Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzanne Tang.
Hi Suzanne, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Growing up as the eldest in my Catholic family and a first-generation Vietnamese-American in southern California, there were many expectations to study hard, be successful, take care of the family, and be a “good” girl. I did my best to comply, fully understanding and aware of a sense of great responsibility from a young age that I was much more privileged than my parents and was part of this family to help them achieve the American dream. My parents had abruptly left their war-torn country and their own parents for the US, completely penniless and starting anew to give me and my younger brothers stability, safety, and better education and opportunities than they had.
Life as new immigrants in East LA was a struggle at first, yet my parents persevered and always worked hard to provide for us. My brothers and never felt like we didn’t have enough. Uprooted from his lucrative career as a banker in Vietnam, my father started at the beginning of the rung as a bank teller in the United States. With his insatiable drive to provide for his family in the US and Vietnam and incredible work ethic, he became a successful residential realtor in the Vietnamese community for over four decades. With this great success, my mom left her job as a social worker to be a stay-at-home mom with extra time to cook healthy home-cooked meals and brew Chinese herbal teas for our ailments. My grandfather, who was a teacher and lay herbalist taught her everything he knew about herbal medicine. While I was doing herbal steam inhalations for a cold or complaining about the taste of my mom’s bitter teas for insomnia, I had no idea that my family would have such an enormous impact on my own work ethic and career choice in the next several years.
Led by a heart-centered passion to help others, love for science, my father’s exceptional work ethic, and my mother’s nurturing care for us and knowledge of herbal medicine that steeped in my grandfather’s guidance, I was certain that I was going to work in the health care field. However, I wasn’t sure exactly which field of medicine just yet. In my final quarter at UCLA as I was finishing up my bachelor’s degree in psychobiology, I felt a sense of urgency to have it all figured out and know what my next steps were; however, I also trusted that I would be guided to find the profession that was meant for me. A few days later, I was reading the school newspaper, the Bruin Daily, and the guidance was staring me right in the face. An ad for Bastyr University, the leading accredited naturopathic medical and acupuncture university in Washington was what was staring right at me. The naturopathic principles of “The Healing Power of Nature”, “Identify and Treat the Cause”, “First Do No Harm”, “Doctor as Teacher”, “Treat the Whole Person”, and “Prevention” hit me like a lightening bolt, speaking to me deeply and invoking within me a passion and certainty that I was going to become a naturopathic doctor.
In my second year of naturopathic medical school at Bastyr University, while I was taking my Introduction to Chinese Medicine class with one of the most enthusiastic professors at the school, the same lightening bolt effect hit me and I knew that my love for Chinese Medicine would take me on the path of pursuing my Master’s of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture. Being a dual track student for two programs was demanding, stressful, and rigorous, yet my faith and love for the medicine, work ethic and support of my peers and loved ones carried me through. Constantly curious and motivated to take better care of my own self and my patients, I have also received additional training in craniosacral therapy, yoga, and reiki.
My twenty years of clinical practice has been filled with trials and tribulations, growth, transformation, connection, and gratitude for the amazing patients that I am blessed to serve, hold space for, and support. Taking the time to be present, listen, and inspire patients to reconnect with the love and care for themselves and elevate their health and wellness with natural medicine fills my heart. I am deeply passionate about women’s health, natural hormone wellness, and empowering women with knowledge, inspiration, and tools to flow through each phase of their lives with greater calm, vitality, and joy.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road, but the struggles have been my greatest teachers.
Working on achieving my Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine and Master’s of Traditional Chinese Medicine was intense and rigorous. The hours were long; the courses were plentiful and challenging, and interning at the teaching clinic was interesting and intimidating. I was hard on myself, critical, and expecting more of myself, but I learned to be gentle and remind myself that I am doing the best that I can.
Studying for and passing the licensing exams to become a licensed naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist required hours of study, dedication, and resilience. My vision of helping patients with naturopathic medicine and acupuncture was the driving force that allowed me to persevere.
Learning to release my ego and attachment to patient outcomes, overworking, and overdoing are such important lessons. Many patients transformed their health and lives for the better, but some patients fell off care or did not get better. I had to accept that each person was on their own healing journey.
Starting and managing my business and clinic with a business partner in 2008 and ending the business and partnership after fourteen years was so very difficult, yet there is a season for everything, and I was led and guided to the next chapter of my practice to allow for more abundance, work-life balance, purpose, and freedom and clarity on how I truly wanted to practice.
I am currently finding my clinic home and trusting in the evolution of my practice to continue to grow and allow me to continue to help and serve patients. Being in the unknown is not comfortable nor easy for me, but sitting in this place of meditation, trust and allowing is one of my greatest life lessons.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychobiology at the University of California in Los Angeles in 1997, where I was inspired to learn a natural, safe, and science-based approach to health and wellness. This inspiration led me to the leading, accredited academic and research center for natural medicine, Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. Here I earned a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine and a Master of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in 2003. With a passion for learning and a desire to grow, I supplemented my education with certifications in craniosacral therapy, reiki, and yoga instruction.
With almost two decades of clinical experience in women’s health and natural hormone therapy, I am passionate about anything and everything regarding natural hormone wellness and offering patients heart-centered and comprehensive natural medical care by using the latest standards in diagnostic examination and comprehensive laboratory testing and providing wellness tools, such as dietary, spiritual and lifestyle counseling, herbal and nutrient supplementation, physical activity, mindfulness, acupuncture, craniosacral therapy and natural hormone therapy to improve health for the body, mind, and spirit. Taking the time to help patients understand the roots and causes of their dis-ease and health conditions, offering them resources and hope for transformation and holding space for them to feel heard, seen and cared for is so very rewarding and essential to the healing process. Helping women through the highs and lows of hormonal changes to find balance, restoration, and inspiration for optimal wellness fills my heart and soul.
In addition to providing personalized patient care, I offer wellness workshops and yoga and meditation classes infused with acupuncture and craniosacral therapy for small groups, corporate events, and retreats. Educating and inspiring my community to connect to their self-care and elevate their health and wellness, brings me great joy. I’ve facilitated numerous retreats and workshops on women’s health, hormones, thyroid and adrenal balance, stress reduction, healthy eating, graceful aging, and preventative medicine.
When I am not seeing patients or giving a workshop, I balance and nourish myself with hiking, dancing, yoga, meditation, reading, exercising, creating delicious and nutritious meals, and spending time with my husband, two kids, pups, and friends.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
True confession. I am obsessed with Nightmare Before Christmas. My house is decked out in too many Nightmare Before Christmas decorations for Halloween and Christmas. I love the creativity and story behind the movie. It truly brings out the kid in me. Plus, it’s nostalgic. The movie came out in 1993 when I started dating my husband-to-be, and we watched it at the theatre on one of our dates.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.inspirenaturalwellness.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspire_natural_wellness/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Inspire-Natural-Wellness/100087761314463/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-tang-45450716
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.ca/biz/inspire-natural-wellness-laguna-hills
