“Sometimes the lights are shining on me, other times I can barely see. Lately it occurs to me, what a long strange trip it’s been.”
~Truckin’, The Grateful Dead
Life is a long strange trip. Sometimes everything is working out exactly as you planned and desired. Your relationships, work, friends, family, finances and fun are all abundant and fulfilling. And other times, life stops you dead in your tracks, and you have time to look at your inner world and your outer world, find what’s out of balance, and correct course. That has certainly been my journey. And through the ups and downs of life’s experiences there has always been growth and deeper understanding of my purpose.
My journey in the healthcare field began as a Medical Technologist. I graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology. I worked in hospital and university labs for thirteen years. I loved looking at cells under the microscope and knowing our test results were often all that was used for doctors to make a diagnosis. When my own health problems began in my 30’s, I became frustrated with the limited options presented to me and the tendency to consider everything “normal” just because lab results fell into a broad “normal range.” I knew there had to be a different, more holistic, approach to achieve health and wellness.
I began practicing mediation and Qigong. I was living in Austin, Texas and discovered there was an Acupuncture School in town. I attended an open house, and I knew I had finally found a holistic system of healing I could embrace that was rooted in the healing of the body, mind, and spirit. I began attending AOMA Graduate School of Integrated Medicine. Four years later, I graduated with a Masters in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine with additional training and certification in Medical Qigong and Tuina Asian Bodywork.
I moved to Jacksonville, Florida in 2007 and opened my first acupuncture practice. My business steadily grew, and the next thing I knew, I was doing over 1000 treatments a year and eleven years had passed. I loved helping people relieve pain and discomfort, reduce stress, and restore health and balance. So, when the opportunity to change course in my life presented itself, it was a tough decision to close my acupuncture practice and move from Jacksonville. I knew the limitations of a single room, hourly, solo acupuncture business. I needed to expand my business in a way that allowed me to not only offer treatments, but also teach the self-healing techniques I have practiced over the past twenty years. So, in May 2019, I closed the doors of Young Acupuncture and began creating One Heart Wellness, a mobile health and wellness company providing holistic health education and healing services.
I relocated to New Hampshire to be closer to family during this transition and beginning of a new chapter in Life. One of the first projects of One Heart Wellnesswas creating a mobile home and office that would allow me to travel between Florida and New Hampshire to treat acupuncture clients as well as travel the country teaching my healing program. So, I bought a 2019 high-roof extended Ford Transit 250 cargo van, and began building it into a tiny home, complete with solar panels, bathroom, shower, electric kitchen, all the comforts of a 435-cubic-foot off-grid home.
Life is a journey. As I begin this next chapter, my vision is to share my thirty-five years of experience in Western and Eastern medicine and my years of body-mind-spirit teachings and practices to restore health and balance.
“We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring, will be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time.”
~ T.S. Eliot
Credentials
Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin, Austin, TX
Masters of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and Certificate of Medical Qigong
This 3000 hour program included over 1000 clinic hours and extensive studies in Herbal Medicine. I also received additional training and certification in Tuina Asian Bodywork and Medical Qigong.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology
Florida Department of Health- Board of Acupuncture
Acupuncture Physician (AP 2526)
National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM)
Diplomate in Oriental Medicine (100109)
International Sheng Zhen Society
Certified Teacher – I have completed over 300 hours of training directly with Master Li Jun Feng. I have over 160 hours of teaching experience.
Florida State Oriental Medicine Association (FSOMA)
Member
American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM)
Practitioner Member
American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA)
Certified Practitioner (3589) 2006-2008
Reiki Jin Kei Do
Level 2 Certified