Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kailee Carlson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kailee, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
I believe my optimism was instilled in me from a very young age. I come from a very optimistic family. My mom is a very glass-half-full human and always taught my sister and me to find the good in people and life.
I am a big believer that we have the power to change our lives and take ownership of our future, however, there is so much to be said about the impact our childhood plays in our life. Some of my first memories are of when I underwent multiple surgeries and procedures for a skin growth on my nose that was rapidly growing. I was a first grader who had just moved to a completely new school district, moved into the house my grandparents had lived in my whole life, and was no longer an only child as my baby sister had just been born. There were a lot of changes in a short amount of time, and I remember going through all these painful procedures for my nose during this period. However, any time I would go through something that most people would think was “painful”, my parents would congratulate me and tell me how good of a job I was doing and smile and clap with even things like going to the dentist or getting vaccinations or when I broke my arm. As weird as this sounds, I honestly think this helped me become more resilient and tolerant of pain from a young age. I remember putting on headphones and listening to the calming music of Enya during procedures and being able to transport myself to another place that was free of pain. This is something I’ve been able to carry into my life now. This built the foundation for helping me get through multiple ultra-marathons, most recently a 200 miler in Georgia. Throughout the 200 miler, I kept repeating that I am stronger than I think and that I can do hard things, even when everything from my toes to my brain hurt.
Mindset is the name of the game and I’ve discovered how incredibly powerful our thoughts are. If you focus on the negative, chances are, your life is probably going to be pretty hard and come with a lot of challenges that will bring you down. Everyone’s life comes with challenges and hardships, but the question is, are you going to focus on the hard times or the good times? Because I can promise you that even if you’ve been dealt a crappy hand, there will be small glimmers of hope and goodness that you can turn towards.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Working as a Registered Nurse in hospitals, I witnessed a huge lack of preventive healthcare in the US. So many of our patients were coming in because of lifestyle choices that could have been prevented in the first place. This led me to explore the world of integrative medicine and holistic health because, in a society that prides itself on “sick” care over “health” care, my passion is to be a catalyst in changing this narrative.
While working as travel nurse at a hospital in Minnesota, I met the acupuncturists who worked inpatient (treating patients who are staying in the hospital) there and thus began my journey of discovering the beauty of integrating Eastern and Western medicine. I proceeded to go to 3.5 years of graduate school to become a Doctor of Chinese Medicine with a Sports Emphasis so I could practice as a Licensed Acupuncturist.
After graduating, I opened my own business, Dr. Kailee Acupuncture. This was extremely intimidating and daunting as I didn’t have much experience in the business and entrepreneurship world. My parents and grandparents were teachers in the public school system, and I had always worked for big healthcare systems as a nursing assistant and Registered Nurse. I am not one to turn down challenges and this has turned out to be such an incredible learning experience and I have grown so much since opening this business.
Dr. Kailee Acupuncture currently operates out of Performance Running Gym in St. Louis Park, MN. As an endurance athlete and ultra-marathoner, working in a community of like-minded people who are constantly striving to better themselves has been so rewarding.
My practice specializes in treating endurance athletes; however, I treat everything from GI issues to mental health to sleep disturbances to all types of pain to women’s health. I fell in love with this medicine because of the wide scope it has on treating so many ailments and truly getting to the root of what is going on in someone’s body versus just focusing on symptom management which is what I was used to in the hospitals.
My ultimate mission is to empower my patients to live up to their full potential by providing the necessary tools for them to achieve optimal health and well-being. I love talking about lifestyle changes with my patients such as nutrition, sleep, mindset, and movement to create lifelong changes. I have a passion for creating a healthier society physically, mentally, and socially which is why I pursued acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine as a second career.
You can find me on Instagram @drkaileeacu
And learn more on my website https://www.drkaileeacu.com/
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Determination and drive. I never give up on myself and don’t back down from challenges. At times, I may be a bit determined to a fault, but this trait has brought me so many incredible opportunities that I never could have dreamed of. I encourage those who have goals and dreams of their own to never give up on themselves and to just keep pushing. If one thing doesn’t work out the way you want it to, you must keep going and not settle in this life.
2. Community and relationships. This is something that has become extremely evident in the past few years. As someone who is incredibly independent as well as introverted, I always thought I was fine on my own and that it was easier to not include others in my life. Turns out, I was wrong. After ending a long-term relationship, I joined my local running race team and this was the start of something greater than I thought possible. I made so many incredible friendships and finally felt like I was part of something bigger and like I was wanted in a space. If I can share anything with others, it’s the importance of surrounding yourself with people who lift you and elevate your life. How do you feel when you’re in a room with your friends and how do you feel when you leave? Find the people who leave you feeling like a better version of yourself.
3. Willingness to learn and grow and fail. It is so important to be open to opportunities and know that it’s not always going to go the way you want it to. But the more you put yourself out there, the more will come to you. I’m someone who never gives up and is always willing to put myself out there. I want people to know that it’s not going to be easy, but that something greater is waiting if you put in the effort.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
Hands down my biggest area of growth has been believing that I belong in the spaces I once thought that I didn’t belong in. It might not come across like this to others, but for the longest time, I thought that I wasn’t wanted in certain spaces and that people were better off not having me around or that I wasn’t worthy enough to be there. Being an introvert, it can be really hard to insert yourself into places of extroverts or people that you think are “better” than you. I had a really strong case of imposter syndrome as well.
I can honestly say that my life changed when I started working with my mindset coach, Christine Hernandez, of Thomas Endurance Coaching and Bold Leader Collective. She helped me realize that I’m truly wanted and belong in spaces I never thought I was before. This was the push I needed to uplevel my life and open my own business, start running distances of 100+ miles, and fall in love with the partner of my dreams.
I don’t know if the imposter syndrome will ever go away completely, but I can easily say that I have learned numerous tools to help keep it at bay and remind myself that I’m doing the absolute best that I can with the knowledge and experiences I have. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten is that the world doesn’t need more experts, the world needs you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drkaileeacu.com/
- Instagram: @drkaileeacu
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kailee-carlson-dcm-l-ac-rn-834b1392/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=9xsDYiFXYGeuIgKjVkyRBw
Image Credits
@cadiaphoto
