Path to Wellness
525 Bailey Ave.
Fort Worth 76107
www.ptwchiro.com/
With success comes growth. And after 10 years of success, it is time for Path to Wellness Chiropractic to expand, which it did with the recent ribbon-cutting at its new location at 525 Bailey Ave. (Montgomery Plaza) in Fort Worth.
Lauren Letz (formerly Roberson), a chiropractor herself, began the business on her own in May 2008. It has now grown to house a medical director, four chiropractors, seven massage therapists and a nurse practitioner. The new facility has 5,500 square feet, an increase from the 2,000 in the previous location.
Letz has been a committed part of the community, participating in the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, helping police, firefighters and veterans, and sponsoring several races for the Fort Worth Runners Club and Cox Racing Club. She has long been an avid athlete herself.
Letz has been honored individually as part of the Fort Worth Business Press’s 40 Under 40 class of 2010, and Path to Wellness has twice been a finalist for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year.
Over the past decade, Letz has worked to stay ahead of the pack in the business, whether it was the individual approach to care, teaching patients the best possible exercises, or adding a strong nutrition base and successful weight loss program. About five years ago it added dry needling acupuncture.
Before opening her business, Letz rotated through about 20 chiropractic practices as a volunteer, learning as much as she could about the practice as well as how to run a business. She said it was better than working for one person.
How do you explain the growth of Path to Wellness in its decade of existence?
I think you can explain our growth in two parts, outward consistency in our marketing plan and inwardly in maintaining a strong awareness of the needs of our
individual patients.
From the moment I chose to open Path to Wellness Chiropractic, I wanted to make absolutely sure that we treated each patient with individual attention, in time and in form, that would make them feel like a part of the PTW family. That came from hiring the right people (I have the best staff), a number of whom have been with me for a very long time, to creating a three-prong approach to getting our patients the best possible care. Those three parts would be: getting the patient out of pain, teaching the spine to maintain a more healthy position, keeping them out of pain.
Most patients who see a chiropractor go to get out of pain, and the moment that happens, boom, they are gone. From Day One with any patient, we work incredibly hard to make a patient understand that their spine is the “engine of their body.” And, like any engine, without consistent maintenance, problems always return. We do everything possible to get every patient on a continual maintenance program so they never have to return to that initial pain that brought them to see us.
Only 8 percent of the population sees a chiropractor. It has been a goal of mine to increase this number to 80 percent. I needed to get out in public and talk to people. Every day, our marketing team is in the community offering absolutely free spinal screenings. If someone has a heart problem, what do they do? They head to the doctor. But for some reason, people just “live” with pain in the back.
Why did you open Path to Wellness in the first place? What was the inspiration?
Since I was a teenager I knew I wanted to help others. I love animals and always thought I’d be a veterinarian, but soon realized I could do much more helping people. I was always a good student and I love to read things about health. While attending Texas A&M I began to understand that I did not want to be one of those doctors that prescribed a pill for everything. In reading about the different specialties, I learned that by assisting a person to better health by actually touching them and teaching them that through better health their body is the best weapon to fight disease, I chose to become a chiropractor.
When you began Path to Wellness 10 years ago on your own, did you envision the growth it’s enjoyed so fast?
I guess you could say I’m a fairly focused woman. I don’t do anything halfway. From my profession to my personal life, if I choose it, I tend to work to make it perfect. My goal was to open multiple offices, but I realized that creating a kind of “center for better health” would be a better approach.
I don’t think I ever really thought about the size of PTW. I just knew that if we did the best job possible, people would come. Hopefully, 10 years from now you’ll be able to say PTW is still the best place to get healthy.
How often are you able to still run and play golf? Other hobbies?
Having three wonderful children, all under 6, and a husband who is always on the go gives me plenty of exercise, but I still work out daily. I can’t preach it if I don’t do it. So every morning you will find me in the gym at 6 a.m. with my personal trainer. I do enjoy the occasional run, but shorter, quicker distances.
While I don’t get to play golf as much as I’d like, I love the game and try to play as often as possible. Golf is my favorite hobby with my husband. We recently started wakeboarding and surfing, and I am loving that.
My hobbies, well, they get hours 25 and 26 (each day). Between my kids, my dogs, my work, well, my hobby is work.
What’s ahead for Path to Wellness and yourself?
That is a very interesting question. I guess the simple answer is more of the same. I always want PTW to be a place where people can come to feel better, to get better and stay better. I always want PTW to be a clinic that is so terrific every patient wants to bring their family and friends. I always want to hire people that see PTW as a place to grow and a place they are excited to call their second home. If I can maintain those qualities, then who knows what will happen?