09/04/2025
Life often feels like a long ride through unpredictable weather. Some days are sunny, easy, and light. Other days feel heavy, stormy, and unrelenting. During those times, it’s perseverance—not perfect conditions—that carries us forward.
When I was 24, I rode my bicycle from Seattle to New York. The trip lasted six and a half weeks, and it rained for about half of them. At first, the rain was just a nuisance—wet gear, damp clothes, the kind of frustration you try to shake off. But as the days wore on and the clouds followed us across the country, we started bargaining with the “rain gods” for a break.
One afternoon, somewhere around Fargo, ND, we were riding through pelting rain. We ducked into a Walmart for a restroom stop, only to end up in the pool and garden aisle. My teammates and I bought swim masks and water wings, strapped them on, and rode out again—laughing at the absurdity of it all. Sometimes humor is the only way to keep going when the struggle won’t let up.
There was no choice but to push forward, to keep riding, one pedal stroke at a time. That trip—3,500 miles on skinny road bike tires over mountains, across plains, and finally to the Atlantic—changed me forever. I realized that when you set your mind to something, when you decide to keep going no matter what, it shapes you in mind, body, and spirit. It sets a benchmark: If I can ride a bicycle across America, what else can I do?
That ride became a catalyst for my life’s work. It gave me the grit to leave a career in corporate branding and become a doctor of chiropractic, functional medicine practitioner, and BrainCore provider. It taught me that perseverance through difficulty often leads to a transformation we could never predict.
It began with experiencing migraine headaches, finding relief only through chiropractic care, cycling across America, and realizing there was a bigger purpose for me in life. I discovered that helping people was what I loved most, and I took a leap of faith to make a 180-degree change in both my profession and purpose.
So when life feels hectic—when the rain won’t stop—remember that moving forward, even imperfectly, builds resilience. Sometimes the struggle itself becomes the gift.
Here at Balance Atlanta, I am honored to walk alongside you in those journeys of perseverance—through health challenges, stress, and all the unexpected detours.
Keep moving forward. The horizon is closer than you think.
With gratitude,
Dr. Caroline von Fluegge-Chen
Balance Atlanta Family Chiropractic
(404) 261-4848
