By CHIROSUSHI In CHIROPRACTIC SUCCESS, INTERVIEW
Growing up Sigafoose wasn’t easy. It still isn’t. But it’s worth it.
And Dr. Carey Neal Pabouet-Sigafoose probably wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s never a breeze being a ChiroKid. Try being the son of a Chiropractic legend. You put up with a lot of shit. You’re given a bunch of shit. Let’s just suppose, there is a lot of shit.
From defending your parents, to defending Chiropractic, and ultimately defending yourself to your parents, it can be exhausting. A ChiroKid is a true warrior.
Carey Sigafoose is a Warrior
He’d have to be to grow up the son of this man.
After, years of battles with his soul and his namesake, Carey Sigafoose is on a mission to serve Chiropractic and preserve his father’s legacy.
Dr. Carey Sigafoose is the youngest son of Dr. James Sigafoose and one of the 8 chiropractors spanning two generations, if you include extended family, there are 12 of us and a 3rd generation is entering college now. A graduate of the University of Florida and Life University, he started practicing in Baltimore, Maryland in 1997. In 2011 he took a sabbatical and moved to Cape Cod, Massachusetts and then took off to travel through Central and South America for a year, adding the 6th of 7 continents in which he has traveled and explored.
Something draws you to Carey. Yes, it might be his last name. Yes, it might be the strong resemblance to his father. And yes, he probably knows it. But, there is something else, so charming and so wise about this man – you just want to know more. So we at ChiroSushi sought out more Sigafoose!
We sat down with Dr. Sigafoose to talk his goals and vision for the Sigafoose name and what it was like reviving a legend after his death.
ChiroSushi: What was it like growing up the son of Jim Sigafoose?
Carey Sigafoose: I never listened to my father. He’s my DAD. His words of wisdom to me were ‘Take out the trash’ or ‘Don’t touch my fucking car’ (laughing) ‘No you can’t have $20’. You know, he’s my Dad. He was a jackass and pissed me off all the time.
But then I started listening to his work. It was all going to just to disappear. My mom was worn out. She told me ‘Do whatever you want.’ So I started digitizing all his work on VHS, Beta, and cassette tapes and I started listening, and I was like ‘Wow, he’s pretty cool’.
What has the experience of getting to know your father better been like for you as you have relaunched his material in the social media age?
I still have arguments with him because I still think he’s wrong about a lot of stuff. But, when it pertained to Chiropractic, I was like ‘Ok, I can see why people liked him. I can understand why people came up to me to ask me what it’s like to be the son of Sigafoose’. It made sense to me now.
Which is what brought you to bringing all his work to and launching Sigafoose.com right?
I was like, wait, if I understand this, and I’m his son who fought him every step of the way on everything from; him being a Republican and I’m a Democrat; him being a Christian and I’m an atheist; he’s straight, and I’m gay. He was a straight Chiropractor and guess what I became? A mixer. If I can get what he’s saying, if I can pass that divide, then anyone can. Because the information he has is worthwhile to listen to and that’s where it came from, and that’s what I’m trying to do.
Do you think history is important in Chiropractic?
I’ll put in today’s terms. People keep on saying we’re following the Constitution. The constitution is just a piece of paper. But, it is a living, breathing document meant to change with the times. But, there are certain things in it that hold the truth. Those things we cannot forget. And that’s how I feel about Chiropractic. There are some basic truths from DD to BJ to Sid and Parker, and everyone in between said that are truths. Should things change with the time? Yes. But there are certain things that shouldn’t change.
Carey Sigafoose is a Disrupter
His goal is to make his father’s work readily available to the next generation of Chiropractors. He wants them to know and understand where their past came from, like himself.
You are gay and an atheist in a profession that has strong conservative and Christian ties. How does the profession embrace you?
