Mj Connor

I write the following with a heart full of gratitude and appreciation. Where do I start? I guess I can say, in a nutshell, that since I was young, I never really had a lot confidence instilled in me. Whether in sports, making friends, or having in depth conversations as I got older, I often felt like an outcast, even with my own family. I had a lot of “friends” per say, but most of them being from school and I slowly realized that no one seemed to really “get” me. I had one best friend, and we did everything together. As we grew up, going to separate schools, having separate beliefs, we still maintained a friendship. Later on, when I realized that soccer, piano, dance and long distance running weren’t for me; I fell into the body building/competing world. As much as I tried to hold on to whatever friends I still had, most notably the one that was supposed to be my best friend, no one seemed to “get” me. Luckily, I met the man of my dreams! Without going into too much detail, he gave me the world and showed me that I can be whoever I dream to be without worrying about pleasing everyone all the time. Noticing that I had never seriously looked into receiving proper treatment for the vessel I had worked so hard at perfecting in the gym, he said he had this amazing guy he wanted me to meet and that I wouldn’t regret it. I had seen a few other specialists for treatment: RMT’s, chiro, ortho, etc. so I was very skeptical. I’m not one to be swayed easily, so remember that! I do not fall for tricks, and I’m VERY stubborn! So believe me when I say that after my first appointment with Alvin Brown (the “guy”), I was shocked to admit that I was hooked! Learning more about him thereafter, I felt honoured that I was able to be seen by him, as he has treated so many athletes, body builders, some that even travel from the USA to come and see him, as well as non-gym goers. I really felt respected. We started treatment such as massage therapy and osteotherapy to get to the root of the problems I was having. As you can see where I am going with this, I finally started to feel like someone “gets” me! Is this even possible?! My entire life thus far having felt like no one can dig into the deepest abyss of my thoughts, feelings and spirit, and here he is not too far away, offering the best services anyone could ask for! He has helped me in so many ways, some of which he may not even realize. He never rushed me, and always listened fully to my complaints, aches and pains in order to treat me properly. This isn’t a “take a number” or “who’s next” type of clinic. No one has a number; everyone has a face, a story, a reason for being there and is treated respectfully. I don’t know where he finds the energy with his schedule, his family, is own personal wellbeing and health, but he finds it. Before my most recent competition where I competed at Nationals in BC, I attended several coaching sessions with Alvin. Some of them included weekly choreography lessons with Alvin and his wife Suzie, which made a HUGE difference in my performance and boosted my confidence immensely! I was able to loosen up all the limbs that were constantly stiff from being so rigid at the gym. I walked the walk that I never thought I could! I felt comfortable and at ease, and we were always able to laugh about something, which kept the spirits high. Then, a few weeks before the big competition day, Alvin and I had a more in depth mental prep session to get my head in the game. We delved into personal emotional areas that I was facing troubles with that I couldn’t shake off, and yes there were tears and a lot of pain surfacing, but all that does is make one stronger, and it helped me see once again that someone “gets” me, understands where I’m coming from, never judging or making me feel like an outcast. This was when I learned that there are so many facets about this man, so many unique qualities he possesses, and I felt privileged to be amongst a team that is so willing to help.

Finally, and most recently, Alvin and I worked on ME as a person. I was in a job for 6 years that I did not favor. I was not enjoying myself, I was not respected or treated fairly, and most importantly, I felt like I had so much more to offer. I applied to several other places, all the while toughing it out in what I believe to be the worst work environment possible. I wasn’t hearing back from anywhere, I felt defeated. My fiancé saw me coming home every day tired, grumpy and in a rush to get to the gym and it wasn’t fair for him to be surrounded by that negativity. Finally, I heard back from an amazing company! They wanted to schedule an interview. All these emotions came over me at once: Joy! Excitement, happiness, a light at the end of the tunnel; followed by fear, nerves, anxiety, possibility of failure. I turned to Alvin, HELP ME!!! Alvin jumped on that task very quickly. He guided me with helpful videos, excitement in his own voice, positive reinforcement, and most importantly a message that helped me pick apart piece by piece the interview scene in my head. His words, the conviction in his voice, the confidence and POWER he instilled in me are remarkable. I won’t share these words, as they are unique and cater to me specifically, but they have stuck with me so significantly that I have saved this message to refer back to in the future whenever I need to. Needless to say, there were many other candidates for the job, and I got it! The job is mine and I have started working there and it is far superior to my previous employment. My fiancée has noticed a change in me and I feel so much better knowing that I was able to use the tools I was given and apply them towards my success! It’s only been 4 days since the new job and already I feel like I fit in quite nicely. I don’t know if I could have done this if it weren’t for Alvin helping me see my potential, and owning what I wanted so badly to be mine. Alvin has helped better my mind, body and spirit on so many levels.

There is a motivational video/song that speaks about wanting something so bad, wanting something so deeply that it goes even deeper than you know yourself to be. It involves knowing what your “why” is in life. Why we do the things we do, why we go to work, why we go to the gym, why we say or do the things we do, why we struggle, why we laugh, why we get up and fill our day with tasks, why we power up at night with sleep, all to start again the following day. I don’t think anyone will ever fully know their “why” in life, or else life wouldn’t be the journey it’s supposed to be. But I wholeheartedly know that Alvin Brown has brought me several steps closer to knowing what my “why” is, and for that, I am forever grateful.

Thank you isn’t enough, but THANK YOU Alvin, your worth is priceless.

MJ Connor

-TCHPP patient