We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Stukey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The Risk of Believing in Something Bigger: How I Built—and Let Go Of—My Integrative Wellness Center

Risk in business isn’t just about money. It’s about putting your heart on the line over and over again. The biggest risks I took as an entrepreneur were emotional, physical, and often invisible to the outside world. They were about trusting myself, again and again, even when it didn’t make sense to anyone else.

My journey started in 2005, fresh out of acupuncture school. I rented a small office space and began building a private practice. My practice was growing steadily until a fire in the building pushed me in a new direction much faster than I expected. As I had learned from other events in my life that seemed tragic or negative, I took this as a sign, a reminder that something difficult could lead to something beautiful that might never have happened otherwise. A quote from the 17th-century Japanese poet Mizuta Masahide that one of my acupuncture teachers often shared came to mind: “For my barn has burned down, now I can see the moon.”

I moved my private practice into my home while beginning to create what would become an integrative wellness center. A space with a mission to support practitioners of the healing arts in building financially thriving practices without the headache of managing the business side.

Then came the big leap. Opening a multidisciplinary wellness center in the middle of the 2009 recession. Friends and family thought I was crazy. Banks weren’t interested in lending, and the only loan I was initially offered was a call loan, meaning the bank could ask for its money back at any time. I turned it down. Eventually, I connected with a woman through an accounting course who worked at a local bank. Thanks to federal SBA funding aimed at stimulating the economy, I secured the loan I needed to take on a 2,900-square-foot space.

It was a raw shell, concrete floors, no walls, just one wide-open rectangular space. I remember bringing treats to the construction workers daily as they built it out. One day, they installed a two-ton HVAC unit that was far too big for the space, taking up all the storage we had planned for our file room. We had to adapt and figure out how to make it work.

My vision was bigger than just a business. I wanted to create a space where other acupuncturists and holistic practitioners could thrive without shouldering the business burdens. I had seen too many talented healers struggle to make ends meet, working an additional job or eventually giving up on the profession. My mission was to help others build profitable, fulfilling practices while being in a community of supportive practitioners.

For the first ten years, it worked. I wore every hat: receptionist, yoga teacher, practitioner, marketer, manager. I worked 12-hour days, sometimes more. But I had a solid team and a community of loyal practitioners. We were growing something beautiful.

Then COVID hit.

We shut down. Everything changed. Staff left. Some were already planning to move on; others didn’t feel safe returning. One practitioner shocked me by walking in one day and announcing she was leaving to open her own space, no conversation, no warning. My heart sank.

Rebuilding during the pandemic was one of the hardest and loneliest chapters of my life. I pieced together safety protocols from OSHA, the CDC, and professional associations. We moved yoga classes outside. We created a safety-forward marketing campaign to reassure our community. I helped my staff get vaccinated. Through it all, I felt my nervous system begin to fray.

Running the wellness center during that time was overwhelming. Everything changed daily, protocols, staffing, and patient needs. I was exhausted. Burned out.

But I didn’t give up. We rebuilt. Slowly, we grew again. And then came the hardest risk of all. Letting go.

After nearly five years of pandemic-era leadership, I knew I had to step back. I missed being in the treatment room. I was still practicing, but I was constantly pulled between patient care and the needs of the office. As soon as I stepped outside the door of the treatment room, there was always someone needing my help and attention. Running the business had pulled me away from my true passion: treating patients, practicing acupuncture, and Chinese herbal medicine. I had to be honest with myself. I had to be honest with my staff.

I made the terrifying decision to sell the business.

After many months of exploring options and even getting to the contract phase with a pain management doctor, I found a path that felt aligned with everything I stood for. I found a nonprofit organization that helped me transition the business into a worker-owned cooperative. It wasn’t the traditional route, and it wasn’t easy. But it allowed me to pass the baton to the next generation of practitioners and give them a chance to shape what came next.

To me, that’s success. Not just that I built something, but that I knew when it was time to let it go. That I was able to ensure its legacy continued. That the space I nurtured now lives on in the hands of those who care about it just as much as I did.

The truth is, every big step I took, from renting that first office to building a center during a recession, from navigating COVID, to creating a co-op, was a risk. But they were all grounded in the same thing: love. Love for my work. Love for the people I serve. Love for what’s possible when we show up with heart.
And I’d take those risks all over again.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story.

