Sometimes the people who shape us most aren’t the ones who formally taught us anything. They’re the people in a potent moment who say something that we hear with something other than our ears— it sends us down a path we hadn’t noticed that was right under our feet.
In this conversation with Haunani Chong-Drake, we explore the edges of mentorship—not as a program, credential, or transaction, but as something serendipitous and unexpectedly catalytic. The kind of connection that doesn’t give you answers, but instead changes the questions you’re asking.
Listen into this discussion as we explore the difference between teachers and mentors, why confidence is earned long after graduation, how expectation management can make or break a career, and why Chinese medicine has a way of working on the practitioner as much as the patient.
This is a conversation about the relationships that remind you to not give up on yourself. How to stay in the game when things get hard. And the unavoidable fires of development and learning as a practitioner.
In a time when other healthcare professionals want what we practice, befriend your fears and doubts, let this medicine run through your veins, and stand tall in your choice to practice Chinese Medicine.
Haunani Chong Drake, DACM, L.Ac
I’m a proud mixed-Asian American born in Hawai’i and raised in hot-pot of cultural practices and paradigms. In this season of life, I’m a mom of two pre-teens and military spouse to a U.S. Marine Corps Infantry Officer.
A bridge builder and connector by nature, I’ve served my local, national, and international communities with holistic body, mind, emotional, and spirit wellness for over 20 years. Like my path in Yoga and Vedic studies, my journey in Chinese Medicine has led me to various teachers in different lineages that have allowed me to explore existential questions while grounding theory into the body, heart, and spirit for personal and collective healing.
Because of my unique abilities to cross-talk between Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda I’m sought out by colleagues for my unique perspective on both systems of healing and medicine. I love leading workshops on topics of stress management, Yoga, Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine, cultural stewardship, and professional practice and ethics that integrate movement, breath, self-inquiry, neuroscience, and trauma-informed healing processes.
When I’m not geeking out on all things Chinese Medicine, you’ll find me with my family in nature, traveling, reading, scrolling Zillow or art, having casual conversation for Yinspired podcast, or listening to podcasts.
Listen to Haunani’s Yinspired podcast, visit her website at QiandPrana.com, or visit her on Instagram.
Message from Haunani concerning mentorship:
There is an ongoing effort at the national, state, and school/college levels to create more resources and mentorship opportunities that support the success of students, graduates, and practitioners. As someone who serves on several of these committees and task forces, I would love to connect with you.
If you are a Practice Management teacher, you have a successful practice and are willing to share tips and advice, or if you have ideas to contribute, please reach out to me. This is an area where you can make a meaningful and long‑lasting impact on the profession as a whole.
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