This week marks the 18th Birthday of Nexus Chiropractic. In addition to making me feel old, it also fills me with gratitude to everyone and everything that has contributed to our success and longevity.

Some of you have been with us the entire 18 years and others may have only recently joined the Nexus family. I thought it would be nice to summarize our history to provide some insight to how we arrived here in 2018 and maybe create some feelings of nostalgia for those of you who have been around awhile.

I graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa in February of 2000. Having no experience in either business or the real world, I chose – by default – to come back to my hometown of Cornwall. I was lucky enough to have passed all my board exams shortly after graduation and was ready to open my own practice.

Before becoming Nexus, the practice was called Gault Family Chiropractic. GFC officially opened on Aug. 14, 2000 at 421 Marlborough St. (what is now Doggie Styles Day Spa).

When I started practice, I used a very specific, but very different technique system called Gonstead. As a chiropractic student, I was the president of the Gonstead technique club, which at the time was the largest of it’s kind in the world. I had also attended hundreds of hours of extra curricular seminars in Gonstead while still in school.

Gonstead employed the regular use of x-rays and a temperature sensing instrument that required men to be shirtless and women to wear gowns. As a result, we had change rooms that fed into the larger room where I worked with people one on one.

Another major difference in the office at that time was that I worked without any staff. I was the chiropractor, answered the phones, took payments, made appointments, paid the bills and even scrubbed the toilets. In hindsight, this was a very stupid business decision yet did allow me to learn ALL facets of the business.

My first employee was a family friend, Elsie Craig who was between university degrees. Over the next year and a half, we kind of figured out how to properly run a chiropractic office before she went to teacher’s college and Sandra Hanniman joined the practice as my assistant.

About 9 months into practice I steadily grew frustrated with the results I was getting with patients. In particular with my long-term patients who understood the overall health benefits of regular chiropractic care. My frustration was that they would initially get better and healthier and then after awhile they plateaued and further care only maintained them. My expectation and objective was for people to continue to improve in health and wellness over time.

To move past this, I diligently refined my technique and made small changes to my clinical approach, but nothing was creating the results I wanted. It was around this time that I listened to an interview with Dr. Donny Epstein and he had an answer to many of the questions that had been swirling in my head. He expected the same outcomes I wanted for my patients and he had developed a technique around that.

Skeptically, I registered for his Basic Level Seminar in Toronto to see what it was all about. The first thing that struck me was that it looked weird because it was so gentle. There were no forceful adjustments or ‘cracking.’ This was a major challenge to my idea of what a chiropractic adjustment required.

To make a long story short, what I saw over the course of the weekend was a very precise and gentle system that created reproduceable results. Other technique leaders were taking the seminar and were blown away at the results. I was also fortunate enough to be used as a demo by Dr. Epstein on several occasions and what I personally experienced gave me no choice but to begin to provide this care to my patients and community.

I recall the internal dialogue I had with myself after receiving one entrainment. It was, “Oh sh*#! Now I have to go home and do this.”

So, I literally went home and started adding the new work to what I had already been doing. After a short period of time I started shifting patients over to the new work solely because I realized that those I was still forcefully adjusting were not progressing past a basic level of care.

This began the second epoch of Nexus Chiropractic.

In 2004, I met a local massage therapist named Matt Beaudette. When we met, Matt was working on opening his own business, and had a vision for an entire ‘Wellness Centre.’ The timing was right for me and we became partners in Adolphus Wellness Centre which is where Nexus Chiropractic remains to this day.

Shortly after moving to Adolphus St., Sandra moved to Ottawa and both Cindy Besignano and Adele Gannon were hired to the expanding practice. That was 14 years ago, and they are still here!

In 2007, I started moonlighting. At that time, I was offered a job by a company called X-CELS which trained chiropractors around the world in communication, personal development, and practice management. I was very happy to work in this capacity for 6 years.

