jerry breaks down the keys to increasing referrals, explains the different types of referral sources, discusses why people refer (and why they don’t), and offers practical tips on building stronger community and professional connections. Whether you’re just getting started or you’re ready to reduce your dependency on paid ads, this episode is packed with...
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Why Do Some Chiropractors Make Chiropractic Sound Like a Religion?
Rocket Chiropractic Podcast
In this episode, Jerry tackles a nuanced and often controversial topic: why does chiropractic sometimes sound like a religion? Drawing from his own experience in the profession and his exposure to its philosophical roots, Jerry explores how religious-like language and behavior have persisted in chiropractic for over a century—and whether this helps or harms the profession. This episode doesn’t aim to provide all the answers. Instead, it encourages thoughtful reflection on how chiropractic is defined, communicated, and perceived—especially by the public. Topics Covered 1. Two Extremes in...
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Highly Sensitive Chiropractors: Boundaries, Burnout, and Business with Todd Smith
Rocket Chiropractic Podcast
In this powerful episode, Jerry sits down with Todd Smith from True Inner Freedom to explore how being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) impacts chiropractors both professionally and personally. If you’re a chiropractor who struggles with people-pleasing, overthinking, poor boundaries, and burnout — this conversation is for you. Todd explains how HSP traits can become both a superpower and a liability in a high-touch profession like chiropractic. They dive deep into setting boundaries, understanding your personal limits, dealing with patients, family balance, and how self-awareness can lead...
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Chiropractic Networking & Collabs: Trust vs Attention
Rocket Chiropractic Podcast
In this episode, Jerry takes a deep dive into networking and collaborations in chiropractic. While partnerships and collaborations can fast-track your growth, they also come with serious long-term risks if not handled wisely. Jerry explains why chiropractors must be extremely careful about who they associate with, both online and offline, and how short-term attention can easily undermine long-term trust. Through personal stories, real-life examples, and practical questions, Jerry lays out a framework for making better decisions about partnerships that protect your reputation and help you build...
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Most Chiropractic Marketing Takes Time
Rocket Chiropractic Podcast
In this episode of the Rocket Chiro Podcast, Jerry Kennedy explores how different age groups engage with brands online—and what that means for your chiropractic marketing. Using a recent infographic from NP Digital as a jumping-off point, Jerry breaks down why Gen Z takes longer to follow brands on social media, why Boomers tend to move quicker, and how your marketing strategy should align with your goals, target demographic, and level of urgency. Whether you're doing content marketing, social ads, SEO, or community outreach, understanding your audience's behavior is crucial. Jerry also...
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The Great Healthcare Shift: Building Trust, AI, and Opportunity for Chiropractors
Rocket Chiropractic Podcast
In this thought-provoking episode of the Rocket Chiro Podcast, Jerry Kennedy welcomes returning guest Shaq Smith for an unstructured but incredibly relevant conversation about a cultural shift in healthcare trust—especially among Gen Z—and what that means for chiropractors moving forward. Together, they unpack a global study by Edelman shared via Axios that reveals rising distrust in the medical establishment, and how younger generations are increasingly turning to social media, family, and AI instead of doctors for healthcare advice. This episode is not about fear or doom....
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He Said Chiropractors Should NEVER Rent Their Chiropractic Website. Is That Bad Advice?
Rocket Chiropractic Podcast
In this insightful episode, Jerry Kennedy dives deep into the important topic of chiropractic website ownership versus renting. Learn about the pros, cons, and misconceptions surrounding website management to make the best decision for your chiropractic practice. Key Points Discussed: 1. The Catalyst for This Discussion Jerry shares his experience with seeing a social media ad discouraging chiropractors from renting websites, advocating instead for ownership. Highlights the misleading aspects of this marketing approach. 2. The True Purpose of Your Chiropractic Website Your...
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Chiropractic Associate PTSD – Are You Sabotaging Your Own Practice?
Rocket Chiropractic Podcast
In this episode of the Rocket Chiropractic Podcast, Jerry Kennedy breaks down a surprisingly common issue in the chiropractic profession that he calls “Chiropractic Associate PTSD.” This mindset problem tends to surface in chiropractors who have come out of toxic or dysfunctional associate positions and are now trying to build practices of their own. Jerry has seen it time and time again—new practice owners unintentionally sabotage their growth because they’re overcorrecting for past negative experiences as chiropractic associates. Rather than learning from those experiences and taking...
info_outlineIn this episode of the Rocket Chiropractic Podcast, Jerry Kennedy breaks down a surprisingly common issue in the chiropractic profession that he calls “Chiropractic Associate PTSD.” This mindset problem tends to surface in chiropractors who have come out of toxic or dysfunctional associate positions and are now trying to build practices of their own.
Jerry has seen it time and time again—new practice owners unintentionally sabotage their growth because they’re overcorrecting for past negative experiences as chiropractic associates. Rather than learning from those experiences and taking the good with the bad, they throw out anything that reminds them of their former job—even when those strategies are actually helpful for patient care and business success.
Key Topics Covered:
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What is Chiropractic Associate PTSD and how to recognize it
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Why bad chiropractic associate jobs often lead to destructive overreactions
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The dangers of abandoning care recommendations, structure, and business systems
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Why communication and leadership are essential, not optional
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The difference between unethical sales tactics and ethical, effective systems
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How to reframe your mindset so your bad associate job doesn’t ruin your own practice
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The long-term impact of poor retention, undercharging, and disorganization
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Practical tips for moving forward with confidence and clarity
Takeaways:
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Just because something was done wrong in your chiropractic associate job doesn’t mean it’s wrong to do
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Structure, communication, and planning are foundational to a successful chiropractic practice
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Being a great adjuster isn’t enough—you also have to lead, manage people, and run a business
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Don’t fall into the trap of assuming successful chiropractors are all unethical. Many are thriving because they’ve built strong, ethical systems
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Start small, commit to improvement, and keep moving the goalpost as you grow
Jerry’s Advice:
Change your mindset. A bad chiropractic associate experience doesn’t have to define your future. Be intentional, build systems, communicate clearly, and strive for excellence—not perfection. Success in chiropractic is possible without selling out your values.
Support the Show:
If you’ve been listening and getting value from the Rocket Chiropractic Podcast, take a moment to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share the show with a chiropractor who could benefit. It helps the podcast reach more chiropractors who need guidance and support.
Want Help Growing Your Practice?
Jerry offers business coaching, website design, SEO, and Google Ads services specifically for chiropractors. If you're ready for less stress and more momentum, visit RocketChiro.com.
Free New Patient Search Review: https://rocketchiro.com/chiropractic-practice-assessment
Best chiropractic websites: https://rocketchiro.com/best-chiropractic-websites
Chiropractic SEO: https://rocketchiro.com/chiropractic-seo
Coaching for Chiropractors: https://rocketchiro.com/join