We must allocate time to take care of ourselves and our community. Sometimes we get caught up on the things that can be bought with money, like new clothes/gadgets. While these possessions may provide temporary satisfaction, they often distract us from what truly enriches our lives.
Today, more than ever, wellness is at the forefront of societal discussions. From mental health to physical well-being, women are making significant strides in bringing about change, introducing innovative solutions, and setting new standards. Despite facing unique challenges, they break barriers, inspire communities, and are reshaping the very definition of health and wellness. In this series called women in wellness we are talking to women doctors, nurses, nutritionists, therapists, fitness trainers, researchers, health experts, coaches, and other wellness professionals to share their stories and insights. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Anna Di.
Dr. Anna Di is a chiropractor and owner of UNITY Chiropractic Wellness in New York City. She is certified as a corrective exercise specialist with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is skilled in expert-tailoring the building, maintaining, and repairing of the human body, as she has done to hundreds of satisfied personal training, physical therapy, and chiropractic patients.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
Igrew up with Chinese immigrant parents, who came to America and did the standard jobs available to them, provided to them by them by the community. My father was a cook and waiter at a Chinese restaurant, and my mother worked at a garment factory. Each of my aunts worked in the same room hunched over their sewing machines, while my uncle’s labored in construction. This was the start of many Chinese American dreams, with the support of our parents/community. Before I start my backstory, I needed to acknowledge their hard work.
If you ever watched Slumdog Millionaire, it tells of a story about a boy who managed to win India’s “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” competition through chance events that happened in his life. I believe multiple things in my life led me to becoming a chiropractor, and ultimately getting the confidence to start my own clinic.
Business Savviness: My parents at one point owned a ground-level variety store in a moderately busy street in Ridgewood, Queens. The amount of customers day to day was based on three things: The weather, the day of the week, and the chance that people could not find their item from the big chain drug-store next door. Ultimately, we closed shop after a few years, never really able to make a profit. I knew then if I ever started a business, I would need to do more to attract customers. Also, because my parents’ business opened/closed with no repercussions, I was more confident on taking the risk to start a business on my own.
Website Guru: I loved playing on my computer growing up, and even coded my own online fan pages to some of my favorite games. Computer programming/coding has advanced a lot since then, but the fundamentals of what I learned back then I used to build my company’s website on my own.
Social media/Marketing: When I was in college, I dated a guy who was an aspiring musician. I watched him get professional videographers to shoot music videos. I also took professional photos for him and edited them to put onto his social media. By doing this, I learned the importance of making sure a business maintains a professional visual image. I ask videographers and photographers for raw footage and edit them myself for the business.
Entering Chiropractic: I shadowed several different medical professionals when I was in college, and one of them actually offered me a job as an assistant. The chiropractor I worked for had customers who would come in happy that they were there and left satisfied with a reservation to return. His day to day appeared to be very rewarding, and I knew I wanted a similar career with that amount of satisfaction!
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
When I was still in doctorate school, I received news that my grandmother had fallen at her senior center. Diagnostic imaging revealed degeneration in the bones/structures of her neck typical of her age, but also a large herniation that was pressing strongly against her spinal cord. The result of that injury left her quadriplegic and bed-bound for the remainder of her life.
Though age-related degenerative changes to the spine played a part in the overall space her spinal cord had to work with, we can slow down those degenerative changes by making sure that our muscles, joints, and nerves are healthy. That starts with doing self-audits on our posture throughout the day to not sit/stand hunched forward. There are a number of other things that can contribute to poor posture throughout the day, and it’s too many to list in one article. To this day I always spend 45 minutes with a patient during their first visit to ensure that I can tell them as many things necessary so that they’re motivated to continue to work on their musculoskeletal health for the remainder of their life.
