Ep. 30 | Dr. Stratton Poulson: Chiropractic, Jiu-Jitsu Longevity, Recovery & Social Media Growth

Dr. Stratton Poulson has built a career at the intersection of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, chiropractic care, entrepreneurship, and social media. In this episode, Carlos Machado sits down with his longtime student and friend for a deep conversation about training smarter, recovering better, building a chiropractic practice, and turning content into a business.

What started as a conversation over Vietnamese iced coffee turns into a wide-ranging discussion about Jiu-Jitsu longevity, injuries, neck and back health, chiropractic care, nutrition, sleep, ergonomics, social media marketing, YouTube growth, advertising, seminars, mentorship and teaching.

Dr. Stratton Poulson is the founder of Apex Chiropractic in Dallas, Texas. A lifelong martial artist and longtime Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, Stratton originally became interested in chiropractic after suffering a Jiu-Jitsu injury and experiencing the benefits of chiropractic care himself.

In this episode, he explains how that experience eventually led him from martial arts and massage therapy to Parker University and then to opening his own chiropractic practice.

The conversation then moves into chiropractic and common problems including neck pain, headaches, migraines, TMJ/TMJD, nerve irritation, disc issues and injuries associated with Jiu-Jitsu.

Stratton also explains why an abnormal MRI doesn't necessarily mean someone has pain or automatically needs surgery, and why proper evaluation and understanding the symptoms are important.

Another major topic is the modern workplace.

Carlos and Stratton discuss practical ways to get more movement into the workday without destroying productivity.

They also get into recovery, nutrition and sleep.

Instead of immediately looking for the newest supplement or recovery gadget, Stratton emphasizes the fundamentals: eating well, getting enough sleep, moving your body and exercising consistently.

Then comes one of the most fascinating parts of the episode: how Stratton built his chiropractic practice through social media.

He started by filming simple videos on a phone. Over time he improved the lighting, cameras, microphones and presentation. Eventually, some of his videos went viral and his YouTube audience grew dramatically.

But the real lesson isn't simply “go viral.”

Stratton explains the difference between global followers and local customers—and why that distinction matters enormously for local businesses such as chiropractic offices and Jiu-Jitsu academies.

He shares how he used organically successful content as the foundation for advertising, how he approached his marketing budget, and how social media became a tangible source of new patients.

Carlos and Stratton discuss how teaching chiropractic techniques has many similarities to teaching Jiu-Jitsu: demonstrate the technique, let people practice, observe their mistakes, make corrections, and repeat.

It's a conversation about learning, teaching, business, health, martial arts and longevity.

Grab your coffee and enjoy Episode 30 of Coffee Time with Carlos Machado.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 — Introduction
04:00 — Stratton's Jiu-Jitsu background and journey into chiropractic
13:00 — The Jiu-Jitsu injury that changed Stratton's career direction
19:00 — Chiropractic school, Parker University and clinical training
26:00 — Chiropractic safety, injuries and common misconceptions
33:00 — Jiu-Jitsu injuries and why training culture matters
47:00 — Neck injuries, triangles, chokes and long-term Jiu-Jitsu health
54:00 — Sitting all day, movement and workplace health
1:01:00 — Sit-stand desks, monitors and ergonomic setup
1:08:00 — Walking treadmills and finding what actually works for you
1:14:00 — Neck pain, headaches, migraines and TMJ
1:28:00 — Recovery, sleep, nutrition and supplements
1:35:00 — Food choices, meal preparation and lifestyle
1:41:00 — Building Apex Chiropractic and the challenge of getting patients
1:46:00 — Social media, viral videos and growing an audience
1:55:00 — Marketing budgets, advertising and local businesses
2:00:00 — Final thoughts and the importance of longevity

👤 CONNECT WITH DR. STRATTON POULSON

Instagram: @StratPoulson
YouTube: @dr.strattonpoulson
TikTok: @Dr.StrattonPoulson

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🔎 TOPICS COVERED