Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Tory Wegner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dr. Tory, we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?
I used to hear the words “self- care” and cringe on the inside. Images of hours I didn’t have being spent on more diets, more exercise, more trying to add in things that I simply didn’t have time for would flash through my mind. I’d become instantly overwhelmed by how I was going to fit “self-care” into my already busy life.
I felt drained before I even started!
Being in the holistic healthcare field, I see it time and again in the clinic where people start lifestyle changes that are strict and not sustainable. Then they feel guilty and bad about themselves when they ultimately give up. There is this attitude of “go big or go home.” If I can’t exercise an hour a day, eat perfectly with no sugar or this or that food group, meditate like a monk etc., then what’s the point, I just won’t do anything then.
I have unsubscribed from the all or nothing attitude towards self-care.
I release the guilt that comes from not being able to maintain unrealistic expectations and strict goals.
I’ve had to learn what works for me through my own journey of growth, setbacks, and pivots. My biggest lessons are that there are no quick fixes and there is no one size fits all approach. Most importantly, my self-care has become a bunch of little things throughout the day, things that may seem small, but with consistency they add up and create positive results with joy, not drain. Each day provides an opportunity to nurture and nourish myself holistically.
My current view of self-care is about making time for myself, having grace with myself, making me a priority, and not scraping the bottom of the barrel after everyone else in my life has been taken care of. It’s about being committed to myself as deeply as I’ve committed to my family, kids, business, patients, friends, and everyone else.
Each day I incorporate activities that promote mental clarity, physical well-being, spiritual connection, and honoring the beautiful synergy of my entire being.
My early morning self-care routine is the biggest commitment I’ve made to myself. Dedicating a few precious moments to my own well-being lays a solid foundation for an empowered day ahead in a way that is both flexible and sustainable long-term. I am not by nature a morning person, but I consistently get up about an hour before my household because that is the only time I’m guaranteed no interruptions! Even though I want to hit snooze and make excuses for not doing it, I don’t. I’ve come to cherish the early morning time to myself.
After I turn off the alarm, I put the phone and all electronics aside, so I don’t get lured down the rabbit hole of checking email or social media.
I spend my first few minutes journaling, writing gratitude’s, or setting intentions for the day. This introspection helps me consciously cultivate positive thoughts, affirmations, invites clarity, purpose, and a deeper sense of empowerment into my life. When my mindset is strong and clear, I can navigate daily challenges with more grace and make choices that align with my desires.
Then it’s on to my physical well-being with 15 minutes of whatever exercise sounds fun that day. If I’m feeling good it’s HIIT, weight, or kickboxing. If my body says it needs something gentler, then I choose yoga, stretching, or even a guided meditation. I don’t beat myself up that those 15 minutes aren’t “enough,” or that I didn’t burn enough calories, or sweat enough. I do what I can and I’m grateful to my body for moving! This gentle movement is a great way to invigorate my body and mind, enhance circulation, and set a positive tone for the day.
After that I take the dog out for a 15-minute walk and enjoy the peace and stillness of the morning. I walk with mindfulness, letting my senses awaken. Feeling the goosebumps as the cool air hits my skin, smelling the damp earth and cut grass, listening to the cheerful chirping of the birds as they greet the day, smiling at the last wink of the moon before it gives way to the sun. Our early walk has become a sacred ritual of my morning and helps anchor me and clear my mind and body for the day ahead.
The last thing I do before I go upstairs to wake my girls is drink a glass of warm water with fresh squeezed lemon in it. When the tartness hits my tongue, my brain knows it’s time to segway into my day of getting the girls to school, going to the office, helping my patients, responding to emails, making dinner, and all the things in-between.
But before the world demands my attention, I’ve prioritized myself.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m Dr. Tory Wegner, founder of Holly Springs Holistic Acupuncture. My approach blends acupuncture and various holistic modalities to open the door for a unique healing opportunity and experience for my patients.
I have my doctorate in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, am a reiki master, author, and educator. My primary focus is women’s health and infertility. I love helping women along their journey of bringing a healthy baby into the world!
