Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Brown.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Nicole. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My background prior to pursuing Chinese Medicine was in Psychology. I worked in the Psych field and studied Functional Medicine for almost 10 years. I always had an interest in getting to the root of the issues. I began seeing in myself and in my patients, a strong connection between the mental/emotional/spiritual life and physical manifestations. I believe that physical symptoms can often give us some insight in to what’s going on emotionally for people, and vice versa. While I was (and still am) in full support of conventional medicine for treating physical ailments, I started seeing people either not fully healing, or suffering from the same re-occurring issues over and over again. Using myself as a guinea pig, I started to study and understand the connection between our inner mental and emotional world, and how it affects our ability to heal, or not heal.
After using a combination of holistic approaches to overcome many of my own health issues, I decided I had to work with other people to help them heal and reach their optimal selves as well. I was raised in 6 countries by a Chinese mother and an Irish/American father. In addition, my professional training is in both the Western sciences as well as Holistic Medicine and Chinese Medicine. Because of my background, I draw upon a variety of techniques, traditions, and information to help my patients gain the best outcomes.
I’ve had my own private practice in Brookline since 2008, and have worked in various other integrative settings here and there, where I learned the power of combining therapies and the synergy that comes with having a team of practitioners for a patient, especially when dealing with “chronic” illness. I’m mainly in Brookline in my private practice at this point, but still have a close network of practitioners that I refer out to as needed.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I definitely wouldn’t use the word “smooth” to describe the journey of a self-employed, sole proprietor in the holistic health world! An “adventure”? A “love/hate” relationship?
In the Acupuncture or holistic health world, there aren’t many options for employment, so many of us end up starting our own businesses with little to NO business experience. Our training is very clinical oriented and sets you up nicely to feel comfortable treating patients, but there really isn’t much in terms of how to start, run or maintain a successful practice. You have to REALLY want to do this in order to stick it out over the years of ups and downs. I have taken countless webinars, seminars, weekend courses, attended various networking events, retreats, continuing education, etc, to learn the business side of Acupuncture, and there is still plenty more to learn and implement.
I was also lucky to have some good mentors along the way who showed me a bit about running a practice – I think this is key. To have some sort of model that you can refer back to when you’re unsure of what your next growth step should look like. That, and colleagues to run ideas off of and help ground you and keep you sane. Also key for me was having people I could hire to do the things I had no idea how to do. The bottom line is that as a business owner and a clinician, you will try to wear all the hats at some point, but then realize that this is completely inefficient and unsustainable. As a sole proprietor, I am expected to be an amazing clinician, keep up to date with and constantly improve my clinical skills and help people heal. In addition to that, we have to run the business, do the marketing, billing, phone calls, make appointments, answer the emails, network, etc. It took me years to accept help with certain things, like outsourcing my web design, IT stuff, etc. I’m still working on allowing help in, and releasing some control over things.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Inner Sage Boston Acupuncture story. Tell us more about the business.
I’m a licensed Acupuncturist and certified Health Coach, and my background is in Psychology. I create personalized programs for patients to not only help them heal their main health issues, and also to live optimally. It’s one thing to get relief from your symptoms, it’s another thing to be able to feel energized, passionate, like you’re really taking full advantage of your life. It’s the latter that KEEPS people healthy… and it’s FREE! Having passion and learning how to take control of your own thoughts and intentions is truly life-changing and puts people in the driver seat of their lives. My passion is teaching people how to take control of their own lives and health. They go hand in hand.
My specialties include Women’s Health – specifically Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (a very very treatable condition when given the right program), PMS, cramps, menopause, fertility and abnormal menstrual cycles, migraines and headaches. I also specialize in Anxiety Disorders and Panic Attacks, and GI/Digestive conditions and Allergies. I also treat various pain symptoms including injuries, back pain, overuse, etc.
Most of my programs for people include a combination of Acupuncture, Dietary consultation (because food is medicine!), supplements or herbs, exercise, and health coaching, if the patient is open to it (which could include relaxation techniques, mindfulness techniques, learning how to take control of your nervous system and over-ride negative thoughts).
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in “luck” per se….. I’m a big believer in intention and energy. How many thoughts do we have a day that we are not fully conscious of? Thousands. How many of those thoughts are negative in nature? E.g. worrying about things, angry about something, anticipating something bad . . . How does this color our realities in front of us? How does it make us perceive our lives? Does it make us miss potential opportunities that may be lying right in front of us?
I try to spend time every morning before I even get out of bed, doing a mini-meditation – becoming aware of what my thoughts are, why I’m having them, and then over-riding them with positive thoughts and feelings. I want to get out of bed excited for my day, and open to possibilities. I think that’s where “luck” comes from. You can be offered a million opportunities right in front of you, but if you’re not open to them, or coming from a place of enthusiasm, you may never even see them.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1101 Beacon Street
Suite 8 West
Brookline, MA
02446 - Website: www.SageBostonAcupuncture.com
- Phone: (617) 281-8532
- Email: Nicole@SageBostonAcupuncture.com
- Instagram: innersage_bostonacupuncture
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InnerSageBostonAcupuncture
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/inner-sage-boston-acupuncture-brookline
Image Credit:
Head Shot by Jarige Photography
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