We recently connected with Rachel Muich and have shared our conversation below.
Rachel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
I had a pretty normal childhood. I grew up in St. Louis and played all the sports, hung out with my friends, and went on family vacations. I was lucky enough to be a very loved and cared-for kid, surrounded by my entire extended family on both sides. I had so. much support!
My parents’ approach to us (I have an older brother and sister, too) was pretty hands off in areas that other parents, in my opinion, were more hands on. My Mom was NOT the president of the PTA. My Dad was always around but never too in our faces (unless it came to my seemingly never-improving softball swing, in which case, we practiced after dinner A LOT).
I would see other Moms and Dads involved in ways my parents weren’t, and if I’m being completely honest, it was the best thing they ever did for us. We were taught at a very young age to “figure it out,” and “have confidence in our decision-making abilities.” This is not to say they just threw us to the wolves, that’s not it at all, but they wanted us to make our own mistakes, learn from them, and move on without us feeling like we were being suffocated or directed in any way. Don’t get me wrong, we had strong boundaries and rules in our house. We had chores, we had curfews, and we never talked back (almost never), but we were given a lot of freedom to just – be.
Case in point – it’s a joke in our family now but my Mom used to give us “scenarios,” that we’d possibly come upon as pre-teens and teens. I’d be getting ready to go to an 8th grade party in some kid’s parent’s basement and she’d come in my room and say, “So. Let’s say you’re at the party and you’re having a great time but then your best friend comes over and she has a beer in her hands. She offers it to you. What will you do?” I almost always rolled my eyes and, of course, would give her the answer she wanted to hear. But then, like clockwork, these scenarios that she always posed to me started actually happening. I remember one event in particular I actually called home so I could get picked up. Call me lame, but I think what she was really doing was preparing me to stand my ground, not give in to peer pressure, and know that I had support no matter what.
When my Mom, very sadly, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in the early 90s, our entire family dynamic shifted and I really saw my Dad step up to the plate. We were in unfamiliar territory. My Dad has always been a very steady and sturdy force for our family, but my Mom’s diagnosis pushed him into high gear and his work ethic and dedication to his family was unwavering. I feel incredibly lucky that he’s my Dad. He taught me so much about hard work, dedication, family, and honestly…,not taking any crap from anybody.
My sister recently said to me, “have you ever taken a risk and have it not work out?” I thought about that a lot. I have taken a lot of risks – business ownership being one of the scariest ones. I think that my parents really set me up to be a risk taker. To think for myself. To go against the grain, even though it STILL feels like I haven’t “figured it out.” To just – be. I’ll be forever grateful to them for allowing me to follow my heart. And I’ll be forever grateful for them modeling to me that just because life throws you a curveball, doesn’t mean you have to give up. (I know there were a lot of baseball analogies in here and I’m sorry, we are a baseball family!)
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?
Hello, everyone, I’m Rachel. I’m a licensed acupuncturist in the state of Colorado and I own and operate my business, Firewood Acupuncture, a plant-loving clinic located in the heart of Denver.
My life as an acupuncturist was preceded by a couple other careers in service to others. I served and bartended through college in Chicago, finishing my career at Terzo Piano, a fine dining restaurant on top of the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago under celebrity chef, Tony Mantuano. I learned SO MUCH about food. It was a wild ride. Once I graduated from Columbia College Chicago, I took my Photography degree and ran with it, photographing everything I possibly could. I ended up photographing mostly weddings and after living in Chicago for ten years, I was ready for a change. I moved to Denver in the hopes of starting my own photography business, but what I realized after about a year of trying to build a business – I was burnt out.
Acupuncture appeared in my life at the perfect time. I wasn’t seeking out a new career, I was just hoping to find some clarity. When I met Kate, my first ever acupuncturist, I knew something was being put in motion. I had struggled with my own health issues for years. I never felt like I was being heard in doctor’s offices and I was so interested in another opinion. Another path. Another…anything. I remember, so vividly, my first treatment with Kate. She spent close to two hours with me and helped me understand what was going on and how acupuncture could help. I remember calling my sister the moment I left her office and was just beaming with hope. I knew I had found something that would finally help me.
After a few more visits, I asked Kate about the process to becoming an acupuncturist. I already knew I was going to do it, no matter what she said, but I wanted to hear it from her. I could begin to see how I could translate all of my experience working in service to my community into this profession. Helping people with their health felt like the final iteration to what I’d been trying to find bartending and photographing. I dove in, head first, at 34 years old. Another career. More school.
I’m so proud of myself. I feel like I can safely say that now that I’m three years into business. The road to get here was terrifying…at best! It wasn’t just getting through school. It was getting through school and also graduating during the pandemic. On top of that, it was Board Exams. And beyond that, it was starting a business! Any of those things can feel insurmountable, but put them all together and boy, was that a difficult time. I could NEVER have done it without my friends and family rooting me on. Never. Again, I have been surrounded by so much support my entire life and I know how lucky I am.