I found acupuncture before I ever imagined becoming a practitioner. In 1998, I was living with chronic pain after a car accident left me with a herniated disk. I had tried everything Western medicine had to offer: physical therapy, medication, specialists, but the pain persisted in my back, arm, and leg for years. Then I tried acupuncture. After just one treatment, something shifted. The pain wasn’t completely gone, but I felt lighter, more at ease in my body than I had in years.

As I continued treatments, the physical pain started to fade, but something deeper was also happening. I was sleeping better. I was happier. I had more energy.
That experience changed my life. It gave me the clarity and strength to change behaviors and patterns that weren’t serving me. It also led me to my life’s work.

Today, I’m a Licensed Acupuncturist and Diplomate of Acupuncture with a Masters of Oriental Medicine. I’ve been treating patients since 2004 and have performed more than 10,000 acupuncture treatments. My practice focuses on women’s health. From fertility to menopause, hormonal imbalances, pain management to emotional well-being. I support patients dealing with menstrual symptoms, gynecological conditions, pain, anxiety, insomnia, and so much more. I combine acupuncture with Chinese herbal medicine, and I bring a deep, compassionate approach to every session.

While I no longer teach, I’m also a registered yoga teacher (E-RYT® 200) and have taught over 1,000 hours of yoga, weaving mindfulness and body awareness into my healing work. In recent years, my interest has been more on yoga nidra and other offerings to calm our nervous system.

In 2009, I opened Awaken Wellness, a thriving integrative wellness center in Columbia, MD. At our height, we had 19 staff members working at the center. In 2024, I transitioned the business into a worker-owned cooperative. A heart-centered, values-aligned way to ensure the legacy of the clinic continues and empowers the next generation of healers.

Over the years, I’ve been honored with awards like the SmartCEO Brava Award for women business leaders, Best of Columbia Acupuncturist by Best Rate, and multiple articles in local publications have been written about me and my integrative wellness center. I’ve continued to expand my skills through 100’s of hours of continuing education, including an unforgettable internship in the Labor & Delivery Unit at NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn, where I supported women birthing with acupuncture, acupressure, and bodywork.

But what I’m most proud of is the relationships. The quiet moments in the treatment room where someone feels truly seen, held, and begins to heal. I offer relationship-centered healing, rooted in compassion, respect, and the belief that every person has the power to transform their own life.

I’m not just here to treat my patients’ symptoms. I’m here to walk with them on their healing journey. To help them listen to their body’s messages, reconnect with their vitality, and live with more joy and ease.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Hands down, personal growth work.

You can take every business course under the sun, get certified in every modality, and have all the tools, but if you’re not doing your own inner work, you’re going to hit a wall. People who are incredibly skilled, who have the credentials and the passion, but if they haven’t done the deeper emotional and spiritual work, their business just doesn’t take off.

If we’re not willing to look at our own patterns, wounds, and blind spots, those things will absolutely show up in our work, with clients, with staff, in how we handle money, boundaries, or burnout.

For me, personal development isn’t separate from professional development. It’s foundational. The more I grow as a human, the more my work thrives.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Definitely. My journey as a business owner and practitioner has been shaped by a blend of practical business guidance, personal growth philosophies, and energetic mindset work.

One foundational influence has been Landmark Education’s Curriculum for Living. This set of programs helped me shift how I approach challenges and communication, not just in business, but in life. It taught me the power of personal responsibility and clear intention, which are vital in leading a team and building a thriving practice. It also helped me to refine our systems and structures as a business. And having staff members participate in the courses gave us a stronger foundation as a team.

I also turned to The E-Myth by Michael Gerber early on. A must-read for anyone starting a small business. It helped me understand the difference between working in your business versus working on your business, and guided me to create systems that supported sustainable growth.

Spiritually and energetically, the Law of Attraction teachings, especially those by Esther Hicks, have influenced how I envision and manifest my goals. I truly believe that mindset and energy set the foundation for business success.

For the more practical side of running a healing practice, Building Your Ideal Private Practice: A Guide for Therapists and Other Healing Professionals has been invaluable. It’s packed with realistic strategies for marketing, managing finances, and growing a client base without losing your soul.

Lastly, I’ve leaned on local resources like SBA learning centers, which have provided accessible workshops and tools that helped me navigate the business side with confidence.

All of these resources combined have shaped not just how I run my practice, but who I am as a leader and healer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.JenAcupuncture.com
• Instagram: @JenAcuHerb
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenacuherb/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JenAcuHerb