It is never too early to be educated on fall-prevention. When we experience instability, balance is obtained when we have the mind-body connection to quickly detect when our body is in a compromised position. We need to count on the flexibility and strength of muscles to engage properly to pull us back into a safe position.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When UNITY Chiropractic Wellness first opened, I modeled the appointment times according to how I had done it when I used to be employed by a larger chiropractic group. I would schedule two people to come at the same time, put one of them on electric stimulation, while I worked on the other. As much as this was cost efficient, to be able to see two people in a half hour, I realized that it was not necessary to sustain the business. If on my mind I was treating someone, but thinking about another patient in another room, I was not going to be as focused on the patient in front of me. The lesson I learned from this is just because other people do things one way, or that you had done it one way in the past, doesn’t mean that it’s the best way to do it. I quickly pivoted soon after to seeing only one patient at a time every half hour.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
Patients should receive a comprehensive understanding of their anatomy rather than focusing solely on a specific diagnosis. Many come to me after being told by their doctors that something is “broken,” such as a torn muscle or compromised spinal discs, and they often assume that as long as they avoid pushing past their pain limits, the issue isn’t serious. I believe that providing thorough education during the initial visit is crucial for empowering patients to become lifelong advocates for their musculoskeletal health. I often say, “Even if you have a broken ladder, if you learn how to climb it, you can reach higher and higher steps.” Many patients underestimate their physical capabilities because they feel limited by existing conditions. Additionally, some remain in the “resting phase” of recovery for too long, missing out on the strengthening phase that is essential for preventing further injury and pain. Doctors need adequate time to motivate and educate patients, and that’s a core focus of our practice. While I’m still early in my career and currently focused on educating our local community, I aspire to eventually create educational resources for people around the world.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing?
1 .Are you drinking enough water? Staying hydrated and replenishing natural electrolytes can significantly reduce headaches for several reasons. When your body is dehydrated, it can lead to a decrease in blood volume, which may cause the brain to temporarily shrink from fluid loss. This shrinkage can trigger pain receptors, resulting in a headache. Drinking enough water helps maintain optimal hydration levels, supporting healthy blood flow and brain function.
2. If you have pain when you try reading physical books, you may want to consider switching to audiobooks. I find that this format helps me stay engaged without the distraction of posture issues that come with looking down. Audiobooks can be great for both learning and leisure, allowing you to relax while listening or stay active, all without straining your neck. Also, many public libraries have free digital databases of audiobooks you can borrow right onto your phone!
3. Are you aware of whether you’re truly engaging your core during exercise or while lifting objects? A great cue I share with my patients is to imagine someone is about to punch you in the stomach. This mental imagery will instinctively cause you to tighten your core.
4. If you have an area that always feels tight and you can’t get it to stretch, consider strengthening that area in its stretched-out position. For example, people who have tight hamstrings tend to keep trying to stretch it by propping the leg in a straight knee position and reaching their arms for their toes. But consider this: even if you stretch out a rubber band, is the rubber band strong enough to hold itself in the stretched-out position? A better way to do this is to incorporate exercises that strengthen the muscle while it’s in a lengthened position. For example, for tight hamstrings, you can try single-leg bridges where you lift your hips with one leg extended straight, or heel slides. This technique of strengthening the muscle in the lengthened position can apply to many other areas of stiffness, such as the hip flexors, shoulders, and calves.
5. These days we have shortened attention spans due to being used to doing things that get instant gratification and high stimulation, such as doom scrolling on social media, playing video games, and eating unhealthily (but tasty) food! By abstaining from these sources for a set period — whether it’s a few hours or several days — you can regain focus and learn to appreciate simpler pleasures. This can help you cultivate mindfulness and self-discipline, leading to improved mental clarity and emotional well-being.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
We are taught that eating sugary foods and drinking acidic drinks decay our teeth, but what are we doing that can cause degeneration of the spine? Everyone should be educated on which movements can be harmful to their joints and what exercises or stretches can help counteract the negative effects of poor posture in their daily lives. For instance, prolonged neck flexion (looking down) or rounding the lower back can lead to bulging discs, which in turn places pressure on the spinal nerves. While health professionals may highlight these issues, understanding basic spinal anatomy is crucial for people to visualize the consequences of their habits. If I suggest exercises or stretches to reverse these problems, individuals may struggle to remember them without grasping the underlying mechanisms. A more effective approach would be to connect with community centers — like schools, senior centers, and workplaces — to demonstrate proper postural alignment and recommend exercises that can help prevent injuries.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
1. “Frank Sinatra did not move his own pianos”
When I first ventured into my business, I took on every role imaginable. I juggled treating patients while also handling phone calls, text messages, and emails. My weeks were packed — six days of patient care from dawn until dusk, followed by Sundays dedicated to billing. However, I learned that trying to do everything myself was not sustainable. Constantly wearing multiple hats can lead to mental fatigue, diminishing both creativity and effectiveness. As I gained experience and honed my skills, it became clear that I needed to focus on what I did best — providing quality care to my patients.
