Yoon Acupuncture & Coaching

07/20/2025

New on the Second Spring Chronicle:
"I didn’t get to attend my maternal grandmother’s funeral. The kids were just too little at the time, and it didn’t feel right to leave them for that long. My family understood, and they never pressured me to make the long trip home.
So, I grieved quietly from the other side of the world—remembering how steady she had always been for me. How much I’d miss her presence. How deeply I wished she could’ve watched my children grow.
When I finally went home months later, I got to grieve with my mom. We cried. We laughed. We shared stories that brought her back to life, even just for a little while. I mostly remember what my mom said that has stayed with me ever since:
“Remember—she’s in you, and will be, forever.”
I didn’t fully grasp what she meant at the time. But as I’ve lived through more life—and more loss—those words have started to land."
More here: https://kityoon.substack.com/p/forgive-me

07/18/2025

New on the Second Spring Chronicle:

https://kityoon.substack.com/p/i-f**king-loved-my-life

07/13/2025

New on the Second Spring Chronicle:

"One of my favorite people in the world is Sandy — she’s in her 80s, though you’d never guess it. She’s vibrant, easy to talk to, and always ready for adventures. Her energy is forever young.

Sandy lives on one of those dreamy Michigan lakes, the kind where the sun rises over a forested horizon. Whenever I visit, we have a standing date at dawn to watch the sunrise together. Minute by minute, we marvel at Mother Nature’s show — two total geeks in awe of the sky and that giant ball of fire."

More here: https://kityoon.substack.com/p/never-a-bad-day

07/06/2025

Truth be told, I’ve always had mixed feelings about the term self-care.

New on the Second Spring Chronicle:

"Truth be told, I’ve always had mixed feelings about the term self-care.

It’s so ubiquitous these days—what is it exactly?

And don’t get me started on salt baths and chocolate cake—I have plenty of thoughts about those, too.

When I first stumbled on this quote, it lit something up in my cells. It felt like someone finally wove together all the ideas that had been swirling in my head, in a way that actually felt right and real—the definition of self-care I could live by.

That’s not to say we shouldn’t take salt baths or eat chocolate cake—I do both regularly. They’re part of a love-bombing-myself routine. They make me feel good in the moment, which lines up perfectly with my let’s enjoy the moment mantra."

Read the rest here: https://kityoon.substack.com/p/salt-baths-and-chocolate-cake

07/01/2025

New post on the Second Spring Chronicle:
"In 1999, on the coast of California, I started something that felt both foreign and strangely familiar.
Have you ever done something that felt simultaneously right and wrong — yet you felt called to do it anyway?
That was me, beginning a master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) after earning a bachelor’s in Biological Sciences. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone. Other new faces sat beside me in that first classroom, all staring at the chalkboard where our professor wrote in both Chinese and English.
In those early days, we had to shed so much of what we thought we knew. TCM theories live on a completely different plane of understanding. Rules were broken. New concepts emerged. We leaned on each other to stay motivated, trusting that this ancient medicine — refined over thousands of years — could help us help others."
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More here: https://kityoon.substack.com/p/the-other-jim

Jim Chialtas

Closing the circle of connection

06/29/2025

PSA

Impossible is temporary.

These three words were the theme of a coaching conference I attended just before the world shut down for the pandemic. Three powerful words that completely shifted so many of my own beliefs.

If you’re new to coaching, think of it like counseling—but with a focus on the future instead of the past. Coaching helps you see things from new perspectives so you can move beyond your self-imposed limitations.

Think of athletes who have coaches to help them become better in their sport. Executives have coaches to help them lead and achieve in their careers. Simply put, coaching helps you become the version of yourself you didn’t think was possible.

Because impossible is temporary.

Over the years, through my holistic acupuncture and coaching practice, I’ve had the privilege of helping patients and clients achieve their so-called “impossibles.”

They’ve looked like:

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More here: https://kityoon.substack.com/p/you-cant-unsee-it-now

06/27/2025

Reposting a wonderful conversation I had with the wonderful Kate Codrington when we discussed all this second spring (what Chinese Medicine calls the time after menopause. It’s seen as a fresh start—a chance for women to renew their health, find balance, and embrace a new, vibrant chapter of life).

I sat down with author and Menopause Mentor Kate Codrington and chatted about all things Second Spring! You can find out more about Kate and her work here: h...

06/25/2025

We are likely not going to hike the AT this summer like we did a couple of summers ago (injuries, time constraint, etc). But re-reading this post took me back to the hut and the people. It's almost as good as being on the trail again.

for 2 days or 2,000 miles

06/24/2025

New Post about the Tutu Lady I didn't know I needed.

"During the half marathon in April, my amazing walking partner and I had a plan: stick to a steady pace. Not too fast, not too slow — just get to the finish line alive, happy and uninjured.

In the early miles, we were fueled by all the fun: the music, the cheering fans, the costumes, the buzz of being part of something big. We kept a solid pace for a while… until we didn’t. The very things that energized us also distracted us. There were also bathroom breaks, water and coffee stops, shoe adjustments, and quick stretches.

At some point, we realized most of the runners were far ahead, and only a handful of walkers remained. There was a couple a little ways in front of us, and behind us was her — the woman in the purple tutu skirt. No matter how many breaks we took, she was always right there. Calm. Steady. Unbothered. She had the most consistent pace I’d ever seen.

She was the tortoise in Aesop’s tale; we were clearly the hares.

Every time she crept ahead of us, we’d speed up to get back in front. We made it our mission to stay between the couple ahead and the tutu lady behind. She became our silent pacer, our accountability partner — whether she knew it or not. Most likely not."

Read the rest on my Second Spring Chronicle Substack.

https://kityoon.substack.com/p/the-tutu-lady-and-me

You need her as much as I do

06/20/2025

Happy Summer Solstice!

The Summer Solstice marks the peak of Yang — the brightest, most expansive energy of the year. ☀️

In Chinese Medicine, this is a time of full bloom, outward expression, and vibrant Qi.

But even at this height of light, nature gently reminds us: balance matters. What rises will eventually fall, and rest always follows activity.

Today, I invite you to soak in the warmth, move your body, laugh with friends… and also create tiny pockets of stillness.

Nourish your Heart (the ruler of summer in TCM) with joy, but listen for the quiet whispers of Yin beginning to return.

06/19/2025

It’s a good day when you are told to trust, by your own child.

New on the Second Spring Chronicle:

"On a recent drive with my son, he was behind the wheel, and I was riding shotgun. It was raining hard, traffic was heavy, and I — unintentionally, of course — was being a nervous “backseat driver.”

A few helpful pointers may have slipped out of my mouth.

Without taking his eyes off the road (where they firmly belonged), he said, “You know, I wasn’t anxious before. Now I am.”

Fair point!

Then he gently reminded me, still looking straight ahead, “You do realize I just drove for two weeks in South Africa, in a rented car, on the other side of the road?”

Keep reading here:

You can let it go

06/17/2025

“We’re all just walking each other home.” – Ram Dass

This is my favorite quote of all time.

Because it captures exactly what I do, what we all do.

Whether I am offering acupuncture sessions, coaching clients through a life transitions, simply holding space, or literally walking with someone—it's never about fixing.

It’s about walking together… back to ourselves.

One breath, one needle, one conversation, one walk, at a time.

We get to go back home, to ourselves, to each other, to wholeness.