What is it like to practice in a small town? Where everyone knows everyone else, word travels fast, and your reputation can build quickly. But there are also challenges, like how do you tell a dairy farmer that they need to stop consuming dairy products in order to improve their health? How can you encourage your patients to eat organic, when there are no stores that sell organic produce in your town?

We spoke with the winner of our listener competition: Laura Parkinson and we discussed the intricacies of practicing in a small town with her in this week’s episode. Laura is based in a small town in Iowa with just 6000 people, and she established her practice after spending 10 years in US Navy medical clinics. She shares the story of how she changed careers and started her study in Chinese medicine.

Laura’s clinic Total Family Wellness is based in Oelwein, Iowa. Her website is iowatotalfamilywellness.com