In the September 2025 On Purpose interview, Dr. Natalia Popov shares her transformation from Russian pediatrician to chiropractic anatomy professor, showing how science, spirit, and service unite in the pursuit of true health.
In the September 2025 On Purpose interview, Dr. Natalia Popov shares her transformation from Russian pediatrician to chiropractic anatomy professor, showing how science, spirit, and service unite in the pursuit of true health.
Discovering the Missing Piece
When Dr. Matt McCoy and I sat down with Dr. Natalia Popov, what struck me immediately was her energy, her light, and her profound sense of purpose. She embodies the union of heart, head, and hands that defines the chiropractic way.
Dr. Popov began her career in Russia as a pediatrician and neonatologist, caring for newborns in their first days of life. But something was missing. Despite her extensive training, she sensed that medicine had limits that science alone could not explain.
“I realized that medical school gave me knowledge about disease, but not about health. I was looking for healing power.” — Dr. Natalia Popov
That realization set her on a journey that would eventually bridge two worlds, the medical and the chiropractic, in service to one goal: helping human beings express life more fully.
From Medicine to Innate Intelligence
Her turning point came when she met a chiropractor in her hometown. In Russia at the time, chiropractic and osteopathy were often used interchangeably. What fascinated her was not the name but the principle. The doctor told her that the cause of disease lay deeper than the body and that true healing came through restoring balance to the nervous system.
“He told me the cause of disease is much deeper than the body. He said he worked only with his hands. And I began to see what that really meant.” — Dr. Popov
She began observing how adjustments changed the course of development in newborns who struggled to eat, breathe, or sleep properly. The results astonished her. Medication became unnecessary. Function returned. Babies thrived.
Driven by curiosity, she created what she called the Healthy Child program, a collaboration among pediatricians, neurologists, and chiropractors dedicated to helping children develop to their full potential.
“If we want a healthy population, we must start even two years before pregnancy. The choices we make before conception shape the next generation.” — Dr. Popov
Creating Ease, Not Chasing Disease
Dr. Popov’s philosophy was revolutionary in a medical culture dominated by pathology. She urged parents to focus not on what was wrong, but on what was right, to nurture ease rather than fear disease.
“I told parents, don’t look for disease. Look for ease. Your thoughts and feelings can help your child heal.” — Dr. Popov
She spoke to couples preparing for parenthood about nutrition, mindset, and nervous system balance. She taught them that the first hour after birth, what she calls the perinatal matrix, imprints the child’s experience of life. By supporting both mother and baby through chiropractic care, she believed we could change the trajectory of human health.
The Path to Sherman College
Years later, her journey took an unexpected turn. Life brought her to the United States, where she eventually settled in South Carolina. Even as she worked as a medical assistant and taught anatomy and physiology at a technical college, her teaching was infused with chiropractic philosophy.
“I told my students, you can adjust through your thoughts, your words, and your touch. Bring light to people. Give them hope.” — Dr. Popov
It was one of those students who told her about Sherman College of Chiropractic, just twenty minutes from where she lived. She visited, interviewed, and was hired on the spot. Today she manages the anatomy lab and teaches osteology, cardiology, and pulmonology, infusing every lecture with her characteristic warmth and wisdom.
The Sacredness of the Human Body
Dr. Popov reminds her students that anatomy is not just about memorizing structures but about honoring the miracle of life. She insists that cadaver dissection remains an irreplaceable part of chiropractic education.
“When you touch the real body, you understand the sacredness of life. You see what is missing in death and what we are truly working to preserve.” — Dr. Popov
For her, the experience of dissecting is another form of imprinting, a rite of passage that deepens reverence for the body’s design and its inborn intelligence.
Chiropractic First, Always
Dr. Popov often tells her students that chiropractors should be the first line of care for every family. Medicine, she says, has its place, but chiropractic restores the natural order of life.
“Chiropractic first, medicine second, surgery last. Go to your chiropractor first, and maybe you’ll never need the others.” — Dr. Popov
She teaches that every adjustment is an act of trust between doctor and patient, a sacred exchange of intention and touch.
“Keep practicing, keep learning, and care about people. If you care, you will never miss it.” — Dr. Popov
Her dream is as bold as it is beautiful: that every person on Earth will have a chiropractor, and that chiropractors and medical doctors will one day work in harmony, each honoring their role in the healing process.
“We serve ease, medicine serves disease. Together we can create health.” — Dr. Popov
A Living Example of Being On Purpose
Listening to Dr. Popov, one cannot help but be inspired. She radiates the essence of what it means to live and serve on purpose. She has walked both sides of the healthcare divide and emerged as a bridge, a teacher, a healer, and a steward of life’s potential.
Sherman College is fortunate to have her. The chiropractic profession is richer because of her voice.
About On Purpose
The On Purpose Podcast is hosted by Christopher Kent DC, JD, MBA, ACP and Matthew McCoy DC, MPH. Since the early 1990s, On Purpose has been the spearhead of the Chiropractic Freedom Movement. It began as mailed cassette tapes, evolved into CDs, then online audio, and now lives on Substack with full-length video segments in Science, Philosophy, and Politics.
Tagline: When You Are On Purpose, You Are Not Alone.
Subscribe and listen at chiroonpurpose.substack.com or visit chiroonpurpose.com.
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