Voyage Denver article: "Meet Trailblazer Jennifer Stevenson"

I was honored to be nominated for an article in the online publication Voyage Denver. Here is a copy of that article and the link to this wonderful resource:

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Stevenson.

Jennifer, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far. I’ve always wanted to be in a “helping” profession. For a long time, I didn’t know what that would look like, because I wasn’t drawn to studying western medicine and was more interested in holistic modalities. Growing up in Namibia though, there weren’t that many career options open in holistic medicine, and I was unsure of what I wanted to do. That all changed when I moved to Haifa, Israel, in my early twenties where I received my first acupuncture treatments and was immediately hooked.

Since my late teens, I had been struggling with fatigue, headaches and low mood. I was having to curtail my activities because I didn’t have enough energy to do all the things I wanted to do. I had trouble with headaches that would linger for days and sometimes turn into migraines. I felt down and was struggling to get through each day.

When I learned about an acupuncturist that some of my friends in Haifa were seeing, I decided to seek her out, and after just a couple of months of weekly acupuncture, I started feeling like a new person. The headaches disappeared, my mood lifted, and I had the energy to do the things I loved again.

After that experience and the powerful transformation that acupuncture created in my life, it became clear to me that I wanted to share this amazing medicine with others.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome? The journey from deciding to study Chinese Medicine to becoming licensed took ten years.

When I made the decision, I was still living in Israel and trying to figure out where to go from there. Being the daughter of an American, I had U.S. citizenship, and so I started researching acupuncture schools in the States. I found several programs that interested me but having had no American college experience, I had to first complete an associate’s degree. Then my husband had a wonderful training opportunity which took us to Virginia where there were no Chinese Medicine programs nearby. Finally in 2009, we were able to move to Denver, where I started classes at the Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in acupuncture and Chinese Medicine in a record three years, was licensed by May 2012 and had my business “Jade Spring Acupuncture” up and running by June of the same year.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Jade Spring Acupuncture – what should we know? My mission is to help people overcome the health challenges that are keeping them from living the life they’ve always dreamed of living. Because I struggled with my own health, I know what it is like to be unable to follow your dreams and pursue your goals because your health issues are holding you back. It is a frustrating, often scary, and very helpless-feeling place.

I am committed to helping my patients get out of that space so they can feel galvanized about their life again, and acupuncture is a wonderful tool to achieve just that. Because it activates our healing ability, it gives the body the necessary boost to overcome many health issues. I see myself as a facilitator in that process and love accompanying people on their journey towards greater health and well-being.

While I don’t have a specialty, I do a lot of work with allergies, digestive issues, headaches, fatigue, anxiety and pain. Depending on the issue I’m treating, I incorporate Chinese herbal medicine, myofascial release, trigger point injection therapy, and massage into my work for well-rounded and complete care.

Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general? I have found this to be a very challenging part of starting my own business. I do not have a mentor but am part of some online forums where acupuncturists offer each other support and advice. My networking efforts include reaching out to other health professionals with small businesses to learn more about their services so I can refer patients who might need further support to them, as well as to educate these colleagues on when acupuncture can be helpful for the people they are working with.

Contact Info:

Address: 6500 W. 44th Ave. Wheat Ridge, CO 80033

Website: www.thejadespring.com

Phone: 720-432-7073

Email: acupuncture@thejadespring.com

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

Image Credit:
Head shots by Corinna Lander
Photos of acupuncture of a knee by Paige Thayer
Photo of pulse taking is a stock photo taken by Fabian Schmidt and purchased at 123rf.com

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