We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachelle Forsberg a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Rachelle, thanks for joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
I will never forget the first time I literally felt my knees buckle. I was in my second year of medical school and my mom told me she hadn’t been feeling so well. At the time I was in a class focused on lab interpretation so I casually offered to take her lab test results with me to class and see how things lined up with what we were learning at the time. This was before much was shared digitally so I had a paper copy of my mother’s lab test results in hand while our brilliant professor began reviewing a portion of a lab test called a complete blood count (or “CBC” for short). I quickly realized things were not normal on the paper copy of lab testing I was staring at in my hands and before I could take another breath I felt a deep heaviness wash over my entire body as I swiftly fell to my knees.
A few days later my mother’s doctor would confirm what I incidentally uncovered in that medical school class – my mother had a rare form of blood cancer. Thankfully, my mother was able to promptly implement life-saving interventions and she is still with us today. I feel grateful every day for her presence in my life as I know (and have known) the tragic loss that cancer can bring to our doorstep at a moment’s notice.
This experience not only crystalized my passion in medical school to learn all that I could to help my patients gain access to state of the art screenings and preventative medicine, but it also fundamentally shaped the type of doctor I became. I deeply value the importance of seeing the whole human in front of me.
We are more than numbers on a bell curve (falling within or outside a “normal” range on a page) and because the very first time I interpreted lab results it meant something very personal to me, I carry that experience with me every time I meet with a patient. I truly want to get to know my patients and to feel connected to their story – not just their numbers – because that is the reason I practice medicine: to bring healing to the whole person, to be prepared for those knee-buckling moments, and to always hold a beacon of hope even in their darkest of times.
Rachelle, 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?
I was born and raised in Colorado and from a young age I was interested in healthcare. For a very long time I thought I wanted to become a veterinarian. We lived in rural Colorado during high school where vet care was limited so I had the privilege of taking a job helping a local vet with surgeries. One time we had a large dog that required a tooth extraction. During that process I was devastated that I couldn’t clearly communicate with the poor dog that we were going to help him while he was in so much pain. After that, I decided medicine with humans – where I could have a better chance of talking with my patients in a language we both clearly understood was a better fit for me!
I studied pre-med at Colorado State University. During my initial interviews with medical schools I came to realize I was drawn to the schools that offered additional training in what (at the time) was called Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM for short). My mother had raised us eating very healthfully, taking limited medications, and implementing CAM modalities like herbal medicine and homeopathy which had helped my health so much I wanted to learn as much as I could about CAM options wherever I attended medical school. What I didn’t realize was that entire medical schools existed dedicated to CAM – they were Naturopathic medical schools. Thinking I was set on my path with a plan to attend a traditional medical school, I was lucky enough to be invited to join a friend who wanted to visit the grad school fair on our college campus. I was hoping to help them find their path just as I so proudly had found mine when instead I happened upon a booth for a Naturopathic medical school in Seattle called Bastyr University. After that conversation I hopped on a plane to Seattle and discovered my calling was to be a Naturopathic Doctor.
As a Naturopathic Doctor, I am passionate about helping people find their optimal state of wellness. I believe there are many paths to health and enjoy collaborating with individuals as they traverse their unique healing journey. In my practice, I utilize naturopathic care along with traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, functional medicine, and specific nutrient therapy. After 10 years of clinical practice in the Pacific Northwest, I fulfilled my dream of returning to Colorado to build a Naturopathic medical practice in my home state called Natural Medicine of Denver!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Although I’ve never taken any formal classes in business, one lesson that I think we are all taught about business at some point in our lives is a mentality of “hustle” in order to deliver a service that is above and beyond. I took this hustle mentality extremely seriously when I started my own clinic. I worked late hours, squeezed in extra patients outside of my clinic schedule, and said “YES” to everything. I was hustling and my business was growing! This was a thrilling experience to see my efforts both as a doctor and as a fledgling business owner succeed. Unfortunately, this pace was not sustainable. I also had a young child at the time, the pandemic set in, I was pivoting daily, and burning the candle at both ends until my health totally bottomed out.
It feels a little ironic that the doctor needed to learn this lesson, but I really wasn’t listening to my own advice and my body waved the white flag of surrender. In an effort to please every last request of our patients and strive deliver an experience that (I felt) was above and beyond I was stealing from my own health.
I decided to take a step back. I reassessed my boundaries. I hired an assistant and someone to help at home with childcare a few extra hours per week. I still strive to deliver an above and beyond experience but now I do so within healthy boundaries of time and energy. I say “NO” a lot.
The most interesting thing I noticed when I made this shift is that folks seemed to actually ask less of me, I had less requests for discounts on services, and my business continued to grow. I believe this subtle shift of firmer boundaries translates into patients sensing the value I first give to myself and therefore they are more confident and excited about the services I am providing.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
Choosing a path in Naturopathic medicine is not for the faint of heart. Of my graduating class less that 30% of us are still in practice today. The landscape of medicine has changed dramatically in the last 15 years and exponentially so in the past three years. It is becoming more difficult to stay in private practice and compete with larger institutions. My student debt is enormous and unfortunately the regulation of Naturopathic doctors in Colorado is not up to date with my education and training meaning I cannot practice to the full scope of my credentials as a I did in Washington state.
There are many folks around me who have said I should just quit and find an easier professional path. I will be honest there are many days that sounds enticing. The problem is there are not enough Naturopathic doctors and I believe we need this approach to medicine now more than ever. I feel so privileged to help my patients and am rewarded on a daily basis when celebrating the wins with my patients who have done the hard work to change their diet and lifestyle to improve their health.
I suppose some might consider it a job, but I really do consider it a calling and I am not ready to give up despite the business and legislative obstacles I face.
With that said, when young pre-med students approach me I do advise they look long and hard at their options and I am very transparent about the state of Naturopathic medicine. With the large student loans and uncertain job security after school I really do think it is a calling and not something to choose to do lightly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://naturalmedicineofdenver.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturalmedicineofdenver/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naturalmedicineofdenver/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKC6yn90wT03q8C-ZPjvYqA
Image Credits
Adam Snyder