Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dr. Kristen Poe, Founder of POE Holistic Health, located in Shrewsbury, MA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
POE Holistic Health is a Functional Health and wellness practice that focuses on personalized Holistic Health Plans, holistic nutrition, optimal health & lifestyle management, natural chronic pain support through Naprapathy (connective tissue and fascia bodywork), supporting chronic conditions & Illnesses, strengthening the Immune System, gut health support, nutritional deficiency & environment intolerance Lab Testing, health optimization support, and other non-invasive personalized holistic approaches for health and wellness.
Tell us about yourself
Planned to follow in my father’s footsteps and attend medical school. However, in my junior year of college, I was granted an internship with a large pharmaceutical company, which led me down a different path. I pursued a career in the pharmaceutical industry after college and earned an MBA in Marketing. As time went on, my calling to be a healthcare practitioner never subsided. I was unhappy and knew I needed to make some changes. In addition to being unhappy in my career, I was working through a difficult relationship, and I found myself depressed, not taking care of myself, and feeling fatigued almost daily. I was making poor health, nutrition, and life choices. I made positive changes in my physical and emotional health and became familiar with what it meant to have good nutrition.
I made a pact to myself to start taking care of my health and wellness in as many ways as I could. I began exercising at the gym daily and got connected with my fantastic personal trainer Jen DiCandia and owner of NV Fitness. She helped me start eating better (and understanding) what it meant to have a balanced diet. This unlocked my passion for nutrition and exercising. Not long after, I started training with her for fitness competitions. I was fascinated to learn that just by eating well and choosing the right foods, I felt like a new person, not to mention achieving a physique I never thought would be possible. She is still a dear friend and will always be a professional mentor and colleague in my life. This was when I realized I needed to take a step back, reflect on what was really important to me, and follow my dreams. I knew then that I wanted to pursue a career in health and help patients optimize their health and wellness. I started a very long journey of studying Functional medicine, nutrition, and Naprapathy. After almost ten years of school and training, I opened my practice Poe Holistic Health in 2019.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Getting into the Functional Medicine world wasn’t on my original radar. My biggest accomplishment has been living out my passion every day and helping as many people as I can support and optimize their health and wellness. Over the past 2.5 years, I have consulted with over 600 patients. Along the journey, there have been some obstacles and bumps in the road. However, it’s the bumps in the road that have made it so rewarding. It was extremely challenging to go back to school, complete coursework, a dissertation, and clinical hours with patients while having three small babies at home. There were days I wondered what I was doing and if it was worth it. It was scary to start over and open a practice. However, my passion drove me, and I knew not finishing was not an option. Staying true to myself, even on the most difficult days, has been my biggest accomplishment.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest thing is balance! As a mom of 3, finding a work-life balance is of paramount importance to me. This is one of the reasons I opened my own practice was for the availability to adjust my schedule to be able to be there for my children whenever they need me. It is also challenging being both the provider and Business owner/CEO. There is always something to do, and I am nearly always working. There are not enough hours in the day to get everything done sometimes.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
First and foremost, follow your dreams and passions, and start a business in something you feel excited and passionate about every day. I believe Three things that lead to success are always exuding honesty, kindness, and respect no matter what business you go into. Remaining open-minded and versatile is also crucial. We live in a fast-paced world with evolving technology, so remaining open-minded to processes and things that can be more efficient and beneficial to growing your business is very important. Lastly, making connections with positive mentors and entrepreneurs that can give you positive advice and support is so important in all steps of starting, running, and growing any business.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.poeholistichealth.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DRKRISTENPOE/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkristenpoe/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkristenpoe/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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