Today we’d like to introduce you to Hilary Patzer.
Hilary, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Dr. Hilary Patzer is dedicated to helping athletes achieve their highest levels of performance and success. A Doctor of Chinese Medicine, licensed acupuncturist, and Chinese herbalist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Dr. Patzer blends traditional medicine with modern performance strategies to optimize athletic potential.
Her extensive training includes certification as a Level III Fascial Stretch Specialist, Cranial Sacral Therapy practitioner, and Neurokinetic Therapy provider. In 2018, she completed her Doctorate of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, deepening her expertise to better serve her patients. She went on to earn a Master’s in Health and Performance Coaching in 2020 and a Sports Medicine Acupuncture certification in 2022.
Driven by a passion for empowerment through growth, health, and movement, Dr. Patzer currently serves as the Official Sports Acupuncturist for the Minnesota Vikings, working with professional, elite, collegiate, and high school athletes across a wide range of sports.
Before her clinical career, Dr. Patzer was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American Nordic skier and a member of the U.S. Ski Team for three years. After struggling with overtraining, acupuncture became the key to her recovery—restoring her health and reigniting her athletic potential. Today, she continues to compete in ski races, marathons, and triathlons, including multiple appearances at the Ironman World Championship and the Boston Marathon. Her firsthand experience as a high-performance athlete gives her a unique understanding of how acupuncture and integrative therapies can help athletes push their limits safely and effectively.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being driven has always been one of my greatest strengths — but at one point, it also became my downfall. As a member of the U.S. Ski Team, I believed that training harder and faster was the key to success. For years, that mindset worked — until it didn’t. I pushed too hard, too often, for too long, and eventually, my body paid the price.
I hit rock bottom physically and mentally and had to pick myself up by my bootstraps. As an overachiever, the hardest thing for me to do was to slow down — to breathe, rest, and be patient. My body had completely imploded. I had no energy, yet I couldn’t sleep. My cortisol levels were sky-high, as if I’d pulled two all-nighters, and my muscles burned with lactic acid from something as simple as walking across the room. I went from feeling like a bullet train to barely turning the wheels.
Mentally, I watched my dreams, goals, and passions slip away. How could I have been one of the best skiers in the country one season, and barely able to run a mile the next? I knew something deeper was happening. I just had to pause, listen, and be open to learning what my body was trying to tell me.
What I didn’t realize then was that this experience would lay the foundation for my professional calling. It hasn’t been smooth sailing — I started my practice during a recession, kept my doors open through COVID, and continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape we all face. But through every challenge, my determination and resilience have been my compass.
I feel deeply grateful for where I am today — and I also know that it’s taken blood, sweat, and tears to get here. That same drive that once broke me now fuels my passion to help others find balance, strength, and lasting wellness.
We’ve been impressed with JADA Studios, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Do you want to live a boundless life?
Do you want to unleash your inner peak performer?
Do you want to feel untethered as you pursue your professional and personal goals?
Do you want to live an extraordinary life?
Dr. Hilary Patzer and her team will match your ambition, your focus, and your drive. She is the coach who will help you build strategies for success — in your career, your athletic pursuits, and your life as a whole. Together, you’ll create the foundation for an ecstatic, purpose-driven life.
Serving the Minneapolis–St. Paul community, our team delivers high-quality, results-driven care — including dry needling, coaching, sports massage, cupping, fascial stretch therapy, and of course performance-enhancing sports acupuncture.
We treat the whole body and mind to give our athletes a true edge over the competition.
We are athletes. We are trainers. We are healers. Most of all, we are body architects — dedicated to removing every physical and mental barrier that stands between you and your highest potential.
Sports Performance–Enhancing Acupuncture is designed to support athletes in every dimension of training — physical, mental, and emotional. Developed by athlete and acupuncturist Dr. Hilary Patzer, this individualized program helps you perform at your absolute best — mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Although I’m not originally from the Midwest or Minnesota — and never imagined myself living here — I’m genuinely happy that I do. I love the community, the culture, the access to nature, and the abundance of sporting events and opportunities.
I’ve always known that if I ever lived in a metro area, I wanted it to be a place that put everything at my fingertips — where I could walk to restaurants, activities, and experiences that bring life and energy to each day. Minnesota aligns with me on so many levels, and I feel grateful to have built my professional career here. I know there are opportunities in this state that I wouldn’t find anywhere else.
That said, I do wish there were mountains! I grew up in a world-famous ski town, and I miss the mountains deeply — the peace and clarity that come from summiting them is something that will always live in my heart.
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