The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
One of the biggest challenges I’ve overcome in my practice is to not let the grief of clients affect me emotionally. While I’m not one to typically take on the pain of others stories as if they were my own, working in the area of fertility, which has been a tough and traumatic journey for so many, I found I was sometimes carrying that anxious burden along with them. Over time I have come to see that as a practitioner, that isn’t my role and not something that any of my clients expect of me. Instead, I focus on giving them the best homeopathic treatment available, paying close attention to their cases and giving them the highest level of care. By meeting them with positivity and expectancy, I am helping them towards their goals more than I could ever do by meeting them in their misery. As I continually witness miracles happen for couples who had almost lost hope, it is easier for me than most to genuinely encourage my clients into an optimistic mindset.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
Let me start by saying that the pros so far outweigh the cons – it’s unbelievable. I have found running my own business to be so much fun because of the creativity I get to pour into it. From designing my website, to marketing, fitting out my clinic or how I design and package my homeopathic kits. It’s all me – and after 3 years of not officially working, that creative outlet is something that I craved. Add to that the flexibility in so many areas – what days and hours you’d like to work, where you’d like to set up your clinic, what you’d like to charge – I love making my own decisions.
As for cons… I’m clutching at straws. I haven’t experienced this one so much personally, as I started out with no overheads or pressure, but with many friends in the Natural Health industry, as a practitioner I’d say owning your own business can be tough in terms of generating and maintaining enough business. (We help our clients heal the root cause of their issues, so that often means long-term repeat clients aren’t our forte!) Once business is pumping, it can be quite smooth sailing, but the build-up and network of clients can take years – so many practitioners do a little juggle before practising full time.
Another area – and this one I have experienced – is the ‘taking cases home with you’ and not switching off completely. When you work for yourself, there is a much higher chance that your brain will keep going even outside of work hours. It’s a pro and a con combined – if you’re passionate and you love what you’re doing – but it can become a bit compulsive. I’ve learned now to work when I’m working, and be present with my family when I’m not.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
For the moment I’m exactly where I want to be – my plate is a bit full if I do say so myself! But there are definitely dreams bubbling under the surface for when my kids head off to school and I find myself with more time.
While my practice is almost exclusively Women’s Health and Fertility focused at the moment, I have a fascination with the homeopathic treatment of both childhood asthma and autism spectrum disorder. Eventually I will open up my practice to include more of this, maybe documenting more trials to showcase the results as I did with fertility in the early stages.
As a family, we’re looking at moving a bit more remote and setting up a homestead next year.. the nature of my practice means I can work from anywhere, and Matt is also super keen to adventure to an off-grid lifestyle. Being Aboriginal, he’s long wanted to learn more about cultivating the land and raising our boys with that knowledge. Matt is a carpenter builder, so we fantasise about building a retreat of sorts, for people and families to get away – to disconnect from a busy world and remember how good it feels to truly connect with each other and the beauty of the natural world around us. That’s what we want for ourselves – a simple but extraordinary life.. so, we will see where the next chapter leads us!
To find out more about the support and services she offers, head to melissakupsch.com and join her supportive communities on Facebook and Instagram.
