Meet Mia O’driscoll | International Board Certified Lactation Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mia O’driscoll and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mia, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have always wanted to be in the medical field or do something where I can help others succeed. I enjoyed my time working in various areas of the medical field but was always tempted to open my own business. At first, it seemed too daunting and risky – I didn’t have any background in business and you never know if you will be successful. So opening a business was put on the backburner. Once I had children, I knew it was a pivotal time to decide what to do next. I wanted to balance feeling successful in the workplace with spending time with my family. I struggled with my breastfeeding journey with my first child and I knew becoming a lactation consultant would be the right fit for me. There is a huge need for lactation support, especially in the early postpartum period. New parents are often overwhelmed with caring for a newborn and benefit from encouragement, education, and support. Opening a private practice was really appealing to me because I could have the flexibility to spend time with my family while also having a career that I felt was doing really impactful work. I am so happy that I chose this path!

What should our readers know about your business?
Opening a business without a background in business meant there was a lot of learning! Thankfully the lactation and birthworker world is so supportive and I was able to gain an amazing community. There are fairly low start-up costs when opening a lactation private practice and I started by offering home visits to cut costs further. I used a private practice toolkit to help with a lot of the administrative set up and asked around for recommendations and advice on how to be successful. I prioritized optimizing search engine results so it would be easier to search my name and business. I reached out to a variety of providers who work with my target population and built a referral network of amazing providers. I came up with a general business plan with ideas on how I wanted to practice and represent myself, evaluating what was important to me and how I wanted to run my business. I took additional continuing education so I could be prepared to handle a variety of feeding challenges. I pride myself on being a compassionate, knowledgeable, and inclusive, accepting provider! Getting positive feedback and referrals from families saying they felt so supported and cared for during our visits helps me know that I am doing the right thing! When you offer high-quality care, people start to know your name and the referrals continue to grow.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Denver is so amazing because there is so much to offer! I really enjoy going to Edgewater Public Market next to Sloan’s Lake because there is a little bit of something for everyone. Personally, I enjoy Ethiopian food from Konjo then finish up with ice cream from Happy Cones (don’t forget the honeycomb crumbles on top!). I’d also probably pick up some delicious pastries from BlackBox to take home. If the weather is nice, it’s so fun to walk around Sloan’s Lake or take the kids to Paco Sanchez Park to get some energy out on the enormous play structure. On the weekend, we could check if Rocky Mountain Roller Derby has a game for some fun, hard-hitting skating! In the morning, nothing beats the house Chai at Highland Cork & Coffee.

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?
I am so appreciative of my mentor, Natalie Gates. She is an incredibly knowledgeable provider and has supported and encouraged me throughout my journey. I wouldn’t be where I am without her!

Website: https://www.lotusibclc.com

Image Credits
Beka Torres
Kellie Henrikson
Katie Day