We were lucky to catch up with Rachel Redmond recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel, appreciate you joining us today. What was your school or training experience like? Share an anecdote or two that you feel illustrate important aspects or the overall nature of your schooling/training experience.

I have extensive training in the field of Eastern & Holistic Medicine.

One of the most important aspects of my training is to heal myself and to stay true to my commitment to personal growth and evolution. Most people have an intuitive sense that quality care is not just a factor of a professional’s training, experience, and clinical skills. It’s also a matter of one’s ability to hold space for the patient’s pain, past experiences, and hopes for the future.

I believe that healing happens when a person feels seen, heard, and understood. I believe that one of the most healing benefits I provide my patients is to listen to their stories with compassion and non-judgment. We all have stress and trauma at some point in our lives and the more I can keep my nervous system healthy, the more I can hold space for my patient’s growth and healing.

I believe healing is both a science and an art. It’s a balance of having knowledge and expertise while also having the personal skills to meet the patient where they are. It’s a fine balance to motivate and inspire my patients to make small, but profound shifts in their life, without causing overwhelm or burnout.

I’ve had many wonderful teachers and mentors over the past 2 decades. They taught me that much of the healing comes from the ability to be present with the suffering of others. I’ve learned to pair this skill with practical knowledge and lab testing, which proves to be a golden combination for my patients. I feel fortunate that I’ve had the privilege of working and studying with incredible doctors and healing practitioners. It’s not only what they taught me, but the energy and essence they modeled when working with patients.

Rachel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into the health and wellness industry because of my own health challenges. I had chronic stomach aches, food intolerances, and anxiety since childhood. I knew I wanted to explore and uncover the root cause so I could heal from the inside out. At 19, I went to an Ayurvedic doctor who introduced me to medicine and I was completely fascinated. Not to mention, I was able to heal 20 years of chronic illness in a really short amount of time by applying Ayurvedic principles to my life. That was my entrance into this world and I’ve never stopped learning or being inspired by the field of holistic medicine.

I’m a Doctor of Oriental medicine, licensed acupuncturist, and functional medicine practitioner. I offer both in-person and virtual services.

Functional medicine is a systems-based approach to healing that utilizes specific lab tests to pinpoint the root cause of pathology. I use cutting-edge laboratory diagnostics based on the latest scientific research, coupled with lifestyle medicine, nutrition guidance and meal plans, nutritional supplements, and stress management techniques.

My approach is to treat the whole system, not just the symptoms. I help my patient’s to restore their stress response, heal their gut, balance their hormones, and enhance detoxification to resolve a variety of health conditions, prevent future illness and disease, and feel their absolute best.

I specialize in women’s holistic health and have a special interest in fertility and postpartum recovery. In addition, many of my patients come to me for hormonal support related to their menstrual cycle and issues related to perimenopause and menopause. This may involve sleep issues, digestive concerns, fatigue and exhaustion, weight gain, brain fog, depression, anxiety, and more.

My unique training and experiences set me apart from other practitioners. Functional medicine combined with my background in Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda offers the best of both Eastern and Western approaches.

I’ve also created a women’s wellness online program called The Yin Way. I’m proud of this amazing online course that has helped people to find balance, peace, and ease in a stressful and chaotic world. This has a direct impact on their health and hormones and it’s been transformational for so many people.

Something that most people don’t know about me is that I’m writing a book about pregnancy loss, grief, and healing. I’ve also recently started an online support group called “Invisible Mothers” to offer community and safe space for those who’ve experienced pregnancy loss in its many forms. My hope for the next year is to bring more awareness to my work in the pregnancy loss space and advocate for women’s reproductive rights.

I’m also proud to share that I’ve been consulting with a start-up company called The Fourth Tri Sanctuary which is going to revolutionize the way we approach and experience postpartum care and recovery. I’m sharing my expertise in the area where Eastern Medicine meets postpartum care. I’ve consulted on the menu and I’m also creating a curriculum to train the staff and create educational opportunities for the mothers and families. It is tremendously fulfilling and joyful to be part of the team at Fourth Tri.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

During the summer of 2016, my husband and I moved from Santa Fe, NM to East Lansing, MI. We were ready to start the next chapter: a new job for my husband, opening my acupuncture and holistic medicine practice, and starting our family as I was 4 months pregnant when we moved.

I was excited about this next chapter of our lives, however, all my hopes for our fresh start shattered when we learned that the baby I was carrying was not healthy or developing properly. We had several appointments with my medical team only to learn that there was no hope for our baby’s condition. At that point, I made the heartbreaking decision to terminate my very wanted pregnancy at 21 weeks gestation. I had an abortion the same week we bought and moved into our very first home. I was in a new city, where I didn’t know anyone, and I’d felt as if the color drained from my world. This time and the years that followed were the most challenging and devastating of my life.

It’s been 7 years since that time and it’s been a tremendous journey of healing, grieving, and learning to live with a loss that will never go away. This loss and the subsequent grief made opening my own practice incredibly challenging as even the most basic things in my life at that time – like taking a shower and making dinner – were obstacles to overcome.

However, I have an entrepreneurial spirit and I’m incredibly ambitious. I channeled my grief and my passion for my work in Eastern Medicine and have experienced a lot of success professionally. I’ve built my own acupuncture practice, created an online women’s health and wellness program during the pandemic, and expanded my training to include neuroscience and functional medicine.

I knew early on that this loss had the potential to ruin everything I’d worked so hard for in my life. I knew it had the potential to destroy my marriage, my health, and my budding career. I made a commitment to myself early on that I would channel my suffering into something healing and beautiful. I can proudly say that I have done this. It was not easy, but I can say that I’m incredibly resilient.

My next big goal is to finish my manuscript about my experience of pregnancy loss, specifically termination for medical reasons. This fall I will put my efforts into looking for an agent and publisher. There is so much stigma and shame in this type of loss and it’s a painful and unnecessary burden that we have to bare. I am devastated for all of the people who cannot get access to abortions that need or want them. I believe that sharing my story can be helpful to others who’ve experienced pregnancy loss and to advocate for women’s reproductive rights and autonomy.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Since I started my business in 2017, I had dreams of creating an online program. I love to travel and my husband’s family lives in Colombia, so it was important to create a business that was location independent. Meanwhile, I was building my local acupuncture and holistic medicine practice, trying to create a business that was both in-person and online.

In the fall of 2019, I offered my Yin Way Program for the first time and it was a success. My son was two years old when the pandemic hit and I ended up closing my acupuncture practice in April 2020. I decided that this was the moment to go all in on my online business. So I pivoted and focused on offering and expanding the Yin Way Program. This worked out well for me, but after 2 years, I decided I wanted to offer acupuncture in person again. I now offer both in-person and online services, which works out well for my patients and also for my personal life.

We now spend the summers in Santa Fe, NM and the rest of the year in Michigan, with yearly visits to Colombia. My business has shifted and changed over the years, and I love that I can tailor it to the needs and desires of my family. I also love that I can have a wider reach to work with people online. I love that my Yin Way program has reached people all over the world.

My son is now 5.5 and I’m grateful that I can continue pivoting my business when necessary to allow space to meet the needs for my family.

Contact Info:

• Website: Rachel-redmond.com
• Instagram: @Rachel.e.redmond
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachel.redmond.7965
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-redmond/
• Other: https://www.livewellheal.com/rachel-redmond

Image Credits
Image credit: Lia Izenberg