Meet the Acupuncturist: What Did Dr. Katrina Do Before Becoming an Acupuncturist?

Before—and even during the early years of her career as an acupuncturist—Dr. Katrina wore many hats. She worked as a pet sitter and house sitter, taught math and tutored students, worked as a pharmacy technician and winery employee, and eventually found her calling as an acupuncturist and herbalist.

Looking back, Dr. Katrina sometimes feels like she was a completely different person before discovering Traditional East Asian Medicine. Not because she was unrecognizable—but because her approach to life and health changed so dramatically.

Before Acupuncture, She Was Just Trying to Get Through the Day

Dr. Katrina describes her younger self as constantly stressed and, at the time, not particularly focused on or invested in her own health. She was frequently injured, partly due to her hypermobility and partly from various accidents along the way. Her allergies were severe, sleep was often interrupted throughout the night, and fatigue was a frequent companion. Her immune system wasn’t exactly something she would have bragged about, either. And when something hurt or didn’t feel right, her typical approach was simple: reach for an over-the-counter medication, push through it, and keep going.

There wasn’t necessarily a focus on why she wasn’t feeling well. She was simply trying to get through the day. She describes it as living in survival mode. And perhaps the biggest problem wasn’t even her health. She wasn’t doing work she loved.

She had a variety of jobs over the years, and some were better experiences than others. Each one taught her something—but none compared to what she eventually found in acupuncture.

The Animal Lover

Dr. Katrina has always had a soft spot for animals, so it was only natural that one of her early jobs involved caring for them. During college, she worked as a pet sitter and house sitter, which provided a flexible way to help pay the rent while doing something she genuinely enjoyed.

The animals themselves were the easy part. She loved spending time with them, caring for them, and getting to know their different personalities. The veterinary environment, however, was another story. Being around sick or injured animals could be stressful and emotionally difficult, especially when their owners were worried and facing heartbreaking situations.

While she didn’t particularly enjoy that side of the experience, it reinforced something she already knew: she loved animals and always would. Caring for them was something that came naturally to her—and, as it turns out, some things never change.

Teaching Math

Another chapter in Dr. Katrina’s working life was spent as a head math instructor at an educational center serving children and teenagers. There were aspects of the job she genuinely enjoyed. Helping a student finally understand something that had been confusing or frustrating could be incredibly rewarding, especially when she could see the moment everything suddenly clicked.

She also enjoyed tutoring on the side and eventually worked with college students, where she was tasked with designing an introductory algebra course. While Dr. Katrina has always found certain aspects of math genuinely fun, teaching it as a career came with plenty of tedious moments and could sometimes be stressful and chaotic.

While she enjoyed mathematics and the critical thinking skills involved, it wasn’t where she wanted to build her future. Still, the experience taught her valuable lessons about patience, communication, problem-solving, and helping others work through challenges. Like the jobs that came before it, it became another important stepping stone—helping her better understand not only what she enjoyed, but also what she wanted from her eventual career.

Then Came the Pharmacy

Working as a pharmacy technician gave Dr. Katrina an entirely different perspective on healthcare. The experience was educational, eye-opening, and, as she readily admits, her least favorite job. And it wasn’t necessarily the patients who made it difficult. Much of the frustration came from everything happening behind the scenes—insurance issues, medication restrictions, legal regulations, prescription problems, and communication breakdowns between medical offices and pharmacies.

There were countless times when pharmacy staff found themselves trying to resolve problems they hadn’t created, only to become the ones who received the frustration and blame. Dr. Katrina understood that many of the people walking through the pharmacy doors were already sick, stressed, worried, or overwhelmed. That didn’t make being treated rudely or disrespectfully any easier, but it gave her a deeper understanding of how challenging the healthcare experience could be for both patients and providers.

She also saw firsthand how much smoother things could be when communication worked. When prescriptions went through without complications, patients were generally happy, interactions were easier, and there were certainly customers she genuinely enjoyed helping. But overall, the frustrations outweighed the positives. When she eventually left the pharmacy, she was grateful to move on.

