Inspiring Conversations with Serena Shaw of Nourishing Energy Acupuncture & Massage Therapy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Serena Shaw.

Hi Serena, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My start didn’t initially have anything to do with healthcare. My background is actually in environmental science and martial arts. If I look back I would never have imagined that I would end up where I am now as an acupuncturist and body worker. I do think that my love of nature, ecology and the environment really helped me grab hold of how Traditional Chinese Medicine views the body and health, and this helped me feel at home in this medicine. The way the TCM views the body as a whole system and not disparate parts and uses language that recognizes it as its own micro environment and ecosystem really resonated with me in ways that western medicine didn’t. I became a body worker pretty fast after getting my bachelors degree in environmental science, and I am sure my parents thought I was nuts after just fishing my four year degree. I had a pretty bad back injury when I was practicing martial arts in college and massage was an important tool in that recovery process. So I got my massage license and practiced body work for many years in an injury clinic alongside doctors, chiropractors and physical therapist. After my body started getting worn out I was looking for a new path in healthcare I was directed to acupuncture. So I went with my gut and applied for grad school and found a truly magical field that I love.
I came out of school with my masters degree and a new baby so getting into practice was a slow journey and I worked for other people until I finally made the break. Now I am the proud one woman show that is Nourishing Energy Acupuncture & Massage Therapy. It has its ups, downs, smooth days and rough ones but I am so grateful for treading the path.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No it has not been a smooth road. I think the first big struggle was that I started out a new business while I was also starting out being a new and first time mother. Although both are gifts they both require so much of you and so much learning and as a result perhaps I didn’t always have enough information or understanding, but I plowed forward anyway. I do think that there are times that my business decisions have taken a back seat or not been as well informed at times, because of what I want and need to do for my family. I don’t think that is a negative because my family it top priority but it has slowed the learning and my growth as a business owner. I think that what has helped me the most is keeping clear in my mind that my timeline is mine and not someone else’s when it comes to business goals and outcomes because ultimately I want to be both a great mother and business owner. I can do both well. It doesn’t have to be on or the other.
I also struggle with all the things that many small business do. For me marketing and finding authentic ways to cut through the noise and meet people is very hard. I am an introvert with a capital I and putting myself out there for people to discover is always a challenge. For me, the fact that people wanna see the photos, the reels, social media, the videos really push me into areas that are difficult. I don’t feel good doing these things and it isn’t the way I personally consume a lot of information, but learning how to grow is all part of it and how convey the value of my offering to people who can really use the services. I also think I am always working on my relationship with money, learning when outsource things, and manage all the little things that can pile up.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My practice is located in the Highlands area of Denver, up near Highlands Square. I specialize in women’s health, difficulty with menstrual problems, pain and PMS. I also love to treat fertility issues and then continue care all the way through pregnancy and postpartum periods I also provide in home postpartum visits for both acupuncture and massage, including postpartum partner care. Outside of women’s health digestive health is also something I really like to work with. I think one thing that sets my practice apart is that I am uniquely qualified to provide both body work and acupuncture and do proved combination visits. It’s really special and healing to receive both services in the same visit. I don’t know if this is what I am “known” for but I do have a lot of clients who visit specifically for this service.
I think there are two things that I am proud of. I am really proud to be a part of helping women with their health and fertility issues and successfully helping those dreams become realized. I also love educating women and girls about birth control and its relationship to their health and alternatives to this if they are seeking alternatives for themselves or the young girls in their lives. Acupuncture can serve these women and girls so well. The second thing I am proud of is being a part of the veteran community care program, which allows me to treat and work with veterans here in Denver.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think that holistic health and alternative medicine is only going to continue to grow. I think that people are really shifting their mindsets toward more preventative care and being participants in their own healthcare. I think there is a lot of dissatisfaction with our healthcare system and acupuncture and TCM have an important place. I also think that acupuncture is going to continue to become more utilized and common tool for people to use for so much more then just pain. Traditional Chinese Medicine is a complete system and can help treat such a wide variety of problems and conditions outside of pain. You name it acupuncture can most likely help.

Contact Info:

• Website: nourishingenergyacu.com
• Instagram: nourishingenergyacu
• Facebook: Nourishing Energy Acupuncture

Image Credits
I would like to thank Deb Hultgren for the portrait of me in the red orange shirt. The portrait of me in the black shirt was taken by the wonderful Aurora Adams. The rest of the photos were taken by myself.