In this episode of Shoptalk, we’re taking a fresh look at cultivation—not just as a personal or clinical practice, but as something inseparable from the business of acupuncture itself. We all hear that cultivation is essential for growth. Yet when it comes to running a practice, many of us treat the business side as an afterthought, a necessary chore rather than an integral part of who we’re becoming as practitioners.
This segment turns that assumption on its head. We’ll explore how the very act of running a business can round us out as clinicians, revealing where we hesitate, where we shine, and where our blind spots quietly steer the ship. Business management becomes less about spreadsheets and more about self-accountability—an unexpected mirror that reflects our fears, habits, and overlooked edges.
The truth is, business and medicine aren’t two separate tracks. They’re one continuous path of cultivation.
Listen in to challenge your default stories, spark meaningful introspection, and gather practical insights for weaving self-cultivation, business stewardship, and clinical practice into a single, coherent whole. When we face the obstacles we’ve built for ourselves, we open the door to new forms of success—and ultimately, to better care for the people we serve.
There is a difference between having a job and having a business. It took me a long time to realize that wearing the hats of accountant, CEO, web designer, and marketing/sales director were not in conflict with working as a practitioner.
All of these various roles/perspectives gave me insight on better understanding my patients and how the business of acupuncture fits within the intertwined ecosystems of health, commerce and culture.
Running a business is not something we ‘have’ to do, it’s an opportunity that we ‘get’ to do
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