Life and Work with Katrina McLaughlin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katrina McLaughlin.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Katrina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
That’s a question with many layers for me…

I grew up in the Denver metro area and had a pretty normal childhood in my formative years. My father was an alcoholic, which eventually lead my parents to divorce when I was 11 years old. He was still a part of my life, but not a huge part. It is only through my personal experiences that I can begin to view what my mother went through after that being a single mom of two teenage girls. I always harbored anger and resentment towards my father even though I always had some type of relationship with him. I had some difficult teenage years that lead to some anger and depression for me. When I was 15 years old, I entered into a relationship with a boy that ended up being an abusive situation, both physically and emotionally. When I was 16 years old, I attempted to commit suicide. Both of those experiences are what changed my course from being an honor roll student taking the traditional route to a four-year university to a somewhat lost high school drop out. I always had a good head on my shoulders and an entrepreneurial spirit so that didn’t last long. I ended up taking my GED and started college in what would’ve been my senior year of high school.

I starting working towards my first college degree in hotel and restaurant management from a technical college. At the same time, I met a couple of pivotal people that helped influence my life in a positive manner. We started going to the metaphysical fairs and alternative health and healing became an intricate part of my life. I also learned about Louise Hay and her book, You Can Heal Your Life. That book changed my life and was the beginning of my journey to heal some of the traumas from my past. During technical college, I developed an interest in marketing so I enrolled in the University of Colorado at Denver (UCD) in Marketing and International Business. While I was attending UCD, I got my first degree in Reiki, a Japanese energy healing modality. I kept learning about different forms of alternative healing and that’s where my interest in acupuncture was born. I knew that I wanted to learn about traditional Chinese medicine. A couple of years after I graduated from UCD, I toured Southwest Acupuncture College. After learning more about the program, the length, and the depth of it I decided that it wasn’t the right time for me. I had my daughter in my early 20’s and was a single mom at that time so it would’ve been too much for me with a small child. I focused my attention on my business career and development for several years. I got to a point where I was kind of just existing with the work I was doing and it wasn’t fulfilling. I was in my mid-thirties at this point and my daughter was 12, so I decided I wasn’t getting any younger, she was at an age where she was starting to be more interested in her friends and didn’t need the same kind of attention from me so I took the plunge and went back to school for acupuncture.

It was different for me as a student this time. The schooling for acupuncture and traditional Chinese Medicine is not for the faint of heart, in and of itself, but add in all the adult responsibilities and life stuff and, whew, it definitely wasn’t. During the time I was in acupuncture school my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and later passed in 2014. This was only four years after the passing of my father. He also had cancer, along with PTSD and some other health problems. My husband (now ex) had a seizure disorder from a TBI he had several years earlier. It was all just a lot to deal with. In the schooling for traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, we learn a lot of western medicine stuff as well. I think having been through these experiences with those I love it really helped me through my studies and to have greater respect for medicine, both eastern and western. It’s exciting to see how far integrative medicine is coming in the United States.

As I mentioned before, I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit so opening my own practice was something I knew I really wanted to do. It has been a fun and exciting journey filled with many ups and some downs. I’m thankful for my previous experiences in business and for having some great supportive people who have helped me along the way. When I first opened my practice I rented a room from two chiropractors who have been amazing to me and about six months ago moved into new space. I’m looking forward to what the future holds next for me.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth journey. I’ve definitely had some learning experiences throughout it. There is always going to be life stuff that happens and a lot of that is unpredictable. I never in a million years pictured that I would grow old without my sister by my side, but here I am. I think we have to be adaptable, persistent, dedicated, and keep remembering our why. Keeping a positive attitude and having a positive mindset is key. Now, that doesn’t mean we don’t have bad days, don’t get mad or sad, but it does mean that we cope with all of it a heck of a lot better.

I think one of my biggest struggles is being my own worst enemy. I get over critical and judgmental of myself at times, which really doesn’t help anything. I have to remind myself to give me a break sometimes and remember to acknowledge it when I have successes.

