We were lucky to catch up with Danielle Reghi recently and have shared our conversation below.
Danielle, appreciate you joining us today. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?
I come from a low income background, but grew up in Hawaii, where there are very wealthy communities. Addiction and mental illness runs in my family coupled with unresolved childhood trauma. My childhood was also a bit chaotic. When I was 15, I decided I wanted to become an exchange student. At the time, my mother was a care taker of a very wealthy woman’s horses. When she got wind that I wanted to be an exchange student, she said that she always champions education. She bought my plane ticket to and from the foreign country I was going to, and gave me 4K spending money for the time I was there. My mother just had to come up with the tuition. That kind of money was probably nothing to her, but it made a huge impact on my life. It helped to facilitate me getting out of my chaotic house, learning a new language and culture, and also having a chance to feel like a kid. I had been working since I was 14, but when I was an exchange student, no one expected me to even do chores, they just expected me to be a kid. I had never had an experience like that before. I was placed with the most incredible family, that I am still friends with today. It gave me an opportunity to see and dream of a different way of life than being stuck in cycles of trauma, and I will never forget it.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am the owner and lead acupuncturist for a boutique wellness studio in Portland Oregon. We specialize in Acupuncture, Massage, Chiropractic and Cupping. Our bread and butter it pain management. I love treating pain, because holistic modalities work very well for this. Many people do not understand how the body works, or how pain cycles work. All they know it, I am in pain, and I don’t want to be in pain. There is also a misconception in this country, that holistic modalities do not work, or are “snake oil”. That could not be further from the truth, in fact there is so much research proving the efficacy of Acupuncture and Chiropractic, that insurance will actually pay for these services. As we all know, insurance loves to deny services they deem un-necessary or un-proven. On top of efficacy, holistic modalities are also generally very conservative and less invasive than a surgery might be. Holistic modalities also help to heal what is causing the pain, as opposed to masking it with muscle relaxers or pain medication, which is the first intervention given by an MD. Pain medication is also highly problematic, as it can lead to addiction and lifelong struggles. Many addicts stories start with, I got a surgery and was prescribed opioids and became addicted. By cutting all of that out, holistic modalities are more effective and much safer for treating pain. Sometimes a patient does need surgery, but that should always be a last resort after alternatives are exhausted. I am most proud when people come to me saying, I am in so much pain, my doctor says I need surgery, but I can’t get in for a month and I am in pain so I am trying to manage the pain before my surgery. Then after a month of treatment they walk out no longer needing surgery. Which does happen. And if I can save just one person from a lifelong opioid addiction by getting them out of pain through natural means, I consider that a win.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I set up my business in 2019 with a business partner. The first year of business you are not making much money. I worked all day at the clinic managing employees and treating patients 5 days a week, then would go to work 3 nights a week as a server at a restaurant to make ends meet. Some weeks I was literally working 7 days a week with no days off. I kept at it because I believed in the business, and knew it would grow and one day be able to pay me a living wage. Then, in March of 2020, the world shut down. I know many business owners who either were forced to throw in the towel, or became so demoralized that they shut their businesses down. We closed our doors for only 6 weeks. I began to see patients after just 4 weeks, so some days I would go in, just me, and see a couple of patients who were in a lot of pain, and didn’t want to go into the emergency room. Of course I wore proper PPE, and we were considered a necessary business during the pandemic so we could be open if we wanted to. Once we opened for good again, we were very slow. I am not sure how I really survived the first two years of business, being a new business, having multiple jobs, operating in a pandemic, but we did survive, and we are still open today. If that is not resilience, I am not sure what is.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I come from a low income background, with some childhood trauma. I have always tried to rise above the chaos I come from, and let the examples I saw as a child be examples of what not to do, instead of what to emulate. However, coming from trauma, there can be a lot of imposter syndrome that comes up for you as you try to make your way in the world. I did not have examples of people who were able to have healthy relationships, or start businesses, or even make enough money to support themselves. A lot of my adult life I have been trying to figure it all out, without the positive role models some of my peers had. This lead to some imposter syndrome and insecurity that would come up for me. I had a hard time believing I was worthy of the life I wanted. I had to unlearn a lot of negative self talk, and learn how to believe in myself. It is something that definitely gets easier as I get older, and the more I do it. Positive affirmations are something I practice daily.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.holisticallydriven.com
- Instagram: @holisticallydriven
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-reghi
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-GNA6QqoS7S8KR0O06t5Sg
- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@holisticallydriven?lang=en
Image Credits
Photos By: Kat Berbari Photography Logo By: Valerie Alvarez of Craveable Social