Friday Focus #72: Say His Name, Harvey Lillard (The Story Your Chiropractic Team Should Know)

Friday Focus #72 · One quick win your chiropractic team can run today

Before you scroll... say this name out loud. Harvey Lillard.

Sometimes we get so busy doing the WORK of chiropractic, we forget we're part of something much bigger than today's schedule.

Harvey Lillard was the man who received what's recognized as the first chiropractic adjustment. It happened in Davenport, Iowa, on September 18, 1895, when Daniel David (D.D.) Palmer adjusted a vertebra in Lillard's back. Lillard was a janitor in the building where Palmer had his office, and by Palmer's account he had been deaf for 17 years... and his hearing returned. That's why September 18 is celebrated as Chiropractic Day. Today's focus is simple: say his name, learn his story, and tell it to four people before the day is over.

If you're a D.C. reading this, there's a part below just for you. And if you're a C.A. reading this, whether you've been in chiropractic for 20 years or 20 days... you're part of this story too. 🎯

Evergreen note: this Focus first went out on September 18, 2026, Chiropractic Day. The story works on any day of the year... and the 18th of September is the perfect day to start.

The Harvey Lillard story (the short version your team can tell)

Here's the version you can tell in 60 seconds at the front desk.

In 1895, Harvey Lillard worked as a janitor in the Ryan Block in Davenport, Iowa... the same building where D.D. Palmer had his office. According to Palmer's own account, Lillard had been so deaf for 17 years that he couldn't hear the rumble of a wagon on the street.

Lillard told Palmer that when it happened, he had been exerting himself in a cramped, stooping position, felt something give way in his back, and immediately lost his hearing.

Palmer examined his spine, found a vertebra that seemed out of place, and adjusted it. In Palmer's words, "Mr. Lillard can hear today as well as other men."

That moment became the story chiropractic was built on.

Two footnotes worth knowing, because a good storyteller knows them. Historians have questioned whether the adjustment happened on that exact date (it may have been a different day, or even the following year), but September 18 is the day traditionally celebrated. The first global Chiropractic Day was marked in 1928, and in 1952 the U.S. Congressional Record recognized September 18 as Chiropractic Day. (Source: Claire D. Johnson, "Chiropractic Day: A Historical Review of a Day Worth Celebrating," Journal of Chiropractic Humanities, 2020.)

So pause here for a second. Could everyone on your team tell that story right now? Without looking it up?

Today's focus: say his name (do this TODAY)

1. Say his name out loud: Harvey Lillard.
2. Don't know his story? Take 60 seconds and read the short version above.
3. Tell ONE person the story before your next task today.
4. Tell three more before today's over. A coworker, a patient, a friend, whoever's around. Four people total.
5. End with this: "And today, you're part of that story too."

That last line is the whole reason we do this. Does that make sense?

Why a 131 year old story still matters at your front desk

Truth over comfort... it's really easy for chiropractic to turn into a list of tasks. Check in. Check out. Confirm. Reschedule. Run the card. Answer the phone. Do it again tomorrow.

And somewhere in all that doing, people can forget why any of it matters.

That's what Harvey's story does. It reconnects your team to the WHY. One man. One adjustment. One life changed... and a whole profession that grew out of it.

And here's my favorite part. When your C.A. tells that story to a patient, the patient isn't just hearing history. They're hearing that they belong to something too. That their care is part of a story that started 131 years ago in a building in Iowa.

A patient who understands the WHY behind chiropractic is a patient who understands why they're coming back next week. Story is how belief gets passed from one person to the next.

Why I keep coming back to this one (a quick story)

Okay, little behind the scenes... this isn't the first time I've made Harvey Lillard a Friday Focus. I did it last September too.

And it's not just a social media thing for me. Telling the Harvey Lillard story is one of the weekly action steps inside my C3 Certification program.

Why? Because a C.A. who sees their job as "the front desk" talks about care one way. A C.A. who sees it as part of a 131 year story about people getting their lives back talks about it completely differently. Same person. Same desk. Different belief.

That's the proof this is available to YOUR team too. It doesn't take a big training. It takes one story, told on purpose, by people who believe it.

For my D.C.s reading this

With love, Doc... you probably know this story by heart. Maybe you heard it on day one of chiropractic school. Does your team?

