This week on the Chiro Hustle Podcast, we sat down with Dr. Thom Gelardi, the legendary founder of Sherman College of Chiropractic. From overcoming a childhood spent in hospitals to building one of the most principled chiropractic colleges in the world, Dr. Gelardi's story is nothing short of extraordinary.

In this episode, we dive into what real chiropractic looks like, what it's drifting away from, and what it will take to bring it back. We cover philosophy, family care, insurance traps, and why mission still matters. If you've ever wondered whether your practice is as aligned as your adjustments, this conversation is a must-hear.

Our speaker today is Dr. Thom Gelardi, the founder of Sherman College of Chiropractic, located in Spartanburg, SC. Thom grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. He considers his early days some of the most fortuitous of his life. His life started with his being very sickly. His birthday is in April, and he spent his first eight birthdays in a hospital. One of those hospital stays lasted two and a half years, from when he was four years old until he was six and a half years old. It began with him having rheumatic fever, followed by many sequelae, resulting in a disabling heart murmur. When Thom was sixteen, his future brother-in-law finally persuaded him to see a chiropractor; the rest is history.

While attending Palmer, before there was such a thing as student loans, he worked at the Rock Island Railroad’s Freight Yard from eleven at night until seven in the morning. Thom graduated from Palmer School of Chiropractic in January 1957. He is married to the former Betty Bowen, a registered nurse with post-graduate study in obstetrics. They have five children, three of whom joined the chiropractic-practicing part of the family. He practiced chiropractic for fifteen years before founding Sherman College. Last year, Sherman College celebrated its 50th year. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• How years of childhood illness—and one illegal adjustment—shaped a chiropractic giant
• Why Dr. Gelardi believes most DCs can’t define chiropractic today
• What BJ Palmer said that rocked him to the core
• The mission that Sherman College was built on (and how it almost didn’t happen)
• Why he refused to take insurance—and still believes you shouldn't either
• Why not every patient needs an adjustment, and what that actually means
• What the next 100 years of chiropractic might look like

ABOUT DR. THOM GELARDI, DC

Founder of Sherman College of Chiropractic in Spartanburg, South Carolina. A principled chiropractor and educator committed to preserving the Sacred Trust and the philosophical core of the profession.

STAYING TRUE TO CHIROPRACTIC PRINCIPLES

Dr. Gelardi pulls no punches: most chiropractors today have drifted so far from the profession’s philosophical foundation, they can’t even define what chiropractic is anymore. For him, it’s crystal clear: health comes from within, and chiropractic is about locating, analyzing, and correcting vertebral subluxations—nothing more, nothing less.

THE HEART OF FAMILY CARE

One of the most overlooked truths? Kids need chiropractic, too. Not because they have symptoms, but because they don’t. Dr. Gelardi talks about why whole-family care was the foundation of his office, and why checking for subluxation—even without symptoms—is essential to long-term health.

WHAT MAKES A MISSION

A powerful theme throughout the episode is this: Every profession is defined by its mission. And if chiropractors can’t articulate that mission clearly, we risk becoming irrelevant. For Dr. Gelardi, chiropractic's mission is simple: