We caught up with the brilliant and insightful William Hatten a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi William, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I have been fascinated with the human body for as long as I can remember, but I never dreamed of becoming a chiropractor. I grew up performing in church plays, being a class clown, and getting involved in community theatre. I took acting, singing and dance lessons, and I was convinced that I would wind up on Broadway some day. As a matter of fact, it was not until I began having severe complications in middle school with my scoliosis, an abnormal curve of my spine, that I even discovered chiropractic care.
Still not swayed from the bright lights of the theatre, I went to college to study theatre. During college, I changed my focus from acting to directing, but I never took my eyes off the human body. I discovered that the physicality displayed by the actors on stage often telegraphed more information to the audience than their lines. My rehearsals began to focus more and more on movement, body work and physically shaping the play.
Finally, I graduated and moved to Atlanta to work at a professional theatre. While in Atlanta, I took a day job working for the Dean of the College of Chiropractic at Life University. His office sat inside the outpatient clinic. I would watch people hobble into the office and leaving walking tall and proud. I watched patients weep as these students alleviated their chronic pain. That is when I finally realized that it wasn’t the bright lights of the stage, or even the glowing reviews by the newspaper critics, it was the optimum function of the human body that I loved and craved.
That realization set me on the path to becoming a chiropractor, and I have spent the last seven years striving to create a happier and healthier community. My current mission is to create a space where people have the opportunity to get to know their bodies, to honor their bodies, and to heal their bodies safely and compassionately.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am an Atlanta-based chiropractor who specializes in soft-tissue injuries and athletic performance. I operate a boutique-style practice that treats regular members of the community as well as people have suffered traumatic events like car accidents or workplace injuries.
Unlike many big-box or chain clinics where you may or may not see the same practitioner from visit to visit, I have extra long visits where I provide all of the adjustments and therapy needed to achieve a successful recovery and restore lost function, not just alleviate pain.
In addition to adjustments, I offer about a dozen different types of soft-tissue therapy, including kinesiotaping, cupping, muscle scraping (aka myofascial abrasion or IASTM), and more. I am also thrilled to announce the addition of a new cutting edge technology called extracorporeal shockwave therapy (aka shockwave or ESWT). This new tech uses sound waves to help speed up healing of damaged muscles, tendons, ligaments and even bone!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Adaptability, self-confidence and self-reliance have been the three qualities that have been the most important for me. While I see the human body and the human experience as a throughline between my two careers, most people find them completely unrelated. Turns out, they’re not entirely wrong.
Being a chiropractor and owning my own clinic has forced me into the entrepreneurial lifestyle. I have had to learn and adapt on the fly. The skills needed to create and run a successful theatrical company are present in creating and running a business, but the framework of roles and responsibilities is completely different.
My self-confidence has allowed me the strength to care for and to teach my patients about the chiropractic lifestyle, and my self-reliance has given me the power find new business opportunities and new places in the community that need my help.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
I come from a working-class family where I am the first person in my family to complete both a four year college degree and an advanced degree. I could not have done it without the outpouring of love and support from my family. They sacrificed so much so that they could send me to the best school in my hometown. Of course, I learned a lot, but more importantly, I learned how to think for myself. Without my parents and their sacrifice for my education, I would not have accomplished any of this today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.DrWilliamHatten.com
- Instagram: @DrWilliamHatten
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrWilliamHatten/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drwilliamhatten/
- Twitter: x.com/drwilliamhatten
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUyiZ-KhgsQF3ZI2cUfaPwg
Image Credits
Headshots by SQS Photography All other photos by me.
