Meet Kristen Tipaldo

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristen Tipaldo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristen below.

Hi Kristen , thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

I don’t think I have overcome imposter syndrome. However, I don’t think this is a negative thing. To not quite be sure if you are up to the task or if you belong somewhere keeps me humble and on my toes.

I have accomplished so much in my 20-year career so far, much more than I imagined at the beginning. I remember sitting in the last year of my Master’s degree in Oriental Medicine and being so fatigued that i couldn’t remember what I studied. I simply wanted to graduate and rest at that point. I had no lofty plans at the time except for opening a private Acupuncture practice. I went onto working on a cruise ship and writing some of the training materials that are now used on every cruise ship in the world. During that time, I had to learn how to speak publicly about Acupuncture which was frightening beyond belief. I then went onto formulating my own Cosmetic Acupuncture protocol and training other professionals. I’ve been a professor at an Acupuncture school and taught and mentored students. I’ve worked in a military hospital and been able to fine tune pain management techniques for active-duty military, some of the most difficult pain cases I’ve ever seen. I’ve sat on the state Acupuncture board and upheld our professional regulations. Lastly, I’m currently completing a traditional Ph.D. program in Health Science. During the program, I was lucky enough to hold a research internship and have been published in research journals.

Putting all of this in writing makes it surprising to me. Again, I never thought I would do anything other than recover from school and start a practice. During every step of the process, I wondered if I was smart enough or good enough. Believe me there were days when my belief in myself vacillated greatly. I used the feeling to fuel me though. I thought that if I could just put one foot in front of the other, I could at least get through the day. Then that would build confidence to move forward. Imposter syndrome creates tension for me, the tension necessary to fight for what I want or to fight for the belief in myself.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’ve been a licensed Acupuncturist for over 20 years. The thing that I love about my job is when a patient achieves success. This part, the core of what I do, never gets old. I haven’t changed what I’ve done from the beginning. I’ve continued to practice Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as it was created 5,000 years ago. It doesn’t need to change or get fancy to work, it just works.

I still see a lot of the same patients and new patients with health conditions that I’ve treated 1,000 times. However, I treat more fertility now than ever. I can’t tell you how fulfilling it is to help someone realize their dream of being a parent. It’s life changing for them after fertility specialists have all told them they can’t get pregnant. Those are my favorite people to see, the so-called ‘difficult’ cases.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The three qualities or skills that were most impactful on my journey have been tenacity, authenticity. and flexibility. You need all of these to be successful in any business, especially a small private practice. Tenacity or the ability to never give up is one that will take you through life. I can’t tell you how many new Acupuncturists I see that don’t want to work a few extra hours or drive 30 minutes in order to build their practice and reputation. Starting a business and sometimes life takes grit. Authenticity has to do with the ability to find and share your special gifts and talents with the world. Not every Acupuncturist is the same but knowing who you are and stepping into that, people will respond to you because it’s genuine. Flexibility is so important in business and in life. In business, you may have to pivot multiple times depending on a variety of reasons such as the economic climate. In life, the ability to be flexible dissipates so much unnecessary suffering. My Acupuncture professors in school used to say “be like a branch in the wind”. Allowing yourself to not get stuck in one place or personality trait and you will be so much better off in life for it.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

The person that has influenced me the most in overcoming challenges is my father. He had all the qualities that I emulate and still draw upon when I’m experiencing difficult times. When I hear myself complaining or feeling sorry for myself I remember how I watched him overcome so many challenges. My ‘why’ is still in honor of him.

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Image Credits

Photographer: Susan Jeffers

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