Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
So excited to have you here on our podcasting, for joining us, let’s take a little time and kind of dive right in to you. One of the big things that I was just looking at as far as doing a little bit of prep work to just understand who we’re interviewing here, but I see that you did some work for the ICPA. Tell us a little bit about that.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
I did, but it was actually very unofficial that is… That’s so funny because I think it’s like a universe thing. I talked to Gene, I’m about that, and I forgot that it was on my Facebook page. It’s a complete mistake in that it just showed up one day. I didn’t put it in there, I didn’t… Yes, it was like right…
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
Oh, my.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Yeah, so I’m a little embarrassed that it’s still there, I forgot that it was there.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
I had put it on my vision board and then it showed up on my Facebook page one day, and I was like… So right before she passed away, actually, I ran into her in a seminar and I was like, “Hey, by the way, I’m working for you now,” and…
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
You really posted it.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Yeah. So, we did talk about it actually, but the official title never actually happened, so I guess I need to go on Facebook and clear the…
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
Clear the air.
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
That’s really funny.
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
So, Susan, we were just…
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
We were just chatting a little bit before staff came on and talking about your rocking practice in Illinois. Tell us about it.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Yeah, so actually today marks 26 years when I graduated from Palmer, so that’s exactly…
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
Congratulations.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Thank you. So, I was an associate doctor for several years while I was raising babies for eight years, and so I’ve been in my current practice for whatever, 22 minus eight is. Yeah, so it’s been great. I just hired my fourth associate doctor, and this year I’ve really become… I worked really more at… I’m only adjusting five, six hours a week, so I have a lot more freedom and coaching clients now, so I have been doing that for several years, but I’ve really grown that area of me, so I love practicing still, I’m not giving up adjusting fully. I would miss it, but I also love helping develop doctors and my assistants. For the next few years are really all about the exponential impact for me. Those are my words.
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
Yeah, and I know that we’ve had a couple of conversations. You have launched coaching, the next tier in that, right? Expanding your impact and building leaders from leaders, so tell us about your coaching and what it means to you.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Sure, so the actual program is called Creating You-2.0, and it actually started several years ago when I was getting divorced, actually. I recognized that everyone wanted me to be sad and a victim and bitter, and I was like, “No, I’m not doing that. That’s my who I want to be.” And so, I recognized that I had that blank slate to really start over. What kind of mom did I want to be? What kind of ex-wife did I want to be? What kind of doctor? Business owner? Etcetera. And then I realized, “Gosh, you know what? Everybody has that blank slate; they can really choose that.”
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
I could have chosen that three years prior or 10 years prior, whatever it was. And so, it’s really morphed into several things. It was like an online program, now it’s… I do one on one coaching, I just started… It’s morphing into more of like a mastermind where it would be more group coaching, so there’ll be content, but I’ve done some masterminds in group coaching and it’s just amazing how the universe will just line up the exact right people, so it’s like everything you need to hear. I’m sure you guys have experienced it in talking with a friend or a doctor and you’re coaching someone and it’s, “Oh, that’s exactly what I needed to hear today too.” So I just love how the universe always shows up for us in that way.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
So that’s how it’s morphing from one-on-one coaching to group coaching. I’ve been on-site with a couple of doctors in their clinics to help them find their own limiting beliefs. That’s what I love. I always say I’m an awareness junkie, I love having my own awareness about myself, but then also helping others have awareness of where they’re limiting themselves. So that’s super-fun. The truth is, we talk about this in our practice, like patients lie, doctors lie, and not even on purpose, it’s that they light to themselves as well, right? Like have all these limiting beliefs that we don’t even see for ourselves, so… I love Dr. Dan Cox said something one time that… And it was from a book that he had read, and it was, “You can’t read the label from inside the jar,” and I think that’s so true, and it doesn’t matter what level we’re on, we all have that to some degree, so that’s what I love doing for people.
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
I love that. I feel like there’s a lot of people that are hitting that point in UAC where their practice is booming and everything is going, that they’re looking for that next thing. What helped you through that evolution of going from being a practitioner to being like, “No, coaching is definitely what I have to… ” Like, “I got to do this.” What did that look like for you?
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
It was a process for sure. And I think the biggest… In coaching, clients to do this, but also myself it is… Gosh, giving up control was probably the biggest thing, because even working with my coach at the time, it was like my associate doctors are never going to be me. They’re not. And that’s a good… That is not necessarily a bad thing.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
So it’s like allowing them to be the best version of themselves, and that’s true for my chiropractic assistance, that’s true for my doctor is, of course, guiding them, and same thing with coaching clients of they want to just throw associates in there and then be like, “Good luck, I’ll be back in the summer or the spring,” and it’s like, “No, you have to train them, you have to love them, you have to nurture them.” And it does take time and energy, but it’s worth it just to help them develop into the best versions of themselves, but it is a process, that’s the thing. It is really nurturing them and loving them through them.