Still, the experience was far from wasted. Working behind the pharmacy counter gave Dr. Katrina a firsthand look at a side of healthcare most patients never see. It taught her valuable lessons about communication, compassion, and the frustrations that can arise within the healthcare system—and, perhaps most importantly, helped shape the kind of healthcare provider she wanted to become and the type of patient experience she wanted to create.

A Little Time at a Winery

Then there was the winery—and this chapter was actually fun. Dr. Katrina grew up learning about wine and has always had an appreciation for it, even though she doesn’t  tend to drink much herself. She made friends, met plenty of wonderful customers, and enjoyed many memorable experiences along the way.

Of course, no job is without its challenges. There were occasional rude or entitled customers, and the work could be surprisingly physical and demanding. Still, compared with some of her previous jobs, the winery brought plenty of good memories and enjoyable experiences.

It was another chapter in her journey—another opportunity to learn, meet people, and experience something completely different. And, like the jobs that came before it, it became another stepping stone on the path that eventually led her to where she was meant to be.

Then Everything Changed

Eventually, Dr. Katrina discovered acupuncture—and it changed the course of her life. After experiencing firsthand how acupuncture could affect her own health, she realized she had found something she genuinely wanted to pursue.

She went from someone who had spent years feeling stressed, frequently unwell, and disconnected from her own health to becoming deeply passionate about understanding how the body works and how to support health naturally. That curiosity led her back to school, where she studied acupuncture and Traditional East Asian Medicine and earned her master’s degree.

Eventually, she took the next step and opened her own practice. As she began building her practice, she continued her education and completed her doctorate, further expanding her knowledge and understanding of the medicine she had come to love.

What began as a personal experience with acupuncture ultimately became a career dedicated to helping others better understand and care for their own health. Karma Zen Acupuncture was born.

Acupuncture Changed More Than Her Career

Perhaps the most significant transformation wasn’t simply that Dr. Katrina became an acupuncturist. She became someone who genuinely values her own health.

Before acupuncture, taking care of herself wasn’t always a priority. Over time, Traditional East Asian Medicine taught her to pay closer attention to what her body was telling her rather than simply pushing through symptoms. She began making health and wellness part of her lifestyle. She became more intentional about exercise, incorporated yoga into her routine, and learned the importance of recovery and taking care of herself—not just waiting until something went wrong.

She isn’t constantly operating in survival mode anymore. She’s healthier, she’s happier, and she’s actually enjoying life. That’s something she wants for her patients, too. Not simply fewer symptoms or making it through another week, but actually feeling better and living better.

Every Job Was Part of the Journey

Looking back, Dr. Katrina can see that every job had something to teach her. Pet sitting taught her about responsibility, compassion, and caring for others. Teaching and tutoring taught her about education, communication, patience, and helping someone understand something that once seemed difficult. Working in a pharmacy gave her firsthand insight into the challenges and frustrations within the healthcare system. The winery taught her about working with people, meeting all kinds of personalities, and, fortunately, provided some good stories along the way.

None of those jobs was the final destination, but each one was a part of her journey as worked her way to becoming an acupuncturist.

Acupuncture gave Dr. Katrina something the others hadn’t: purpose. It gave her a career she genuinely enjoys, an opportunity to help people, and a reason to continue learning every day. It also gave her the chance to create the kind of healthcare environment she believes in—one where patients are treated as individuals rather than simply as a collection of symptoms.

And perhaps one of the best parts of the job? She gets to work with some pretty awesome people—her patients. She wouldn’t necessarily claim that being awesome is a requirement for becoming a Karma Zen Acupuncture patient, but her patients do seem to have an impressive track record.

Dr. Katrina is genuinely grateful for every person who trusts her with their health and allows her to be part of their journey. Being invited into someone’s life and having the opportunity to support them as they work toward better health is something she doesn’t take for granted.

While Dr. Katrina didn’t come into acupuncture with everything figured out, she became healthier and happier through the journey that eventually led her to this career.