“You will probably have a hard time getting pregnant”. This is what doctors told Kelsey when she was informed, she had a tilted pelvis. Kelsey struggled with hormone issues most of her life and when she considered getting an IUD to move away from hormonal birth control options, her tilted pelvis did not allow this to happen. The pill always made her sick and depressed. Her doctor kept switching brands but unfortunately nothing helped. “This just isn’t right; I shouldn’t feel this way”, Kelsey lamented. The hormonal issues also caused cystic acne and it wasn’t until Kelsey saw a Naturopath, that she finally received the guidance needed to take control of her health needs. Her doctors had offered one band-aid solution after another and it was finally time to find the root cause of her struggles.
Kelsey has an Honours degree in Bio Science and studied Nutrition and Toxicology in school. Originally, she thought she wanted to be a Pharmacist but after she was rejected from this program, she felt relieved. This feeling meant something. Her passion for women’s health, stemming from her personal experience, helped here decide what to do next. She enrolled in a school for Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto. She tried living in Toronto at first but ended up commuting. It was a 3-year academic program with one additional year as a Co-op placement. She came out of is with $180 000 debt. It wasn’t easy but she knew it was her calling.
Barrie is where Kelsey grew up, but she met her husband when completing her undergrad in Guelph and on a Co-op term. It wasn’t until she met Tyler that she really started thinking she wanted a family. Before that she wasn’t sure if she would have children. She helped raise her brother when she was 14 years old and so felt she had already been a parent in her life. Tyler changed her trajectory and made having a child a priority. “I could see myself creating a family with this man”. This meant learning about balancing her hormones and learning everything she could about fertility.
When she was in school and going back and forth from Guelph to Toronto, she started to feel something nagging at her. Tyler and she had thought they would wait till she was done school to start a family, but they began to feel stagnant and wanted to progress their relationship. They owned a house, didn’t care to be married and although the timing was ridiculous while she was still in school; they decided it was time to have a baby. Kelsey got pregnant easily but was very sick in the beginning of her first pregnancy which made it hard with her studies. When she was twenty weeks pregnant, she wrote her licencing exams and then at thirty-six weeks pregnant she wrote a three-day exam. Four weeks later Kohl was born.
Kelsey always knew she was going to be an entrepreneur. She started working part-time hours at a local clinic when Kohl was only eight weeks old. Working Fridays and Saturdays, every other week, till he was eight months old. Tyler took four months of paternity leave which helped a lot. Her business took off and Kohl started daycare at 13 months. At that time, Tyler was the primary caregiver and Kelsey feels she missed out on a lot. “There is never going to be a good time to have a baby, you have to figure it out as you go. There was never going to be a time to step away from my career.”
Leaving your career to start a family and raise young children can be very difficult and emotional for many women. Will I lose what I have built, will my replacement be better than me, will I miss out on an opportunity or promotion, will things move on without me…these are the things many women have discussed with me when looking at managing their career while navigating family life. It isn’t easy but sometimes we can make changes in order to create a career and lifestyle that works well for us. Kelsey is an example of a women who is taking chances and architecting her situation to suit the needs of her family and herself.
“I raised my business and Kohl at the same time.” Kohl is not a natural sleeper; he was up every 2 hours for over a year. He needs a lot of entertaining, he isn’t the type to play independently. Daycare has been very good for him in that way.”
By the time their second child Nyla was born (2 ½ years after Kohl) Kelsey’s business had grown and she had a four to eight week wait list for taking on clients. It was at that time she started to feel something needed to change. Kelsey took four months off after giving birth to her daughter. She had someone cover for her in her practice as she felt she couldn’t leave Nyla. Even thought she loved the career she had built ,she wanted to soak up this time with her daughter. It was at this time she decided taking the leap to go on her own was right. Her contract was ending at the clinic and she felt confident she could continue to serve her current clients and build her business reaching more women in further locations.
Kelsey launched her virtual platform while technically still on maternity leave. This new way of reaching clients allowed for no overhead expenses, the ability to work from home and schedule her work around time with her children. Her husband Tyler is off for six months which supports this new structure right now. “I need to hustle on my own terms if I am going to be away from my family”. Kelsey is designing a practice that not only works for her life but also allows for further reach and impact.
Many of her clients have made the move with Kelsey to her virtual platform and video call format. By doing remote work, her husband and she can pick up and leave when they want to. The idea of relocating their family, at some point, is on the table. After the last day at the clinic, Kelsey was feeling very depleted but now with this new way of approaching her business; she has quality time with Nyla and focused time with Kohl. It allows her to be more present with both her children.
It can take a lot of work to not take on other people’s stuff when Kelsey speaks with clients. Especially when one in four women experience miscarriage. “I feel the gains and the losses from pregnancy”. Some days it is all business and others all family. It will never be a perfect balance, but it is a good blend that she is just at the forefront of creating. Her upcoming focus will be launching the “Fertility Confidence Method” series which will be a group coaching system. It will be a twelve-week educational breakdown that she hopes will expand her reach and help more people. “The more resources I have, the more women I can help”.
When she first considered expanding her business and income it felt uncomfortable. Thinking about and talking about money seems to be a block for many people. She believes we need to break through this and be more open about these discussions. Nyla became her push to make her dreams a reality, overcoming obstacles that came up such as navigating her regulatory body for Naturopathic Doctors. Instagram has been a huge part of how Kelsey has grown her business. She lets her personality and style of client relationship shine through. People have the chance to get to know her and her family before meeting with her. This is how I connected with Kelsey. It can be a great way to make new connections in your community and beyond.
Without family nearby, Tyler and Kelsey must be each other’s support. “Tyler loves being with the kids and is very confident in me. He just wants me to be happy.”
I am grateful that Kelsey has allowed me the chance to share her story after we connected through the Instagram community. Creating a career and life unique to your own needs takes bravery and drive and she exudes both. If you would like to learn more about Dr. Kelsey Duncan and her practice, you can follow her on Instagram @dr.kelseyduncan.nd or visit linktr.ee@dr.kelseyduncan.nd
Story Written by Jenn DiRaddo Jefferson of Career PUMP
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