Women-Owned Business Series: Sara from Juniper Wellness

Welcome back to our Women-Owned Business Series! We’re excited to highlight Sara from Juniper Wellness Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine. After witnessing too many women whose issues were not taken seriously by medical professionals, Sara set out to build a wellness community dedicated to healing the root of problematic symptoms. Read about her journey below.

First, tell us about your business and anything special we should know about it or you.

Juniper Wellness Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine. I wanted to address gaps in care for women’s health issues and offer holistic treatment options for a variety of conditions. Too often, I see people who have had their symptoms dismissed, or not taken seriously. Chinese medicine is excellent at looking at health through a dynamic lens and getting to the heart of what’s going on.

Why do you feel a connection to your work?

It is so gratifying to get to the root cause of symptoms people have experienced for years and treat the underlying issues. I love helping people through transitions of all kinds — pregnancy, fertility and menopause. But I also love connecting the dots for patients. They may have 4 different specialists telling them different bits and pieces, but I can synthesize everything in one place to make it easier to manage.

As a business owner, community is everything. In what ways do you serve your community and how has your community served you?

I love connecting with patients from all backgrounds and learning from them. Prior to Covid lockdown I had only had an office in Manhattan, but now I’ve added a treatment space in Red Hook, as well. Being able to make the shift to seeing patients in Brooklyn has been a wonderful way to serve the needs of my community and stay connected.

What advice would you give to young women who want to start a small business?

Find someone who has experience in your field and ask a lot of questions. There are some universal things about being responsible for all the details of running a business and some that will be unique to your field. Talk to everyone! Connections will always be useful and you never know what can develop.

What women inspire you and why?

I am inspired by seeing my patients go through health challenges with courage and determination.

What do you think are the most significant challenges for women business owners or women in leadership positions?

Knowing your worth and being confident in what you have to offer. Women tend to be more represented in the “helping” sector. Someone once said to me early in my practice “you don’t have to give yourself away at a discount.”

Juniper Wellness just opened a new office in Tribeca, a short ferry ride away from Red Hook! Learn more about Juniper Wellness here.