Exclusive Trusted Magazine Q&A with Sherry Jobani, Founder and Practitioner @Unplug Hour Acupuncture
How could you describe your career path in a few words?
My love for acupuncture started through my own healing journey. Growing up I was a competitive ballet dancer, I would spend hours each day training, it was my passion during my youth. While pursuing ballet I developed food allergies that would turn my stomach into knots, which made training increasingly difficult as I was not able to perform at my best. I talked to several doctors but I found the answers I was receiving were not helping long term, the advice I was getting was more like a bandaid. This began my journey of seeking a more holistic approach to health.
I was introduced to an acupuncturist who looked at my food allergies with a whole body approach, taking several other factors that had been missed into consideration before coming up with a diagnosis and treatment plan. Ultimately this allowed them to treat the root cause of the issue and help me reduce and eliminate several of my allergies over time. Through this I was encouraged to take a 100-level acupuncture class and fell in love with the concepts and teachings! I sat in awe as we were taught the importance of energy in healing, how healing is not solely about the body recovering, but also the mind and the spirit, and how our body has the power to self-heal if we create the right environment for the body to do so. This created the urge and desire to share with others the importance of treating the root and using a preventative approach for our health. Don’t wait to fix your health, health should be a lifestyle.
What was your most challenging experience and it has changed your mindset?
One of the pivotal points in my life, which was probably one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make, was when I decided to stop my Pharmacy degree part way through. I have always put knowledge and education as a high priority and I had never quit anything before. While I was on track to become a pharmacist, it was during a summer internship that I realized that my heart was not in that career path. During that internship I learned that I wanted to be able to help more people become aware of preventive medicine and intune with their bodies. I knew from my own healing journey if we start taking more control over our own health and learning about a clean, healthy lifestyle we will reduce illnesses and diseases.
My mindset has shifted as most illnesses and diseases arise due to chronic patterns. If we eat healthy, exercise and practice mindfulness, surround ourselves with people we love, and pursue hobbies that bring joy into our lives we will be able to help limit our chronic diseases. I see patients all the time in my practice who dislike their job or they spend all their time working and not taking care of their mental and physical health creating detrimental negative consequences on their body. Self-care is so important in our busy, over-stimulated world. Acupuncture is a great natural treatment that can help our mind relax and recharge so that we can better deal with all of the other problems that arrive in our lives. It is important to find therapeutic treatments such as acupuncture to help tune us up. We all need tuning up, that is why practicing a healthy lifestyle is important and should be prioritized in our life!
When you get surprised by an unusual or uncertain context, what do you think?
If I come across something unusual I will take a moment to breathe and then ask a question, giving me time and more context to gain a better understanding. Once I have a clear outlook on the situation I can proceed. Asking questions is important, my toddler is great at asking questions, he is teaching me to do more of it! It is important for doctors and practitioners to ask questions from their patients to limit uncertainty. One way we can do that is taking a moment and breathing, grounding ourselves especially in unexpected situations. There are several foundational principles in Traditional Chinese Medicine that can be applied to everything in our life, it all comes back to bringing the body to homeostasis. One of them being the concept of yin and yang is one of the fundamental principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine which can be applied to our everyday lives. I find what also helps me when uncertain contexts arise is to look at the situation from another perspective. Looking at perspectives from the other person's view is key with uncertain contexts. It is easy to get caught up in only seeing the story from your side or one perspective, but if you take the time to look at others' stand points, it will not only help you get a better understanding of the challenge at hand, it will help us create a stronger rapport and relationship. It is okay to accept that we don’t always have the answers. I find it very helpful in situations where you are asked a question and you are not sure to say “I am unsure” or "I am sorry I don’t have that answer right now. You will be able to find that answer with clarity at a later time and provide even a better understanding.
Based on your experience, what’s the key success factor for a female leader / manager?
One of the key success factors for me has been my ability to connect with people, relate with them, and then elevate them to another level. I have embarked and continue to self-develop and learn how I can improve as a leader and as a person. Whether this relationship is with a patient, employee, business partner, or family member, being able to connect with them before trying to lead them is what makes the difference between a good leader and a great leader. This is a hard skill to master as it can be easy to fall into the only friend’s zone where you have great rapport. On the other side of the spectrum is the authoritarian role, where you have no rapport and things are reluctantly getting done, but no one is happy. Both of these styles of leadership lead to frustration and stress when trying to lead. Finding the leadership where you can build rapport and work efficiently to get things done is the zone in which you will move mountains, and you will move mountains. It will create a healthy work environment for everyone and team members will be able to flourish in their positions. While this skillset takes time, personal development, and a willingness to check your ego, it will pay huge dividends once you learn how to really deepen those relationships. There is a great book called, “Ego Is The Enemy” that I highly recommend reading to help humble your relationship with others.
