The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
To simplify! Our Red Tent Health Centre turned 15 this year. So much has changed since we started. We’ve given natural kids first aid courses, taught women how to improve their menstrual cycles, delivered our acupressure for birth courses, run meditation circles with our psychotherapists, given talks to community groups to improve their health, given talks on fertility, on being a new mum, have run online programs for mums to improve their kids health, run online programs for midwives teaching acupressure… the list goes on!
As our families grew and even more energy was needed for them, we decided to take a little step back from running such a busy centre. Our beautiful clinic is now in Bondi Junction and overlooks the bay. I also run a one-day clinic closer to my home in Erskineville, which is just gorgeous.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
What we didn’t realise at first is how much extra time is needed when working with other practitioners. This, of course, is absolutely fine, but we were new-ish mothers at the time, with so many needs at home. Our energy was often pulled in many different directions and it did become too much at one stage, which was part of the reason we chose to simplify.
We’ve also had different seasons in each of our lives. Our families grew at different rates and our individual circumstances changed, so all of this meant we needed to evolve how we worked together. My response was to move closer to home for a few years with the clinic, however we ultimately came back together and moved to Bondi Junction – this has been the gold in our Kintsugi bowl (this is the beautiful Japanese art of putting broken bowls back together with gold – they become even better and more beautiful once repaired).
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The pros for me have been huge. I’ve been able to arrange my life around my children, which is something I always wanted. If I need to be somewhere, I can be and I don’t need to ask permission. I can stay true to my values and I love that. I love being able to choose the hours that work best for me and my family. I get an incredible sense of accomplishment and joy from my work. I love that what I learn for others, I can also use on myself and our children, so their health is always at the forefront of my mind and I can nurture and support it.
The cons are that you don’t get paid if you don’t work and there are no real sick days.
You can’t stop promoting and reminding people that you are here. I stopped all marketing at one point and you simply can’t do that. I know that now! I needed a rest, so I did it but I won’t do it again. There’s always an element of ensuring that people know what you do and how you can help them.
Hopes and dreams: What’s next?
We are getting our online educational platform for midwives, doulas and childbirth educators up and running again. It’s called Acubirth. Our course Ancient Secrets for Better Bumps, Births and Babies is soon to be up and running again, which we are super excited about. It’s been re-accredited with the Australian College of Midwives and we have completely updated the course.
Beyond that, I’m looking to create my own website, which will focus on improving fertility and balancing hormones. It’s something I’ve been working on for quite some time and I’m thrilled to be able to share it in the coming months. Clients often tell me how hard it has been to find the information they need to prepare to conceive, whether it’s naturally or with the use of assisted conception like IVF. This website will be the bridge between East and West, so clients get the absolute best of both worlds, in a way that’s accessible and affordable, no matter where they are in the world. Many of my clients have been interested in having something like this, so watch this space.
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have given me so much personally and professionally, that I will always endeavour to “return the favour” by offering ways that others can interact with the medicine, so they can also reap the benefits. To teach is in my bones, so I’ll be doing it for many years to come.
Visit the Red Tent Health Centre website to find out more about the services they provide. You can also connect with them on Facebook and Instagram.