In 2010 we built an addition onto 24 Adolphus St. By this time Matt had moved on to Acupuncture school and I bought his portion of the building. My family was growing so my wife Beth and I decided to move our young clan into the house portion of the building. So, while the addition was being built (what is now the entrainment studio) I worked and gave workshops out of our future living and dining rooms.  I do recall Lukas coming down during an Introductory Presentation and entertaining the crowd with a pair of underwear on his head!

The Gault Family Chiropractic era ended, and the Nexus Chiropractic era began in 2013. We decided on this rebranding simply because we wanted to practice being about more than just me. I was looking to bring on another chiropractor (I am very picky, which is why it has not happened) and it would not be fair to them if my name was on the sign.

In 2015 the work I was doing improved in a significant way. Dr. Epstein began teaching a more advanced version of his work to a group of dozens of doctors from around the world. I was part of the pioneering class of this program – Master-E and continued on with it for the second year of Master-E Plus. While the Master-E work looks almost indistinguishable from what I was doing before, the outcomes are much more powerful (and requires much greater focus and presence from me).

So far, this history has focused with the changes that have taken place at Nexus. Just as important, there have been some fundamental constants in the practice. One constant has been the use of technology in objective evaluation of patients. I have always felt it important to have an objective baseline for each patient in the form of a detailed initial examination. Equally important is periodically objectively measuring changes that occur with care.

Why objective pre and post evaluations are important is because of another of our constants – that we have always focused on the primary underlying conditions – not chasing symptoms. This is crucial in helping people in a deeper way than just treating the surface, which can be akin to placing a band-aid over a bullet hole.

A third constant is that we have always been dedicated to professional development and technical and clinical mastery. Both staff and I are constantly learning, travelling to seminars, reading and taking courses – far beyond what is professionally required. We invest so greatly in this because we want to serve our people to the highest level possible.

It has been a challenging, fun, and absolutely rewarding 18 years and I am looking forward to many more. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to EVERYONE who has made this possible and allowed me to do what I love for a living.

Thorin Gault, D.C.

Aug. 18, 2018

Many of you outside the NSA practitioner world will not be familiar with my mentors, colleagues, employers, and dear friends, husband and wife team Drs. Pierre Bernier and Christine Bourque of Gatineau, Quebec. Those of you close to me know that there are very few people who have had a greater impact on my life than these two amazing individuals.

The reason I am writing this article now is that this past Friday they were celebrating the 30^th anniversary of their chiropractic practice. While I was unable to attend the party, it was an opportunity to reflect on how they have influenced me as both a network practitioner and human being. I cannot possibly express how grateful I am to have known them for the past 11 years.

Pierre and Christine have been my personal chiropractors since 2001, became my coaches and mentors shortly thereafter, and gave me my first job as a coach and consultant to chiropractors in 2008. No one has been a greater influence on my chiropractic career and with the exception of my parents and family has impacted my life more powerfully. For those of you who have been a part of my practice, their signature is literally everywhere.

Pierre and Christine have taught me too many things to document, however I thought this article was a great chance to highlight the most important.

The first thing they provided me was a model for a successful, busy, and fun NSA practice. After having a life changing experience at my first Network seminar with Dr. Epstein in 2001, I started receiving regular care with Pierre and Christine. They were able to take a peak experience and turn it into something real and sustainable. I was absolutely terrified to start practicing this “extraordinary” looking work after being a traditional chiropractor. Without them there is no way I could have made our current practice a reality.

Something else they instilled in me was the importance of clinical excellence. From the time I was a student I was obsessed with technical mastery. This is why I have always travelled to seminars all over the place so often. Pierre and Christine helped me to take this to a completely new level. Every time I think to myself that I am getting great, I attend one of their workshops or Clear Days and have to completely recommit to stepping up my game. This is a gift I can never repay.

