Meet Diana Horowitz | Acupuncturist, Skincare Specialist and Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Diana Horowitz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Diana, how do you think about risk?
Acupuncture was considered a little weird in 2003 when I graduated from acupuncture school. But I had fallen in love with it, so I started Opal Acupuncture and made the bet that it would become a viable profession. My bet paid off. The tides have shifted over the years and the acupuncture profession has flourished.

I’m generally a careful and risk-averse person but when I find something I’m genuinely passionate about, there’s no stopping me from pursuing it. Probably the biggest risk I’ve taken was becoming a teacher of microneedling. In 2015, I saw that western skin care specialists were rapidly developing a skin rejuvenation technique called “microneedling” and all I could think was, “wait, this looks like acupuncture!” I learned that my acupuncture colleague Amelia Vargas was on the same path of discovery. Our research uncovered that microneedling is a modern evolution of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Plum Blossom technique and there were just a few other acupuncturists scattered across the world who had made that connection. The two of us created a new integrative style of microneedling that reunites modern microneedling with its roots in Chinese medicine. We decided it was too beautiful not to share with other acupuncturists.

Building a new business in a new industry is definitely a risk. In 2018, we started EastWest Microneedling and began to teach our Integrative Microneedling course to acupuncturists online and at in-person seminars all over the country. We feel passionately about supporting acupuncturists to thrive by bringing an amazing specialty to their patients that promotes beauty through health. We are creating a movement!

2. What is the most important factor behind your success/the success of your brand?

Collaboration. I could not and would not want to run two businesses without Amelia, my co-founder of EastWest Microneedling. We consider each other work wives, in that we make all major decisions about EastWest Microneedling together. While we have our specific roles in the business, we always back each other up, build on opportunities and face challenges with absolute gratitude for each other’s support. There is something transformative about raising this “baby” together while also running our own acupuncture practices. We also collaborate with our microneedling students throughout their whole microneedling practice building journey to ensure their success.

The other key factor to our brand is integrity. We pride ourselves in delivering up-to-date and comprehensive information to our microneedling students. Not all microneedling devices are created equally, and although it was not the easiest route, we searched for, use and now sell what we believe to be the highest quality microneedling device on the market.

In my own private acupuncture practice, I love collaborating with the naturopath, massage therapist and two other acupuncturists with whom I share an office. And of course, I find the collaborative process of working with my acupuncture patients to improve their health and sense of beauty and wellbeing to be deeply satisfying.

3. Work life balance: how has your balance changed over time? How do you think about the balance?

It’s changed a lot from when I started Opal Acupuncture as a private practitioner in 2003 to when I launched EastWest Microneedling with Amelia in 2018. Running two companies is like having two kids – you’re always trying to fairly divide your time, focus and care between them. Metaphors aside, I’m the mom of my amazing, beloved teenager, which adds to the need to make time for family while keeping up my businesses.

EastWest Microneedling was initially a passion project that has ended up becoming a huge part of my professional life. In our Integrative Microneedling for Acupuncturists course business section, we recommend “doing what you love and hiring other people to help take care of the rest.” We’ve hired a social media assistant to assist us with the marketing grind.

I like to compare the work-life balance to homeostasis. From the outside, it appears like a static system, but in actuality it is a constantly-changing balancing act that requires minute adjustments. Fortunately, Amelia (who is a busy acupuncturist with two kids) and I are mindful of helping each other to keep our work/life balance. It’s always a work in progress with lots of moving parts.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I grew up in New York City, which is a tough city to beat when it comes to cultural icons and events. For restaurants and shopping, I’d enjoy taking my friend to one of the walkable areas of Denver that remind me of Brooklyn – the closely packed, charming small businesses in the Sunnyside / Tennyson Street district or Lowell Boulevard in the NW Highlands neighborhood, for example.

I’m a big fan of immersive performance art, and enjoy taking friends with or without kids to Meow Wolf! We could enjoy a performance at the DCPA, Arvada Event Center or one of the smaller venues in the area. And if it was summertime, we’d check out one of the many music, culture or arts festivals around town, such as the Dragon Boat Festival, Denver PrideFest or Cherry Blossom Festival.

For outdoor fun, I’d take my friend on a walk or bike ride around one of the many parks and lakes and creeks around Wheat Ridge or Denver, or the Denver Botanic Gardens. Depending on their altitude-fitness, I’ll take them to Red Rocks or for an easy hike in Golden State park. And for some indoor fun, I’d take them to SPENGA to experience 20 consecutive minutes of spin, weights and yoga all in one class.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am blessed to be connected with a wide-ranging group of woman-owned small business owners in the Denver, Colorado region. Big shout outs to:

Amelia Vargas: Acupuncturist and Esthetician, Co-founder of EastWest Microneedling: jloungespa.com/bios

Maya Strausberg: talented health-related content creator, Master Nutritionist, friend and business sounding board: familytreenutrition.com

Sare Merrigan: astute realtor with Mesa Realty, friend and business sounding board: mesa-realty.com

Jayne Spear: deeply insightful therapist and writer who also happens to love integrative microneedling: shoesremoved.com

Carolyn Stein: my laser-focused Executive Coach friend and hiking buddy: carolynsteincoach.com

Fran Gallaher: my Intuitive Leadership Coach friend who helps me to get out of my head and listen to my heart: reallyflourish.com

Stephanie Magee: business owner extraordinaire of SPENGA, where I’ve learned to equally appreciate cardio along with weight training and yoga: wheatridgeco.spenga.com

Website: opalacupuncture.com & eastwestmicroneedling.com

Instagram: opal_acupuncture & eastwest_microneedling

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/diana-horowitz-m-s-l-ac-b25a935

Facebook: facebook.com/opalacupuncture & facebook.com/eastwestmicroneedling