One year into ownership, Palmer graduate Bianca Prentis, D.C. is already opening the door for the next graduate
One year into owning Golden Hour Chiropractic in Elgin, Illinois, Bianca Prentis, D.C. (‘19), knows exactly what she’s most proud of.
“More than anything, I’m proud that I took the leap of faith and did it,” she said.
Dr. Prentis opened Golden Hour with a clear vision for what she wanted the practice to be.
“I opened Golden Hour with a lot of intention around not only the experience we create for patients, but also the experience we create for the people who work here,” she said.
She’s especially proud of the culture and brand she and her team are building, one grounded in the belief that health care can feel approachable rather than intimidating.
“It doesn’t have to feel scary, stuffy, intimidating or hopeless,” she said. “Patients can feel heard, hopeful and empowered to take back some control over their health.”
That kind of intentionality hasn’t come without a learning curve. Dr. Prentis describes her first year as an owner as a crash course in adaptability.
“The biggest challenge has been realizing how quickly you have to pivot and that, at the end of the day, what works and what doesn’t ultimately falls on you,” she said. “That level of ownership and accountability is something I think I’ll continue learning for the rest of my career, but it also constantly pushes me to become a better version of myself.”
She’s leaned on two things to navigate that first year: a business coaching community and a circle of fellow practice owners she built intentionally, some local and some across the country. The coaching community has helped her with the tangible, behind-the-scenes work of ownership, marketing, strategy, team development, billing and admin, but she says the mindset component has mattered just as much.
“There is a lot of focus on elevating yourself as a person, which ultimately makes you a better provider, leader and business owner,” she said.
Her peer network of other practice owners has been just as important, giving her people to brainstorm with and learn from.
“I think entrepreneurship can feel very isolating if you try to figure everything out alone,” she said. “Surrounding myself with people who challenge me, support me and share ideas has been a major part of my growth.”
Finding Her Way to Chiropractic
Dr. Prentis didn’t grow up dreaming of chiropractic. She grew up dreaming of gymnastics. It was a hip surgery during her sophomore year of high school, and the health care provider who helped her find her way back, that led her toward the path she’s on today.
“When it felt like me getting better mattered almost as much to them as it did to me, it gave me hope,” she said. “I knew I wanted to create that feeling for someone else someday.”
She majored in kinesiology at the University of Illinois, where a family conversation about chiropractic care, and a chance introduction to a chiropractor near campus, sparked her curiosity. That curiosity turned into commitment after she shadowed Caitlin Painchaud, D.C. (`14), a chiropractor whose energy and impact on patients left a lasting impression.
“I walked into her office and felt the energy immediately,” Dr. Prentis said. “I remember thinking, this is it. I need to do this.”
During her final trimester at Palmer College, Dr. Prentis completed the VA clerkship in Des Moines, Iowa, an experience she calls one of the highlights of her education. There, she worked alongside Cael Halfman, D.C. (`19), and trained under Nate Hinkeldey, D.C. (`11), and Heather Meeks, D.C. (`18).
“It was truly invaluable. I still reflect on that training almost every day in practice,” she said. “It strengthened my history-taking, clinical decision-making, diagnostic skills, patient communication and, maybe most importantly, my confidence as a health care provider.”
The impact of that clerkship has stayed with her well beyond graduation. Dr. Prentis recently reached out to Dr. Hinkeldey just to thank him again.
“He’s a brilliant chiropractor, but an even better teacher, and the investment they made in both their patients and our growth as future doctors changed the trajectory of my career,” she said.
The VA also gave her a firsthand look at multidisciplinary care in action, with different providers working from a shared goal of giving each patient the best possible outcome.
“I loved getting that hands-on experience, and I also really enjoyed helping train and support the students who came through after me,” she said.
That instinct toward mentorship has stayed with her ever since.
Building the Skills for Ownership
The multidisciplinary environment she experienced at the VA shaped the first position she took after graduation, where she worked alongside massage therapists, acupuncturists, functional medicine providers and rehab professionals.
From there, Dr. Prentis moved through several chiropractic organizations, first as an associate and later as a clinic director, roles that gave her a much broader view of what it takes to run a practice than clinical care alone.
“Those experiences helped me understand insurance, care planning, patient communication, systems and eventually leadership,” she said. “Becoming a clinic director taught me how important it is for an entire team to understand the mission and work together toward the patient’s success.”
Every one of those roles, she said, shows up in how she practices and leads at Golden Hour today.
“I can see pieces of every one of those experiences in the way I practice and lead Golden Hour,” she said.
Opening the Door for New Graduates
Now, Dr. Prentis is hiring her first associate, and she’s specifically interested in bringing on a newer graduate.
“I’m still close enough to being a new grad myself that I remember what that transition felt like, while also having enough experience now to give someone exposure to a lot more than just patient care,” she said.
Someone joining her at Golden Hour wouldn’t just build clinical skills. They’d see the full picture of what it takes to run a practice: marketing, community outreach, patient communication, systems, administration, branding, hiring and leadership.
“I genuinely love teaching, training and watching a team grow,” she said. “My own early mentorship had such a profound impact on my confidence and the trajectory of my career, and I would love the opportunity to be that person for somebody else.”
This conviction traces straight back to Palmer’s alumni network. From Dr. Painchaud’s early mentorship to the guidance of fellow graduates like Drs. Halfman, Hinkeldey and Meeks during her VA clerkship, Dr. Prentis says Palmer alumni have shaped nearly every stage of her career. Now, as she builds her own team at Golden Hour, she’s ready to be that person for the next graduate.
The Moments That Remind Her Why
Ask Dr. Prentis about a patient who’s stuck with her, and she doesn’t hesitate. A patient came to her with a stiff, painful neck and mentioned, almost dismissively, that she’d also lived with chronic migraines for years, despite trying medications and injections.
“I asked if she would be open to exploring whether some of what we were seeing in her neck, posture and movement could potentially be contributing,” Dr. Prentis said.
After a care plan focused on mobility, posture and stability, the patient reported she hadn’t had a single migraine.
“She was absolutely dumbfounded,” Dr. Prentis said. “Seeing someone realize that her future could potentially look different than she had assumed was one of the coolest moments I’ve had as a chiropractor, and a reminder of why a thorough history and looking at the whole patient matters so much.”
A Vision for What’s Next
Dr. Prentis already offers massage therapy at Golden Hour and brings in an acupuncturist for special services. Long term, she envisions a full-circle wellness destination incorporating chiropractic, rehab, massage, acupuncture, nutrition and recovery services, all in one space built around health, prevention and community.
“I love the idea of multidisciplinary collaboration where everyone is ultimately working toward the same thing: helping the patient,” she said.
Her Advice for Current Students
For students weighing what comes after graduation, Dr. Prentis has one piece of advice above the rest: listen to your gut.
“If you feel incredibly strongly that you want to open your own practice right away, I believe you can find a way to make it work,” she said. “But if what you really want is more time to grow as a provider, choose a position that offers more than a paycheck. Look for mentorship, exposure and an environment that will deepen your understanding of both chiropractic and patient care.”
She also encourages students to stay open-minded, even when a first job doesn’t turn out the way they expected.
“Every experience teaches you more about who you are, how you want to serve people and what type of chiropractor you ultimately want to become,” she said.
