April Fitzsimmons - Acupuncture Physician, Blue Bird of Happiness Healing Arts
Like many of us, April felt lost after college. Post-graduation, she embarked on a spontaneous trip to Hawaii for some direction (and to work on a Kona Coffee farm) — and little did she know, she’d be there for seven years. After arriving back in Florida, April worked hard to eventually build her own acupuncture practice in St. Augustine Beach: BlueBird of Happiness Healing Arts (named after her parrot, Blue). We admire her compassion for her patients and talent for helping bring their bodies back into balance through mindful, intentional healing.
The Basics:
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Current city: St. Augustine Beach, FL
Alma mater: Flagler College; The Traditional Chinese Medical College of Hawaii
Degree: B.S., Business Administration; Master’s in Oriental Medicine
Very first job: Maintenance at the ATP Tour at 13 years-old. I worked on the weekends in exchange for tennis lessons through high school, and played college level tennis because of it
Hustle: Acupuncture Physician, Blue Bird of Happiness Healing Arts
The Interests:
Babe you admire and why?
There are many babes I admire and look up to—those with courage who step outside of their comfort zones and blaze new trails are what legends are made of. However, lately at the top of my admiration list has been my grandmother, Margaret Fitzsimmons. She was born and raised on a farm in Starke, FL, yet has the looks and wit of a movie star. She is 91 and sharp as a knife, but has the most loving, gentle energy that makes you feel loved whenever she’s nearby. Grandmom is her own legend, and I am so grateful to have her in my life.
What’s your favorite way to start your day?
I like to wake up without an alarm and what I do after that depends on the day. During the work week I enjoy a quiet cup of coffee and feed the birds in the backyard and play with Fin, our two year old Golden Doodle. Then it’s usually a rush to get to the office. I take my parrot, Blue to work with me. He is the receptionist and he is not a morning bird—so if he is having a slow start, I usually am too.
Go-to comfort food?
Angel hair pasta with butter, salt and pepper, and parmesan cheese
The Hustle:
Tell us about your hustle.
When I moved back to Florida in 2013 after spending seven years in Hawaii, the hustle was real as far as getting established and starting my business. While waiting for my Florida Acupuncture license, I wrote weekly blogs for my former employee in Hawaii, and got a part time retail job to cover expenses. I started out at a chiropractor's office in 2014 doing treatments two days a week. In 2015, my mom was killed in a tragic bicycle accident, so my world pretty much went into shock. At the same time, I moved into a new office, began getting very busy with word of mouth referrals, and was able to quit my retail job to work as an acupuncturist full-time. In 2018 my dream came true, and I was able to get an office at the beach, a mile away from my house. I have been able to build my clientele enough to where I have had to stop accepting new patients as of this year. I am so grateful! My work week starts on Tuesday morning at 8:30AM, and I usually see between seven and nine patients a day. Most of my patients are on a maintenance schedule and book their appointments for the year. Acupuncture was originally a preventative medicine, so the theory is to keep the patient healthy and well, and this theory is what my practice is built upon. I aim to keep people well through acupuncture, herbs, dietary and lifestyle suggestions, and compassion.
How did your journey in acupuncture begin?
My introduction to acupuncture was in my junior year at Flagler College. My dachshund puppy, Isla, ran down the stairs and hurt her back. I immediately took her to the vet, and they prescribed her steroids and pain meds. After a week she showed no improvement, and still could not walk. The vet said the only solution would be surgery, but a friend told me to try acupuncture as she had had success with it with her animals. So very skeptically, I called the animal acupuncturist and scheduled a house call—a day that’s now forever etched into my memory. The vet acupuncturist came to my small beachside apartment, and Isla was laying in her bed immobile. The doctor put the needles in with no problems, and when she took them out, Isla jumped off her bed like a brand new puppy. No surgery was needed after one treatment, so I became a believer and started going to acupuncture for myself and got such relief from my lifelong insomnia. Fast forward a couple years and after graduating in 2003, I was in a rut. I tried my hand in the corporate business world and hated it; I tried to be a realtor then the market crashed, so I was a server at a restaurant. One night in 2006, I had a dream all about this place called “Kona” and when I woke up the next morning, I bought a one way plane ticket to Kona, Hawaii. I landed a gig working on a Kona Coffee farm in exchange for room and board and it was only going to be temporary until I got my bearings. I ended up staying for a year, learning about Kona Coffee from the ground up, and living on the farm. I gardened and swam with dolphins regularly, and it was the most humbling and beautiful experience. I decided I wanted to make Hawaii my home, so I came back to Florida and sold everything and got Isla and we took a flight back to Hawaii. While back at the farm I googled acupuncture, looking for a practitioner for myself—which is when I came across the Traditional Chinese Medical College of Hawaii, hitchhiked a ride, and went to the student clinic for a treatment. Once I arrived, it was like bells and lights started going off in my head. Everything worked out so perfectly after that. A very long story short: In 2012 I graduated from TCMCH with a Masters of Science in Oriental medicine.