If you're the D.C. whose team feels a little flat lately, going through the motions and doing the tasks without the fire, this is the simplest reset you'll ever run. You can't hand someone your why. You CAN hand them the story that gave you yours.

And if you're the D.C. who's already crushing it (full schedule, strong numbers, a team that runs well)... this one's for you too. High performing teams burn out when the work stops meaning something. A 60 second story is a pretty small price to keep the meaning alive.

So here's the task you hand your C.A. today:

"Today, tell the Harvey Lillard story to four people... a teammate, two patients, and anyone else. End with 'and today, you're part of that story too.' Tell me before you clock out who you told and what they said back."

Then at Monday's huddle, ask out loud: "Who told Harvey's story this week, and what did the patient say?"

And one gentle frame, with love... sharing the why with your team is delegating the mission. Assuming they already feel it is abdicating it. Trust them with the story. Keep asking the question.

For my C.A.s reading this 🤗

This is your permission slip to LEAD, not just work.

You are not now, nor will you ever be, "just the front desk." You're part of a 131 year story about people getting their lives back. Harvey's story is YOUR story too.

And telling it doesn't have to feel like a history lesson. Try something like: "Fun fact... did you know chiropractic started with a janitor named Harvey Lillard? Can I tell you his story real quick?" Most patients will lean right in. People love a good story.

Then end it the way we practiced: "And today, you're part of that story too." Watch their face when you say it.

Who's the first person you're telling today?

Another Friday vs. a Friday that means something

❌ Some teams let the day pass like any other Friday.
✅ Connected chiropractic teams stop long enough to remember where this all started... and let their team and their patients know they're part of something bigger too.

So which one is your office? Are you the team that knows the tasks... or the team that knows the story?

Frequently asked questions

Who was Harvey Lillard?
Harvey Lillard was a janitor in Davenport, Iowa, and the first recognized chiropractic patient. On September 18, 1895, D.D. Palmer adjusted a vertebra in Lillard's back. According to Palmer's account, Lillard had been deaf for 17 years and his hearing returned after the adjustment.

Why is September 18 Chiropractic Day?
September 18, 1895 is the date traditionally given for D.D. Palmer's first adjustment of Harvey Lillard. The first global Chiropractic Day was celebrated in 1928, and the U.S. Congressional Record recognized it in 1952. Historians note the exact date has been questioned, but September 18 remains the day chiropractic celebrates its beginning.

Who gave the first chiropractic adjustment?
Daniel David (D.D.) Palmer, in his office in the Ryan Block in Davenport, Iowa. He later founded the Palmer School of Chiropractic.

How can a chiropractic team celebrate Chiropractic Day?
Keep it simple and human. Have every team member say Harvey Lillard's name, learn the story, and tell it to four people that day (teammates, patients, friends), ending with "and today, you're part of that story too." It reconnects your team to the why and helps patients feel part of something bigger.

Your one move before you close the tab

You don't need a history lesson. You just need to say his name.

Harvey Lillard. Then tell four people why it matters. That's today's assignment.

The tasks keep the office running. The story keeps your team believing.

🎯 Ready for a team that knows the WHY behind every task?

1. Bring me in to coach your team directly. If you want a team that leads every patient conversation from the why, let's talk about what that looks like for your office. Book a no-charge consult and you'll walk away with one clear next step whether or not we work together → calendly.com/miranda-califecoaching/30min

2. Keep the why alive every day. Inside the Connected Community, your team gets Morning Momentum... a short leadership message every weekday morning, plus two live calls a month and a community of 200+ C.A.s who love this profession as much as you do → chiropracticassistantcoach.com/chiropractic-assistant-coaching-membership

3. Certify your team in the C3 method. Connect → Commit → Consistently Collect is my 90 day certification, and telling the Harvey Lillard story is one of the weekly action steps inside it → chiropracticassistantcoach.com/chiropractic-assistant-training

4. Forward this to your team. Copy this blog's URL and send it to your team with one honest question: "Could you tell Harvey Lillard's story in 60 seconds?" Let their answers start Monday's huddle.

If you liked this Focus, you might also like Friday Focus #66: Busy Isn't the Same as Focused... because the busiest teams are the ones who need the why the most.

New Friday Focus every Friday. One quick win your chiropractic team can run today (TGIF... Today's Goal Is Focused). Let's grow. 🌱

- Miranda | Founder, The Connected Chiropractic Assistant