Growing up, Dr. Cathy Subber had her sights set on being a therapist – but a diving injury at the age of 17 changed the course of her life.
“I hurt my back, and, through traditional methods, just nothing was helping my back. And if I bent over wrong to do laundry, I’d drop on the ground and just lay there and cry until someone actually picked me up,” said Subber.
She thought that if her back never got better, she would one day end up in a wheelchair. With the pain not improving, she finally saw a chiropractor.
“Literally after the first adjustment,” said Subber, “I felt like he had taken a knife out of my back.”
She switched her major, completed the prerequisites for chiropractic school, and enrolled at the Palmer College of Chiropractic.
Subber continued her journey in Naperville
In 1999, she moved to Naperville and founded Advanced Health of Naperville.
“Had a couple of different names over the years, but that’s where it landed,” said Subber.
For over 25 years, Subber served the Naperville community, and from the beginning, she knew she wanted to be a part of it.
“We didn’t know anyone in town,” said Subber. “and so immediately when we signed the dotted line on the practice, we drove to the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce with a check, and we joined the chamber that day.”
That gave her the opportunity to make connections, though her journey as a business owner wasn’t always an easy one.
“In 2008, I came a week away from closing my practice and, at the end of the day, I decided not to. I had like $100 to my name, and somewhere deep down I was like, you know what, I can do this,” said Subber.
Subber buckled down, attending chamber events and serving on nonprofit boards including KidsMatter, the Naperville Jaycees, and the YMCA, all to keep herself involved in the community.
“And what has been so wonderful for me over the years is to see the more you give back, the more the community gives back to you,” said Subber.
A new venture with the Branch Moms
Subber would take that idea of giving back into a new venture, The Branch Moms community. Originally started by one of Subber’s employees, Kelly Thompson, The Branch hopes to support moms in their motherhood journey.
“Our taglines for the branch are you’re always invited and you’re never alone,” said Subber.
Subber became Thompson’s first business partner for The Branch and eventually took over the group after Thompson moved to Texas. As a mom of two, Subber said she wanted to ensure the organization didn’t go away.
“I was making friends,” said Subber. “Other people were making friends. People would come up to us at the events that we would host, that eight people would come to and say, ‘I’ve lived here for 14 years, and this is the first time I really feel like I have good friends.’”
The Branch is an online community, but Subber stresses the importance of human connections.
“My team at The Branch, we talk about keeping the human in motherhood. And it’s difficult when you have those little ones. It’s difficult to get out there and do things. It’s not easy. But I am going to fight for the rest of my life to make sure that we keep the human in being human,” said Subber.
Advanced Health of Naperville recently celebrated 25 years, and The Branch, 15
Subber credits that longevity and success to the support of her teams at Advanced Health of Naperville and The Branch, as well as her family and friends.
“Naperville has been an incredible place to live, to raise my children,” said Subber, “and I can’t imagine living anywhere else, to be honest.”
Photo courtesy: Dr. Cathy Subber
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