We were lucky to catch up with Donnielle James recently and have shared our conversation below.

Donnielle , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

During a few years of college, and then into my first work experiences, and first Masters degree, I was single focused on becoming a Psychologist. ( The speciality changed around a little but the end goal was the same). At the time, I was in my twenties, and ignoring some subtle (and not always subtle) messages from colleagues (and my own providers). Working in social services and mental health settings basically opened my eyes to the importance of more holistic ways of working with others, and the importance of self care and deeper healing. I observed the inequalities in access to care, especially more preventive and holistic modalities. I also experienced compassion fatigue, before I knew what the term was (while working at a locked psychiatric facility in Northeast LA).
After I graduated from Pepperdine University with an M.A. in Psychology, many twists and turns occurred that changed my path from my original plan. The first was turning my longtime study of ballet and dance into completing a comprehensive pilates certification program after a both jobs I has been hoping for fell through due to funding, and I didn’t get into (or even an interview) at the doctoral programs I was interested despite on paper checking all the boxes (experience, GPA, references etc). I had also been lowballed on salaries at a few places, and the carefully mapped out plan, well, wasn’t happening. Within a few days of deciding to look for a Job teaching pilates, I started one, and was paid a higher rate and had the flexibility to go back to school. I was also introduced to acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine after being injured in a car accident., and spent a lot of time in physical therapy due to a lot of sports related injuries. This combination, and nudges from a variety of providers to explore options to work beyond only psychology took a few years to sink in, (A psychiatrist at the facility mentioned earlier was trying to get me to med school, my sports medicine doctor was suggesting PT or DO school) and my first acupuncturist and a few others, suggested acupuncture school. I had also had someone nudge me to try acupuncture a few years before I tried it, but I was too afraid of needles even though it sounded interesting.
The lesson in all of this, is after I was rejected (again) from a Ph.D program for being “too holistic oriented” , I ended up trusting the suggestions I had been hearing for awhile, and was registered for acupuncture school within the week. The biggest lesson from this when looking back on it, is to focus on the opportunities instead of the rejection, and look for the opportunities for change and personal growth, A few other key moments in my career include overcoming personal health and medical challenges. These have changed how I relate and connect with patients, and some of the conditions I work with. One of my favorite parts of my business is being able to continue to learn new skills and see how things adapt and evolve.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was first introduced to Traditional Eastern Medicine in college while taking a class on Herbal Medicine and Homeopathy . A few people recommended I try Acupuncture for a few ballet and sports injuries over a few years before I finally tried it after an auto accident a few months after graduating from Pepperdine University with an M.A in Psychology,
While recovering from this accident, my work life took an additional turn, and I transitioned from working in Mental Health / Addiction Recovery (mostly with non profits and in secured facilities and group homes) I took my experience with recovering from various sports and dance injuries into teaching Pilates in fitness and rehab settings. I started my business (initially offering Pilates ) while completing my degree in East Asian Medicine and have worked in multiple clinics and pilates studios in Santa Monica and surrounding areas. In addition to working directly with patients, I teach classes on Mental Wellness and Patient Care and am actively involved with advocacy for Women’s Health Education and Mental Health Awareness.
In working with patients confidentiality, privacy and creating a safe space for healing are very important to me. I enjoy educating patients on their treatment plans, and like to give homework for lifestyle changes. One of my favorite things about my job is seeing patients meet their goals, and getting to provide treatment to help support a wide range of conditions. It is inspiring and rewarding to see the people I work with reach there unique goals and millstones, and these can be getting back to work and life following an illness or injury, starting and growing a family, recovering from a traumatic event, and overall creating balance and learning more about health and wellness.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A very important lesson I have had to unlearn, is that I can not plan for everything that “could” happen, and to prioritize my own scheduling needs first, to have more of a routine, and balance. As someone who kept a very strict schedule as a student (grids for time for homework, exercise, work, time with friends) and used to work longer hours, a really important change for me is to allow space for schedule changes. When I was an independent contractor at clinics and pilates studios, I would have set work hours. When I started my business, I was in the last year and a half of acupuncture school. and juggling working, studying for exams, some work with other organizations (that was a set schedule) and seeing my own clients around all of that. – which also included working with the schedules at the studios I was renting space from when seeing clients. My schedule was mostly mapped out months in advance, and although working with people can mean schedule changes, I was also used to working for places that would try to fill those gaps. On my own, since my schedule was to try to see people whenever I could, I would be working some very long days to accommodate everyone else’s schedule needs. Over time, this led to exhaustion at times on the weekends. Challenges in 2020 and 2021 in many ways created opportunities to reset a lot of this, as there are changes in when people come in, and changes in my schedule that have overall brought more balance while continuing to grow and evolve.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

In my field, I think being able to relate to patients, have a genuine interest in others, and empathy are all very important. These help with building relationships with patients, clients and colleagues. When working with people, my focus is on ways to be of service and support, others health and wellness goals in a safe space.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.balancefromwithinwellness.com
• Instagram: @donniellejames @bfw_wellness.la
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BalanceFromWithin
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donniellejames/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLcnfqwaaGw3P90XxnnKFog
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/donnielle-james-lac-los-angeles-3
• Other: TikTok @bfw_wellness

Image Credits

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