In your opinion, what are some benefits that acupuncture and oriental medicine provide that western medicine does not?
Eastern medicine looks at the patient as a whole to treat and bring the body back into balance. This includes the physical body, the mind, the spirit, lifestyle, and so much more about the patient. The acupuncture physician spends so much more time with a person to ask many questions and do other diagnostic techniques to find out the root of the problem or disease. This really means a lot to me and is the major difference between eastern and western medicine. I do believe that the two can work great together but gaining the trust of the patient and really getting to know them, in my opinion can lead to a more successful and compliant outcome.
How have your past professional and academic experiences and lessons prepared you for the work you do today? How have they not prepared you?
For the most of my life I had no idea that I would be in this field. Looking back, my undergrad taught me structure and discipline. Having a business degree has helped me have a good baseline understanding of how to run a business and make better choices as a self employed business woman. In Acupuncture school, I often heard that ‘the learning starts the day you graduate’. Having a practice and seeing patients on “your own” opens your eyes to a whole new world. The doctor/patient dynamic has to be learned and bedside manner can’t be taught, and when you are on your own, you are the one with the answers. If a patient comes in with a symptom or disorder or problem, it is now your job to do your best to research the condition until you fully understand it and can come up with a treatment plan that best suits the patient. That is when you truly learn. If I were in charge of planning the curriculum of schools, I would definitely add classes on how to do taxes. This is one area that I am not well versed and don’t think I will ever be. Yet, it is a source of major stress. I think college students should have a mandatory class on personal finances and taxes because these are basic life lessons that are SO important, yet hardly ever taught or discussed.
How has being a woman impacted your professional experience? What can we collectively do to support and empower women in your industry today?
Being a professional woman with my own business and practice has given me a sense of confidence that I have never had before. I really strive to be a role model to my nieces, god daughter, and other young women to show them that anything is possible for them. Collectively as a society, we need to give women the credit that they deserve—especially those of us that work so hard with no expectations and who have faced challenges that they never speak of, yet strongly carry on.
What’s one thing you’re proud to have accomplished in your career thus far?
Having a full-time practice and an office that I can ride my bike to. Awards are nice—and I am grateful for the different community achievements I’ve received—but at the end of the day, when I’m riding my bike home (with my parrot in his backpack), I’m the most happy and proud of the life I’ve created. It’s the simple things that mean the most lately.
Who is a women in your field that you look to for inspiration?
Miriam Lee was born in China in 1926 and was one of the pioneers in getting Acupuncture legal in the U.S. She came to California when Acupuncture was illegal and worked a factory job while giving acupuncture treatments out of her home. She was eventually arrested, and at her trial, her patients protested her arrest—claiming that her treatments were the only medicine that had helped them. Her treatments are very simple yet very effective, and she is someone that I admire for her courage and perseverance.
What does your approach to work/life balance look like? How do you unplug and unwind?
This is a constant lesson. I love going to the ocean for my therapy. I'm a member of an outrigger canoe club and pre-COVID, we practiced two days a week, with races thrown in. I love to take my stand up paddle (SUP) board out, walk the dogs, garden, and just be.
Career and/or life advice for other babes?
Travel!! Don’t settle. Dreams can become reality with hard work, positive thinking and manifestation. Listen to the quiet, and enjoy the simple things in life.
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