Another important attribute Pierre and Christine exude is the desire to contribute their gifts to the world. They are in a position that they don’t NEED to continue to work at the incredible pace they do. They don’t NEED to practice like they always have. They did not NEED to commit a huge amount of time and energy creating a program to help other Network doctors thrive 5 years ago when they saw the need. They do it because they love helping people and this is what they do best (yes, even better than golf)!

The most simple and profound thing I have learned from Pierre and Christine is that you can be supremely generous and ultimately successful at the same time. Honestly, this was a tough one for me. There is no need for further explanation; this is exactly what they are.

Pierre and Christine are not just celebrating 30 years of practice. They are celebrating having a direct, positive influence on tens of thousands of lives, an indirect influence on many, many more, and serving as an example of mastery to so many who touch so many.

There is no way I could possibly repay all you have given to me. All I can hope to do is to continue to follow your lead and work to turn each grain of wheat you have given me into a golden field that will feed all of the cities of the earth (except with bacon, not gluten).

« Any person who contributes to prosperity must prosper in turn. »
E. Nightingale

As I spoke about in a recent article you can see by clicking HERE, autumn is a time for action, a time for transformation. That is certainly the case at Gault Family Chiropractic. To be sure you don’t miss anything, here is a summary of all the special stuff that is happening over the next few months.

On Sept. 4th we held our inaugural Fireside Chat with the one and only ME. This is a special casual workshop for patients and practice members at any level of care to literally ask me ANYTHING about health, Network Care, life, or personal development. The evening opens with me presenting briefly on what is new in the world of NSA and Reorganizational Healing and is followed by the question period supported by hands-on demonstrations. The response to this event was so great we will be conducting one quarterly. Keep an eye out for our next Fireside Chat.

September 15th I will be entraining at Dr. Tony Sandorfi’s Clear Day in Gatineau.

Monday Sept. 17th is our 2nd Patient Appreciation Dinner at The Grind. This is a get together to honour our favourite practice members and their guests. It is our way to say thank-you for making our jobs the best in the world. If we have not invited you yet, please be patient as we are catching up on 12 years of great people.

On Sept. 21-23 I will be both attending and teaching at the X-CELS seminar for chiropractors. You can listen to a short audio of me being interviewed by X-CELS co-founder Dr. Pierre Bernier by clicking HERE and scrolling down to the second interview.

In October we will be holding our Discover – The Truth About Back Pain Revealed workshops on Tuesday Oct. 2nd and Monday Oct. 22nd. This is the best place to learn how our care can help you and your loved ones and ensure the best possible results in our office. Phone 613-932-8111 to reserve seats.

Our 16th!!! Clear Day will be held on Saturday, Oct 13th. This is an all-day, comprehensive day of transformation composed of 3 special Network entrainments, transformative workshops and is fully catered. This Clear Day will be held at The Church on Sydney in Cornwall. In the past we have had doctors and patients from all over North America attend and participate.

I am very excited to announce that I will be speaking at the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce Bizfest this year. On Oct. 18th I will be presenting The 3 Steps to Becoming the Most Resourceful Business in Your Field – Using Change to Create Success. The link for this event is HERE.

On Oct. 27th I will be personally attending Drs. Pierre Bernier, Christine Bourque and Andree-Anne Bernier’s Clear Day in Gatineau. This is part of MY commitment to world class care for myself.

In November, I will be competing in the Ontario Open Olympic Weightlifting Competition on the 3rd. I train with the Cornwall Weightlifting Club out of Caveman Strong. For more information click HERE. Also, stay tuned for 2 more workshops during that month.

On Nov. 16-18, my family and I will be travelling to a Transformational Gate with Dr. Donny Epstein in the N.Y. area, to further enhance our care. We will have information posted for interested practice members.

On Wed. Nov. 28th, I will be speaking to Tom Irvine’s physical education class at St. Lawrence College. I have been doing this for years and is a lot of fun. Tom is a great personal and athletic trainer at Quest in Cornwall. You can see his web-site HERE.

