We recently had the chance to connect with Amy Malone and have shared our conversation below.
Amy, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Many years ago I realized how important my morning routine was to set the stage for my day, especially on work days. I start with 16 ounces of warm water, sometimes with lemon, lay on my acupressure mat for 20 minutes and mediate, followed by coffee and a light breakfast and 30 minute workout. It’s important for me to have time in the morning that is focused on taking care of me so that I can put my focus and energy into patients at work.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am the owner and chief clinician at Balanced Stone Acupuncture and Wellness. I started my career as a Registered Nurse and while exploring options for advancing my education and career I started getting acupuncture and taking Chinese herbs, feel in love with the medicine and decided to pursue a graduate degree in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. My background in western medicine gives me a unique perspective as an acupuncturist. I have a passion for helping people and have been drawn to working in healthcare for as long as I can remember. Although we have a general practice and can treat a variety of issues at Balanced Stone, we really love working with women’s health conditions and perinatal care. I also have a special affinity for treating healthcare providers, because as constant givers and healers, it’s wonderful to offer a space for them to receive the extraordinary care that they give to others.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
I grew up with both parents working. In hindsight, it’s so easy to see how much they both sacrificed to give my sister and me the life they dreamed of. I observed both my parents having to bring work home or stay late, and they often did this so that we could have opportunities and experiences that they never had growing up. I am so grateful for this! With my dad in particular, I observed what it is like to have passion and commitment to what you do. He has run his real estate business for almost 50 years and will probably die with a sale contract in his hands, but the passion he had for his work never detracted from his commitment to us. He was there every morning before school to make us breakfast and lunch because he often had to be with clients at dinner time. Seeing what it can look like to be very busy and running a business, loving what you so, but also being there for the important events of life is something that will forever impact me. As a business owner, it’s easy to get absorbed by your career, but I acknowledge the importance of work/life balance and strive to maintain that for myself. My parents are both in their 70s, they both still work, although less than they used to, because they love what they do and find purpose in their work, not because they have to financially and that’s something that has really made an impact on me.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
After graduating from nursing school, I declined an offer for a degree as a nurse practitioner with a PhD to pursue medical school. After the rigor of pre-med degree, taking the MCAT, and starting the medical school application process, I was feeling both burnt out and unsure about what life would look like as a physician. I had a vision of having practice autonomy, being able to spend time with patients, and helping them understand disease and their bodies. I felt drawn to encouraging a holistic approach to healthcare, but as I navigated the med school enrollment process and started touring schools, I realized that medical school would not be a fit for that. So many physicians were reporting that they were spending less and less time with patients and expressed the stress of navigating care amidst the insurance company and healthcare system parameters. I wasn’t seeing a pathway to my vision through this and withdrew my applications. I felt lost and empty after doing this and really didn’t know where to go next. I thought about giving up and continuing to work as an RN but I knew it was not going to satisfy my vision long-term, and I knew that there was more I could offer.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
Hustle culture. The notion that if you hustle hard enough, long enough that everything will work out. That self sacrifice for the end goal will get you there faster. Maybe that could be true, but at what cost? What price are you paying in your health and in your relationships to get there? What I have found to be the reality is that the balance of hard work with rest and recreation is really where the magic happens. When you give yourself enough time to rest, time to play, time to be joyous outside of your work, you are much more inspired and effective when you are working. In saying this, I acknowledge that there is some privilege in what I am saying, that unfortunately, there is a forced hustle in today’s society and economy in the United States that has many people working more or harder than they would like to.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
I mostly feel this way about work. Running a business is not easy and has required sacrifices, but the work I do with patients in the clinic absolutely lights me up. There were many times when I was working as a nurse that I didn’t feel excited, and even then, working with people to help make their lives better, or their experience with illness less awful, has always made me feel fulfilled. Impacting people’s lives positively with acupuncture and herbal medicine is a dream and I get to live it every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://balancedstonewellness.com
- Instagram: balancedstone
- Facebook: balancedstone
Image Credits
Meg MacDonald
