Q and A with Kemby, living in Reno, Nevada

“It has to start with believing in yourself and allowing time for what matters to you most.”

Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I am passionate about mindfulness, medicine, and motherhood! I titled my Facebook group after these 3 Ms because they are my biggest passions and pursuits in life. I love time with my family, I have three children, and I am very engaged in how motherhood has changed and shaped my world. I am a naturopathic doctor, practicing since 2005. I have a passion for holistic medicine that started young! As a teenager, I was a vegetarian and very interested in nutrition and exercise. After college, I became a yoga instructor and opened my first business. After a few years, I decided to go to medical school, and naturopathic medicine really resonated with me, so I enrolled at Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington. For more information about naturopathic medicine, click here https://aanmc.org/naturopathic-medicine/.

I started a family practice in 2005 and have worked in several group practices for the last 17 years. I am currently transitioning to working specifically online, leading women’s group workshops that empower and support women to reclaim their vitality, and what I call their “thrive zone.” The thrive zone is being in a place of alignment, where you feel connected to yourself and your gifts, you are in a space of prioritizing your own needs, and you feel that your energy is sustainable. This is the gift I wish for everyone!

Many of us, as women, go through some type of energy crisis. Where we feel we are a) unable to give or to do any more, b) feel disconnected from ourselves and what brings us joy, c) feel as if we are struggling just to get through the day, or put 1 foot in front of the other. This often involves our adrenal glands as well as our nervous system and brain, and it is a physiological state that is fixable and reversible. Yet, we often feel alone, and like we have to power through. So, this is what I am offering right now is a group program to help women who are currently struggling with their energy, either feeling depleted or overwhelmed. I have worked with thousands of clients over the last 17 years, and this was becoming an all-too-common thread, so when I took a leave from my day-to-day office work, I decided I would transition into the space of offering group programs to reach a wider group of women struggling in this area. I also plan to offer workshops in hormone balancing for peri-menopause, postpartum, and fertility support, because these are also so very needed.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A:  As I mentioned, my love for natural health started young. My mother and grandmother were both very interested in health, herbs, and whole foods. I did not know my interests would blossom into a career of doing what I love, but I am very lucky it has! As a naturopath, I have learned about herbal medicine, nutritional support, vitamins, energy work, and counseling as well as other healing modalities.

I also was a very driven, high-achieving perfectionist combined with being highly sensitive. This made for an interesting pair of traits! It has taken much practice and learning to be able to support my sensitivity with healthy boundaries and expectations so that I do not get overcommitted or stressed. I have had to really practice my own medicine! After two years of medical school, (which can be grueling!), I took off for a year to travel and study different indigenous medicines around the world. I was able to travel to South America, European spa towns, the Australian Outback, India, and Asia to learn about healers throughout the world. I also took a break from practicing after my first child, and then when my twins were born. However, going back to work with three children at home…trying to nurse two new babies, do well at my job, and keep my home life together…that was the time that I really came up against my own energy borders and began to experience exhaustion and burnout. I eventually took a month’s leave, which became three months, and then it became permanent. I had to heal myself, take time to recover, and really get back to who I was, and who I wanted to serve. I got really clear about what was most important in my life, which was my family, my particular healing medicine, and my practices of yoga, writing, and travel, that bring me joy.

Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: If I were to give women one piece of advice in the area of reclaiming their energy it would be this: Speak kindly to yourself, give yourself grace, and prioritize your own needs and desires. You can reclaim your energy from the ground up; I have witnessed it many times, but it has to start with believing in yourself and allowing time for what matters to you most.

Q: What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism is certainly about being a strong, independent, confident woman role model. It is also about honoring the feminine way. This means respecting our feminine intuition, our feminine power, and her gentleness and sensitivity, as well as her strength. I now see my intuitive and sensitive gifts as the blessings that they are! Because I have learned how to protect them from getting stomped or passed over for ‘logical’, ‘practical’, or more aggressive methods. As women, we hold so much information within us, and much of our guidance is passed down from our ancestors. So I believe feminism is about empowering our daughters to hold this space, rather than fit into a male perspective; and teaching our sons to appreciate and understand that sensitivity and connection are their birthright as well. One of the reasons I am now guiding women, specifically in areas of my own struggle, is that I feel it is my mission to help women regain their self-love.

MORE ABOUT KEMBY: I currently live in Reno, Nevada, but have always been a gypsy at heart!

Thank you for reading!

Let’s connect! Here:

My free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindfulmedicinemotherhood/?ref=share.

If you want to work with me, the next step is to sign up for my Energy Revolution course! https://linktr.ee/drkembynd