Daily Inspiration: Meet Stacy Lauren-Kon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy Lauren-Kon.

Hi Stacy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am originally from New Jersey, but truly grew up in New York City as a dancer with The Joffrey Ballet School from the age of 10-17. Yes, I was one of those young bunheads living out of a huge shoulder bag, running around NY with zero parental supervision. It was an exciting childhood!

But a dancer’s life is not easy and I realized I wanted a college education. So I went back to NJ to attend Rutgers University and graduated with a dual B.A. in English and Journalism. However, the arts wasn’t done with me, so back to NY I moved, and after attending The William Esper Studio for 2 years I went on to have a delightful run as an actress on Off-Broadway and television.

Then I moved to Los Angeles, to audition for Friends (we all know how that went) and fell madly in love with the city and a wonderful man! However, I hated the disingenuousness of the business here and once again made a shift in careers. After further schooling, I opened an entertainment advertising agency where my esteemed clients included Paramount, Sony, Universal Studios and Disney. But something was STILL missing!

While running my advertising firm, I happily settled down and married, bought a home, and had two beautiful humans (my daughter Zoe and my son Mino). Then, after tragically losing my 3rd child at birth, the painful wake-up call was clear. My career needed to give my life more meaning and have a purpose beyond merely making money. So in my son Odin’s memory, I decided to go back to school – ONE MORE FINAL TIME – to become a Dr. of Eastern Medicine. All in my son’s memory.

I graduated from Dongguk University – Los Angeles, with a Masters of Science in Oriental Medicine, where I studied Chinese, Korean and Japanese Medicine. While at Dongguk I had the pleasure of interning at USC Engemann Health Center. I am currently finishing my Doctorate at Five Branches University (focusing on Integrative Pediatric Medicine in Western Healthcare settings), certified in Chinese Medical Pediatric Diagnosis, certified from the NICABM in Strategies for working with Anxiety, a Licensed Acupuncturist & Primary Care Provider by the State of California, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a member of the American Society of Acupuncturists, The California Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine Association, and elected Board Member of the Los Feliz Business Improvement District, and am also a former elected member of the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council.

I love California and I LOVE Los Feliz. I currently reside, work, and am active in this beautiful community. I love how I have become a village Dr. of sorts. Caring for my patients medically and personally gives me a sense of belonging and purpose. When I bump into a patient at Trader Joe’s, or at a local restaurant, there is a deep sense of pride in the quality of care I give and the respect I have earned.

I am finally truly content in my career choice and purpose in this world.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Has it been a smooth road? What in life worth having is smooth going? As I described, this is my 4th career. There was nothing straight forward about this path. If someone had told me when I was a little girl that I would enter the medical field I would have been incredulous. I was always told I was stupid – pretty, but stupid. So I was urged to follow the arts. Ironically, not the most intelligent words from my parents. Nor kind.

Having not taken ANY science courses at my arts high school (The Professional Children’s School in NY) or in college (Rutgers), the process of going to Eastern Medical School wasn’t even possible until I redid some undergrad education (Statistics, Biology, and Chemistry!) It took a ton of cajoling and support from my husband and dear friends to gather the confidence to enroll in these courses and then keep me on track – I was convinced I would fail from the beginning. Course, by course, I persevered and after 4.5 long years found myself graduating. But I still had to pass the Board exam! That took another full year of studying and cajoling. It seemed insurmountable. So, I just took it class-by-class, month-by-month, and year-by-year while having the wonderful diversion of raising my kids and living a beautiful life. Then one day, I received THE letter that I had passed my Boards and was able to open up my own practice!

Even 10 years after opening my practice I am faced with obstacles. It is not easy balancing the daily running of a practice, constantly keeping up with current research, managing my part-time associates, tending to the medical and emotional needs of patients, and marketing to keep my practice busy in a town where there is an acupuncture practice on every corner.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Mend is Medicine, Reimagined:

At Mend Family Acupuncture, I don’t settle for treating isolated symptoms. I believe in blurring the lines between East and West, between the body and the mind, between acute injury and chronic disease — to treat the whole human being.

When people think “acupuncture clinic,” they often imagine needles, red dots, maybe pain relief. That’s part of it — but at Mend, acupuncture is just one facet in a much richer tapestry.

We combine:
Eastern tools – acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion, tuina, shiatsu, craniosacral work, herbal formulas.
Functional medicine – lab work, nutritional counseling, targeted supplements, non-prescription therapies.
Lifestyle & mind-body work – “Mend-the-Pause” programs (e.g. menopause / life transitions), behavior change, stress resiliency
Specialized modalities– e-stim, heat, shockwave therapy, “acu-facials” (East meets West skin treatments), and House calls for those who need care in their home setting.

So when someone comes in with an acute sports injury — a sprain, tendonitis, or muscle strain — I don’t only look at the torn tissue. I ask why this injury happened: Was their nervous system overloaded? Was inflammation already chronic? Was their hormonal, metabolic, or gut status off? I use acupuncture and manual therapy to support healing locally and systemic protocols to support their body’s environment.

