We had the good fortune of connecting with Sharon Simpson-Dogon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sharon, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Oh, my! Success. That’s a big word — a loaded word. The idea of it can propel a person forward or can freeze a person in her tracks.

Although I don’t spend time thinking about success, I do look at my goals and put elements in place to achieve them. Why have goals if they’re just going to sit on a shelf? That sounds easy, right? As anyone who has had big dreams (any dreams) knows, there are always saboteurs along the path. The thing is to have tools or strategies in your toolbox to neutralize them.

If something tries to derail me, I analyze it. Why is it happening? What do I need to learn from it? How can I overcome it and prevent a repeat of it? Once addressing the problem, I take the necessary steps to move forward. If those steps don’t give me the anticipated result, I try another approach.

So what’s the most important factor behind my achievement? I’d have to say that it’s a two-shot. It’s my analytical nature and my persistence.

What should our readers know about your business?
People are comfortable with putting others into a category. Some want to say that Wellness Matters is a massage therapy office. Others want it to be a skincare spa. It’s those things and more.

I have worked hard to develop my skill sets, and the challenge has been for people to see the totality of what I have created. That challenge has taught me a huge lesson. Messaging is important. Wellness Matters is a place for women where I help them to look and feel their best — mind, body, and élan vital — so that they can be as present for themselves as they are for others in their lives.

Women matter, and we need to know and show that to ourselves in an unselfish way. When we integrate the various levels of wellness, we are healthier on each level and are whole. Self-care isn’t a one-off. We need to care for ourselves daily by employing curated options — activities and practices that speak to us, nourish us, and nurture us.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is tough. I’m not a hang-out kind of gal. It’s a good thing that this is a week-long trip so that we can experience more than Colorado Springs. We live in a beautiful and diverse state that has so much to offer.

Let’s begin the first day by having breakfast at Mountain Shadows near Old Colorado City. After breakfast, we’ll stroll through OCC and visit some of the interesting boutiques there. While we’re on the west side, we’ll take advantage of the proximity and will go to the Garden of the Gods. It’s a must-see. Dinner will be at Springs Orleans.

The next day we’re taking a day trip south to Sand Dunes National Park. Really! Who expects to see sand dunes in the Rockies?

Day Three will be local again. This time, we’re headed to the top of Pikes Peak. While it’s awesome to see that mountain every day as we look west, it’s a whole other thing to take the cog railway to the top, witnessing the wildlife on the way up and down, enjoying a high-altitude doughnut cooked at the summit, and taking in the magnificent view. Because we went up Pikes Peak early, we’ll have time for lunch in Manitou Springs at Adam’s Mountain Café before returning home.

The next day, we’re headed out of town again. This time we’re off to the Butterfly Pavilion before we continue on to Boulder. The pavilion is a great place to walk among beautiful butterflies, yes, but you also get to experience other insects and bugs. You can even eat some! Yum! They’ll be hors d’oeuvres before we head to Boulder to have dinner at The Sink.

We’ll stay in Colorado Springs on the fifth day to visit the unique Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. No other zoo in the nation sits at such an elevation. Because we will have had quite a walk, we’ll probably be hungry. We’ll go downtown to Garden of the Gods Café and enjoy a delicious lunch.

Nearing the end of the visit, we have to go to learn a bit more about this city. On the itinerary for the day will be the Pioneer Museum, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum, The Colorado College (oldest college in town), the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (an original building had been part of a polio sanitorium), and the Air Force Academy. After a long day, we’ll eat at 3.14 Savory and Sweet Pi Bar.

On the last day, we’ll go to the Broadmoor for a beautiful walk around Broadmoor Lake, some pampering at the hotel spa, and a lovely meal at one of the hotel restaurants. There’s still so much more that I would like to share with a visitor to Colorado, so a few other visits will be in order.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
When I taught high-schoolers, I encouraged them to let others know the positive impact those people had. There is not one person or book or group that I am grateful for because so many have contributed. Although it’s cliché, I have to thank my mom; she was always in my corner as a quiet cheerleader. My daughter has been an ever-present impetus because I have wanted to be a good example for her. Any of the people who tried to be stumbling blocks to my development had the opposite effect. Every practice model, client, self-help book, business course, webinar, and Oprah (of course) have had a hand in who I am and what my business has become. The complement of them is important.

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