S1:E20 - Dr. Shelly is In the Studio with Calamity Jane
In The Studio with Calamity Jane is a show highlighting the incredible women of Las Vegas!
This is our 20th episode of In The Studio, and our Season 1 finale!
In this episode, we sit down with Shelly O'Connor, founder of ABLE: A Better Life Experience. She promotes healing and the expression of human potential through specific chiropractic care, Neuro Emotional Technique, nutritional and lifestyle coaching!
If you're an amazing woman in Las Vegas (or know one), fill out the guest application for a chance to be In the Studio with Calamity Jane for Season 2 beginning in 2019!
Transcript:
Hello, welcome to another episode of In The Studio With Calamity Jane. My name is Jodi, also known as Calamity Jane.
Our purpose with this series is to find women doing amazing things in our community and give them the spotlight for a moment.
Joining me today is Shelly O'Connor, founder of ABLE: A Better Life Experience. Welcome to the show, Dr. Shelly.
[Dr. Shelly]: Thank you, Jodi. I'm excited to be here.
Tell us a little bit about your business.
I have an office here called ABLE: A Better Life Experience and I'm a chiropractor so that's the main function of what I do in that office. And then I also have a skincare business. So they both run out of the same space.
How did you come to get started in this field?
In chiropractic; I got hurt when I was in the army and long story short, I found chiropractic when I got out, and I noticed that my body started responding and healing and I got really excited about it. But at that point, I didn't want to be a chiropractor, I just wanted to find one to marry and that didn't work out. <laughter> So I ended up going to chiropractic school and it's been, I think I've been [open] for 15 years now.
Then the skincare business; I met a dog who was rescued from a testing lab. And I became really upset because I've always bought natural products. I forgot that people were buying products tested on animals. And I got so upset about this dog and I said, "I'm going to find a skincare company that doesn't test on animals, that's made in U.S.A., and that has products that work, and I'm going to switch people over to cruelty-free products," So that's how the whole skincare thing started. And I enjoy both of them very much.
What do you feel makes you successful?
I think that's a hard question, especially as a female, I don't know that I ever give myself any credit. What makes me feel like I've succeeded is when people tell me, and this is something I do hear a lot, people tell me they trust me. That makes me feel like I'm doing my best. Because I'm making them feel confident in their choices to see me and utilize my services. So I guess that would be my greatest feeling of success is when people say that they trust me.
What piece of advice would you give a new entrepreneur who's just starting out?
I've been asked this question before and my answer is "get a job". And that's a controversial answer. But what I have found is that when you have an income and you're not freaking out about how to pay the bills, you are much better able to grow that business that you're passionate about on the side, and then you can kind of ease out of your job and make your passion more full-time.
When you have no money coming in, and you're freaking out, you're not attracting people to that business that you're trying to launch. And so I think getting a job or having some kind of financial support is crucial in launching something new.
And now, the famous questionnaire that was asked for 26 years by the great Bernard Pivot and made famous on In The Actors Studio:
What is your favorite word?
Probably the word I use the most is "awesome," but I don't know that that's necessarily my favorite word. I like bigger words like, "stupendous," and "marvelous," and "terrific." I like "terrific" a lot because it reminds me of Tigger.
What is your least favorite word?
My least favorite word is "can't," and my least favorite combination of words is "I have to." Because people abdicate their power when they use those words.
What turns you on creatively, emotionally, or spiritually?
I think what gets me most excited creatively, emotionally, spiritually would be the magnificence of nature. I think this planet is amazing. Whatever organizing intelligence created all of this is... It's mind-blowing when you think about mountains, and waterfalls, and great trees. I really love trees. I hug trees, actually. And so I think that's what gets me most excited is just to see the magnificence of nature.
What turns you off?
Neediness turns me off. I'm not good with needy people. I'm not good with needy attitudes. It's very much a repellent for me. I understand puppies and babies are gonna be needy for a period of time, but I feel like once you're an adult, I can't deal with people being needy.
What is your favorite curse word?
I'm not sure when this started or why, but my favorite curse word is "Jesus on a bicycle." And when I think about it, because I analyze things all the time, and when I think about like, why do I like that so much?
Part of it is Jesus was a great expression of human potential. And usually when you're swearing, you're swearing because people are not living up to their potential. And the image of Jesus riding a bicycle just cracks me up. So it kinda diffuses whatever situation is causing me to swear in the first place.
And then to make it even funnier, when I was in Mexico a couple years ago, I started saying it in Spanish. So Jesus en bicicleta is even more hilarious. So, that's my favorite swear.
What sound or noise do you love?
I love the sound of someone speaking English with a Spanish accent. It's such a pretty sound to me that I've always enjoyed it. I used to have a friend whose mom was from Panama and she, you know, spoke English with this beautiful, Spanish accent and she would say, "Stop making fun of me," and I'm like, "But I love listening to you." It just sounds so pretty to me.
What sound or noise do you hate?
You know when you're at a stoplight, and there's a vehicle somewhere in your vicinity and it has this thumping bass and it makes your brain throb? There have actually been studies done that it makes people homicidal. I really hate that noise.
What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?
I wish that I had back in maybe 1996 pursued a career in travel and food and had my own show on a travel network or a food network. Because I love to travel and I love food.
What profession would you not like to do?
I've had so many jobs. And I usually enjoy them... Oh. I definitely would not like to work in a hospital. I feel like you're just surrounded by hopelessness and you're watching people die and that would not be a good job for me.
If Heaven exists what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
I believe that we live multiple lifetimes so I think whoever's in charge of whatever's going on, when I get there, is gonna give me a high five and say, "Good job! In your next life, you get to be a golden retriever in a really good home."
[Jodi]: Thank you for being with us today, Dr. Shelly.
[Dr. Shelly]: Thank you, Jodi. It was really a wonderful opportunity.
And thank you for watching. Join us for the next episode of In the Studio with Calamity Jane, where we put another amazing woman from Las Vegas in the spotlight.
I'd also like to give an extra little thank you to Gigi from Gigi's Rockin' Jewels, for our fabulous accessories today.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel, so you don't miss an episode, and Like us on Facebook!