You know, I’m a Sigafoose. I got that card. I never play that card. I’ve been going to Chiropractic meetings since I was a little boy. I’ve been around the profession my whole life. I might not be the most famous Chiropractor out there, but they know my name, and they’ve heard of me from my Dad sharing crazy stories about me.
Does the apple fall far from the tree? Do you see yourself traveling and speaking like your father?
I like to travel for fun. But I like doing my blogs. I like doing SigTalks. If I’m called upon, I don’t think I would turn it down, though.
Can you tell us more about the relaunching of your father’s material? What are your goals?
I’d like to get this material in the students’ hands and ears. We have all of my father’s products, years of material valued over $10,000, and we have it curated for our community on a drip program for only $99 a month. We have all of his recordings from his consultation calls.For students, it’s only $25 a month. 60 years of product for $25 a month for students.
Did any of your father’s colleagues or other DC’s come after you or accuse you of making a buck off your father’s name?
Yeah. All of them! They would say it’s too soon, or it’s this or that, and I would say ‘You obviously didn’t know my father.’ He would say “DO IT.” Some people told me I should give this all away, but by that line of thinking I should be able to go to DE for free because Sid is dead, I should be able to go to Parker for free because Jim Parker is dead and I should be able to go to school for free because DD and BJ are dead. You didn’t know my dad. My dad would have sold me if he could make a buck off of me. I told them to go fuck themselves and move on.
What do you think of Parker Seminars now?
I love that it is in Vegas once a year, because it is a fun place to go.
But now you have the ChiroSushi Summit in Vegas?
Oh yeah. Definitely. They (Parker) kicked my Dad out because of his philosophy. They stopped bringing him in as a speaker. They are, in my opinion, along the route of becoming more medical. I hate that people lump Chiropractic in with medicine. We are not medicine. Vitalistic care is not health care.
Tell us about your practice
I just did my first ‘Dinner with Doc’ instead I do ‘Pizza and Beer’ with Doc. It’s more fun! It turned out great. I do all cash; I don’t do insurance. I do $100 a month unlimited care. I’m happy with what I can offer my community. There are those who say I’m bastardizing the profession, but I don’t think so at all. I’m helping more. I don’t need much. You might need to charge $60 a visit, but I don’t.
What do you think could get more people using Chiropractic?
Telling the truth.
What’s the truth to you?
Yes, we help with backaches, necks, and strains. That is a happy side effect of what we do. But at the end of the day, it’s allowing what the body needs to do first, and that is to take care of itself without interference. Are we against medicine? No. My dad was taking drugs at the end to stay alive. Are we against surgery? No. My father had six stents put in his heart. But what we are saying is Chiropractic first, medicine second and surgery last. And if we said that, and that alone, then I think people would start getting the idea.
Carey Sigafoose is an Optimist
Are you concerned about how divided Chiropractic has become? From political to spiritual to even subluxation?
No. Honestly, as much as we are fractured in mixers and straights. We are split between Republicans and Democrats. For every person that tries to get rid of Subluxation in Chiropractic, there is another one in another office who will hug a tree with you regarding your Subluxation. I’m a total optimist.
Anything else?
At the end of the day, I’m probably doing Sigafoose.com and SigTalks because I want to get to know this man, who was my dad. I will never agree with everything he says as you will hear in my next episode. He was a great man. He got on stage not to tell you who he is but to tell you what he wishes he was. I never understood that. Because every day I tried to be a better son to a dad that didn’t know me, a better brother to sisters and brothers that I don’t talk to that much, a better Chiropractor, a better husband. You know, life is about bettering yourself, and that’s what I’m trying to do with Sigafoose.com – Not just for the betterment of my father but the profession.
Want more Sigafoose? Get monthly Sigafoose On Demand
(P.S. If you sign up for the Student ($25) or DC ($99) Sigafoose program we will send you 2 Free Tickets to the ChiroSushi Summit in Las Vegas – just send an email to info@chirosushi.com with your receipt and we’ll hook you up with this $400 value!)
