Most people mistake D.C. in Dr. Letitia Wright’s name for a nod to growing up or residing in the District of Columbia. Imagine their shock and surprise to realize they are talking to a Doctor of Chiropractic Care. Dr. Wright, a 20-year veteran of the television industry and Top 100 Crowdfunding Consultant, never intended to start a company. Her path and dreams were set in stone at the age of three when she announced to her family and friends that she wanted to be a doctor.
“My family is extremely supportive. One of my cousins is a judge, and my family supports her by sitting in her courtroom, hoping to watch her bang her gavel,” she says. “When I announced that I wanted to be a Doctor at a young age, my family immediately sought to support me.”Wright said
However, she soon learned support would be hard to obtain. After graduating from Chiropractic College from Cleveland Chiropractic College of Los Angeles. Dr. Wright opened her practice, wide-eyed and excited to serve patients as she always dreamed of. She loved serving her clients and easing their pain. Despite raving reviews as a practitioner, her practice struggled financially. Wanting to learn the ropes of running a successful practice, she reached out for mentorship and resources from nearby physicians in hopes of learning from them.
“I was always good at serving clients,” Dr. Wright said, “But no one had ever prepared me for the business component of running a successful medical practice.”
As she looked for help, flurries of excuses fluttered in, ranging from men telling her to “go be home with her children” and to give up or women remarking she was “too nearby” to mentor her, despite being multiple towns away.
“I’ll never forget how excited I was when the practice management company called. I just knew they were going to help me. Grabbing a pen and a paper, I picked up the phone and got ready to jot some notes down. I was shocked when they told me that I didn’t make enough money to be one of their clients and that they couldn’t help me.”
With no resources or support, she closed the doors of her practice.
She was facing a pivot: a point where you could either turn around and retreat or move forward.
“Whenever I meet someone being faced with a pivot or career change, I always encourage them to take an inventory of their skills and specialties. Are you excellent with customer service? Do you have a passion for sales? Knowing my strengths, and weaknesses, was crucial to my successful pivot,” Dr. Wright states, “Knowing your abilities will help you translate them into another industry.”
She encourages any women facing a fork in the road to reflect on their identity separate from their profession and focus on the areas in which they excel. Building on those areas and growing in them is key to getting back up after a major disappointment or loss.
Heartbroken and needing revenue, she thought back to a local guest spot she took on a television program where she lived in Los Angeles, California. With little formal background, she jumped into the world of television hosting: taking her skill of communication to a new level.
She created the television program- Wright Place TV— which she has hosted and produced for the past 25 years. She credits translating her skill of communication to being the cause of her successful pivot.
“When I was handed my first $1000 check, a light bulb went off in my head,” Wright said, “and I realized this truly could be a business! I went all in, and within three years, my show was making consistent money and squarely in the black.”
Dr. Wright considers her story one of using your strengths and skills each time you shift and transition. To her, a pivot could be described as “Taking what you have and applying those skills to a new industry or way of thinking. You don’t always have to tear everything down and start over, because with a pivot, you are starting from wisdom and experience.”
When asked what strategy for seamless pivots she would share, Dr. Wright said, “Be open to the idea that all of your experiences can lead to an incredibly exciting pivot and realization of your new dreams.”