Another big struggle for me has been time management, that’s a work in progress. It is important to schedule your time and it’s important to have some fun along the way. You have to feed your soul, do some things that make you happy, and not feel guilty about it because it’s equally important as anything you will do to work on your business.

Personal and professional development is hugely important. I have been to several personal and business development seminars over the last 20 years and they have helped me immensely on my journey. If you are open to it you will always learn something new. You can hear the same material and get something different from it every single time because you’re in a different headspace and growth stage than you were before.

Remember you’re doing the best you can with what you have at that moment. We are all humans having a human experience so don’t let the facebook and other social media “realities” that you see dim your light or make you feel like you’re not keeping up, doing enough, happy enough, etc. etc. etc. If you make mistakes or mess up get back up, dust yourself off, and keep going with the new knowledge that you have. You will never know how far you can get if you give up. You get to a certain age and everyone has some stuff in their past they’ve had to deal with. Don’t let it define you, let it light the path to who you are becoming.

Please tell us about Intuitive Transformations Wellness.
I’m an acupuncturist and business owner at Intuitive Transformations Wellness. I love what I do and being able to help people feel better. There are many benefits to getting acupuncture. One of the things I say to people is, “Side effects of acupuncture may include better mood, increased energy, better sleep, and relief from pain.” Those are general effects that most people experience, regardless of what they’re being treated for.

I take a compassionate approach and help people awaken their inner potential to heal, feel better, and live their best life. I do this through listening, giving people acupuncture, cupping, orthopedic acupuncture (a.k.a. dry needling), injection therapy and other adjunctive therapies in traditional Chinese medicine. I’m here to help create the space for their bodies, minds, and spirits to remember how to heal. It is a treatment that is rooted in ancient theory and back by modern science.

An exciting new adventure that I have been working on is a functional medicine certification program. I will be adding that service for my patients soon.

I am the acupuncturist at Step Denver, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Denver Colorado. I enjoy being able to treat the guys with acupuncture to help them out with their rehabilitation and other issues they may have. It’s a way for me to give back and hopefully help some of the guys and their families heal.

I think my experiences have given me the gift to be able to empathize well with people and wisdom to help guide them through their physical and emotional challenges. One of my favorite things is to see the look on my patient’s faces when they feel better, especially when they didn’t think it was possible. Even when people don’t make it back to 100%, they’re happy to have a safe, less invasive way to help them manage their health issues. It’s a commitment and challenging for people to make changes to their health and lifestyle and it’s a blessing when they choose me to help them.

There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that a lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
I think networking in any business is important. It has been a huge help for me and I’ve met some amazing friends in my networking groups. Find (removed word) different groups or events to get plugged in with and GO! It may be uncomfortable for some, but it is necessary. Plus you never know whom you might meet and whom they may know. It’s about creating lasting relationships so you have to put time and effort into it, remember that.

It’s great to have people to bounce ideas and challenges off. If you can find a few people to do this with, it will help you to grow, see new perspectives, and get through (words removed) those challenging times. If you can’t find a mentor you can sit with in-person, start going to professional and personal development seminars. At the very least, listen to the programs or the podcasts that are out there.

Pricing:

• New Patient Acupuncture Appointments are $110.00 to $125.00 (pay at the time of service)
• Follow-up Acupuncture Appointments are $90.00-105.00 (pay at the time of service)
• Cupping Only Appointments are $45.00 (pay at the time of service)
• B12 Shots (methylcobalamin) are $25.00 (pay at the time of service)
• Injection Therapy Only Appointments are $45.00 (pay at the time of service)
• Packages of 4, 8, and 12 Acupuncture Appointments are available
• I am in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, United, and a few other smaller companies

Contact Info:

• Address: 10090 Garrison St. Suites, 107 and 112
  Westminster, CO 80020
• Website: www.itwacu.com
• Phone: 720-466-3884
• Email: katrina@itwacu.com
• Instagram: @katmacacu
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Intuitivetransformationswellness
• Twitter: @katmacacu
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katmacacu/

Image Credit:
Amp’t Images, LLC (for acupuncture photos)

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