Likewise, when someone comes to me with chronic conditions — autoimmunity, digestive disorders, menopause challenges, mental health concerns — we’re not just managing. We’re investigating the root causes – where’s the energy stuck? Which systems are out of balance? What psycho-emotional factors are contributing? The physical and the mental are always in conversation, and I want to help both parts heal.

Puzzle-Solving the Whole Human:

One of my favorite phrases (you’ll see it on my site) is: “We put the pieces of the puzzle together, problem solve, and strive to make sure you are getting the most comprehensive and top-notch health care possible.” That’s not lip service — that’s the daily work.

To me, patients are walking stories. Their labs, symptoms, life history, emotional wounds, sleep patterns — everything is a clue. My job is to help decode the story, connect the signals, and design a path forward that feels integrative, coherent, and kind to the person beneath. I’m not afraid to work alongside Western MDs. I act as a liaison, consulting labs and coordinating care so the patient isn’t fragmented between multiple providers.

I treat emotional and mental health not as separate from physical health, but as part of the same terrain. Mood, trauma, stress, nervous system regulation — these become part of the treatment plan.
My methods adapt. Some patients need deep metabolic work. Others need trauma release, breath work, lifestyle shifts. Some need all of the above. The goal is to not merely patch symptoms, but treat the body as a resilient, adaptive, living system that can heal and thrive by treating the root cause of the symptoms..

A Better Model Than Corporate or Concierge Medicine:

You’ve probably heard of concierge medicine, where patients pay more for premium access. But what often ends up happening is the same old medicine, just behind a paywall. Meanwhile, corporate medicine locks doctors into 10- or 15-minute visits, rigid protocols, and endless charting. Neither model facilitates real healing.

What I’ve crafted at Mend is something different:

Visits are not rushed: You can share your story. I take the time to listen, to let patterns surface, to build trust.

Integration, not referral scatter: Rather than sending you off to ten different specialists with no coordination, I bring many tools under one roof (or coordinate with trusted collaborators). You don’t lose the thread of your story.
Accessibility + integrity: I don’t want healing to be an elite luxury. I aim to make deep medicine accessible to people dealing with injuries, chronic disease, or psychological suffering.

Relational care, ongoing evolution: Healing is not a one-visit transaction. I walk with patients over time. The plan evolves. Adjustments happen. We track progress.

Transparency & co-creation: On the website you’ll see I present what I do (herbs, lab work, therapies) clearly. I want you to understand why a treatment is being proposed. We make decisions together.

In short, I answer to my patients and my patients alone! I am free of insurance gates and corporate mandates. I want medicine that is human first, scientific second.

Why It Works:

Because people are not machines. We are living, sensing, feeling, imperfect systems. When you treat only the symptoms, the deeper imbalances persist. But when you treat the person as a whole healing becomes possible on multiple levels.

A sprained ankle recovers faster when stress is reduced and inflammation is supported. Hormonal or autoimmune flares settle when emotional trauma is addressed and the gut and liver are healed. Anxiety or depression often improve once nutrition, sleep, energy flow, and nervous system regulation are addressed. And though the path is not always linear — there will be setbacks — this is exactly why you want a model that is relational, adaptive, perceptive. That’s what Mend offers.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Wow, there aren’t that many good early childhood memories. I did not come from a calm, loving home. But I do have wonderful memories of being a teenager in New York City.

I went to a very liberal private school where you were allowed to come and go as you please. So, I would forego Russian History or Algebra class and sit at the nearby Lincoln Center Fountain. In 2 hours you could see the entire swath of humanity pass by. I would make up stories about each person who caught my eye and mentally record their physical language to be used later on in my acting days. Strangers would smile at me and strike up conversation. Many famous people passed by and smiled a “Hello”. Having never to see any of these people again I am sure I made up wild stories of why I was sitting at the fountain mid-day/mid-week. Sometimes I’d put on a fake accent and ask them touristy questions about what their favorite parts of living in this city were. Being a young kid alone in the city,

I also struck up lovely friendships with the Guardian Angels. I have very fond memories of them, as, because of them, I was not kidnapped or chopped up into a million little pieces but was able to enjoy the excitement of the city. It was 1980 Koch era NY – way before NY was scrubbed clean. The Bowery and Tompkins Square Park was where you went to score drugs and get murdered. But I would stroll down those streets unscathed, in my own little naive bubble, not realizing I was being followed and protected by the Guardian Angels. They were my parental supervision! And they were very, very kind.

Pricing:

• Mend Office visit: $130 vs. average MD Office Visit $450
• Mend Facial: $400 vs. similar Dermatologist Facial $3,000
• Free 20 Minute Consult
• House Calls: $400
• No Concierge Fees!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mendfamilyacupuncture.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mendfamilyacupuncture/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mendfamilyacupuncture?fref=ts
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacylaurenkon/
• Twitter: https://x.com/#!/MendFamilyAcu
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6aRmg5r7Nw
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mend-family-acupuncture-and-healthcare-los-angeles?osq=mend+acupuncture

Image Credits
All images provided Mend Family Acupuncture and Healthcare. The Doctors is a trademark of NBC.