They’re setting their goals based on what they’re afraid of, what they lack—and nobody makes good decisions from a place of fear.
“How do you position yourself to make your goals from a place of rest instead of a place of desperation?” Kristine Stork, office manager at Treehive Chiropractic, a community health center in south Denver, asks to highlight one tension of the new year.
Amid the fresh beginnings and old worries that surround the turn of the calendar, Treehive takes a novel approach. Kristine says, “We get really counter-cultural in January, and we do essentially a rest and reset month.” Instead of revving our engines and blowing through the red lights, Treehive wonders what it might look like to start slow instead. Perhaps spending the first two weeks in January simply focusing on getting really good sleep might change the way we picture the year ahead.
As Dr. Tim puts it, “Hey, take your time when setting your goals, and do it from a place of being well-resourced. Everyone’s going into the new year, and they’re setting their goals based on what they’re afraid of, what they lack—and nobody makes good decisions from a place of fear.”
In the past, they’ve taken this intention and translated it into the physical space of their office through low music and dancing candle flames. What a warm image against the cold contrast of winter nights. From this safe space, they start to get curious. When looking at goals, Dr. Tim asks, “Do you know the big why behind it, and do you know how much, by when?” He sees having a larger motivation and giving details to goals as key to their success.
For many people, the new year is an opportunity to be more intentional about getting active. Kristine encourages, “Activity doesn’t have to look like anything crazy.” As the mom of two littles, she emphasizes that even a quick walk or getting outside can be a success. Dr. Tim concurs with this view: “The best activity, the best workout, the best exercise, is the one you’re actually going to do.” Imagine a well-meaning person committing to an intense exercise regime, only to become discouraged a few weeks in because it’s not a good fit. “I’d rather that person walk ten minutes every day and never give it up,” Dr. Tim says. “Start with something that’s reasonable and achievable, and then build and stack on that as you build that into a habit.” Or in the words of Kristine’s mentor, “Just do more than nothing!”
Being a health center, Treehive fills a much-needed space in the community as an information resource. “We have so many intentional connections to other providers in the area, that we have a very, very deep referral network, so if someone comes to us, we’re able to act as the person that takes them off the merry-go-round of providers, and we can send them right to where they need to go.”
Treehive embodies a new medical approach, one far from the typical vision of sterile lab coats and clinical tones. “We really stand to rebel against the normal medical model or the way we’ve always been taught health should look like: health in a bottle, essentially. We do that by being people serving people.”
One of the focuses that sets Treehive apart is their attention to family care, especially their heart for mothers as pivotal figures deserving support. “Society says mom comes last, and we say mom comes first,” Dr. Tim shares. “If moms take care of themselves first and foremost, everyone else benefits most from that.”
For anyone curious to learn more, Treehive has one encouragement about consultations. “We never charge people to give them information. We believe information is power, and we want people to feel empowered. If we can’t be the ones to help, we’ll point them to those who can.”
We never charge people to give them information. We believe information is power, and we want people to feel empowered. If we can’t be the ones to help, we’ll point them to those who can.