Dr. Elika Izadyar of Overland Park on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Dr. Elika Izadyar shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Elika , it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I am proud of building a life that my mom and dad had sacrificed theirs for so they could give me the opportunity to have the American Dream! I want to make God, my mom and dad proud. I always looked up to their work ethic, and I believe it helped me understand the ability to hustle, work hard, and be okay with knowing that a “work-life “balance will never exist, and that is okay! I am wanting to try build something that is bigger than me and to help the community! That is why I became a chiropractic physician with my husband and building our clinic while educating ourselves even more to help our patients in our community!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Absolutely! Just wanted to say, thank you so much for having me, it is an honor! My name is Elika, and I am a first generation Persian-American chiropractic physician! Ignite Chiropractic & Wellness Clinic is our practice where we treat patients from all ages! I am currently studying functional medicine to incorporate into our clinic so I can help patients with their gut health so they can feel the freedom of life that was intended for them! This hits home for me, because I am currently in my 3rd in remission from Crohn’s disease! It’s a passion of mine to help others find their healing self in their lives, which all starts from the gut! I get to have the honor to practice alongside Dr. Dan Wells, who happens to be my husband and co-creator in all of our adventures! We put faith and family first, as we wouldn’t be where we are without God and our family.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My mom is my absolute best friend. She has shaped me into the woman I want to be. She has taught me the power of resilience, devoted love, and kindness even when the world seems cruel, she always has a unique and magical way to see the beauty in everything and in every encounter she has. She taught me that you can never compare one flower to another, simply because each flower is beautiful and unique in their own way. I share her quote everywhere I go because it truly is true! I used to struggle a lot by thinking I wasn’t good enough. I thought I had to look a certain way or act a certain way to be accepted in this world, but she taught me to be myself, stay who I am and never change, because we don’t need another copy of another person… we need the unique souls God had created for a reason!
I also have to say my dad as well. He taught me the “lion mentality”, which is to never give up. Always fight for what your heart desires and do the right thing for yourself and for people. He taught me to be a leader, brush off the negativity and to not let something negative take over the beauty of the rest of the day that is ahead. He was 17 years old when he came to the United States and had to work 3 jobs to pay his way through school. He taught me at a young age what the American Dream was all about and I hope as he is looking over me from heaven, that I am making him proud by continuing that American Dream he left off for me.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
One of my many wounds is losing my dad in 2023 to esophageal cancer. That impacted everything in mine and my mom’s lives. It was always the three of us! We did everything together. I don’t think I can honestly say I have healed from it, because it still truly hurts every single day. But one of the things I can do is to always speak highly of him to keep his soul alive on earth. His journey with cancer lit a fire in me. The ingredients that I was seeing in the cancer center’s snacks, the way the patients were being treated in hospitals, it devastated me. Patients who are trying to battle one of the most difficult immune system blocking diseases there is, are being fed with cancer itself. Yellow #5, canola oil, and many other ingredients that are cancer causing, are in the hospital foods and snacks provided in the cancer center. I promised myself that I want to help figure out the best way to help my dad’s gut health and immune health and that was by finding the answers in the study of functional medicine. I truly believe that the healthy combination of western and holistic medicine would benefit the patient as a whole. When we can look at the patient as a whole and not just parts and pieces, that’s where healing can begin. That is why I have started my journey to educate myself so I can help those like my dad who are going through a scary time. If I could be a small part in one’s journey to healing, then I feel like I have done my purpose on this earth.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I am committed to helping provide a better health system to our community. I pray every day that I can be a vessel to those who need healing. I want to encourage, motivate and uplift those who are needing it the most. I was 11 years old when I was first diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Before the diagnosis, my mom and dad took me to 33 different specialists because my signs and symptoms weren’t “textbook”. Dr. Mark Molos, MD, took me under his wing and finally gave a diagnosis to end the unknown. He taught me the importance of “being your own doctor” by teaching me how to heal from within with the foods and lifestyle I live. His goal for me was to eliminate the ulcers through western and functional medicine. It was a 15-year journey, but we finally did it as a team!

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I go in every day with the mentality of “what would God do?”. I have a strong faith, and I truly wouldn’t be here today without that faith. There’s a quote from Steve Harvey which mentions “every person is born with a gift…but it is their job to find it”. I know I was born to help people, to provide love, and hope for them. My dad was a small business owner, civil engineer, and a pilot. One of my favorite quotes from my daddy was “when tower communicates with pilot, the tower doesn’t ask how many people are on board… they ask, “how many souls are on board”. This has always stuck with me, as I want to treat every soul with compassion and kindness. I believe this is what a serving heart means to be…to provide a wholehearted care for a soul when they come into our clinic. Each person has a story, wounds, and are needing healing whether it is in their gut, mind, body or soul. Everybody deserves to be loved for who they are.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ignitechirokc.com
• Instagram: @ignitechiroandwellness
• Other: instagram: @elikaizadyar

Image Credits
Devine Studios- Lora & Joe Devine