Today we’d like to introduce you to Holly Pelletier .
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Where do I even begin? My journey to acupuncture has been an eventful one to say the least. Having grown up in a very remote area in northern Maine, it was not something I was introduced to at a young age.
After graduating from high school, I left “the county” as Mainers lovingly refer to their northern most, largest and least populated county, and ventured south. From there, I pursued two separate degrees, one a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Maine at Farmington and the other was my Master’s in Education at the University of New England. All the while getting certifications in TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language), vinyasa yoga, and traveling. For a while, my innate “wanderlust nature” took over and I spent a great deal of time exploring the world. I absolutely loved going to other countries, meeting new people, and being introduced to living life in a different way than I was used to.
All of these things combined left me feeling like I wanted to do something big; I just didn’t know what. Although I thoroughly loved both psychology and education, and had extremely interesting jobs and internships in both fields, I still felt something was missing. I didn’t feel I was able to completely express who I was in either field, and so, like a lot of people I know, I felt a constant low grade hum of “wanting more” or not feeling content.
These feelings continued to snowball and during my teaching practicum, which brought with it long hours of work and stress, I began to develop intense headaches, digestive symptoms, and anxiety that I could not get any relief from, no matter what I tried. It was my mentor teacher at the time who suggested I try acupuncture. Having very little knowledge as to what it was, and willing to try anything, I scheduled my first appointment.
I was blown away by the drastic changes I experienced; my anxiety diminished almost immediately and my other symptoms began to resolve after only a few treatments. I had never felt so good. Even though I was in the middle of an extremely intense program, for the first time, I felt like I had some ground underneath my feet.
I continued to get treatments for the next couple of years while I taught preschool and worked as a waitress, but I asked so many questions at every one of my appointments and read book after book on acupuncture that my acupuncturist finally suggested I just jump in and study it!
Receiving many “lifelong student” jokes and staring down the reality of what going back to school would mean on my bank account, I began my journey as an acupuncturist. This meant a move to the big city- Boston! Remember, when you’re from northern Maine, Boston seems huge!
Now, almost 5 years later I am my own boss and I operate out of two locations- one in Kennebunk, Maine and one in Newton, Massachusetts. I never dreamed of owning my own business, it sort of just happened beginning with a couple of great opportunities, but it is the best thing that I ever could have imagined. I absolutely love it.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I definitely toyed with knowing what it was I wanted to do; I didn’t feel that I really “fit” anywhere. I’ve always had a creative spirit, and I didn’t feel that I was really able to tap into that until I found acupuncture. Acupuncture is my art, and I connect with it so fully that looking back I can understand why nothing else seemed to work for me. To say I’ve had struggles, though doesn’t seem fitting. The challenges that I had on my journey only made me love what I do even more. School was hard, really hard, and it so many different ways. I evolved into myself during school and that involved working through a lot of challenges along the way, but I don’t think I would love what I do as much if I didn’t have to keep deciding again and again to stick with it and not give up.
Holly Pelletier Acupuncture – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I have two locations, and without a doubt whenever I tell someone this, they think I am out of my mind to go back and forth from Kennebunk to Boston. But, for me, it works. I love the stark contrast of both my clinics, in terms of location and people I treat. I guess you could say, I have the best of both worlds.
My clinic in Newton is especially interesting to me because I work in the office of NESCA (Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children and Adolescents). NESCA combines all of my different passions into one and allows me to treat many children and teens. Not only do I feel that my years of studying psychology and education come into play on a daily basis, but I am given the incredible opportunity to work with a population that I would not be able to otherwise. The world of acupuncture is still new to so many; I feel extremely blessed to be part of something that is so connected and open to holistic health care.
Recently, my little company has been expanding to include my other passion- yoga! I’ve been working with local yoga studios who are interested in hosting yoga/acupuncture events and the results have been amazing! There is so much desire in this area to get healthy and stay healthy that it is completely refreshing. New this year, I’ve also added retreats to places such as Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. This rounds out and includes ALL of my loves and passions into my business model. Next, I think I’ll have to write a book!
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I honestly think my proudest moments are found in the small day-to-day events; learning a more efficient way to keep track of my books, a conversation with a client, writing a blog post, hosting a yoga-acupuncture event, giving free ear treatments at a yoga festival, the list goes on. I can’t narrow these things down to one specific event, because they are all so special.
I definitely experience moments throughout the day where I pause and say to myself, “hmm, I really am doing exactly what I want to be doing with my life”, and that makes me really proud. This is pride for me, living my life in my heart and being able to share it with others.
Contact Info:
- Address: NESCA
55 Chapel St. Suite 202
Newton, MA
02458 - Website: www.hpelletieracu.com
- Phone: 207-370-1810
- Email: hollypelletier.acu@gmail.com
- Instagram: @holistically_inspired
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hpelletieracu/
Image Credit:
Alexis Paquette, Alexis the Greek Photography
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