We’re looking forward to introducing you to Meghan Van Vleet ND. Check out our conversation below.
Meghan, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
This is a great question for me, because sadly my beloved dog of 11 years died this summer, and it has been a challenge to find my rhythm again after his passing. And the way we start our days has so much to do with how they will go, both mentally and physiologically. Thankfully, I have settled into a wonderful new morning rhythm.
I am slow (or at least my brain is!) when I wake in the morning typically, but I am active right away. After brushing my teeth, drinking a tall glass of water, and using the toilet, I get straight to easing my body into the day. I have an old injury in my lumbar spine, with some degeneration, and moving my body first thing in the morning is so critical to minimizing pain. So I have a mobility and stability routine that I do every morning regardless of what the day or workout ahead holds for me. This time also serves as a meditative moment at the start of my day. After that I may have a light breakfast and then go for a walk or run or lift some weights or do some foundation training or some combo, or reverse that order. When I am done with my workout I pack my lunch and tidy the kitchen and sometimes do a light prep for dinner. Then depending on the day I will shower and dress and head to work, or other days I might allow my son to drive to school to get some behind the wheel time with him. This may take more than 90 minutes, depending, but I love my morning routine!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a naturopathic doctor with a general family practice and a focus on mental and cognitive health. This focus, as well as my lack of dogma in my approach, is what sets me apart from other similar providers. My highest priority is to tend to the health and the well-being of our brains – mental & cognitive – as those benefits trickle down and we will actually be addressing the whole body. A simple example: Many patients with anxiety have gut issues; my treatment for the anxiety would include addressing the gut, as we know there is a strong connection there. A handful of years ago I transitioned from running my own business and practice to working in a clinic with built-in support, and this shift has freed up so much of my energy to pursue my interests. I completed an integrative psychiatry fellowship with Psychiatry Redefined at that point, which married well with my background as a naturopathic doctor. Today I act as a mentor to current fellows with Psychiatry Redefined, I am on faculty with the organization, and I am an occasional educator for other organizations. I also have adopted qEEG brain scans in my practice and mentor with Dr. Steve Rondeau with Axon EEG Solutions, the largest qEEG database in the world with the most meaningful, user friendly reports available. The reports are incredibly useful in quickly helping patients (or parents of patients) gain self-knowledge and validation, and offer specific lifestyle guidance unique to the individual based on their unique brain, and if needed can also provide medication guidance, neurofeedback protocols, and photobiomodulation protocols. Psychotherapists and psychiatrists that I share patients with have found the reports valuable. It has been a fantastic addition for both my pediatric and adult patients.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
As I think about my answer to this question, I see it morphing in real time! My parents instilled in me a belief that I could pursue anything that I wanted. My partner has always supported me and believed that I could do anything I set myself to. These relationships bolster confidence. But the most important relationship that has shaped how I see myself is my relationship with myself. It is wonderful to have external supports, but those will carry a person only so far without self-knowledge, belief and love.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
When I realized that my personal pain and struggles were not mine alone, they became a catalyst used to support others on their own journeys. My hardships became my superpowers.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass. She has a unique perspective because she is simultaneously indigenous and the daughter of an immigrant. She is both a scientist and understands the huge importance of indigenous stories and knowledge, and is uniquely able to marry the two. My own grandmother was a philosopher and always strained the importance of “both and” with me; she was fascinated on the great paradoxes in life. Robin’s ethos plays with these themes, and her writing is simultaneously a balm for my soul, a release from powerlessness, and a call to gratitude and reciprocity. If you have not read her work, I highly recommend it!
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I know I am out of my depth when I talk to a patient and I have no idea how I can help, and maybe I have a pit in my stomach or dread about the case. I have a significant referral network for these situations. It is interesting, though, that when I occasionally convey to perspective patients that I am not sure I have much to offer, some of them insist on scheduling! It is a real lesson that I don’t need to know everything, but rather have a sound approach and be willing to partner with a patient.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bouldernaturalhealth.com, www.harmonyfamilymed.com
- Other: meghan@harmonyfamilymed.com
Image Credits
Stacy St. Germain
