We had the good fortune of connecting with Brittany Petrick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brittany, how do you think about risk?
I have always followed the motto of “The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward”. I was a Registered Nurse for about 9 years and a CNA for 7 years before that. Healthcare had always been a huge part of my life and being a nurse had become part of my identity; someone I was very proud to be. So, when I became an acupuncturist, there was an internal struggle of whether or not to keep my nursing license and work as a nurse while slowly building my new acupuncture career or else dive in head first and only do acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Of course, the safe option was to continue working as a nurse while I slowly built a TCM acupuncture clinic. I was guaranteed an income and the security of it felt comforting. I also had a family to think about, including an 18-month-old at the time.

When these big crossroads come up in our lives, I have always known that logic and rationale are not always the best way to make decisions. That to sit in silence, visualize each scenario, and then FEEL into each decision is often the better way in order to truly fulfill our soul mission on this planet. Often times, our deepest fulfillment and purpose may not make sense on paper or sound logical to anyone else but our self (and sometimes not even ourselves). When I did this internal exercise, I felt a tightening in my chest thinking about the stress of trying to manage 2 careers and a family all at the same time. I knew one of them would eventually have to fall to the wayside and I didn’t want it to be the career I had just dedicated 4 years of additional schooling for. When I visualized myself in the acupuncture clinic, my heart opened, there was an internal calm, and I just knew I would be able to help more people in the world and at a much deeper level going in this direction. I knew that if I gave up my nursing license and my identity, I would be able to give the TCM acupuncture clinic 100% of my heart and attention and because of that it would flourish and make a positive impact in my community which was my entire purpose of pursuing Traditional Chinese Medicine in the first place.

I had made my decision. We moved to a brand-new town (Flagstaff, Arizona) where we knew no one. I gave up my nursing license, shedding my old identity, and started a Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture clinic. We only had a little bit of student loan savings left to live on, but a big passion to change the world of healthcare that gave us motivation, energy, and an open heart to dive in head first. It was the best decision of my life and I have never once regretted it. There have definitely been some ups and down, challenges, and learning curves, but the journey has been one of growth and expansion that I wouldn’t change for anything. Our clinic continues to grow and expand. We have an AMAZING team at the clinic that feels more like family than employees and we are accomplishing our goal and mission of making a positive impact in our community. If you have a decision to make that is a risk, I have learned that it is better to make that decision with your heart than with your mind.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are an acupuncture and herbal medicine clinic but have expanded our services and practitioners to meet the challenges of our present time. Our most recent expansion included adding the SpectraVision (SV2) biofeedback scanner into our clinic. This is very new cutting-edge technology that non-invasively reads the physical and energetic bodies to gain feedback and understanding of what is present on a more subtle level. It gives us a deeper understanding of what may be creating imbalance in the body and where the body could use more support. It really gives us the opportunity to address each individual’s body, mind, and spirit, allowing for a holistic, unique approach to everyone’s health.

I had the unusual experience of having many patients come to the clinic with parasites. It is much more common than we realize and is difficult to diagnose and treat. They are complex cases and come with body wide complaints such as fatigue, digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, toxicity build-up, emotional imbalance, and more. Just because you have parasites or heavy metal toxicity doesn’t necessarily mean you should clear them. You can end up doing more harm than good. To help guide the care of these complex patients, we use the SV2 biofeedback scanner. This technology even tests herbal formulas and supplements to determine what creates balance in the body. It helps on the mental and emotional levels by helping us become aware of unconscious patterns we have that can be holding us back. It really helps us to be empowered in our situation and life. Adding this next level technology into our clinic has really allowed us to dig to that deeper level and support people holistically. We are so grateful to be collaborating with Dr. Sarica Cernohous, L.Ac., MSTOM, BSBA who has years of experience and wisdom in Traditional Oriental Medicine and nutrition. She works with patients using the SV2 technology along with Natalie Hewitt, who is undergoing the Bionetic Naturopathic Counselor program with Dr. Menzel at the Energetic Wellness School of Naturopathy.
Besides myself, we have 3 other acupuncturists: Milissa Gillen L.Ac., MAOM, Georgian Brown L.Ac., M.S., Dipl.Ac., and Clayton Woolley, L.Ac., MSTCM. These 3 acupuncturists all have years of clinical experience and wisdom and I sometimes wonder how we were able to gather such high caliber humans all into one building. These practitioners have large hearts and give so much to the Flagstaff community. I am proud to say we partner with the VA and about 50% of our patients are Veterans. It is amazing that the VA healthcare system provides acupuncture benefits at no cost to the Veteran. We absolutely love serving this population, so grateful for all they have given to us, having sacrificed a lot in their lives.

We have also added on massage therapy as a service. Cori Getchell, LMT specializes in fascia focused therapies, neuromuscular therapy, and sport massage, helping people live with less pain. Margaux Paradise is our office manager and receptionist who has a passion and heart for helping people like I have never seen. She loves humans and connecting with them, making everyone feel so welcome when they walk through the door. Like I said before, our clinic team feels more like family than employees. I sit in gratitude every day for all the support I have at the clinic and more importantly the support all of these people offer the Flagstaff community.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, if my friend was visiting Flagstaff for an entire week, I would want it to be a restorative retreat style vacation. They would leave Flagstaff feeling restored and balanced. I would take them to our clinic, Harmonizing Healthcare, for a biofeedback scan then use the information gathered in the scan to give them an acupuncture treatment, leaving them feeling relaxed and centered. The next day would be a hike at one of our favorite places, Walnut Canyon. After walking all of those stairs, they would be ready for a massage with Cori! We would eat at some of our favorite restaurants throughout the week: Asia Station, Karma Sushi, Brix, Proper, and Toasted Owl. I would take them to all the amazing practitioners in town that have helped me. I would treat them to a chiropractic adjustment with Dr. Elizabeth Decker (http://www.flagstafffamilychiropractic.com/) and then an energy healing with Haley (https://www.energyhealingbyhaley.com/). We would definitely have to take a hike at Fat Man’s Loop to end the week and ground into Nature. Our beautiful community has so much to offer and is the perfect town to be able to experience a retreat style vacation.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am beyond grateful to have so many supportive people in my life. First, my parents have always supported my decisions whether they agreed with them or not. They have always felt like that safety net below that allowed me to jump head first, knowing I would always fall with a soft landing. I have also had the good fortune of amazing in-laws and they have supported me in so many ways, including letting us live with them while I finished up my master’s degree and we even had our first baby, which was a home birth, in their house!

My husband Eric has been my constant in life. He has believed in me and my abilities as a healthcare practitioner and supports me at such a deep level. He put all his own dreams on hold to help me start this acupuncture clinic. If it was not for him, I would not be where I am today. I never wanted to focus on the business side of things, including all the ongoing financial side of things. I wanted to be a healthcare practitioner and spend my extra time researching patient’s cases, digging into herbal formulas, and constantly learning more. It is almost impossible to be a healthcare provider AND run a business. I am fortunate to have a husband who runs our business, is an amazing father to our now 3 children, and still has time and an open heart for me. I sit in gratitude each and every day. I am living the life I want to live and it is fulfilling on every level.

Website: www.HarmonizingCare.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harmonizing_healthcare_pllc/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-petrick-451453133/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harmonizinghealthcare/

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