Meet Amber Fisher | Acupuncturist and Herbalist

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

Hi Amber, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Expanding my business by opening Paonia Apothecary has been hugely impacted by a desire to have a positive impact in my community that reverberates out to the wider global community. Paonia Apothecary is building a local economy for herbal medicine by connecting local farmers to herbalists. The wider vision is to build sustainability into Chinese herbalism in the US by encouraging the growth of Chinese herbs in the U.S. and by increasing education around how to use our local and regional herbs in Chinese formulas. Our goal is to produce and sell herbal products that are highly effective and build sustainability for all.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am so excited to be an experienced Neuro-Acupuncture practitioner. I did extensive post-graduate training in neuroacupuncture and neurology so that I can work with patients with brain injury, trauma, anxiety, depression, multiple sclerosis, chronic regional pain syndrome, etc. My intent with my business is to focus on achieving he most profound impact possible for each patient. I have added in the apothecary side of my business to be able to make specific herbal products to target the conditions that I most frequently treat. Coming soon, I will have a line of herbal products for healing the brain.

I have learned so many lessons since starting my own business. A big one for me has been the classic idiom ‘put yourself first’. I value my self-care and my personal time so that I can continue to serve others. When I start letting go of the aspects of my life that support ME, I offer lower quality work.

It has not been easy to get to where I am with my business. The hardest part, I think, has been continuing to maintain focus on my mission. It is so easy to get side-tracked! I have had to develop tools to keep me focused, otherwise, I find myself heading down an alternate track and have to send myself back to the main goal. I have so many different interests in life, and, disclaimer, I may distract easily… so I have set up tools where I regularly read and rewrite my short-term vision and long-term vision so that I keep moving in the right direction.

I want the world to know that all vision starts with a seed. If you start with a seed and nurture it to life, spend time with it each day, you will one day have a flourishing tree that not only provides you with sustenance and shelter, it will be big enough to provide for others as well.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Paonia, Colorado. We are an organic food and wine hub as well as a creative hot spot. We would spend time exploring the mountains, for sure, the beauty of this area is its connection to wilderness. We would also rent electric bikes to visit Azura winery for brunch, Big B’s Delicious Orchards for some live music, Sweetgrass Cafe for lunch. We would check out what is happening with Elsewhere Studios and, if it is Final Friday, walk the art walk through town and stop at Paonia Apothecary!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Jacquie Hill is my business partner in Paonia Apothecary. She is an experienced western vitalist herbalist and her knowledge and dedication have been integral to bringing the Apothecary vision to fruition. I also am deeply grateful to the Lilium Initiative and Thomas Avery Garran for their dedication in bringing Chinese herb cultivation and processing to the U.S.

Website: www.amberleefisher.com www.paoniaapothecary.com

Instagram: @paoniaapothecary @fishermedicine

Facebook: paoniaapothecary and fisher medicine