An Inspired Chat with Kristen Poe of Shrewsbury

Kristen Poe shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Kristen, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
During the work/school week, my days start at 5:40am. That quiet moment before the day starts are sacred. I set quick intentions for the day, grounding myself in gratitude and purpose. A shower and my beauty routine always start my day.
By 6:30, I’m in full motion. I make three different breakfasts and three lunches for my kids, each tailored to their needs and personalities. I prep my own lunch for the workday, then shift gears into “mom mode,” waking my kids, helping them get ready, and making sure we’re out the door by 8:00 a.m.
Once they’re off to school, I transition into “doctor and entrepreneur mode.” At my office, I see anywhere between 5 and 12 patients each day, each one with their own story, their own healing journey. My mission is to give every single one of them my focus, energy, and expertise, to help them feel seen, heard, and empowered to take control of their health.
After work, it’s back to family, school pickup, homework, and often basketball or gymnastics practice. Evenings are sacred. We cook dinner, sit down as a family, and share about our days. No matter how busy life gets, that dinner table connection grounds us. I will usually finish up my notes and work for the day for an hour or two, while my husband spends time and connects with our kids. Then we put the kids to bed
Once the kids are in bed, I shift into wife and partner mode, spending time with my husband, reconnecting, and reflecting.
It’s a full life, demanding, yes, but fulfilling. Every moment, from early-morning intentions to late-night connection, is an act of purpose. It’s not about balance, it’s about being present and intentional in every role I play.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
If I had to briefly summarize who I am, I’m a healer, a mother, a wife, and an entrepreneur on a mission to help people reclaim their health and their power.
I’m Dr. Kristen Poe, Doctor of Naprapathic Medicine, PhD in Alternative Medicine, Board-Certified Holistic Nutritionist, and Board Certified Sexologist. I’m the founder of Poe Holistic Health, where I focus on complimenting and optimizing health, and bridging the gap between conventional medicine and holistic wellness through a functional, personalized approach.
What makes my work unique is that it’s both scientific and soulful. I combine advanced lab testing, personalized nutrition, naprapathic therapy, detoxification, and mindset coaching to help my patients not just feel better and live better.
My philosophy is “Holistic but Realistic” because I am a straight shooter and like to keep it real. It has to fit into real life.
I’m a mom of three, and my days start early, around 5:40 a.m., with quick intentions for the day, my morning routine, and getting my kids ready for school. I spend my workdays seeing anywhere from five to twelve patients, each with their own story and journey toward wellness. After school, it’s family time, homework, basketball or gymnastics, cooking dinner, and connecting at the table. At night, I reset and reconnect with my husband.
That rhythm, the merging of structure, love, and purpose, is what keeps me grounded and passionate about what I do.
Right now, I’m expanding my work beyond my practice, through transformational wellness retreats and Home Health assessments, educational partnerships, and my recent book Health Boss, and the Health Boss series I am writing. My goal is to make functional and lifestyle health more accessible, practical, and empowering, helping people take charge of their health in a way that feels authentic and sustainable.
“At the end of the day, my mission is simple: to help people elevate their health and their lives, because when you feel your best, you become unstoppable.”

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
What breaks the bonds between people is often disconnection from ourselves, from truth and from empathy. It happens when we stop seeing each other through the lens of grace and start operating from fear, ego, or exhaustion. We live in a world that moves too fast, everyone rushing, reacting, and rarely reflecting. When we forget to slow down, to listen, and to be present, we drift. I have fallen short here too!
The real bond-breakers aren’t always dramatic, they’re subtle. The unsaid words. The unmet needs. The unchecked stress. The moments we choose pride over vulnerability, or control over compassion. The moment we stop being loyal to people and things that have been loyal to us.
But what restores those bonds is authenticity, grace, and being humble.
It’s the courage to say, “I’m sorry.” It’s the power of forgiveness, not just for others, but for ourselves. It’s choosing love and kindness, and doing the inner work, because healed people create healing relationships.
In my practice and in my life, I’ve learned that real connection is medicine. When people feel seen, heard, and safe, the energy between them shifts. That’s where restoration begins.
One of my mantras has always been to be loving, kind, and honest.
Those three things can rebuild anything that’s been broken.
Love restores. Grace rebuilds. Presence heals.

