I'm Kate Thomas. I'm a licensed acupuncturist and owner of Fireweed Acupuncture in Des Moines, IA. This site is a space where I share my thoughts about a range of topics not strictly related to Chinese medicine - but, not not related, either. 😊

More specifically, you'll be able to find posts related to:

  • The care and running of an acupuncture practice;
  • ADHD and neurodiversity;
  • Small business ownership;
  • Chinese and East Asian medicine.

My goal is to help save you time and energy (and probably some money, too!) and avoid the guessing games I experienced when opening my acupuncture practice.

When I started my practice, there was very little info online about the nuts and bolts of opening and establishing an acupuncture clinic. I often found myself referring to resources written for therapists or massage therapists, which didn't really answer my questions. Also, I was opening a clinic in a city where I didn't know anyone (literally), with few acupuncturists. All of this led to a lot of trial and error!

Learning the ins and outs of owning a solo practice as a neurodivergent practitioner (while finding ways to work with my brain!) has been a big challenge. There are a lot of potential pitfalls that come along with owning your own business as a neurodivergent person - here are just a few:

  • Keeping up with boring and repetitive tasks,
  • Getting sucked into side quests and rabbit holes,
  • Making impulsive decisions (especially purchases!),
  • Misunderstanding people's communication,
  • Knowing what tools and processes are helpful and which are a waste of time and/or money and
  • Struggling through things taking longer than they do for others
  • And so many other things.

Additionally, while I didn't set out to focus on working with neurodivergent patients, about 90% of my patients are ADHD, Autistic, AuADHD, and/or have another form of neurodivergence - without marketing or mentioning neurodivergence at all! (But - that is not why they are visiting the clinic. I don't "treat" neurodivergence!) This has led me to really focus on making my practice neurodiversity-affirming.

I take an "in the arena" approach to sharing experiences and resources; we're all trying to figure things out, and my goal is to help make the process a bit easier for you. Subscribers can comment and share their experience and expertise, too!

A bit about me

Like many acupuncturists, I had a bit of a winding path to my present career. Some of the degrees and certifications I've received I've received:

  • Master of Acupuncture (MAc) - Northwestern Health Sciences University - Bloomington, MN
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA), Speech Communications, Rhetoric, Gender Studies - MSU Denver - Denver, CO
  • Massage Therapy Certification - Blue Sky School of Massage
  • Sleep, Stress Management, and Recovery Health Coaching Certification - Precision Nutrition (PN) - online

I've also taken many, many courses in herbalism, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and other holistic healing methods in the last 15+ years. Learn more about my background here.

In classic ADHD fashion, I've had many different jobs, doing many different things, from working in a warehouse and running a purchasing department to working as a claims adjuster for auto claims. I've also worked in many different retail and customer service environments and was a part-time library clerk for a while, too. These jobs seemed disconnected while doing them, but they all have come in handy as I've opened my clinic.

I was diagnosed with ADHD at 35 years old while studying for my boards, moving to another state, and starting my business (at the same time). Since then, recognizing and accommodating my various types of neurodivergence has been a bit of a Journey. I also have multiple chronic illnesses that limit my ability to work "full time" in my clinic. All of these experiences deeply inform how I practice and how I think about business!

Stay up to date

This site has a mix of free and paid posts! My posts often are 1500+ words, and paid posts often have downloadable resources attached to them. Because of the time investment needed to research and write these posts and create the resources, I am asking for a small contribution in exchange.

Whichever tier you pick, you can sign up to have posts delivered to your inbox! Sign up below, then pick which tier fits you best.