Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Pigeon.
Hi Sarah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started out bartending in San Diego, living a life I loved; surfing, traveling, and enjoying the freedom of it all. But as I got closer to 30, I knew it wasn’t something I wanted to do forever. I began asking myself bigger questions about where I wanted my life to go.
A friend introduced me to acupuncture, and the moment I attended an orientation, it just clicked. I opened my own practice in San Diego and grew it, but even early on I knew that treating patients one-on-one wouldn’t be my final chapter. From day one, I envisioned a business that brought multiple aspects of health and wellness together.
As much as I love Chinese Medicine, I also believe no single modality is the answer to everything. Being an athlete and deeply rooted in the fitness community, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful movement, nutrition, and lifestyle are for overall well-being. I wanted to create a space where all of those elements could exist under one roof.
I met my partner in Chinese Medicine school, and when we decided to move to Virginia Beach to open a fitness and wellness center together, it felt like the natural next step. He shared the same belief in integrating fitness into healing, and my background as a nutrition instructor, as well as, Pilates, yoga and Spin instructor, allowed me to offer more well-rounded guidance to clients. By building a team of knowledgeable practitioners, our mission became clear: to help people achieve optimal health and wellbeing through a truly integrative approach.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Like any business owner will tell you, it hasn’t been an easy road, and I wouldn’t describe it as smooth. That said, we’ve also had opportunities that many don’t, and I’m deeply grateful for that. Every day presents new challenges, and each one pushes us to grow, both personally and as a business.
We’re constantly learning how to adapt and evolve in an ever-changing market, and that ongoing challenge is part of the process. Ultimately, though, owning the business and seeing the real impact it has on people’s lives makes every obstacle totally worth it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Atlas Wellness & MMA is an integrated fitness, wellness, and recovery center built around one core goal: helping people feel better, perform better, and live better. We’re not focused on trends; we’re focused on results.
What sets us apart is that everything lives under one roof. We offer acupuncture, cupping, microneedling, massage therapy, IV therapy, physical therapy, and a full suite of recovery modalities, including infrared sauna, cold plunge, red light therapy, PEMF mat therapy, and Normatec compression. On the fitness side, we provide MMA training across multiple disciplines-Jiu Jitsu, striking, sparring, wrestling, Muay Thai, judo, and boxing, along with a fully equipped functional gym for cardio, free weights, and cross-training.
Atlas is designed to be a true one-stop shop for fitness, wellness, and recovery. Our practitioners and coaches work collaboratively to guide clients toward the modalities and training that best support their individual goals, whether that’s athletic performance, injury recovery, longevity, or overall well-being.
What I’m most proud of is the culture we’ve built, one that empowers people to take ownership of their health with the right tools, education, and support. We meet people where they are and help them move forward stronger, healthier, and more confident than when they walked in.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I consider myself pretty lucky-I even won “The Price is Right” years ago- but I’m also very aware that I’ve had access to opportunity and privilege, so it’s never felt like “luck alone.” For me, luck is really about what you do when opportunity shows up.
I try not to take that for granted. I’ve always believed in pairing opportunity with a strong work ethic and personal accountablility. I challenge myself constantly, whether that’s through endurance goals like marathons and triathlons or by adapting to the unexpected challenges that inevitably come up in business.
Those experiences have shaped how I lead and build, staying consistent, disciplined, resilient, and ready to move when opportunity presents itself.
Pricing:
- Acupuncture: 1st visit $180/return visit $100
- Infrared Sauna: $30 (with red light: $45)
- Normatec Compression: $30
- Cupping Therapy: $80
- Microneedling: $250
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.atlas-vb.com
- Instagram: atlaswellness_mma and atlas.wellness.vb
- Facebook: Atlas Wellness & MMA
