FACES OF LIFE
“ Give Yourself Grace ”
Dr . Nicole McCarty
Alumni : Doctor of Chiropractic Former Life University Adjunct Faculty
Family is very important to Life University alumna Dr . Nicole McCarty . In addition to raising her toddler daughter , Dr . McCarty is a caregiver to her grandparents and her mother , who is in remission from multiple myeloma . She also runs her own practice as an integrative health doctor and wellness coach , helping people with a wide range of concerns including fitness , nutrition and stress management . Dr . McCarty ’ s interest in health and her experience as a teacher and coach eventually led her to Life U .
“ I knew I loved neurology . I loved how the brain worked , and I loved how the body worked . I knew I wanted to pursue my doctorate . I just didn ’ t know what avenue to take ,” Dr . McCarty explained . “ I was in Orlando , and I was coaching girls ’ track and field and weightlifting while I was down there . One of the area chiropractors would come and adjust the girls .”
At the time , Dr . McCarty was unfamiliar with Chiropractic .
“ I didn ’ t really know anything about it , but he suggested I give it a try , and I did ,” she recalled . “ My hip pains – I haven ’ t had those issues since then , and they were debilitating . They would put me on my back ; they were that bad . He said to me one day , ‘ You know , you were born to do this .’ So he handed me a packet for Life U and said , ‘ A year from now , this is where you ’ re going to be .’ And I laughed , like , ‘ I ’ m not moving to Georgia , sir !’ But a year from that , I was moving to Georgia , so never say never ! And it was the best decision ever .”
While at the University , Dr . McCarty completed both the D . C . program and earned a Master of Science in Sport Health Science ( SHS ), focusing on Sport Injury Management and Sport Chiropractic . She was also a Student Ambassador and later spent five years as an adjunct faculty member in SHS and Clinical Sciences . Now , she considers Life U to be part of her family .
“ When you ’ re at any company , the best teams and the best environments are the ones that foster a culture where you invest in the vision of the visionary .”
“ I love the students . As goofy and free-loving as I am right now , I ’ m the same way in the classroom ,” she said . “ It makes it fun when I ’ m helping them to attain their goals and reach their goals , and teaching them new concepts . You might as well just make it fun , make it entertaining and of course , I would also infuse my real-world experiences . When I was a student , I had certain professors who did that with me , and I really valued that . The ones who still stick out and made an impact were just authentically who they were .”
Dr . McCarty said that authenticity can be seen across the Life U community , grounded by the University ’ s guiding principle of Lasting Purpose .
“ When you ’ re at any company , the best teams and the best environments are the ones that foster a culture where you invest in the vision of the visionary ,” she explained . “ I invested in the vision and the principles — to give , love , serve , do , out of your own abundance . Those were a part of my core principles I think before I arrived , so it just gave life to them , being in that environment , which as a student was great . I was able to serve as a Student Ambassador and still experience Life U as a student and do all these things . I just loved it so much , so when I was asked to teach , I was like , ‘ Absolutely ! I ’ d love to !’ I wanted to be one of those professors who made a difference in the lives of students . Students would say , ‘ You know what , Doc ? You really helped me .’ And I think I did that .”
While everyone is living increasingly busy lives , Dr . McCarty ’ s advice is , “ Give yourself grace .”
“ There ’ s a lot of pressure to do a lot of things ,” she said . “ You have to give yourself grace to just exist from one moment to the next . We all have a list of , like , ten million things on our to-do list , so if you accomplish just one , then you ’ ve made progress . Every day is not going to look the same . One day you might accomplish one ; one day you might accomplish 12 , but just take each moment as it comes and give yourself grace .”
64 Alumni . LIFE . edu | 2021