This entire community started from featuring women in our area, and we are so excited to initiate the blog features again! First up we have Elizabeth Betancourt, DC. I have known about her through a few people, and just had an awesome phone conversation with her after receiving her nomination information. I have always had respect for her alternative health options but my favorite part about her story was the way she consistently put her self out there and grabbed opportunities with both hands. She grew up in a small town of Russell, NY, and completed her schooling at D’youville University. While in school she heard of an orthopedic surgeon who owned a hospital in Dehli, India that was looking to expand into Chiropractic. Elizabeth felt the calling and wanted to help. She found him, introduced her self, and he flew her to India to start the first Chiropractic Practice at his hospital. Once she completed that, she decided buffalo was her home, and began planning her own practice in Orchard Park, NY. Before she even opened her doors, she was emailing the head athletic director of the Buffalo Bills, in attempts to partner with them because she had the only Cryotherapy Treatment in the area. After several attempts she finally had an meeting. They never showed. She did not give up. She continued to email, and got another chance for a meeting. He showed up this time , and once he did, immediately called Jerry Hughes, and shared that he practice was “legit”. The next day Jerry Hughes came, then another Football player, then another one. Since then she has happily been working with the Buffalo Bills for the past 6 years 7 seasons. It might quite be the reason the team is improving the last 6 years if you ask me! .
The way she puts her self out there and CREATED the opportunities for herself is my favorite part of her story. She consistently goes after what she wants and doesn’t give up! Going hand and hand with the recent podcast topic I discussed about “Picking Yourself”. (Listen to podcast here)
You can’t wait for someone to pick you, you have to pick yourself.
Cheers to kicking off our features again!
<3 Danielle
Read more below from Elizabeth herself!
You can find more about her practice on their instagram page @infinitywellnesswny
or via email info@infinitywellnesswny.com or website HERE
Photo Credit Torrey Johnson (www.torreyjohnson.com)
What made you start or brought you where you are today ? Tell us your Story.
I have always had a passion to live out my life to its fullest. Combined with my desire to enter the healthcare field I felt that choosing chiropractic allowed me the ability to better one's quality of life through a healthy musculoskeletal system. Moving, stretching, and decreased pain allows us to put our best self forward to conquer the world! - whatever that may look like, and I want Infinity Wellness to help you do just that. I began my career in Delhi, India. I was asked shortly after graduating with my doctorate to launch a chiropractic clinic out of an orthopedic surgical hospital. The owner of the hospital had taken time to learn about chiropractic, a then ghost-profession in India, and wanted to introduce it to the medical community of his country. My time consisted of practicing, teaching, learning, and eating! It was this experience that opened my eyes to another side of healthcare, a side that I think we forget about sometimes - the compassionate side. I think I was unable to treat more patients with chiropractic than patients I could treat. But I could listen. I could give medical advice. I could steer them in the right direction. That's when I had the idea of turning my chiropractic dreams into a full blown, multi-disciplinary wellness center. I have created a team of the absolute best healthcare professionals at Infinity Wellness that will take the time to listen to what your life consists of, what it doesn't, and together we will create a treatment game plan to get you where you want to be. I head a team where we offer a rehabilitative approach to chiropractic, massage therapy, stretch therapy, lymphatic drainage, whole body cryotherapy, infrared sauna, myofascial rolling, and offer a private gym suite where you can work out with the newest and most integrative workout equipment. Our staff is welcoming, smiling, and happy to help in any way possible.
Who are your favorite people to follow ?
I am not great with social media so this may sound silly but I enjoy keeping up to date mainly with family and friends. They are the true backbone of my success so staying on top of their day-to-day lives and accomplishments inspires me to keep going. However, to be totally honest - I am completely in awe of Celine Dion!! She has been someone I have idolized since childhood. Her talent, grace, and poise as she conquers what her fame has brought her is wild! Maybe an unexpected answer, but - That's the Way It Is ;-)
What are your favorite things to do in the area ? Buffalo and greater WNY
I am a total foodie! We are so lucky to have the food scene that we do in this city so checking out new restaurants with my husband is always top on the list! We are also big sports fans so any local games we can catch we're all in!
Tell us about your favorite collaboration or dream collaborations ?
I am so lucky to answer this one as a dream of mine came true! A piece of my heart belongs to the Buffalo Bills, as I believe they already know, and I have always wanted to work alongside the football players to keep their bodies as healthy and game-ready as possible. About 6 years ago I was able to work with my first professional NFL player and the good news of Infinity Wellness spread like wildfire. We are now a proud wellness center that works and treats many professional NFL players as well as other professional athletes. Even visiting athletes in town come to our office for a quick tune-up - it's amazing!
If you could have coffee with anyone in the world who would it be?
Probably Donald Trump. That's not meant to be a political statement, but I think in my lifetime he is one of the most influential people still living. Love him or hate him - to sit with him over coffee and observe would be story telling.
What are your hopes, dreams, goals. Big or small?
My hope is to one day expand Infinity Wellness into multiple locations around Western NY so that we can reach more people. I want to continue to bring the most modern, researched, up-to-date equipment to our practice so that we can offer treatment to a wide variety of people. My husband is born and raised in Puerto Rico. We visit often and I dream of having a small Infinity Wellness in Isla Verde where my staff can travel for a few days of work and a few days of vacation! Just for fun - I have always wanted to own a small pub in the future. My family is king of quality snack and family recipes (even a secret family chicken wing sauce!) Just a laid back atmosphere of something fun for friends to get together and catch up or families to have a spot to hang.
Tell us about your family?
This could take a while! I owe them so much as they have been my support from the beginning of turning my wellness center dream into a reality. I met my husband, Juan, 10 years ago at a local Salsa dancing event - to be clear I was working as the barista and he was dancing. Didn't take long for him to dance his way into my heart and we have been married 4 years now with two rescued pups - Charlotte and Henry. He shares my love of travel, culture, and food so we often whisk away to foreign lands when we get the opportunity! I am the eldest of 3 girls. Kelsey is the middle sister and currently the favorite because she has given my parents their first grandchild, but also the first boy of the family! Ha! Her and her husband Shea welcomed Calvin in the Fall of 2020. They both work for an educational software company where Kelsey focuses on leadership and Shea works on the legal end. Ashley is the youngest and returned last year back to the US after working almost 7 years as a pastry chef in Germany. Her husband Niels came from Germany to America and just began working in real estate. My parents just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary and have taken seriously the roll of cheerleading from day one of parenthood. We grew up in a small, rural town in the foothills of the Adirondacks but my parents made it known our whole lives that the world was big and had a lot to offer - and if we tried hard we could accomplish anything we wanted. At age 15 I had asked my mother if she would run my front office if I was to ever become a chiropractor, which she agreed to then, and is living out now! My sisters and I all moved to Buffalo for college originally and after many years are proud to call Buffalo our home alongside our parents. Our weekends are almost always spent together, around the table for dinner, in the backyard for yard games (Kubb is our favorite), and sometimes if I whine enough a good game of Pictionary!
FEEL GOOD FAVORITES
Food:Indian Food
Color: Purple
Super Power: Nerd Alert!!! Time Management - it's like a daily puzzle!
Animal : Dogs (mine specifically)
Season of the year: The little Adirondack girl in me chooses Fall. But the adult me chooses a warm, Buffalo Summer.
Favorite thing about Buffalo / WNY: Buffalo Bills, baby! And Bills Mafia :-)
