Kristine Kjolhede’s interview with Voyage Austin
http://voyageaustin.com/
Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristine Kjolhede.
Hi Kristine, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Growing up, you’d find me playing with chemistry sets, and excited about dissecting bugs and animals in biology class and begging my parents to let me stay up to watch the weather forecast each night.
When it came time to choose a major in college, I went for my first passion, meteorology and graduated from Texas A&M with a BS in Atmospheric Science. Yet, an interest in medicine was always planted in the back of my mind.
After a very rewarding 20-year career as a broadcast meteorologist working in cities such as Waco, Austin and Dallas/Ft. Worth, I decided in 2009 to leave the world of weather and pursue a career in medicine.
After a brief hiatus, I went back to school full-time, with the end goal to become a family nurse practitioner.
In 2013, I graduated with a BS in Nursing from the University of Texas Arlington and began my career working as a pediatric nurse at Cook Children’s in Fort Worth, working in urgent and emergency care. After earning my Master’s in Nursing in 2017, I jumped right into family medicine working for an integrated medical clinic in Fort Worth where I was introduced to the magic of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy and anti-aging medicine. I earned my certification in hormone replacement therapy and was blessed to find a wellness spa in Colleyville, TX home where I practiced prior to moving to back to Austin in late 2020.
My husband and I met here, so when our youngest graduated from high school, we couldn’t wait to come back to the hill country, landing in Spicewood where we have a little piece of heaven on the lake. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, so in April of 2021 decided it was time to hang my shingle in Westlake and opened Thrive Hormonal Health and Wellness.
Why open my own practice? I wanted to control my schedule and give my patients the time and personalized care missing in today’s “sick-care” model of medicine. Working with my patients to balance hormones, get to the root cause of their health concerns, and in many cases ditch unnecessary medications is a journey, But to be successful in this journey, in my opinion, the practitioner must be accessible to the patient. This is how I choose to practice.
I can’t deny running my own business has its daily challenges, But I have seen some amazing transformations in so many of my patients just by listening, adding the right therapies, and empowering them to make the changes needed to live a healthier, happier life.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are always bumps in the road, fortunately most have been small.
I struggle wrapping my arms around the business side of what I do. Accounting and bookkeeping are not my strength, but I have been blessed to find someone who now handles that side of my business for me. Whew! What a relief.
Six months into opening my doors, I found my electronic health records system wasn’t serving my needs. It’s such a vital part of how I manage my patients and communicate with them. I decided it best to go ahead and make the change. The transition wasn’t as smooth as I had hoped, but now four months down the road, it was a right decision.
I also struggle at time being a “one-man band,” so to speak. I wear ALL the hats, and at times things can get a little hectic and a ball will drop. But I’ve learned I can’t change what’s done and just do my best to fix the problem and work smarter.
