Being Thanksgiving (even though I'm in Australia), it feels mega appropriate to have Amy O'Brien sharing her wisdom with us today; aaahhh I am SO super grateful that  this lady is in my life.

Amy is a Doctor of Chinese Medicine and my personal Acupuncturist/Herbalist. I've written here about the positive impact that her magic has brought into my life, and I credit her treatment immensely for helping restore my menstrual cycle, balance my hormones and PCOS symptoms and bring a sense of gentle ease and lightness to my wellness regime. 

Amy's unique practice is filled with her favourite books, natural toothbrushes, Deepak meditations, ancient Chinese herbs, quirky and inspiring hand-written notes, pots of herbal tea, fresh flowers and almond milk bags... It's this mish-mash of play, purpose and passion that delivers a 'Very Amy' experience you won't find anywhere else.

But what I feel inclined to express even more gratitude for today is this: a friendship that has blossomed from a synchronistic encounter to Farmer's Market hangs, handstands, beach walks, sleepovers with endless cups of tea and a mutual love for dark chocolate, puppies, Gorman dresses, Danielle La Porte and REAL wellness that is nourishing, life-giving and FREE (sans #boxgap). ;-)

I cherish her dearly, and I'm beyond thrilled to properly introduce you to her today. Enjoy.

+ Let’s dive straight in. Tell us, what makes up your lifeblood?

Veggies. Cups of tea and deep conversations. Dark Chocolate. Truth and honesty. Chinese Herbal Medicine. Two thousand year old textbooks. Gratitude and kindness. Handstands. Passion and authenticity. Farmers Markets.

+ Eleanor Roosevelt said, ‘The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams’. What’s your beautiful dream? 

My dream is to become a nourishing and supportive resource for lovely individuals who seek empowerment in their health choices. To bundle together everything I have learned through my studies, my experiences and years of practice as a Doctor of Chinese Medicine into a lovely little package for the world. And I can’t wait to see what that looks like!

+ What benefits has prioritising a healthy lifestyle had on your life? 

Every single thing.

Being well and healthy allows me to be present, grounded, full of joy and gratitude. Having that solid foundation means I can make clear decisions and have the strength to move mountains.

My own fabulous health allows me to do what I am here to do – to support the fabulous health of other lovely folks. So it allows me to be forfilled in every way. There is absolutely no way I could run my practice on anything less than truly fabulous health.

+ Exploring, breaking the routine, bending the rules… How do you ensure you maintain an element of playfulness and adventure in your everyday happenings?

Good one lady!

Music is a good one. I am a serious soul at times so I keep people around me who encourage my playful side – my puppy dog and mates included. I also leave playful post-it notes around the house for myself and make sure I check in every day with what my body needs to break free from routine – sometimes that’s handstands on the beach, sometimes it’s yoga or a good giggle – whatever it asks for I am up for!

My veggie patch is one big adventure - I used to kill absolutely everything I planted, but now I give it a red hot go, and I can now proudly create a whole meal out of things I have grown organically myself! It feels like magic!

+ What’s the best advice you’ve been given - and who gave it to you?

Don’t be afraid to take Chinese Medicine to somewhere that it doesn’t already exist.

One of my fifth year Chinese Med lecturers said this casually in class one day, and I remember getting tingles and a big shiver. I guess I realised then that I wouldn’t be playing it safe and keeping my practice in Melbourne forever.

This, of course, applies to all things, not just Chinese Medicine.

Do what you gotta do, where you want to do it. The rest will take care of itself. 

What’s your favourite…

1. Travel destination: Portland, Oregon where my teacher/mentor is. Honestly, those kids are so cool.

2. TED talk: Andrew Solomon’s TED Talk – How the worst moments in our lives make us who we are. Oh yeah. He nails it.

3. Blog: Well, I didn’t call this the rose tea of blogs for nothing my dear… This is Lifeblood of course, you authentic soul! (Shucks! - Claire)

4. Breakfast: Gluten-free french toast with all the trimmings – fresh berries, tahini, cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, slivered almonds and charred nectarines. Breakfast should never be done by halves.

5. Quote: In a gentle way, we can shake the world.

+ What role does creativity play in your life and how do you honour it?

Creativity is a broad, but super important part of my every day.

I feel creative when I’m applying two thousand year old theory to todays health conditions, when I’m mixing up herbs and when I step back to get the full picture of someone’s health and how best I can serve.

Creativity is listening to the little details of someone’s health story, and finding the minute differences in someone’s pulse.

Creativity is finding the words to explain to someone how their body is working, how symptoms and disease may have occurred, and how we can then use that understanding to gently lace together a new plan for full health. This feels so creative for my brain and my heart!

Playing around with my practice everyday feels incredibly creative to me, so does getting dressed for work and going for a walk in park on my lunchbreak. Oh, and my food! Cooking is one big kitchen freestyle for me and I love that! Putting together a whatever’s-in-the-fridge special takes some serious creativity! Creativity is all the little things.

+ How has having a blog changed things for you?

It really is early days for my blog.

As a secondary part to my Chinese Medicine practice it has taken a necessary backseat while I’ve established my ‘real-life’ clinic. I am definitely feeling the pull and excitement to get back to it now. I can see its potential and I can’t wait to offer more of what I know through this platform.

An article I wrote about how to fix your own period pain for TOM Organic was shared almost 1000 times. As a non-tech savvy person it totally opened my eyes to new ways available to transmit information. Which is so cool because not every person who would like to can sit face-to-face with me in the office.

And if there is one thing I do know, it’s that people are so keen to learn! There is some real rubbish out there on good ol’ Dr Google, so I can’t wait to start offering real solutions and useful information to create positive change. (Amen!  And, you can follow Amy on Insty by clicking the image below - Claire)

+ What message does your one-year-from-now-self have for you?

No words. Just a high five.

+ Can you share with us your secret indulgence?

Dark chocolate? Although that’s hardly a secret. A square of dark chocolate with breakfast? Now perhaps that’s a little less well known!

Amy O’Brien is a Doctor of Chinese Medicine and Fabulous Health Advocate based in Perth, Western Australia. She is all about empowering people to choose their best path towards their own fabulous health. You can connect with Amy over at FabulousHealth.com.au, on Facebook and Instagram @amy_fabuloushealth.

Friends, today's interview marks the end of our 'Heroines with Heart' series.At least in this format.

It has been an honour over the past 18 months or so, to bring you a bunch of bloody inspiring and creative women, all doing incredible work in the world. Collaborations are where it's at peeps. Thanks so much for all of your support and encouragement for this segment - let's see what emerges from this door closing.

You can find all the 'Heroines with Heart' HERE.

- Claire x