Traditional Chinese Medicine with dr. tedi fisher
We caught up with Dr. Tedi Fisher, founder of The Nest Clinic, to talk about being a business owner, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Pilates and more.
Tedi! The whole team at ALL STUDIO loves what you do. For those who are new to your business, how would you describe The Nest and what is your focus within the practice?
TF: Thank you! We are a health collective focusing on Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture. We see many different types of concerns from mental health, pain, lots of fertility patients, and our fun creative outlet which is facial rejuvenation acupuncture.
You have an extensive training background with being a yoga teacher, kinesiologist and Doctor of Chinese medicine. What was the trajectory like to get to where you are now?
TF: To be honest (and I know how this sounds), I do not plan ahead. When I graduated from my kin degree I naturally went into personal training and teaching yoga. I had practiced yoga since the 8th grade and it was a very streamline path into teaching. My kin degree gave me another element of understanding of the physicality of the yoga practice and of course it helped with my personal training career.
After 5 years of personal training I was frustrated that my clients weren’t seeing the results we were hoping for. I was hearing a lot of other health concerns that I didn’t know how to address or what questions I should be asking them so I started to look into forms of medicine that could address those concerns.
A boyfriend in university had given me a copy of the Tao Te Ching which always had a strong place in my heart since reading it. So I followed that path into Traditional Chinese Medicine. I love that it’s a completely different philosophy from western medicine it looks at the body in terms of meridians and qi pathways, instead of the anatomy we can see on an MRI.
Through my studies I was constantly amazing at how sophisticated and detailed the medicine is. I haven’t stopped being amazed since. Every day in clinic I get to see how incredible the medicine works.
We all know how challenging the pandemic has been. Over the last few years with was there any trends you noticed in the treatments people were seeking? Or correlations your found during this time?
TF: For sure, there has been so much stress. From people trying to navigate how to assess risk, to what vaccines to take and how many and what parents should do for their kids wellbeing. People have been in conflict with work, family members, friends and society. There has been job loss, relocations, babies, miscarriages, so much grief and loss. It’s been exhausting for the general public. I feel that collective change in people’s pulses. There’s more of a stress pulse and I’ve noticed so many people with lung qi deficiency, which is associate with grief and loss.
You have an amazing collective of practitioners at The Nest. What would you say has been the most rewarding thing you have experienced creating this community as a business owner?
TF: I love seeing how patients come back and tell me how much they love seeing one of the other practitioners. I always imagined it as a collective where we, as practitioners work together to fulfill the needs of the patients. So the patients get different treatments and perspectives from each one of us. I also, don’t zoom out too often. I feel very satisfied each day, going into our little cozy space and getting to make a really significant difference in people’s lives.
We know you love Pilates! How has this movement practice supported you in your life? And what have you learned about yourself as a result?
TF: I love all the things – Pilates, strength and boxing. Recently I started to focus on more Pilates. I’m two years post partum from my second baby. My body is completely different form before. Katie has been so helpful in helping me relearn and integrate back in. Coming from a yoga background, I used to have great awareness and it’s been surprising how it all just went away so quickly. All of the ALL Studio team has held space for me physically and emotionally. I really couldn’t navigate my postpartum world without ALL Studio. It’s a lifeline for me.
As we move into a new season is there anything you can share with our readers to consider during this time from a Chinese Medicine perspective?
TF: Pay close attention to all of the buds coming out of the earth. The same thing is energetically happening in our bodies. Get ready to bloom into our new season. This is a time to optimize the rush of creativity, energy and motivation to execute all the ideas that have been marinating up during the winter months.
Which character would you be in a movie?
TF: Eleven, Stranger things.
Netflix guilty pleasure?
TF: Selling sunset- turn my brain off, thanks ☺
Hobby that you would lowkey love to do for a living?
TF: horse wrangler!
If you could eat one meal forever what wold it be?
Bibimbap.
Something you are really thankful for?
My family – Ben, Ari and Iza. Cliché but so true.
