From Life West graduate to opening a practice in Japan to an alumni leader, Dr. Ariel Thorpe, Class of 2015, continues to make a meaningful impact in the profession and on the Life West community. As the newly elected President of the Life West Alumni Association, Dr. Thorpe is dedicated to strengthening alumni connections, fostering engagement, and keeping the spirit of Life West alive long after graduation.
One of my mentors while I was at Life West gave me the best advice I didn’t take: “work at a high volume practice straight out of school and learn as much as you can; then go out on your own.” It took me 5 years to finally take that advice but once I did, I understood exactly what he meant. Every aspect of my practice increased at that point: my adjusting, my communication, my case management, and my X-ray reading skills. When I first graduated from Life West, I practiced part time and taught fitness classes part time in San Francisco. I didn’t get deep into practice until I moved back to my childhood home of Hong Kong and joined a high volume practice.
Thanks to Life West, I was a confident communicator about the innate healing ability of the body and I was living a chiropractic lifestyle: getting adjusted weekly and taking care of my body with daily exercise and real food
We are all our best billboards for our practices. When people see you respecting your own health and body, they are more likely to want to follow your example. My favorite response when someone asks about my workout or nutrition habits: “I’ve been getting adjusted weekly for the past 20 years. Chiropractic care has been my foundation for everything.” I don’t just tell others what they should do; I also walk my talk.
After 3 years in Hong Kong, I was ready to move on and open my own practice again. I knew I didn’t want to return to the US so I looked at other possibilities. Tokyo, Japan had no other foreign, native English-speaking chiropractors, so it was an obvious choice for me. The reason there have been so few foreign chiropractors in Japan is because it is incredibly difficult both logistically and culturally to start a business here. It was the Lasting Purpose I got from my education at Life West that kept me going when I thought I would never find someone to rent me commercial real estate for my studio or when I thought no Japanese bank would give me a business account. Most Life West grads have heard the Reggie Gold quote: “If you were the last chiropractor on earth, would chiropractic survive?” (Does anyone else re-listen to his Valley of the Blind lecture every few years on YouTube?) This question pushed me to keep going and overcome the obstacles until I finally opened my practice, Electra Chiropractic, in Tokyo in September 2024.
In addition to practice, I was recently elected as President of the Life West Alumni Association. I came into this role with the vision of supporting our alumni in practice. The statistics on income for chiropractors aren’t cutting it, in my opinion. We Life West grads provide the best natural, holistic healthcare available and we should all be booked solid in practice! Creating thriving practices led by the best chiropractors in the world takes time, effort, and community. (Sounds a lot like what we tell our clients about healing, right?!) My intention for the coming year is for the Alumni Association to create more resources through the Life West Alumni Skool page and opportunities for all of us to connect locally in order to level up and Give, Do, Love, and Serve out of abundance.
