Dr. Audra Lance

So nice to meet you! First off, what’s your name? Tell our readers a bit about yourself—where you’re from originally and where you live now.

Hi, my name is Dr. Audra Lance. I am originally from Akron, Ohio, and I am currently based in Nashville, TN.

Tell us one thing you love about where you live now.

I love the people. There's a warmth here that's hard to describe until you feel it. People are friendly, and they make you feel at home right away. And I love the seasons, especially summer and fall in the South. Long summer evenings and that first cool fall morning are just good for the soul.

Tell us a little more about what your company does and how it started. How does it help your customers?

We change lives, and I don't say that lightly. The practice started with just one patient who trusted me, and that trust is still the heart of everything we do. One patient became a few, a few became a community, and that has grown into something so much bigger than I ever pictured. Every person who walks through our doors is a reminder of where I started.

Most people come to us after years of being seen in pieces. One practitioner looks at their back, another at their hormones, another at their sleep, and nobody connects the dots. By the time they find us, they're usually tired of explaining themselves. We connect the dots.

Every first visit is a full hour with your doctor, and a lot of that time is spent listening. Pain usually isn't the problem itself. It's where the problem finally shows up.

A pinch in your hip can turn into low back pain. When you're stressed and clench your jaw, that can turn into headaches and neck tension. An old ankle injury can change the way you walk for years without you ever realizing it. Your body is brilliant at compensating, and our job is to find where that compensation started.

That's where our techniques come in. Over the years I've trained with experts around the world, and I've brought the best of what I learned back to Lumara. We use methods like Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization, fascial manipulation, Active Release Techniques and neurological retraining. Together they let us treat the muscles, the fascia and the nervous system all at the same time. That's how we change the pattern underneath, instead of just quieting the symptom. Our bodies are so smart and are constantly talking to us. We just have to listen.

If someone wants to start a business, what advice would you give them?

Honestly? You have to be a little bit crazy. Crazy enough to ride the rollercoaster.

There will be days when everything clicks. A patient tells you you've changed their life, the schedule is full, and you can't believe this is your job. Then there will be days when nothing goes right. The people who make it are the ones who stay on the ride anyway.

So my advice is to expect the rollercoaster and stop waiting for it to level out. Celebrate the small wins. They're what carry you through the hard stretches, and over time they add up to the big ones. Surround yourself with people who will ride it with you, and most importantly, ENJOY it. And never lose sight of why you got on the ride in the first place.

What is one piece of feedback from a happy customer or client that you won't forget?

The one that sticks with me most is when a patient gets up off the table, takes a deep breath, and says, "I feel so much lighter." They look so relaxed, like they're off in another world.

A lot of my patients have been playing through pain for so long that it starts to feel normal. They sing through the tension or compete on an injury no one else can see. So when their body finally lets go, you can see it all over them. They'd forgotten what it feels like to perform without compensating or holding back.

Then I get to watch them walk out on stage and hit the note without bracing for it, or step onto the field or the ice and trust their body again. They come back and tell me about the show where everything felt effortless, or the game where they finally played without thinking about the pain.

Seeing them get back to what they were born to do, with all their passion, is the best part of my job. I'll never get tired of it.

Where do you see your company in the future?

I see Lumara changing what people expect from medicine.

Right now, most people have accepted a system that rushes them. Fifteen-minute appointments, a prescription or a referral, and you're sent on your way. Somehow we've all decided that's normal, and I don't think it should be, and I don't think it has to be. I see Lumara leading that shift.

That means growing a team of doctors trained at the highest level, setting the bar for what concierge manual medicine looks like, and working alongside hospitals and other providers so patients get the full picture. I want us to be the place people point to when they say, "This is how medicine should feel."

There's so much more ahead of us, and I'm excited for every bit of it.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

People think manual medicine is just cracking backs or working out a sore muscle, a quick fix until the next time something hurts. At Lumara, we look at the whole person and connect the dots. Pain in one spot is often coming from somewhere else, so we follow it back to where it starts. That way we're getting to the root of it instead of putting a band-aid on it.

It's the same approach I use with performers on tour. Even the voice is connected to the whole body. How a singer breathes, how their ribs move, the tension in their jaw, neck and shoulders, all of it shows up in their sound. When the body works together, the voice follows.

What has been one of your biggest struggles building your business, and how did you deal with it?

Honestly, the biggest struggle has been me. Being an entrepreneur is a constant psychological practice. As a physician, I can't help but see it through the lens of the nervous system. Every new level of growth asks you to become a different version of yourself, and that's uncomfortable. The decisions get bigger, the stakes get higher, and the version of you that got you here isn't always the one who can take you to the next place. The work is learning to notice that pull, breathe through it, and stay steady in the discomfort long enough for it to change you. I've stopped seeing discomfort as a sign that something is wrong. Most of the time, it means I'm growing. I've learned that my business will only grow as far as I'm willing to grow.

Who was your favorite music artist and athlete growing up?

Backstreet Boys, and I had a Kenny Lofton jersey.

Where can our readers learn more about you and your company?

We're on socials at Lumara Concierge, and our website is https://www.experiencelumara.com.