Emerald Waves Chiropractic Center

My name is Dr. Daya Viviano Simms (previously named Taelor Viviano) and I could not be more thrilled to be the owner and chiropractor at Emerald Waves Chiropractic Center! I grew up in Upstate New York with a big family, which is one of my greatest blessings! I graduated from Seton Catholic Central High School, in Binghamton, New York, with my Advanced Regents Diploma when I was 17. I was the single high school senior from my county chosen for an internship at a local nursing home and this experience made me realize I was called to serve in the health field.

I attended Keystone College, in La Plume, Pennsylvania, where I graduated with honors with my Bachelor’s of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. There I received the 2015 Innovative Research award for my independent research on the anti-bacterial effects of turmeric, while completing my Dona International Birth Doula training and working as a nanny for my college President’s children. While in college, on the pre-med college path, I myself got sick and sought out conventional medicine. MuItiple surgeries and prescriptions only left me even sicker, depressed and hopeless. I had heard about a local chiropractor, Dr. Joe, multiple times and I finally gave chiropractic “a try” for my back pain. I was shocked and elated when after a few adjustments, not only did my back pain clear up, but the issues I sought out multiple medical doctors and surgeons for cleared up as well. Within my next few adjustments my entire health was better than it had been in my life. I was finally able to live life on my terms, to my highest potential. Despite being accepted to medical schools, I knew that I was called to help others heal naturally, the way my chiropractor helped me. So I denied those offers and at 21 I started my graduate studies at Sherman College of Chiropractic in Spartanburg, South Carolina. While at Sherman my love for chiropractic, my health and my potential soared. When I graduated in March, 2019, I left South Carolina and my job as a Chemistry Professor at Spartanburg Methodist College behind for a new life on the beautiful Gulf Coast where I am honored, humbled and grateful to be able to pass along the gift of health!

Since moving to Fort Walton Beach in 2019 and opening Emerald Waves Chiropractic Center in 2020, I have loved becoming a part of this community and the community has loved me back! In 2024 Emerald Waves Chiropractic Center won Best Chiropractor in Fort Walton Beach! Here I met and married my husband, an Emerald Coast native, David Simms, in 2025. Our Christian faith is the foundation of our lives! You may hear worship/praise music at the office, and you will see Bible verses. This is because my faith has been such a big part of my healing journey and I’m proud of it! My husband and I are both very involved at our church, Destiny Worship Center. David serves on the parking team, I serve in the preschool, and we both attend and co-lead small groups. I am also so proud to be the BNI Success Partners of Fort Walton Beach Chapter President as of October, 2025! It has been the greatest blessing to help facilitate healing on the Emerald Coast since 2020 and I express my sincerest gratitude for each patient I’ve had the pleasure of working with!