Meet Lauren Espiritu of Espiritu Acupuncture & Wellness

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Espiritu.

Lauren, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
From early on, I have always had an interest in the workings of the human psyche and the reasons behind human behavior. Naturally, this led me to pursue my BS in psychology with the goal to become a psychotherapist. I wanted to help people find meaning and understanding of their behavior in order to improve their lives. Towards the end of my undergraduate studies, I sought the guidance of one of my professors sharing with him my desire to have an impact on more of our community, not only those seeking mental help but also those who wanted to improve their overall health.

This professor had a love for eastern medicine and he encouraged me to try it. He referred me to his acupuncturist whom I then worked with for the next year dealing with my own struggles with hormonal imbalances. As a young woman, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome and struggled with very irregular menstrual cycles. I was told by my doctors that my ability to conceive naturally is unlikely. After years of birth control to help “regulate” my cycle, not realizing that it wasn’t actually addressing my underlying health concerns, I was eager to see how acupuncture could help. After nine months of regular acupuncture visits and herbal medicine, I was able to go from 3-4 periods a year to once a month! Fascinated by this and learning more about how acupuncture can help with so many other conditions, I knew that this was the path I wished to pursue. Shortly after graduating, I enrolled myself into acupuncture school, where I would meet my future husband and business partner, Angelo. Little did I know at the time that his last name would make the perfect business name! We made our way through school together and eventually opened up our business, Espiritu Acupuncture & Wellness.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it has been far from a smooth road. Having two kids and a pandemic all within the first several years of our business made for a bumpy ride. The energy we could put into nurturing our other baby, our business, was limited having two young kids, however we are lucky to be in the position we are today given these circumstances. Angelo and I have grown a lot in the last five years, thankfully together, as we navigated developing and running a small business, creating and birthing two children, and learning how we can best parent together.

Probably the biggest challenge we have faced thus far was expanding our business and moving into a larger space just as the pandemic took place. Although it was not our intention to expand when most of the world had been shut down, it was just how it all happened for us. Fortunately, we persevered and are grateful to have had the opportunity to serve our community, helping them with their health and wellness needs during such difficult times.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Espiritu Acupuncture & Wellness is a full-service acupuncture clinic located in Thousand Oaks. Other than acupuncture, we also offer herbal medicine, cupping therapy, diet and nutrition counseling, gua sha and moxibustion therapy. Although I see a wide range of conditions ranging from insomnia to allergy relief, my focus is primarily on women’s health, fertility, prenatal and postpartum support, anxiety and pain management.

My experience of becoming a mom and understanding the highs and lows of pregnancy and motherhood allows me to offer a gentle guidance and understanding of the challenges these circumstances may bring. I believe that it allows me to have a greater understanding of what fellow moms, moms-to-be and women in general are going through and ways that I can offer support, both in and out of the treatment room. Helping women manage hormonal changes and imbalances are also a large part of my practice, and I strive to help bring balance mentally, physically and emotionally to all that I have the opportunity to work with.

I am most proud of our ability to create a space that people feel comfortable in as if they were in their own home. Everything about our clinic from the decor to the people working here are genuine and it all is a perfect representation of who we are. From the moment you walk into our clinic, you know that we will do our best to help you through whatever ails you and that we have your best interest at heart. This genuine desire to help has given me the best patients to work with and every day, I am excited to do the work that I do. We want every person that walks into our clinic to feel heard, respected and cared for and to leave feeling rejuvenated, re-energized and happy.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I believe that taking risks is a necessary part of life. Although the magnitude of the risk may vary, some risk is always involved in life as success isn’t possible without the potential for failure. With that said, I have of course taken calculated risks over the years, but never anything too extreme. Perhaps younger me would disagree, but I have a tendency to play it safe and probably more so as I’ve gotten older and became a parent. Probably the biggest risk I have taken is deciding to start up a business while anticipating the birth of my first child. Having kids can be risky physically, emotionally and financially. On top of that, I decided it was the perfect time to start a business! What was I thinking!? Lots of learning curves were overcome that first year of my son’s life. Luckily Angelo and I were able to navigate all of it together without too much conflict. Now that we have survived those first several years of growing our business and raising our two children, we are in a different place in our relationship and stronger than ever before.

Contact Info:

• Email: EspirituAcuWellness@gmail.com
• Website: www.espirituwellness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/espirituacupuncture/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EspirituAcupuncture

Image Credits:
Crystal Quayle – @cquaylephotography