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
I love that message of team building, that’s close to my heart. And that was a great quote. You mentioned Dan Cox, he’s a longtime UAC member. I love that guy. And you’ve been a member of the UAC for about a year? Am I right?
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Correct. Yes.
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
Okay. And as you know then, in the UAC, we have core values, those are access, connection, inspiration, inside information and accountability. Which of those core values means the most to you? And how would you say that that value is represented in your day-to-day?
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Gosh, that was a really hard question for me because those all are very big. I see… I get all of that out of UAC and try and bring that as well, but I put accountability for my answer. I love the accountability group that I’m in. This is the second one I’ve been in. Just because I changed my schedule, I had to get a new one. And they’ve both been great. I love the women that I work with and very much looking forward to the women’s event, by the way. But yeah, the accountability, it’s just… I know the first time I was in the UAC room; it was just like you could just feel the energy, and you could very much in a very good way, I felt immediately how small I was playing.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
So many rooms you walk into, and you feel, “Oh, I’ve got this and that and that.” And not from an arrogant standpoint, but I feel proud of what I’ve accomplished in my life. I walk in there, and I’m like, “Wow, I really kind of showing up small here.” So, it’s that inspiration too like I want to grow as a human, as a mom, as an entrepreneur, a business owner, those kinds of things. So, I just love that. I just am so inspired by all the… As you guys say, the genius in the room is just amazing.
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
It really is, and what it contributes to all of us is really… I think everybody leaves UAC like, “I can play bigger. I can play bigger.” Where do you feel like are your bigger deficiencies? What are the things that you feel like, “Oh man, I really have this area of my life to work on. I’m excited to develop this part of my life.”
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Well, again, this year is about… [chuckle] For me, it’s developing the intimate relationship. I actually… Francis actually helped me with this. So, it’s funny you guys were asking about who inspired me and things like that, and I was at one of their retreats for the remarkable practice. And they were saying how they sit down every year, every quarter and plan out their goals. Of course, they’ve been goal setting since forever. But they were saying they talk about as a couple, how often they’re going to travel, how often they’re going to do XYZ, whatever it is. And I was literally like, “Huh,” I’ve always just like… This is what I’m doing. I’m creating this life. I’m creating this practice. I’m creating and like you’re cool and all. I love…
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
And it wasn’t intentionally or consciously, but it was kind of like, “You can come along or not.” And it was never really… I never really created a partnership. So, at 51, I’m like, “Hmm. Maybe I’m ready for that even though I’ve been in relationships a couple of long term.” So that is something. And I really feel like I’ve done the work of like, “Okay, where have I… Where can I improve in that?” And that’s the other thing I think I want to say about UAC too is that it’s not just about being successful professionally, right? It’s about really creating that whole package and loving your people. I’ve always had great relationships and family and loved and supported but getting more of that going is what I’m really looking for the next year.
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
Yeah, I love that. Camille and Steven are certainly a great example of approaching… Linking arms and approaching the world together instead of backs to each other, and I think a lot of couples can go wrong in doing that. It’s okay to have your own ambitions and your own goals, but we’ve got to be parallel, right? And we’ve got to be on the same team. I love that.
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
Oh, go ahead.
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
No, go ahead.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
I was just going to say, it never really occurred to me, like I said it wasn’t intentional or it was just like, “This is the… “
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
It was the time. The time was right. Yeah. Let’s go back to the accountability groups a little bit because we’ve been working as a board to really provide that value, and there’s so much value in those accountability groups, right? So, the events are great. We get to come together and be all together and have the genius there, but the real… The needle gets moved in those groups from week to week, so what is working in your group? What are some tips that you’ve found that really work for your accountability group? Can you share that?
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
It’s really simple. It’s just coming to the table with what’s working? What are our challenges? So, we’re there to support each other if something… If we had a rough week or so forth, but also really… I don’t know if you saw, Heather Smith just made an awesome video, and we’ve all been talking about wanting to do more videos. And it’s about kids coming into practice, which is what my practice is all about. And so just so inspiring where I’m like, “Oh.” So now I’ve got that like, “Oh, I want to do that.” Even though I’ve been talking about it, it’s like, “Okay, now I’m ready to do it.” And Robin has her six-minute planks, so I’m like, “Oh, you’re killing me.” [chuckle] So it’s things like, you know… Their greatness inspires me to do more. And like you said, the events are great. You get so fired up and truly do leave a different human, but the week-to-week grind can wear you down over time. So having that love and support weekly is huge.
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
Yeah. My group’s been together for, I think, eight years now, which is just like… We have our call every Tuesday for 50 minutes, and it’s just like I can’t imagine life without it.
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
I want to say you guys are one of the longest running, there’s a few groups that have gone the full-time, but… And you guys make meet weekly, which is really a commitment. That’s awesome.
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
Yeah, and I think it’s all about the commitment like saying, “I’m going to commit to this. I’m going to show up.” And I think it really does make a huge difference and shows up in your life too. You get into what you put out there, it’s like, so that’s so awesome. So excited for you to see that as it continues to grow and be… I think it’s funny, I’m with all guys and all the time I’m like, “Oh, I need a girl one.” [laughter] I need a bunch of girls too ’cause I think that’s huge too because, what we do as women, I think is different as moms. So with that, tell us about your family. I want to know how many kids?
