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Meet Dr. Rachel Hesselbrock of Alinea Health in Phoenix Valley

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Rachel Hesselbrock.

Dr. Hesselbrock, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Absolutely.

I always knew I wanted to help people and I thought nursing would be a great place to start. When I applied to a nursing program in Ohio, they told me the wait was two years. That was too long for me, so I decided to switch majors and focus on becoming a paramedic/firefighter.

I went through EMT classes, loved every second of it, and then started on fire science. This part didn’t go so well for me. At the same time, I knew I needed to make a life change and decided to move out to Arizona to get to know my mom.

While living with my mom she was taking classes in nutrition at a community college. I happened upon one of her textbooks and found that it really had my attention. So, I decided to start back at school with a dietetics major in mind. I graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s in science, and then had no idea what do to with myself or my degree.

For three years after I waited tables and bartended trying to figure out what I could do with my degree. I loved my degree and everything that I learned but I wasn’t very excited about the job opportunities.

During those three years I practiced Muay Thai. During a sparing match I was punched hard and as a result suffered whiplash that lead to severe migraines. I went to my doctor and tried what felt like every medication under the sun. After months of getting nowhere, my friend suggested that I try his chiropractor.

I was skeptical, to say the least, about a chiropractor being able to help with my migraines, but I was suffering and out of options. I’m not kidding, this chiropractor had me feeling better in 6 weeks. I was amazed and beyond grateful. On top of that, I had finally found something that I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing. Helping others in a way that was different, non-invasive, and that got results.

Like magic, at this very same moment in my life, a fellow classmate (who is now my best friend) had posted online that she had just been accepted into medical school at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. I shot her a message asking if she could give me some more information. She pointed me in the right direction and 3 weeks later I started medical school.

After medical school, I started practicing for a doctor in Scottsdale. I quickly realized that an office setting was not for me. I had played around with the idea of mobile medicine while in school, and used to walk around saying things like “How cool would it be to go to someone’s house when they can’t sleep, place a few acupuncture needles, watch them fall asleep, and sneak out like you were never even there?” So, I decided to start Alinea Health, where I could have my cake and eat it too.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Most definitely not the smoothest of roads.

The biggest struggle that I’ve had is getting over my self-doubt about owning a business. I didn’t come from a family where they believed we could do big things or make big things happen. I came from a family that told me I should be grateful for any job that is offered to me and take whatever they deem worthy to give me.
It was/is hard to keep in mind that I can a. be my own boss and have the company of my dreams and 2. decide what I’m worth for myself and my company.

Alinea Health – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I love this question. Thank you for asking it.

Simply put, I bring humanity back to healthcare.

While going through the healthcare system, the one thing I can say with certainty is that I never felt like I was being taken care of. I felt like I was just the next in line in a long line of people needing something.

It’s so important to me that my patients feel as though I’m on their team and that they know I have their backs. It’s important to me to know their kid’s names, animals’ names, favorite activities, etc. because health is more than just a set of symptoms or a disease.

My focus of practice is primary care (colds, flu, prescription management, headaches, etc.) but my passion is mental health, such as anxiety and depression, and helping people get off any medications they feel are not working for them.

I’m most proud of Alinea for being different. We are a mobile medical office, which means we get to see our patients where they are most comfortable, and where it’s most convenient for them.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
What a challenging question to answer.

Maybe 10% luck and 90% hard work.

I’m more a believer in fate and feel that every decision I made previously has gotten me to where I am today.

I’ve been lucky in that some people I’ve met along the way have been very helpful to Alinea but know that if I hadn’t made the decision to show up (even when I really did not want to) I would not have met those people.

Pricing:

  • $300 monthly membership includes three visits, discounts on treatments and supplements for individuals. (Non-membership pricing available)
  • $75 monthly per employee for corporate memberships includes unlimited visits and discounts on treatments.

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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