I love treating people with acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I consider myself a generalist. Most health care practitioners specialize. Fertility, digestion issues, insomnia, pain, fatigue, the list goes on. I like treating all of that. And more. I always say, “Are you not feeling good? Are you dealing with some kind of health issue? Acupuncture can help.” It’s preventative medicine. When I meet you, we can get to the bottom of what is ailing you and once you start to feel better, I never say, “Ok, you’re good, I never want to see you again!” You’ll never hear me say that. Once you’re a patient of mine, you’ll always be a patient of mine. I want to see you on a maintenance schedule or as often as you want! Most of my patients come in once a month or once every six weeks or so. Once you’re back to feeling good, we want to keep you that way. Prevention is the key to lasting health!
What I’d like to impart is that, no matter what it is, no matter what you’re feeling, you’ll be heard in my clinic. I will do my very best to get you answers and to help bring you back into balance. If I can’t help you, I will point you towards someone who can! Everyone deserves healing and everyone deserves to feel their best. I’m looking forward to meeting you!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
My biggest challenge, for my entire life, has been asking for help and allowing myself rest. I truly believe the statement, “If you don’t slow down, your body will choose a day for you to slow down.”
I was in my second year of school, 2019, and if I wasn’t at school, I was working at a local restaurant, Snooze. I remember getting my schedule each trimester of school and realizing that in order to pay my bills and continue to keep up with my curriculum, I could have no days off. NO DAYS OFF. For a year. I somehow was justifying this to myself, against my better judgment.
It was a hot Sunday afternoon, I had just gotten off work and got home to quickly shower and change to go meet up with friends for a much-needed meditation group. I was walking down the hallway of my place and reached down to take my sock off of one foot. The next thing I knew, I was crumpled up on the floor unable to move. I had thrown my back out.
My first thought, my very first thought was, I can’t take any time off work, I can’t afford it. How sad! I was in excruciating pain and physically could not stand up. I had to army crawl to my room where I had left my phone and call my friend to come help me. When she showed up, I realized how bad off I was just by the look on her face.
I couldn’t stand up for three days. Getting to and from the bathroom was excruciating. I had to lay in bed, all day, taking pain killers, using a heating pad, and hoping that the next day would be better. Once I was finally able to stand, I made it to a chiropractor and was able to get the help I needed.
And guess what? Everything worked out. I didn’t end up losing my home or my job or getting penalized for missing any school or work. I asked my restaurant for help paying my bills that month. They did. I asked my classmates for their notes on the day’s topics. They gave them to me. No one was. mad at me for getting hurt. No one asked anything of me. All that was offered was compassion and help. There for me to take whenever I needed it. So why was it so hard?
Unfortunately, I would have to learn that lesson a couple more times before finally understanding that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Allowing myself rest instead of pleasing others, is not a sign of weakness. Having strong boundaries and saying yes to myself is good practice. A dear friend of mine taught me to place a hand over my heart and calmly say, “yes.” Then take the other other hand, hold it out in front, like halting traffic and very gently say, “no.” I do this ALL THE TIME. It’s not bad to say no to someone, you are simply holding a boundary. No let down, no disappointment, just….no.
I’ve taken this way of thinking with me into my business. It was tough at first to hold firm boundaries around my hours, what I was willing to give, my time, and how many patients I wanted to see each week. There’s some desperation in the beginning of business ownership because you just want to be successful as quickly as possible. The success will come with patience and the more I was willing to ask for help and the more I honored my own personal rest, the more successful I became.
I’m happy to say I never threw my back out again after that day. I’ve learned my warning signs and when they start to crop up, I’m ready to take some time off to recalibrate and rest. What a gift.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I was in a decade-long relationship when I was living in Chicago. I thought we’d be together forever. We met when we were 19 and we were 30 when we broke up. Being with someone through those formative years was very reassuring. I always had someone on my side. I always had someone to adventure with. I just, always had someone. When we ended our relationship, I was absolutely terrified. So many firsts happened at an older age – living alone, paying bills on my own, going places on my own, the list goes on.
Deciding to move to Denver was both a hard and easy decision. I needed to get out of that city that was littered with memories of my failed relationship, but a solo cross country move was really scary. I didn’t know anyone in Denver, but I knew that’s where I wanted to be.
I definitely romanticized it. I thought I’d move here, meet someone right away, settle down, and keep photographing weddings. Let me tell you, none of that happened. Not even remotely. I’ve lived here nine years now and I’ve been single the entire time I’ve been here. It’s not without trying, of course, but dating here has been incredibly challenging. I’ve gone through so many highs and lows with it. I’ve watched all of my friends partner up and have kids. It’s been a real challenge.
When I turned 40 last year, something changed. I started being able to witness my life from above, like a birds eye view. What I saw was pretty remarkable. I’m really proud of myself. I’ve overcome a lot of hardship and I’ve persevered. I took myself back to school when I was 34 years old and started an entirely new career. I live in an amazing part of town in a home with a beautiful garden. I started a business and now I work for myself and only myself. I have great friends and neighbors. I get to travel whenever I want. I get to curate my life!
Do I still want to meet someone and build a life together? Absolutely. Will I be ok if it doesn’t happen? Also yes. Going against the grain of what society deems as “normal,” IS my normal. I seemingly don’t do things the conventional way. I didn’t intend for that to happen, but it’s the way that has made the most sense to me and I’m happy about it! And I’m so happy to see that society’s views are starting to change. There are so many ways to build a life. I’m really proud of what I’ve built. And there is so much more yet to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://firewoodacupuncture.com
- Instagram: @firewoodacupuncture
Image Credits
Caroline Brackney Photography and From The Hip Photo