What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
I’ve failed more times than I can count. I’ve started businesses that didn’t work out, made decisions that cost me money, energy, and confidence. I’ve experienced seasons where I completely lost faith in myself. I know what it feels like to question your purpose, and to wonder if maybe I’m cut out for the dream I’ve been chasing.
There was a moment in my life when I hit a wall, mentally, emotionally, financially. I was broken. And I’ll never forget my husband looking at me and saying, “You have what it takes. You can eat it, or you can let it eat you. Either you go up and succeed, or you go down and stay where you are. The great thing is, it’s your choice.”
That moment changed everything. It was tough love, but it was truth. I realized that the very thing that broke me was also my invitation to rise.
From that point forward, I made the decision to stop identifying with failure and start identifying with resilience. I chose to learn, to grow, and rebuild. I stopped waiting for someone else to believe in me and decided to bet on myself.
Failure doesn’t define you, it refines you and teaches you. Every closed door, every mistake, every setback was preparing me to lead with greater wisdom, empathy, and strength. Without those moments, I wouldn’t be the woman, the doctor, or the mother I am today.
Now, when I talk about health, mindset, and healing, I’m not just speaking from textbooks, I’m speaking from experience. From falling and rising. From losing and rebuilding. From learning that the most powerful transformation begins when you stop asking “Why me?” and start saying “Watch me.” It’s having a growth versus scarcity mindset.
The great thing about life, and the part we often forget, when it comes to how we choose to live daily, is that it’s your choice.

You can stay where you are, or you can rise. You can let it break you, or you can let it build you.
And I chose to rise.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Absolutely. What you see publicly is who I truly am, my friends, family, colleagues and loved ones would back this up. I am a straight shooter, and what you see is what you get.
The woman you see speaking, leading retreats, working with patients, writing books, and showing up on social media is the same woman who wakes up at 5:40 a.m., sets her intentions for the day, works, but puts her family first. I’m not performing, it’s real life. I work hard, but i play harder.
The “public me” is simply the version of myself that’s learned how to channel life’s lessons into impact. The truth is, I’ve been through a lot, failed businesses, bad decisions, heartbreak, abusive relationships, moments where I completely lost faith in myself. But every fall refined me, not defined me. My husband once told me, “You can eat it, or you can let it eat you.” And that stuck with me. I chose to rise, and now I use my story to help others do the same.
I think people crave realness. My mission has always been to lead with authenticity, to show that you can be strong and still be soft, successful and still be human.
So yes, the public version of me is the real me, but it’s also the me who’s done (and will always continue to do) the inner work, who’s found peace in her purpose, and who believes that sharing your truth, your whole truth, is the most powerful form of connection there is.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
For a long time, I followed the path that seemed safe, logical, and acceptable. I checked the boxes, earned the degrees, built the résumé, and chased the definition of success that society celebrates. But deep down, I knew something was missing. I’ve always marched to the beat of my own drum. Even when the world told me to play it safe, fit in, or tone it down, I never could. I’ve always had an edge, a provocative, unapologetic style
I finally started listening to the voice inside me instead of the noise around me when I was in my mid-20s. For the first time, I stopped trying to live the life I thought I should live, and started living the one I was born to live.
I was born to help people heal, not just physically, but emotionally, spiritually, and energetically. I was born to create a bridge between traditional medicine and holistic wellness. I was born to remind people that they are powerful, capable, and worthy of vitality and purpose.
What I do through Poe Holistic Health, my retreats, my books, and my mission isn’t just a career, it’s a calling. It’s the alignment of everything I’ve walked through, survived, and learned. The heartbreaks, the failures, the comebacks, they are all part of my assignment.
So yes, today I am absolutely doing what I was born to do.
When you finally stop living for approval and start living for purpose, you don’t just change your life, you change lives. So yeah, sometimes you have to be a little bit of a rebel. People will talk about it, judge it, disagree with it. If you are authentic and know you’re doing the right thing with love and integrity, the doubts, noise and judgment will fade into the background.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.poeholistichealth.com
• Instagram: @drkristenpoe
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkristenpoe
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DRKRISTENPOE/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@doctorpoe?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits
Scott Erb Photography & Ingrid Hierholzer Photography