Hidden Gems: Meet Alayna Prenger of Elevate Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alayna Prenger.

Hi Alayna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I graduated from Saint Louis University with my bachelors in Psychology and spent the first 10 years of my career working in early childhood development and special education. I loved working in that field, but found myself ready to make a career change around 2015. I had seen an acupuncturist when I lived in Texas a few years prior to that and found myself wondering what it would take to enter that field myself. The more I read about the medicine and researched programs around the country, the more it called to me. I sold my house, moved to Denver, and enrolled in grad school at Colorado Chinese Medicine University. I spent the next 3.5 years falling in love with acupuncture and herbal medicine before graduating in Spring of 2019. I moved back to Kansas City and opened my practice in the Fall of 2019. Now I am so grateful to get to do what I love every day and am thankful to all the people who step into my office and entrust me with their care.

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?
Honestly, it has been a pretty smooth ride! Kansas City does not have enough acupuncturists so my business took off pretty quickly and has remained steady for the last 6 years. The main challenge I faced was when the pandemic hit 6 months after I opened. I had just taken on the lease to my second treatment room when the world came to a stop. I ended up closing my doors for about 2 months in an effort to keep my family and my patients safe. During this time, I worried about what would become of my business when I returned to work. I had spent the first 6 months I was open building momentum and establishing a good foundation in the community. Would people be too afraid to come back in for care? Would they be able to afford to? How would this affect my ability to grow my practice and get to help as many people as possible? But luckily, when it was time to open my doors again, my patients were waiting! We all needed more ways to help manage our stress and emotions during that time and I think the lockdown actually helped drive people to acupuncture and other natural approaches to physical and emotional wellness.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Learning the principles and philosophies of acupuncture and herbal medicine has given me a sense of empowerment in regards to my own health, and I try to help foster that growth in others wishing to elevate their overall health and happiness. With the right support, our bodies are capable of great healing, and this medicine is incredible at tapping into the body’s natural processes and encouraging balance throughout the entire system. I love that I get to spend my days helping people relax and feel their best. Everyone should have a place they can go to feel heard, supported, and taken care of and that is the environment I try to cultivate in my office. I think what sets me apart is how much I love teaching the wisdom of this medicine to my patients. It is important to me to provide my patients with insight into their minds and bodies and to give them tools they can use between appointments to achieve balance and wellness. In the last few years, I have also co-created unique events to help create a community of like minded people who want to learn more about how to maintain balance throughout the year and honor the changing seasons. We discuss the upcoming time of year based on the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine and my co-hosts lead the group in a short yoga sequence, breathwork with the use of aromatherapy, a sound bath, and a guided meditation. It is a wonderful way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon!

How do you think about luck?
I don’t believe in luck! I work hard to maintain my skills, expand my knowledge of the field, and dedicate myself to taking wonderful care of my patients. And when you put good out into the universe, the good comes back around to you in so many amazing ways. 😁

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Elevateacupuncturekc.com
• Other: https://square.link/u/66qX2czd