Of course at the end of November we will be rolling out our popular Christmas Card promotion which is the best opportunity to share the results you have benefited from with your friends, family, and loved ones.

Stay tuned for all of the special events we have planned for the holiday season as well.

Have a great fall, and please take advantage of all of the workshops and activities we have planned to help you on your way to a healthier and happier you.

I decided to delay the final article of the Winning the Game of Life series to celebrate the 12^th birthday of Gault Family Chiropractic! The time has flown so fast that it hardly seems possible that 12 years have passed. So, in this article I will share some of the history and evolution the practice has undergone.

Gault Family Chiropractic officially opened its’ doors on August 14^th, 2000 after I had graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa in February of that year. Our first location was in the former gas station at the corner of 5^th and Marlborough streets (now a methadone clinic)! At this time I had no children, had not yet re-met my wife and believe it or not hand an almost full head of hair. I also started the office without any staff and did it all myself (very stupid in hindsight).

When I opened the office I had barely even heard of Network Spinal Analysis, let alone have any thoughts of practicing it. Initially, I practiced a very structural (yet specific) system of chiropractic called Gonstead. In fact, I had been the president of the largest student technique club in the world at that time at Palmer and had attended hundreds of hours of professional seminars before I had even graduated. With Gonstead, we did full spine x-rays on almost everyone, and all women were gowned on each visit while men were seen shirtless. Obviously we used a private room at that time.

On the strength of word of mouth and the regular workshops I still give to this day (although I no longer show a VHS recording of a live birth or use big words like ‘histopathology) the practice grew nicely and I hired my first staff member Elsie Craig. Shortly thereafter we were joined by our first co-op student, Amy Main who is still a practice member in the office.

In spite of the growth of the office, early in 2001 I began to become dissatisfied with the long-term sustainability of the results I was getting with my regular patients. They seemed to hit a plateau and stay there. At this time of dissatisfaction and questioning that I happened to hear an interview with Dr. Donny Epstein, the founder of Network Spinal Analysis (NSA), who seemed to have many of the answers I was looking for (and a whole lot more). A month later I was at one of his seminars, he placed me on a table to demonstrate an entrainment and at that moment I knew I had to bring NSA back to Cornwall (even though I didn’t want to)!

Over the next year we transitioned the practice into full NSA, Elsie left to go to teacher’s college and we hired practice member Sandra Hanniman to replace her. The practice grew immensely at this time as I dedicated myself to mastering NSA. By 2006 I had become only the 12^th Canadian doctor to achieve the highest level of certification in NSA.

In the winter of 2004 I met massage therapist Matt Beaudette, who was about to open his own practice. He had a vision for a building with a variety of health care practices under one roof. In fact, he already had an accepted offer on 24 Adolphus St. and was looking for a business partner. That was the birth of The Adolphus Wellness Centre that included GFC; several massage therapists, a dietician, naturopath, EFT practitioner and a great psychologist (my wife).

In the fall of 2004 perhaps the event that has had the greatest positive impact on GFC occurred. I hired Cindy Besignano and Adele Gannon as Sandra was moving to Ottawa. They have literally been the backbone of the office over the last 8 years.

In 2009 I began coaching, tutoring, and consulting for other Network Chiropractors as a part of the “X-CELS” program started by my personal mentor, Dr. Pierre Bernier which I feel has given me the ability to have an impact not only in our community but around the world.

Thank you to everyone who has made this possible. We love the work that we get to do and love helping people of all walks of life. A huge thank you to my family who sacrifices so I can be obsessed with improving my work. Thanks to all of the patients, practice members and guests who have trusted us and supported us over the years.

The one thing I can promise is that we will never get stale. We will continue to refine our care, services, and procedures to get better and better. I can promise that on our 24^th birthday, we will be light years better than today. Thank you for 12 years of healing, passion, and fun!