We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Jessica Frier a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Dr. Jessica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
Yes, I am happy as a business owner. However, there have been days when I wonder what life would be like if I had a regular job and less responsibility. Those days are usually the days when I’m staring at a slow schedule and worrying about revenue, or something in the office breaks and I need to fix it. One thing I have come to realize over the years is that business owners are a different breed of people. Not everyone thrives as a business owner because it isn’t for everyone. In the same way that not everyone can thrive in a regular job because not everyone is built to work that way. The biggest moment of clarity came when I realized that being a business owner does not make life any better or worse than having a regular job. Rather, being a business owner is a reflection of the environment in which I can do my best work. I am the type of person that thrives with a flexible schedule and in a place where I can do what I want and work in the manner that I choose. Choosing to be a business owner is choosing a lifestyle that aligns with how I want to live and work. I also acknowledge that a regular job would be nice but it might not be the type of environment where I would be as successful for all the same reasons. I remind myself of this when those days of wondering about a regular job hit me. I remind myself that all the reasons I love being my own boss are the reasons I would not be happy working a regular job.
Dr. Jessica, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Since high school, I knew that I wanted to work in the medical field. I struggled to find a career in the medical field that resonated with me. I studied biochemistry, lab science, nursing, and at one point applied to hematology school. Nothing seemed to fit until I started studying bodywork and East Asian medicine. East Asian medicine was a lightbulb moment for me because it aligned with how I felt the body functioned and how I wanted to help people heal. I have always believed that our bodies are an intricate web of physical, mental, emotional, and energetic parts that all played together.
In my current practice, I blend my training as an acupuncturist and herbalist with bodywork and functional medicine. My approach is to look at the whole person and see how I can help bring balance and healing. Every person is unique and needs individual care – I do not subscribe to the notion of “one size fits all” healthcare. One size may help most, but sometimes people need more individualized support. More and more people want to feel connected to their bodies and to explore options that work alongside their conventional care. Reproductive health is my specialization, and I work with women who are struggling with fertility and reproductive issues. Reproductive health is complex and can be physically and emotionally challenging so having both eastern and western modalities can make a big difference.
My philosophy of care is rooted in listening and understanding while creating a safe space for healing. I strive to provide a healing space that feels safe, accepting, and hopeful. The creation of a healing practice that encompasses all of those things and meets people exactly where they are at in life, is what I am most proud of.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In March of 2020, the world shut down because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the foundation I had built under my business was suddenly gone. The future of my business and questions about how my industry would adapt were suddenly forefront in my mind and there were no answers at that time. For myself, and many small businesses in my field, it was a very scary time. Many of the products and tools that I use are imported, and the safety concerns related to having people in the office working together were two things that impacted the business the most at that time. At the same time that we were dealing with significant business operational questions, we had people reaching out who desperately needed pain management and other care because they were unable to see their regular doctors or were turned away from emergency rooms because their situation was not dire enough.
I distinctly remember a moment when I knew I had to make a decision to either go all in and do whatever I could to navigate the business through whatever was going to happen, or close up and wait to see what happens and possibly reopen another day. It was a pivotal decision and ultimately I chose to stay open.
It took every ounce of resiliency that I had to face the uncertainty as a business owner, while creating a safe space for clients. When you own a business, you accept the ups and downs and the chaos that comes with business ownership, but the absolute craziness and unknown factors of that time really pushed me to the brink of my resiliency. Today I look back on that period of time and I am proud of what I accomplished and what I worked through.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Managing a team is one of the hardest and most rewarding things that I have done in my professional career. It is also an area where I feel I have been successful over the years. I think the reason for that success has to do with the fact that I made a decision that I wanted to be a good boss, and to me being a good boss meant that I focused more on the individual persons needs than on the business needs. My belief is that if people are happy and supported, then that will translate to business success. I want to create a space where people are proud of the work they do, and they enjoy coming to work even on the hardest days.
To me, the keys to managing a team are understanding the needs of each individual contributor and creating a structured environment to help everyone succeed. What are their goals? What environment/tools/etc., do they need to do their best work? What motivates them? I use this information to help them grow towards those goals and to create the optimal environment for them to work. A structured environment with clear communication is important to keep everyone on the same page and growing towards the same goal. Over communication is better than not enough communication. There is a balance between just enough structure to create harmony, but not too much structure to inhibit personal growth.
Lastly, creating and maintaining a vision and mission that attracts the right people to your business is important. Having strong guiding principles along with an environment that supports those principles and showcases how your business meets those principles is the best way to keeping team members engaged in your brand. Don’t just say you have great customer services, show me where/how you actively demonstrate great customer service. Living your vision and mission will attract the right team members to your business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.birchwoodintegrativecare.com
- Instagram: birchwoodintegrativecare
- Facebook: Birchwoodintegrativecare
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jessicafrier
Image Credits
Image credit is myself.