Good Neighbor Podcast: Orange County

From Migraines To Mission: Dr. Kody’s Path To Patient-Centered Chiropractic

• Rachel Fyffe & Dr. Kody Khatiblou

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Pain shouldn’t be the only reason you talk to a chiropractor. We sit down with Dr. Kody Khatiblou of KOR Wellness and Chiropractic in Costa Mesa to unpack how education, prevention, and individualized plans can reduce pain and help you move with confidence. His journey from childhood migraines to a purpose-driven practice shapes a philosophy built on clarity: when you understand the “why” behind pain, you can take smarter steps, stick with care, and protect your progress.

We break down two big myths: you don’t have to be in pain to seek chiropractic care, and no, starting care doesn’t mean you’re locked in forever. Dr. Kody explains how treatment timelines change based on the person and the problem—short-term for acute issues, longer-term support for chronic conditions or post-accident recovery. Along the way, he highlights practical strategies to manage stress, improve posture, and build mobility so you can prevent flare-ups rather than chase them.

Community and collaboration run through this conversation. Patient referrals, partnerships with acupuncturists, therapists, medical offices, and pain specialists, plus coordination in personal injury cases create a seamless support system. We also get a peek into life outside the clinic—tennis, workouts, and cooking with his wife—reminding us that wellness should feel like life, not a checklist. If you’re ready to rethink chiropractic care as a proactive, patient-first partnership, this is your roadmap to better movement and lasting results.

If this conversation helped you see chiropractic in a fresh light, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more neighbors can find it. Have a question we should tackle next? Send it our way and join the conversation.

SPEAKER_00:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Rachel Fife.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Now, are you looking for a chiropractor, or maybe you're looking to improve on your overall wellness? Well, that resource is closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Dr. Cody, with Core Wellness and Chiropractic. Dr. Cody, how's it going?

SPEAKER_01:

It's going well. Thank you very much for asking. Glad to be here.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, we are really excited to learn about your business and your practice. So tell us all about it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so I found that Core Wellness and Chiropractic about two and a half years ago with the hope to help really patients who are suffering from either acute pain or chronic pain, first of all, to understand why they're in pain, because I feel like that's a very important thing. A lot of patients they just think that, oh, I'm in pain, and they're not really educated on the reason for that. But we really focus with our patients to first educate them why they're in pain and then provide them with long-term solutions to get them first of all out of the pain and the discomfort that they're suffering from, and then also give them the tools necessary to be able to have better movement, feel better, and overall live a healthier lifestyle.

SPEAKER_02:

Wonderful. Now, how did you get into this business?

SPEAKER_01:

So I actually, the story goes back to my childhood. I come from a family of long history of migraines. And uh I started having them when I was very young, and we tried different approaches with not much success, and then finally we started going to a chiropractor, and I saw the positive benefits right away, not only just for me, but multiple members of my family. So um having firsthand experienced relief uh from chronic pain, I saw that how it can I can affect people's lives in a positive way and help them. So that's how I kind of went into this profession, and I'm glad I did.

SPEAKER_02:

That's great. Now, what do you think are maybe some miss or misconceptions in your industry?

SPEAKER_01:

I think the two biggest ones um that I hear the most is first, uh, once you start going to a chiropractor, then you have to go forever. And then the second one is that um you have to be actually in pain to go see a chiropractor or seek chiropractic care. Well, um the answer to the first question is always you know, care is individualized, at least that's how we do it here in core wellness. Um each person's treatment plan is going to be different. Some people come in more of a short-term treatment plan. Um, some people are coming in more long-term andor long-term patients. Um, so it just depends on what is causing the issue and what kind of pathology you're having or condition that's causing you some discomfort that you're dealing with. So the treatment time varies. Um, and as far as the pain factor, you don't have to be in pain to seek care. Uh, often patients come in proactively to try to address an issue or manage um stress or do preventative care, which is what chiropractic is at its essence. And that's very important because a lot of times when you're in severe pain, it's already too late. So then, you know, trying to address the issue becomes a little bit more tricky.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow, okay. Now we know marketing is really the heart of every business. So, how are you finding your customers?

SPEAKER_01:

Um, we have a great patient referral base uh here at the office. Um, I'm lucky to have patients who feel confident in me to refer their loved ones, friends, family members to uh, so we get a lot of referrals that way. We also work with other providers in the area, especially uh in the building that we're in, whether it's acupuncturists, um therapists, um, other even chiropractors, um, medical offices, um, pain management specialists, and so on. So that's a really good resource for us. Um, we also have most insurances, so we get a number of our patients through uh the provider's list, uh, through their insurance companies, and then uh because we treat patients who've been involved in accidents, whether the car accidents and so on, we do get referrals from local attorneys that are looking to get care for their patients as well.

SPEAKER_02:

Now, hey, have you ever thought about doing your own podcast?

SPEAKER_01:

Um, I've thought about it a few times, yes. Um, I haven't really put too much thought about into it, but it's definitely something that um I thought about because now we live in an era and time that you know people are becoming more and more aware of you know um taking care of themselves, trying to live healthier. So um and you know, having the right information, design faith, and factual information that could help them, whether it's you know, nutrition, whether it's exercise, whether daily habits and stuff like that, it's really important you know, to be able to help people get that information and have access to that information. So that's something that we definitely have thought about.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Now, outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_01:

So I enjoy living a life, uh you know, um very active lifestyle. Uh, enjoy working out and playing tennis as much as I can whenever I can. Um, me and my wife also love cooking and enjoy cooking together. So we try, and I love to try new recipes and really find that a really good time to spend you know, quality time spend with each other. And um, that's also something that I enjoy doing as well.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, Dr. Cody, please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about core wellness in chiropractic.

SPEAKER_01:

So I think the most important thing is kind of um with us is that you know we focus on our patients individually. So um the way that we kind of approach it is that we don't look at it as a doctor-patient type of relationship. Yes, that factor of it is there, but I always tell my patients this is a partnership. So we partner with our patients in their journey to get better or feel better in addressing their concerns. So that's really important. I think whenever you're you know going to your doctor, you should be comfortable with them and you should have that trust factor. And um, I think that's a bilateral means of communication and relationship as well. So you have to have that relationship with your patients, otherwise, I don't think you um necessarily get the best outcomes.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, how can our listeners learn more about core wellness and chiropractic?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I think the easiest way is to visit our wellness uh website at corewellnessoc.com. That's K O R Wellness O C dot com. Or just give us a call at the office 949-478-1758. We're local here in Costa Mesa. We keep things very simple. We'd love to be of help and answer any questions that the patients uh might have even before uh booking an appointment. And we always like to be as helpful as we can.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, Dr. Cody, I really appreciate you being on the show, and we wish you and your business really all the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you so much, Glad to be here, and thank you for your time.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gmorrangecounty.com. That's gmporangecounty.com or call 714-941-2862.