Meet Joey Mattina of Peak Wellness

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joey Mattina.

Hi Joey, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I always wanted to be a doctor, but I didn’t believe in myself as a child or teenager and had a lot of confidence and self-esteem issues that stemmed from being repeatedly sexually abused by a man when I was 5 and 6 years old.

Lacking belief in myself, I never really put forth the necessary effort in school.

I knew I enjoyed working with patients and helping them feel better, and as a teenager, I gained experience working at a physical therapy clinic my best friend’s mom owned.

In college, I continued to struggle with self-worth issues. I majored in Biology and took most of the classes required for medical school without actually believing I could do it. I graduated with a 2.9 gpa.

I moved to Los Angeles after graduating, went through what at the time felt like a life-ending breakup, and drowned in a cycle of self-doubt and sorrow for about a year.

One night, while sitting in my room (which was a small living room sectioned off from the kitchen of a townhouse), I decided I had had enough. I was sick of myself and the way I was living.

I made the decision then and there to go back to school and become a surgeon. I signed up for classes at university, completed three semesters of post-baccalaureate study, and raised my overall gpa to over 3.7. Within two years of that lowly night in my room, I got accepted into medical school. Receiving the acceptance letter was the best day of my life.

And then, I hurt my back. I was diving from a small cliff into the Kern River, deep in the wilderness of the Southern Sierra mountains in California. I twisted as I hit the water and felt my legs go numb, I floated down the river for a few seconds, unable to feel my body. I was relieved when my legs and arms started moving and I was able to pull myself onto the shore.

My back was hurt, but I didn’t have health insurance or a dollar to my name, so I lived in pain for months.

A friend of mine recommended I go see a famous Beverly Hills chiropractor, Dr. Dennis Colonello. I had never been to a chiropractor, and I resisted going for weeks. Finally, unable to play sports or work out, I went with my friend to see him.

What happened in Dr. Colonello’s office changed my life. He gazed over me and asked me to lay down. He closed his eyes, grabbed my ankles, and gave them a wiggle. He said he needed to move something in my spine and positioned himself at the side of the table. He rolled me onto my side with enormous hands and placed one hand under my spine. He asked me to breathe in, and as I breathed out he delivered a powerful thrust to my lower back, sending an existential wave throughout my body. It scared the shit out of me!

I remember thinking what he had done was worse than the initial injury, but within a few seconds I realized that he hadn’t paralyzed me like it felt. I got up, bent forward, sideways, and twisted. The pain that had felt like a knife stabbing my spine for months was gone. I was dumbfounded. I was relieved. I was inspired.

I knew right then and there that this was what I wanted to do. It was an undeniable knowing, a deep feeling that I had found my calling. Two weeks later, I gave up my medical school seat and applied to become a chiropractor.

Dr. Colonello took me under his wing and spent the next few years teaching me his methods as I progressed through school. I have spent the last three years working in his clinic and growing my own practice.

Changing my life path and listening to my intuition was one of the best decisions of my life, and I absolutely love healing others through physical touch – something that started out as a major trauma in my life.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It’s been relatively smooth! There were the basic struggles of figuring out how to pay for college, build self-esteem, and commute to class, but nothing extraordinary. Most of the struggles I described in the “my story” section.

We’ve been impressed with Peak Wellness of Beverly Hills, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our office was started by chiropractor-to-the-stars Dennis Colonello many years ago. I am also a chiropractor and my number 1 goal is getting people out of pain.

Most patients that come through the office describe it as being an experience they haven’t had anywhere else. I just try and do things the way I would want done if I were a patient.

We offer a private, intimate setting for patients to be 1 on 1 with their doctor for up to an hour. I spend the full session with each client performing movement assessments, myofascial release, skeletal alignments, stretches, and oftentimes exercises to not only get the patient out of pain but to improve their function and confidence in their bodies.

I work with athletes, including the Los Angeles Clippers and the LA Kings sports teams, and serve the general population as well. I’m most proud of the range of patients I am able to treat – from athletes of the highest caliber to patients who are dealing with stress and experiencing psychosomatic pains.

I love making people feel safe, seen, and being a positive catalyst on their healing journeys.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
It’s already been happening at a rapid pace, but more and more medical and holistic practices are becoming cash practices.

Unfortunately, this is because insurance companies are a nightmare to work with not only for patients but for providers as well.

This is a drag, as what this does is make quality care unreachable for many people.

On the positive side, what we have also been seeing is an integration of medical and holistic practices, such as a chiropractor, medical doctor, and personal trainer all under the same roof. This combination of services can help people spend less time and money going to see all of their different providers.

Pricing:

• Office visit $200
• Home visit $400

Contact Info:

• Email: joeymattina@gmail.com
• Website: www.drjoeymattina.com
• Instagram: @joeymattina

Image Credits:
Maria Jose Govea Stephano Motta