Today we’d like to introduce you to Meghan Meade.
Meghan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Not unlike many in the acupuncture field, I came to this practice by way of a markedly different career – advertising. Promoting consumerism could not be more diametrically opposed to what I do now as an acupuncturist, promoting health, wellness, and balance, however despite the proverbial bumps and bruises it inflicted, I am thankful for my experience in the advertising field because it propelled me onto my current path.
Being an admitted Type A perfectionist, I burnt myself to a crisp in the advertising profession pretty quickly, and it wasn’t until a few years in that I noticed a routine developing: I would go running before work to relieve stress, take a yoga class after work for the same reason and then at night I would immerse myself in health, fitness, nutrition and general wellness self-study, whether through blogs, books, Ted talks or podcasts – anything I could get my health-seeking hands on. The time I spent on pre and post work self-care and self-development was my oasis, whereas while I was at work, I felt like a fish out of water. A salmon swimming upstream. A square peg in a round hole. You get the idea. I knew I needed to find my niche in the wellness world, but I had no clue what shape or form that would take. It wasn’t until I enrolled in yoga teacher training and was exposed to Chinese medicine concepts in one of the training modules that a light went on, and the wheels were set in motion.
It took a few years of living a bedraggled existence of working in an ill-suited career and teaching yoga on the side before I was ready to make the leap and enroll in acupuncture school. During this time I received acupuncture treatments for stress and insomnia and was blown away when a chronic issue I had put on the back burner – hypothalamic amenorrhea, or lack of a monthly cycle – resolved. Acupuncture was the only new and different variable in my lifestyle, so I can categorically credit it for rebalancing my hormones when nothing else had worked during the previous five years.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Yes and no. In a sense I feel that opportunities lined up for me perfectly once I made the decision to pursue this path; I readily found freelance work that kept me afloat during my five years of grad school and while I heaped a hefty amount of responsibility onto my plate by studying the two elective tracks offered by my school (New England School of Acupuncture, now Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences) in addition to the core curriculum as well as earning a separate master’s degree in from Tufts University, I was so into what I was learning that I was able to buckle down and get it done. It wasn’t without sacrifice, though: school demands largely eclipsed any attempt to maintain a consistent social life and by the time I had finished my program at Tufts, I was so depleted and stressed that my body was covered in hives.
It has taken a good deal of patience, resilience, experimentation with diet, lifestyle and stress management practices, and perhaps most of all, time – but I’ve rebounded from the stress of school and my first few years in clinical practice and am now able to put my best mental, physical, and emotional energy into the work I do. And feel good doing it.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Wonder Yoga, Wellness In Motion – what should we know?
I currently practice at two very different but equally amazing and inspiring businesses – one a yoga studio with a newly christened line of wellness offerings including acupuncture, and the other an integrative wellness practice that provides chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, and nutritional counseling to a predominantly athletic, fitness-focused population.
As far as treatment specialties are concerned, I have a soft spot in my heart for any conditions that in some way, directly or indirectly, are fueled by an undercurrent of stress: anxiety, insomnia, IBS, hormonal imbalances, eating disorders…the list goes on. I enjoy working with patients suffering from autoimmune conditions as it is as challenging as it is meaningful – often autoimmune disease patients have been unceremoniously bounced around the medical system, left to fend for themselves with little in the way of support or clarity, and they tend to benefit immensely from the patient-centric, individualistic care they receive from the Chinese medicine approach.
If I had to say that something sets me apart as a practitioner it would be that I operate through the lens that every person has the capacity to self-heal, some perhaps more expediently or thoroughly than others, but every person has the ability to reclaim their health and vitality, at least in some small but meaningful way. To that end, I work to empower patients to take agency over their own healing and well-being, instead of relying exclusively on external sources. Acupuncture works, no doubt about it, but it works best when the patient is actively engaged in the process of discovering his or her best self, and the result is always more gratifying because of that investment.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There are so many wonderful people who have championed me and my cause; they deserve a round of applause not only for their support but also for the patience in dealing with me throughout this meandering and at times, trying career journey. My parents, boyfriend, extended family, teachers, classmates, friends, mentors and advisors have all contributed to this process in a profound way, and I am so grateful for these relationships and encounters.
The amount of angst and doubt that goes into a career shift, particularly one in which the chosen career is anything but predictable or stable, is substantial. Very substantial. So to have a tribe behind me providing encouragement, reinforcement, shoulders to cry on, ears to listen, and – let’s face it – snacks to share, has been invaluable.
Contact Info:
- Address: Wonder Yoga
1305 Massachusetts Avenue
Arlington, MA
Wellness In Motion
1620 Beacon Street
Brookline, MA - Website: www.meghanmeadeacu.com
- Email: meghan@meghanmeadeacu.com
- Instagram: megs_on_the_move
Image Credit:
Caitlin Sherlock Photography
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