Conflict Is Inevitable. Repair Is a Choice: The 5 R's for Wellness Center Leaders
Sep 30, 2026Picture the end of an all-staff meeting. Someone said something a little sharp, and it landed off for the whole room. You're wondering whether to let it slide like water off a duck's back or call the elephant out. Thirty minutes later, a team member quietly asks, “Should we talk about that?” Now you know it's time.
Moments like this are unavoidable in wellness centers, where the people are sensitive, the work is personal, and feelings get hurt. In this episode of the Wellness Center Creators podcast, Kendall Hagensen and Anna Rudel make the case that a healthy workplace doesn't mean no discomfort and no conflict. It means knowing how to repair conflict when it happens, because it's going to happen.
The conversation starts with honesty. Kendall shares that in her early years she approached repair as a people-pleaser. She overextended herself energetically and financially, buying lunch for the team every week just months after opening, with no money to spare and little energy left for the endless one-on-one check-ins. Anna, who names the control aspect underneath that instinct, admits she didn't know repair rituals existed in her early days and simply tried to “maintain integrity.” Ten years in, Kendall describes a very different approach built on intention and structure, including team leads, leadership support, and multiple places where someone can say, “That conversation hurt my feelings.”
From there, they walk through five Rs that translate a therapist's skill set into leadership:
Recognize. Name the disconnect instead of letting it linger, and check in on how it landed. The hosts explore how to tell a moment that needs attention from one that doesn't, and why empowering your team to ask for a conversation beats an exhausting treasure hunt.
Receive. Listen the way you would with a client, without judgment and without reacting. Ask what the experience was like and what support would look like, and remember that impact and intent can both be true.
Responsibility. Own your part. Skip “I'm sorry you felt that way” and reflect back what you heard instead, so your apology actually lands. Even when you didn't create the situation, you can still take responsibility as the leader.
Repair. Ask what would help you move forward. Often the answer is nothing more than being heard. Kendall shares a recent example in which a front desk team member asked her to stop micromanaging, and she owned it on the spot. Anna adds a simple tool her team uses in Slack: an emoji that says “I saw this,” so nobody wonders whether a request was received.
Return. The step most leaders miss. Come back weeks or months later to make sure the repair worked the way the other person hoped. Kendall explains how she remembers, from a paper planner to emails scheduled to herself and calendar reminders, and the two compare how follow-up looks in parenting versus leading a team. Without it, team members can feel alone, misunderstood, or even quit over a conversation they interpreted differently than you did.
Along the way there are candid moments, too. Anna admits she's more forgiving and better at returning in the workplace than she is as a parent, and Kendall reminds her that we're all hard on ourselves. Kendall also encourages leaders to let a repair do its work, avoid gossip, and give someone who made a mistake the chance to fix it so they aren't defined by it forever.
The payoff is simple. If you want awesome people to stay on your team, complete the whole cycle.
Whether you lead a clinic, a studio, or a growing multi-modality wellness center, you'll leave with a clear framework and practical language you can use in your very next difficult conversation.
And for information Bloom and Grow Monthly Mastermind Groups, go to: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/group-coaching
Sponsored by Jane App, Jane offers online booking, charting, scheduling, secure video and invoicing on one secure, beautifully designed system: https://jane.app/ Use code wellness1mo for a one-month grace period on your new Jane account.
About Anna Rudel
Anna Rudel, L. Ac is the owner and founder of Lokahi Acupuncture Clinic in San Jose California, founded in 2003. Anna is a master organizer and clinician, and as a Coach she specializes in working with Clinic Owners in the state of California, and Acupuncturists and Acupuncture Clinic Owners, or groups wanting to add Acupuncture worldwide, as well as teams that need support with employee retention and satisfaction. Born in the UK, Anna has traveled extensively in Asia and now has a thriving multi-practitioner clinic in the US!
Anna's Website and Links
- Website: https://lokahiacupuncture.com/
- Learn Group Coaching: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/group-coaching
- For info about Individual Coaching: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/individual-coaching
About Kendall Hagensen
Kendall is a Somatic Mental Health Therapist, Multidisciplinary Clinic Owner and Business Coach. She specializes in, and is passionate about, working with healthcare professionals to create the businesses of their dreams. Big goals always have a psychological component beneath the surface, so Kendall uses her background in Somatic Psychotherapy and EMDR Therapy mixed with Business Coaching tools to help clients develop a healthy relationship with their business and their strength as a leader.
As someone who lives with a chronic illness herself, Kendall feels that health happens best within community, which is why she takes a holistic, integrative, and collaborative wellness approach to her personal and professional life.
Kendall’s Web/Social Links