Dr. Sarah Duke shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
I get a lot of people in my door that are very nervous about trying chiropractic because they think it is extremely dangerous, yet they are willing to try any medication, injection or surgery recommended by thier medical doctor. I’m certainly not discounting the importance of medical interventions, but the idea that chiropractic is scary and medical interventions are not is wild to me. Every time I see a TV commercial about a medication’s side effects or a lawyer suing for a medication that may have killed a loved one, I think about how backwards our society views how the progression of healing should go. My malpractice insurance premiums are $1,500/year, whereas a medical doctor can spend upwards of $200,000/year depending on thier expertise. I feel like chiropractic, massage, physical therapy, and other similar therapies should all be the first line of defense against chronic pain and healing rather than the last resort after everything else failed, which is what I see happening a lot of the time.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Dr. Sarah Duke, and I own Austin Community Wellness with my husband Shane Duke. We specialize in whole family chiropractic and massage services starting from infancy through pregnancy to geriatric populations. Our true passion is everything surrounding birth. This year is going to be exciting as we are planning to launch a side shoot of what we do online as a teaching platform for at home care. We are hopeful to launch our 30+ years of experience on what works into your home by the end of 2026.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
When I was 16 years old, I left home to study abroad for a year in Switzerland. I went from being in extreme poverty to having a glimpse of a life of wealth and freedom overnight. The entire experience changed me to the core, and even though I had to return home when my visa expired and lose everything in the process, I knew what I was working toward as soon as my plane landed. Living and traveling abroad at such a young age taught me so much about life, but it really expanded my ideas about poverty and wealth and how to bridge that gap to create my own reality. I think it also prepared me for being a business owner because you have to have resilience to keep moving forward when things seem to be stagnant.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I don’t know if business owners ever come across a day where they might think, if I give up now, I could just collect a salary somewhere, go home at the end of the day, and go about my life. The problem is that if you’re stressed as a business owner, you’ll be equally stressed working for someone else, so why not create your own destiny and cashflow. If you end up failing big, you can always go back to that salary, but if you don’t try, you’ll never know what you’re capable of. Giving up is a conscious choice, and I couldn’t even count the amount of times I’ve almost thrown in the towel over the last 9 years. I suppose that is the rush of business ownership though. When the cash flow is good, so is your take home, and when it’s not good, you want to quit and take a salary from someone else. I don’t think I would ever want to work for someone else ever again though. I like carving my own path, creating my own team and being creative too much. I don’t think I have giving up inside of me.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I think my friends would say that my relationships with my husband, children, close family members and friends is what matters the most to me. I doubt I would have much motivation to do what I do without thier influence, love and grace.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
Shane and my customers would miss our “magic hands”. We had a client in last week that told us that since he moved to Pennsylvania, he hasn’t found anyone who cares enough about thier craft to deliver quality bodywork the way that we do, and that was the best complement we had ever heard. It’s very difficult to find people who actually care about and put love into their daily work. That is one thing we excel at because we truly find it rewarding to put people back together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.austincommunitywellness.com
- Instagram: @austincommunitywellness
- Twitter: https://x.com/AusCmtyWellness/status/1832479531279516103
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@AustinCommunityWellnessClinic
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/austin-community-wellness-austin
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@AustinCommunityWellness