This realization underscored the importance of delegating those tedious administrative tasks. Just as a musician relies on a skilled team to support their artistry, I too had to accept that I couldn’t manage every detail alone. By entrusting others with responsibilities like scheduling and billing, I freed up valuable time and mental energy. This shift not only improved my efficiency but also allowed me to pour more passion into my work, ultimately benefiting both my practice and my patients.
2. “A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought — they must be earned.” ― Naval Ravikant
We must allocate time to take care of ourselves and our community. Sometimes we get caught up on the things that can be bought with money, like new clothes/gadgets. While these possessions may provide temporary satisfaction, they often distract us from what truly enriches our lives.
A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love — these are the treasures that require our attention and effort, not just our financial resources. Achieving a fit body demands consistent dedication to exercise and nutrition; it involves setting aside time each day to nurture our physical health. It’s about making choices that prioritize our well-being, whether it’s going for a run, cooking a nutritious meal, or simply resting when we need it.
3. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” — Seneca
Many medical professionals who launch their own practices provide exceptional care, but that alone isn’t sufficient for attracting patients. I’ve encountered several practice owners who were outstanding physicians yet didn’t invest time in understanding the entrepreneurial side of running a business. This includes the need for advertising and ensuring their online presence spans multiple platforms where potential patients might look for them.
4. You don’t need a perfect product at launch — a prototype is enough to get started. Early computer systems were full of bugs and glitches because developers relied on customer feedback to improve them. When I first launched my business, billing was my biggest challenge. I faced a lot of denials from insurance companies over simple issues. But as I encountered these denials, I learned how to correct them and grow from the experience. If I had held back from starting just because I wasn’t confident in billing, it would have been such a missed opportunity! Sometimes, you just need to put your work out there, make adjustments, and learn as you go.
5) Running a business should make giving to charity feel natural and straightforward! I started donating to nonprofits through my business very early on, right after its launch. It was after Chinese New Year, and my grandmother had given me money ceremonially in a red envelope. I had a hard time at first not thinking about the money I donated as “Grandma’s money.” I felt that by giving it away, I was doing so at the cost of our grandmother’s hard-earned savings and frugality in her later years. But I realized I couldn’t see it that way. I was taking the business’s earnings too personal. A business is like a temple — it generates money to sustain itself and uses funds to care for what matters: covering its expenses and giving back to the community. As long as we ensure that those needs are met, everyone benefits: the business, its employees, and the community.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
While all of these areas are important, mental health is currently the one closest to my heart. I believe it’s essential that anyone facing emotional struggles knows they aren’t alone — there are people ready to support them through difficult times. Overcoming emotional barriers often requires breaking old, unhelpful habits and replacing them with positive ones, while also holding ourselves accountable for the changes we want to see.
It’s important to envision the person you want to become and understand that it’s not about making huge leaps overnight. Instead, focus on taking small, meaningful steps each day toward that version of yourself. Surround yourself with a supportive and safe environment that nurtures your growth, one that sets you up for success rather than keeping you stuck in patterns of negativity. As the poet Maya Angelou said, “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can control your attitude toward them.”
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
About the Interviewer: Wanda Malhotra is a wellness entrepreneur, lifestyle journalist, and the CEO of Crunchy Mama Box, a mission-driven platform promoting conscious living. CMB empowers individuals with educational resources and vetted products to help them make informed choices. Passionate about social causes like environmental preservation and animal welfare, Wanda writes about clean beauty, wellness, nutrition, social impact and sustainability, simplifying wellness with curated resources. Join Wanda and the Crunchy Mama Box community in embracing a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle at CrunchyMamaBox.com.
