Prune. Focus. Regulate: A Polyvagal Fall Reset for Your Chiropractic Practice

After a short summer hiatus, Dr. Don MacDonald returns with a nervous-system-forward reset for the season. We unpack how to balance predictability without stagnation, why co-regulation is your real growth engine, and how to prune distractions so your adjusting gets more focused, consistent, and effective.

What you’ll learn

• Why “boring consistency” (predictable, regulated presence) builds trust and retention

• How polyvagal theory explains connection vs. “going through the motions”

• A fall reset playbook: from unstructured summer to clear routines

• Pruning non-essentials to free up focus and volume

• Training a new grad/locum while preserving flow, priorities, and connection

• Practical co-regulation cues you can use table-side—no scripts

Chapters

0:00 -1:00 Welcome back & why we pause in summer

1:11 -1:20 Predictability vs. stagnation (polyvagal lens)

2:30 -3:50 Seasonal reset: routines, families, and stressors

7:49 - 8:00 Pruning distractions to sharpen adjusting

8:40 - 9:10 Training the new chiropractor & maintaining connection

10:54 - 11:50 September game plan + what’s coming next including "Healing the Chiropractor"

Upcoming on the podcast

• Dr. Kelly Holt (New Zealand College of Chiropractic): research & AI in chiropractic

• Dr. Peter Amlinger: philosophy + nervous-system-forward practice (Toronto Super Conference)

Links & resources

• The Informed Chiropractor Super Conference — Toronto, Dec 6: https://www.theinformedchiropractor.com/toronto

• Join The Informed Chiropractor mentorship waitlist: https://www.theinformedchiropractor.com/the-informed-chiropractor

• Free “Intro to the Polyvagal Lens” (for Chiropractors): https://www.theinformedchiropractor.com/introduction-to-chiropractic-through-a-polyvagal-lens

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