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Yeah, so I have two kids, two boys, 22 and 19. So I recently became empty nester, so that was an adjustment for sure.
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
I’m sure.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Honest, I thought all my patients that have been coming in all these years crying about their kids moving away, I’m like, “Honey… “
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
It just gets better.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Yeah, I’m like, “This is good.” And then when mine left, I was like, “Oh, this is hard,” but it’s been amazing. He’s doing great, and they’re both doing great. And I’ve got one that’s going to be a chiropractor so far, so we’ll see about that, but they’re good humans and that’s all I ever wanted. Right? Is good humans and they’re going to succeed at whatever they want to do. I have no concerns for them. We have a great relationship and yeah, I just, I couldn’t be happier with that.
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
So, I’ve got two boys too. Mine are two and four.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Yes.
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
So, give me and all these boy moms out here like a little bit of advice for like… I know that it’s so crazy to have two boys that are… Like mine are pretty different. So, I’d love to hear a little bit of your favorite advice as a mom. [laughter]
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Both of my boys like my youngest was just home this weekend. And they were still arguing. They’re two totally different people for sure. And so that doesn’t go away. They still wrestle at times where I’m like, “You’re going to break stuff, stop.” But it’s so cool to see them love each other and appreciate each other. And I think the biggest thing is… What I hear a lot from coaching clients or this guy I was dating a few months ago, everybody wants to say like boys don’t want to talk about their feelings. Like, “Oh you know boys.” And it’s like that’s just not an option in my house. Like I have one who tells me way more than I ever wanted to know. And then another who tries to say… Ever since he was little, he’s like, “Why are you asking me all these questions?” And I’m like, “Because I love you and I want to know, and I’m going to sit your room until you answer them.” [laughter]
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
All night. So, I think that’s the biggest thing it’s just… And being honest with them. Like God, I make mistakes and so own up to that. They now tell me that… Tell the story all the time. When COVID first hit, it was crazy as everyone in their practices. And so, I came home, and I was just having a moment like cranky and poor me, victim moment. And my oldest is like, “You’ve got one minute.” And I’m like, “You don’t understand what’s going on.” You don’t understand what’s happening in the practice like I… He’s like, “That’s what you taught me. You have one minute to complain.” And then we talk…
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
And I was like… He’s like… And I’m like, but you… And he’s like, “45 seconds.” And I’m like, “Dang, okay.” So, it’s fun when they’re older and they bring that back to you. It’s also annoying by the way. [laughter] You know they’ve been listening. So that’s the stuff, right? It’s like, just own your junk and I mean, I have my own limiting beliefs that I know I’ve passed on to them, so now I have to be like, “Oh sorry, that was me.” Like, “It’s not actually true. I’m sorry I taught you that before,” but…
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
But it sounds like you’ve done a very intentional job of giving the tools to communicate and bring some awareness around that. So, I want to dive into that as our closing remarks. Sounds like limiting beliefs. That’s something I personally have affinity for too. I love that work. So, give us a tip or a trick. What would we do to move off of a premise that’s keeping us from growing?
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
I think the biggest thing that I talk to clients about, and even for myself, because I still after all these years, will have a moment where I start spinning on something. And so, the question that will get me off of that is like, is this even true? It’s like I had moments just even when I got invited to do this, it’s like, “Oh, well, who am I?” And I got… And I’m like what? This isn’t even true. What am I nervous about? All of that kind of stuff where it’s like, “You want to write a book?” We all have those moments of, “Who am I?” And so, it’s like, “Wait, is this feeling true?” And most of the time it’s not. Especially if it’s fear. It’s just making up stuff. So, I love Larry Markson taught all of us 100 years ago of, our limiting beliefs become from our mothers, our fathers, our teachers, our preachers. And so they’re not real most of the time. So, it’s like, “Okay, wait, where did this belief come from? Is it real? Is it serving me?” Most of the time it’s not. So, you move on to something that is.
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
I love it. Such good info. Thank you so much…
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
Awesome Susan.
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
For meeting us today and just allowing us to get to know you a little bit better. It’s been a true joy for sure, and I’m excited to see you. Are you going to be in New Orleans?
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
Yeah.
Dr. Susan Mitchell
: If not, I’m going to Tony Robbins. I’m so like…
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
Are you seeing him live?
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Yes.
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
Oh well… Yeah. He’s not going to do very many more lives. You’ve got to set up an opportunity…
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
That’s what I felt like, and I was gifted the ticket, so I was like…
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
Oh my God.
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
Well, we’ll see you for sure in Florida then for the women’s event.
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
Oh yes. Thank you.
Dr. Lynne Mouw:
Thanks so much, Susan.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Take care.
Dr. Stefanie Rodsater:
Thank you.
Dr. Susan Mitchell:
Thank you. Bye-bye.
