Today we’d like to introduce you to Gail Daugherty.
Hi Gail, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always had a healing heart. I was the girl who carried bugs outside and pushed the boys who were trying to squish them.
Growing up, I always thought I’d be a veterinarian. I worked hard to get an athletic scholarship to Colorado State University. It’s one of the best vet schools in the country, but I lacked confidence in my abilities.
Instead of following my passion, I took the easy route. I got two degrees in business, including an MBA. I got a “real” job as a financial broker. It was practical and safe. And I was unfulfilled.
After years of trying to talk myself into loving my work, I finally stopped. I rented out my house and took a job as a cashier at a health food store. It may have looked like a professional meltdown. In real life, it was the beginning of living in joy.
The store offered classes on nutrition and supplements. I was hooked. Becoming a certified nutritionist led to a PhD in Holistic Nutrition and a move to Los Angeles.
Writing my dissertation, modeling, and working with celebrities on their diets made me realize my resume would never be boring again. I worked hard and was hired as a nutrition consultant on a reality TV show.
As that adventure was coming to an end, I was asked to become a professor of Biochemical Nutrition at an acupuncture school in Santa Barbara. I love teaching. I love the students. This experience propelled me in two directions: acupuncture and mentoring.
I had shoulder pain that I accepted as “part of life”. Receiving acupuncture at the school’s clinic didn’t just get rid of my pain. I started taking classes the next semester. Acupuncture healed my shoulder pain and helped me find my home helping others.
After graduation, I hopped on a cruise ship and sailed around the world giving seminars, mentoring, and doing acupuncture. I traveled to places I never thought I see and helped people with issues I never thought I could.
Leaving the nomadic life behind, I settled near my parents north of Dallas. These days, I’m known as Pain Free Gail D. I’m the alternate board member of the Association of Acupuncture (ASA) and board member of Texas Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (TAAOM). I’m an author of a book called “Acupuncture: A Pain Free Approach”.
People come to be after trying everything to feel better and failed. They are tired and skeptical, but also hopeful. Helping people move without pain, sleep without disturbance, and return to their lives is the most rewarding work I’ve ever done.
There’s nothing quite like watching relief spread across someone’s face when they can move without pain. I found my home, and I still carry the bugs outside.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve never really thought of things as an obstacle or a challenge. I see things as learning experiences. Life is an excellent teacher and running your own business gives you a Doctorate.
I’ve made plenty of mistakes while building my practice, including learning the IRS wants their money even if you don’t make a profit. This mistakes and successes are why I love mentoring other healers. Each misstep has made me better and passing that information along prevents someone else from stumbling.
I remain a student at heart. I’m committed to learning how to be a better practitioner, expand my understanding of how to help difficult conditions, and to share my knowledge. Growth through experience is exciting and fun, not something I shy away from.
As you know, we’re big fans of Pain Free Acupuncture Clinic/Pain Free Dallas. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My work, my joy, is in helping people feel better. I run an acupuncture clinic in McKinney, Texas, where I work with people in pain and/or are stressed out. I started poking people in 2005 and found I have a gift for patients in pain.
I’m known as Pain Free Gail D. People usually come to be when all other attempts to feel better fail. They have often had multiple surgeries and injections. They’re not hopeless, but they are losing hope. Chinese Medicine is great for these people, but if I’m honest I’d rather not be their last resort. I’d like to be their first thought.
Some of the most powerful acupuncture techniques are not taught in school. I spent several summers in Boston studying under an acupuncturist from China. He read and taught the secrets that haven’t been translated into English yet. Many practitioners find the system too complex to learn. It was second nature to me, like meeting up with an old friend and picking up where you left off years ago.
Relief for most conditions is immediate. I’m proud that patients tell me I’m worth more than I charge. They tell me they feel heard and not judged. The hundreds of referrals and testimonials I received from happy patients is confirmation I’m doing it right.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I am incredibly blessed. I know God keeps me safe in his hands and guides me in the clinic room. I’ve survived breast cancer, the death of my mom, and an attack in my home that left me for dead. I’ve listened to the still voice that lead me to change careers. Following joy and passion isn’t always the easiest path, but it is the most rewarding.
I am lucky that Dr Kenneth Cooper heard about me and my skills. Inviting me to join the Cooper Clinic just months after arriving in Dallas led to great exposure and success.
I am lucky to have supportive family and friends that didn’t think I was nuts leaving the financial industry to pursue health and wellness.
I am blessed to have joy and laughter every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.PainFreeDallas.com
- Other: https://www.painfreedallas.com/_files/ugd/424c8a_6e8581deb3d04a478c81c9672bdeb2c8.pdf
