I was born in Coral Gables, FL and raised in West Palm Beach. In my early years I spent most of my time surfing, fishing and avoiding school as much as possible. After graduating in 1979 from John I Leonard High School I tried a semester of college and didn't do so well. The only good grade I got was in canoeing and camping. I worked many an odd job while trying to figure out what to do with my life. I didn't have much ambition and really didn't think I was smart enough to do anything big or go to college. I worked in the family lawn business for a while, hated it. I then started cleaning pools in Palm Beach, loved it but didn't make much money. I worked in the restaurant business as prep/lunch cook, waited tables. I even tried my hand at electronics by going to a trade school but nothing seemed to fit. One day after surfing with my buddies I thought, why not try being a Chiropractor. How or where this came from is still a mystery to me but I figured what's the worse that could happen. My dad was a chiropractor but he was also a little nutty so I figured I'd fit right in.
At the tender young age of 28 I started on the path to becoming a chiropractor. I went back to Palm Beach Junior College and received A's & B's in most things except for math and English. I also found out I was a lot smarter than I thought and have been working on myself ever sense. After getting the required hours I moved to Kansas City, MO and started at Cleveland Chiropractic College. I graduated with honors in 1993 and returned home to work with my father, Dr. J. A Tankersley, DC in Lake Worth, Fl. I lasted about 45 days in his office before I tossed the keys at him and headed out the door (remember I said he was nutty). My previous thoughts of not being enough started to come back so I had to get out of there.
My girlfriend at the time was from Nebraska and suggested with try Colorado. I figured what's the worse that could happen so out west we went and landed in Littleton, CO. We started a small practice that eventually grew into a busy office with a PT clinic. Our office specialized in trauma, motor vehicle accidents, acupuncture and pediatrics. After visiting some friends in Tennessee I decided to trade the mountains for the lakes, sold the office to a former patient that became a chiropractor and moved to Hendersonville, TN. We started that office in 2005 and after a while my former partner and I parted ways.
And then I met Laurie while visiting friends in North Palm Beach, Fl.
Long story short she was nice enough to move from WPB to Hendersonville and marry me in 2012. I continued to grow the practice while she started her Real Estate career. We both enjoyed Tennessee but knew that Florida was where we wanted to be. In 2020 I sold the practice and moved to Jensen Beach, FL. The Stuart office is up and running and I don't plan on ever leaving Florida again. Laurie has become a busy realtor and I still try to sneak off to the beach as much as possible. I guess somethings never change : )
An Interview with Dr. Craig about the office, life and how, after years of cleaning pools and waiting tables, chiropractic chose him to become a doctor.
Curriculum Vitae (seminars and education over the last 25+ years) in case you're wondering what I do with my spare time : )