I am always learning and growing, and I bring a fresh and holistic perspective to the treatment room. I help give my clients a new way to look at things and techniques they can use to support themselves naturally.
I feel very lucky to have a career I love and help people at the same time!
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?
The entrepreneurial journey is not for the faint of heart. I worked for a large acupuncture clinic for 10 years before I ventured out on my own. I thought I knew a fair amount about business by then. I opened my ow practice in 2015, an since then I’ve been continuously learning how to grow and develop my business and skills.
It’s hard to narrow it down to three qualities that have helped me the most, but I’d say one that was very important for me when I was starting out was starting within my means and growing from there. I had a grand vision for a beautiful holistic center of my own. However, I didn’t want to go into debt so I started small by renting a room within a therapy practice. It took time to grow my clientele, but within 2 years I was able to move into my own space and increase my business and help more people. This slower growth also gave me time to create solid systems for my business and work kinks out. It’s a lot easier to scale up from a rock-solid foundation. Now I have the thriving practice I dreamed about. For me starting smaller and within my means made sense and was the right path.
Another important quality is the ability to pivot. It’s ok to try new things and see if they work, to tweak and refine and make it better, or to scrap it and start over. This must be balanced out with consistency of course; you have to give things time to work and don’t want to constantly be starting over. But if something needs adjusting or addressing, do it. This goes hand in hand with the ability to receive feedback. Feedback isn’t always easy to hear, but if feedback can be turned into a positive and used to improve a process, create a better product, or deliver a better customer experience, it is worth listening to.
A third crucial quality is believing in yourself and what you are doing. If you don’t believe in yourself, then it is going to be hard to get others on board. If you believe in what you are doing you can create the messaging and impact you desire. That deep belief in yourself is what gives you grit during the building phase and the hard times. And it keeps you going when things are good. Truly, when you believe in yourself it doesn’t matter if your business growth is fast, slow, if you have to pivot, or face setbacks, you are always able to deliver the best you can and stay true to your values along the way.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Let’s be honest, when you are a small business owner you must wear a lot of hats. Especially at the beginning before you’ve grown your team and expanded your help network. I had 2 big areas of growth this year.
The first was rebranding my business, changing the business name, and doing a complete overhaul of my website and social media. It was a daunting task and there were a lot of moving parts and details that couldn’t be missed. It was a methodical step-by-step process; I really had to slow down and couldn’t rush. I learned a lot about graphics, logos, website copy, branded photos, and how to hire a great website designer. Then I had to execute the rollout and make sure that my clients knew about the rebrand and business name change as everything went “live.” I had to work out the glitches quickly so there wasn’t a dip in visibility or business. There were definitely a few times it got very overwhelming, but the final product is worth it. I have a beautiful business brand that I’m proud of and excited to show off!
My second big area of growth has been in my leadership and communication skills, to set the foundation to grow my team and business. This past spring, I invested in becoming Dare to Lead ™ Trained. This 8-week course was created by Brene Brown based off her years of scientific research and taught by a certified Dare to lead™ Facilitator. The focus of the program is how to develop your skills as a leader in both your business and life. We learned and practiced mindset and courage skills, ways to build trust in yourself and instill trust in your team, how to be a thoughtful and confident communicator, how to effectively deal with conflicts and frustrations, knowing and sticking to your values, how to be grounded and open without having to people please, and how to promote a productive and overall happy work environment.
The 8-week course involved a lot of digging deep and doing homework to learn about who I am as a leader and how to avoid common communication pitfalls. Each week there were breakout groups and role playing and we had to hold space for each other as we worked through real life scenarios. We got individual attention and coaching from the Dare to Lead™ Facilitator. I learned a lot about myself and invaluable skills as I set my sights on growing my team so I can expand my reach and help more people.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hollyspringsholistic.com
- Facebook: Holly Springs Holistic Acupuncture
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-tory-wegner-378350a7/
Image Credits
Limitless Photography by Anastasia
