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

Hi Sarah, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
There is no reward without risk. My father is a brilliant man, physician, and businessman. He always pushed us to take risks and try new things. He is also the king of motivational sayings. Whenever I think about decisions in life and business, I think of him and his advice growing up.

“What’s the worst that could happen?” This was something he said a lot, whether it applied to trying something new, schoolwork, goals, he would have us list what the worst thing was that could happen, and the best. Does the best outweigh the worst, if so…go for it.

Another thing he would say is, “Everything in life is hard, you choose your hard.” This is also something I think about in life and business. It is hard to have a poorly run business that makes no money, it is also hard to have a successful business that is hitting goals. Which hard do you want to work through?

These two key phrases echo in my head whenever I am making a decision in life and business. Taking risks is hard, but so is not taking the risk, and if I take the risk what are the possible pros and cons.

Taking risks is hard because we fear failure. I think because of my upbringing, I’ve never been too afraid to take a risk. In fact, the greatest things I’ve done in my life came from some of my biggest risks. Like today, I’ve taken a great risk in my life and career by working with a publisher to write my first book. I ask myself, what is the worst that could happen? I could be right in the same place I was last year with a great business and a great family life, but a book that didn’t sell. Or, I could publish a welcomed book and get the information so desperately needed to the people who need it and have written a great resource for practitioners and patients. I will choose to take the risk every time because if you don’t try you never even gave yourself a chance at succeeding.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I own Sacred Vessel Acupuncture & Functional Medicine, which as the name implies is a functional medicine and acupuncture clinic. I focus on women’s health, but my primary specialty is pregnancy care and support. A significant portion of my practice is devoted to maternity and pregnancy functional medicine. I absolutely love helping women achieve their birth goals through nutrition and functional medicine support. I am proud to say, that I recently signed on with a publisher and will be, literally, writing the book on functional medicine in pregnancy.

Look for its release in summer 2021.

Deciding to structure a business around an alternative field is already difficult, it becomes even more so when you decide your niche is a subject of this field that few people have heard of. It has been a slow road to where I am today, but my driver was the idea that this was an important position to be in for the women I treated. When you have an idea or a goal that is off the beaten path, the word “perseverance” is your constant. If you truly believe in the idea or goal, you have to constantly be driving towards it, no matter the speed. Sometimes that means needing to have side hustles, or maybe your idea is the side hustle that eventually becomes the dream come true business. If you stop your momentum, no matter how small, it will fail. I knew this was a niche in my field that needed to be filled, whether the public knew it or not. It was my mission to show them how important this approach was to care.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I feel absolutely blessed to have landed in Fort Collins as my home. I grew up in Oklahoma and came to Fort Collins for college. I’ve been here for 20 years, and love when friends come to visit…especially my OK friends, this place blows their minds.

Summer is the best time to be in CO, in my opinion.

DAY 1 Pick up from the airport in Denver Lunch: Tasty Harmony – Downtown Fort Collins Afternoon Walk along the Poudre River Trail Dinner: BBQ at my house

DAY 2 Breakfast: Silver Grill Drive-up the Poudre Canyon to Steamboat and make a trip to the Strawberry Hot Springs Dinner: Vern’s in Laporte

DAY 3 Breakfast: Me Oh My Coffe and Pie in Laporte Paddle Boarding at Horsetooth Reservoir Beers at Black Bottle Brewery Dinner: Suh Sushi Korean BBQ – My mom is Korean and this is where we go every time she is in town.

DAY 4 Rocky Mountain National Park – Drive and Hike Stop at the Cherry Pie Place on the way down highway 34 – seriously the best pies.

DAY 5 Breakfast: Snooze Bike ride along the many trails in the area through the dozens of natural areas – I really love walking through the CSU environmental learning center. Beers at Odells Dinner: If it is Saturday, Fried Chicken at Moe’s in Old Town

DAY 6 Morning walk along the Spring Creek Trail Lunch at the Exchange Hopefully, it is during one of the many amazing festivals that happen in Fort Collins, and we get an afternoon of downtown festival fun. Dinner: Jessup Farm

DAY 7 Breakfast: Rise Lory State Park Hiking Arther’s Rock Drive to Denver to drop them off at the airport

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family, I couldn’t do it without them. I know that sounds so cheesy and cliche, but it’s true. I have two daughters and they are my inspiration. I want them to see me as an example: see me work hard, taking risks, succeeding and failing. I want them to be proud of what I’ve accomplished, and in the end, I want them to know that they are capable of whatever they dream. Of course, my husband is my best friend and my rock. If I didn’t have the support and didn’t feel as though I had a partner beside me that gave me the strength and confidence to follow my dreams, it would be so much harder to do. He and I have been together for nearly 20 years. We’ve made a lot of mistakes, had some success, but have always felt we could take on risks together.

Website: www.sacredvesselacupuncture.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sacredvessel.acu.fm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sv.acu.fm

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