We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kathleen Pacey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kathleen , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, what do you think about family businesses? Would you want your children or other family members to one day join your business?

My father inspired me to own my own business, as he ran his own civil engineering consultant business for decades before he retired in his 80’s. I inherited his German work ethic and his love of learning. A huge reason I still enjoy pharmacy after nearly 50 years, is the constant innovation and new uses for existing meds. There is always something new to learn. The two decades I owned my own pharmacy were, by far, the most enjoyable and challenging of my career thus far. The relationships I built with my patients as well as with the prescribers in my area sustained me and encouraged me as it became more difficult to remain profitable as the pharmaceutical landscape changed with mail order and preferred providers being forced on patients. I was constantly expanding and furthering my skill set to offer more services that others had no desire to provide. It helped keep my business thriving and relevant when many independently owned pharmacies were closing.

I entered into an agreement with another independent pharmacy owner, which turned out to be disingenuous and disastrous for me. Lesson learned. I ended up working in corporate America, which I always felt was not where I belonged, and I was correct. I have an entrepreneurial spirit and mindset, not things corporate America rewards nor appreciates. After a decade, I left and returned to my roots – another small pharmacy. This time a mail order pharmacy owned by venture capitalists and run by pharmacists close to my age. The shift cost me in many ways – most notably a 30% pay cut. Although the trade off was that I would now work 40 hours a week. Period. No more donating my time on days off to insure all of the monthly tasks were completed on time, or staying past my quitting time because we were continually understaffed.

Now I had time to start up another business I had wanted to begin but had lacked the time to initiate – working holistic fairs as a medical intuitive. A chance to use the other side of my brain. I was hooked after my first fair – helping others has always been what energizes me, and this work inspires me in ways pharmacy does not.

As I’ve just become Medicare-eligible, my challenge now becomes how to pivot away from pharmacy and lean into my medical intuitive work more. It’s not a clientele you can quickly attract and build. They must trust you, and that generally happens when they meet you face-to-face, or thru a referral.

In 2022 I was inspired to write a series of picture books in memory of my son, who succumbed to a degenerative brain disease at age 3, in 1996. That’s a very long-range project, as it takes years to birth a book! And I have plans for over a dozen! We shall see how that works out.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Celestial Wisdom is my medical intuitive business. I’ve been aware of my intuitive side all of my life. My claircognizance was apparent when, as a teen, I always knew what my girlfriends needed in the way of emotional support, without their having expressed it to me.

My medical intuitive abilities came into my awareness when my mom was admitted to the hospital for a routine gall bladder procedure – I knew I would never see her again. And I did not. She had a fatal heart attack while awaiting her surgery. In pharmacy school I urged a close friend to seek immediate medical attention when she felt a lump on her clavicle – I knew it was bad, and it was. Lymphoma, which claimed her life in just a few short years. The examples go on and on – fast forward to when my son was born – I could not imagine him in little league or graduating from grade school. My intuition was trying to tell me not to assume he would survive. It worked. He did not survive, and I was not totally unprepared. I had known on some level all along.

What sets me apart from other medical intuitives is my career in pharmacy. When I sense something going on with them that needs attention, I’m uniquely qualified to share my knowledge and expertise as a medical professional, by recommending issues and questions they can bring up with their medical provider. I am not acting in a medical capacity, tho I have the ability to help steer them in getting the care they need.

On more than one occasion I have made recommendations for stress reduction and mindset shifts for couples struggling with infertility, only to have them reach out with the news that their long-awaited baby was on its way! Very rewarding!

I’ve urged women to get their mammograms, and it has helped them to be diagnosed early and with great results.

Clients struggling with insomnia have had great results following recommendations for setting up healthy sleep rituals, resolving issues they had been having for years.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I am actually in the process of pivoting now. After nearly 50 years as a pharmacist, 20 of which was as a pharmacy owner, I’m pivoting my energy toward my holistic practice as a medical intuitive. I have been helping people with my intuitive skills over the past decade. I attend holistic fairs on the weekend, helping people using the right side of my brain, after using my left side all week as a pharmacist. I am just beginning to do all of the things one must do nowadays to have a holistic practice – developing a website, creating my email list for my clients, having professional photos taken for marketing purposes, etc. Managing all of that while working FT and attending kidlit writers’ classes at night is very challenging.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My resilience is most markedly demonstrated by the year 2004, during which I sold my pharmacy to another independent pharmacy owner who deceived me, chose to leave that job, found a new job and created a FT hybrid position for myself at another independent pharmacy, and kicked my husband out of mg life after discovering evidence of long-suspected infidelity. In 6 months’ time I lost my business, my job and my marriage, yet never missed a day of work nor one obligation I had made, which included writing and publishing a monthly newsletter for other bereaved parents.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kpaceyintuitive?igsh=MTk2ZGx6aHB5dmVuOQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.pacey.3?mibextid=opq0tG
• Other: https://www.threads.net/@kpaceyintuitive

Image Credits
All images are mine