Douglass Toth '91 | Creating Relationships as a Business Model

Cardinal Newman '95
California State College, Humboldt '01 - Bachelor of Science, Health Sciences
Life Chiropractic College West 2005
Toth Chiropractic (www.drtoth.com)

Douglass Toth credits SCDS for demonstrating the importance of personal development, which he uses now to cultivate relationships of value. “Relationship is foremost in my life and in my business, and it is based on maintaining a character of integrity,” Doug said. “I use the priority of personal development I experienced at SCDS as a reference point. It was exemplified at SCDS in the way we felt encouraged to be involved and inquisitive. We were treated with genuine interest regarding our thoughts and personal experience. The emphasis was on our development, I think.”

As a founding student and the oldest son of co-founder Tricia Coxhead, Doug remembers SCDS as the inspired work of his mother and her friends.  “It felt fresh and experimental…natural, not forced, tense, or rigid. There was room for error, a loose sense of willingness to just give it a try and see what happens. It was a very tight-knit, small community of students and parents and the energy you might feel around a new project with high hopes was definitely in the air. There was a certain off the cuff, make-do, use-what-we-have feeling that felt honest but it also left the emphasis on the heart of what brought everybody to the school in the first place.

“It’s been good to see how the school has established itself, and I think it speaks to the vision that founded the school. I believe commitment to relationships is an essential small business element, especially in Sonoma County, and if you don’t possess a personal character worthy of peoples' interest they will not incorporate you into their lives. Many of the people here are very established and appreciate relationship.”

Doug’s appreciation for the strength of developing and maintaining relationships is a natural extension of the holistic perspective of his Santa Rosa chiropractic business and his balanced lifestyle. As a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC), he offers safe and natural care deeply informed by his commitment to the principles and practice of meditation, yoga, alternative medicines, and martial arts. His relationships are founded on the premise that personal character is the healthy glue that keeps people engaged in the lives of each other.

“I have a passion to be involved, and I want to give back by being involved,” he said. In the community surrounding his College Avenue office, Doug has hosted fundraisers for local nonprofits, and lunchtime roundtable discussions and participates in neighborhood activities, and speaks about natural chiropractic care in the community. He’s also active in his professional community. In June, Doug became president of the North Bay District of the California Chiropractic Association. A commitment in his leadership role with the chiropractic association will be to address the tendency for chiropractors to isolate by re-inspiring a sense of community. He’s also interested in building membership and expanding the influence of chiropractic care by fostering ties with the rest of the medical and physical therapy community.

“Chiropractic care comes out of questioning basic assumptions and challenging how we commonly think about our health. If we accept that our symptoms are the cause of the problem without looking at the big picture and the deeper issues, then we miss a real opportunity for healing. The profession suits me because I like to problem-solve in constructive, novel, and creative ways, and share my solutions with others. It’s this process that makes me happy and passionate about my career.”

He also noted a similarity in the way he thinks as a chiropractor and how he was taught to think as a young SCDS student. “I remember lots of discovery at SCDS. We didn’t memorize facts; we did things and learned by figuring it out ourselves. SCDS supported its students’ inquiring minds and encouraged them to explore and make new connections. I do that all the time in my practice, I love to share it with others."