We Brought Home the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Award

Alternative Therapies, 2025

The  Women in Small Business Champion awards was a night to remember!

Full of glitz and glamour as everyone walked the red carpet and had their photo taken, mingling with so many women, all here to celebrate. All her for a night to celebrate women in small business – at every stage of business and age.

There are moments in business you think you’ll remember, and then there are moments that actually land in your chest and stay there. Saturday night was one of those.

On the 15th of November, we stepped into the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards as finalists. I was already proud of that. Truly. Being recognised among so many incredible women felt like its own win. But when they called Rebalance Chinese Medicine as the winner for the Alternative Therapies category, there was this split second where everything went quiet. My whole body registered it before my brain caught up.

That moment is something I’ll carry for a long time! In fact, I still don’t think that it has registered.

 

What this win really means

Awards are lovely, but they’re never really about the trophy. For me, this award  speaks to the years of late nights, the women who’ve walked into the clinic carrying stories that deserved better answers, and the tiny decisions that built something steady, safe, and genuinely helpful in South Morang. Over the last 2 years in South Morang, we have grown beyond my greatest expectations and I so humbled to be able to be of service to all our clients and the community. The support from all the business within 855 Plenty Road and the friendships we have made have also added to this win.

It also speaks to every woman who has built something from scratch while juggling life, family, self doubt, and that little voice that sometimes says “Who do you think you are?”
Hearing the journeys of the women in that room, their grit and their honesty, it deepened something in me. Their stories didn’t just inspire me, they reminded me why I show up the way I do. Those maybes are a lot of work,  yet they keep rising. That energy was electric.

My people made this possible

This win belongs to more than just me.

To every client who trusted us with their health, their fertility, their pain, their confusion, their milestones, their heartbreaks, and their hopes. You’ve allowed this clinic to grow in the most grounded way, person by person, story by story.

To Cathy, who keeps the front desk running with heart and order, and somehow manages to make everyone feel welcome the moment they walk in.

To Dr Qing, whose skill and care lift our clinic every single day. I’m so grateful to work alongside someone who treats people with such steady kindness.

To my family, thank you for carrying the moments when I was stretched too thin or too tired to be charming. You’ve been the quiet structure underneath all of this. To my girls, who have been a huge part of this journey and to all my clients who have taught me so much, laughed and cried with me and supported our small business, thank you.

And to my husband, this part is personal. Your belief in me has been the one thing that didn’t shake, even when I did. Every big leap this clinic has taken had you in the background, holding space, picking up the loose threads, and reminding me what I’m capable of. This award sits in our clinic and my heart because of your unwavering support belief in me and your ability to ground and bring me back to my mission – to combine Western and Eastern medicine together an to bring Chinese Medicine to the forefront of healing – so that we are thought of first rather than as a last resort – but part of everyone’s wellness team.

A win for every woman building something of her own

This award is a celebration, yes, but it’s also a nod to every woman who’s doing the hard, messy, deeply meaningful work of running a business that actually helps people. If you’ve ever pushed through a rough season, questioned everything, or wondered if anyone noticed the heart you put into your work, I saw you in that room. You are the reason it felt so special.

What’s next?

We’ll keep doing what we do best, supporting our community with grounded, evidence informed Chinese medicine and the kind of care that actually feels like care. And we’ll keep growing, one small, steady step at a time.

As a clinic – we will celebrate all together and continue to support our community.

If you’d like support tailored to your body, book a session at Rebalance Chinese Medicine, we’d love to help.

We are dedicated to supporting the whole families health – one step at a time!

Always follow your butterflies
Dr. Julia