Meet Donnielle James

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Donnielle James a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Donnielle, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?

When I worked in residential environments, I was exposed to trauma on a daily basis.. In these settings, we would have some trainings on self=care, and a big thing was finding some sort of hobby unrelated to work. For me, that has also been connected with movement and exercise. (I also follow fashion and like to knit). I have also left a few workplaces due to burnout, and after some twists and turns, that led me to change professions from mental health to fitness, and was part of my transition to where I am now. Recognizing the differences between compassion fatigue and burnout, daily journaling, meditation, and some form of exercise are some of my favorite tools. I find having friends I can be authentic and real when checking in with, and at times therapy are also important. Since I work with people, I find it is equally important to continually check in with myself, and be transparent that growth, change and healing are a continual process. Setting boundaries (including with myself) also helps, so I have set times I check for work related messages, times I reply during, times I put phone away etc. Since some of my schedule varies, I am not always following them but I do try to stick to a schedule, and a set amount of hours either directly in appointments, meetings, admin, tasks to avoid over working. I also try to keep some time each week unscheduled, and make a point of scheduling fun things with friends and for self -care to keep things more balanced.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I combine education, personal experience and evidence based approaches to working with individuals and groups. Health equity and empowering others to be proactive in their health and wellness experience are important to me. I stay away from offering “quick fixes” and like working in a variety of settings, and enjoy the variety each day in the office brings. In addition to individualized sessions for Acupuncture and Herbs, I also offer Educational Workshops and Therapeutic Movement ( and adding virtual services has been a wonderful addition). I am currently working towards expanding services to include collaborative day and overnight retreats with other practitioners, and would like to consult with likeminded wellness brands. Introducing others to a mind body connection., the benefits of acupuncture (and acupressure is a wonderful gift to be able to offer others. Holding space to witness transformation, growth and change while working with others is one of my favorite gifts, and am grateful for the opportunity to be of service.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking beyond the usual resume bullets, many of the values I was raised with have had a substantial impact on my business. These include learning to be of service in the community through a variety of organizations, and activities other family members party-acted in. I believe that a lot of who we are is affected and influenced by our experiences, both the positive ones, and the choices we make around the harder ones. An example of this, is being teased and bullied by other kids, as a more empathic person, was very hard on me, and I would often hold that inside. In some ways, it also led to pushing myself very hard as an undergraduate, and in my first graduate degree program (and related work experiences). As much anxiety I had during that time as a student. when I went back to school for East Asian Medicine, I learned more about self- care, and finding more balance without having a packed schedule of things that on the surface showed a balanced schedule, but on a deeper level were more fast based “doing”. One of the things tell patients the most, is to be gentle on themselves, and it is ok to slow down, take breaks, and unplug. I also find meditation, exercise and ways of connecting with nature and creativity grounding. These small ways of being present and in the moment, can be nourishing and recharging. It’s also ok to make mistakes, and we are often harder on ourselves about things that others don’t even notice. With newer technology (and lots of filters/chatbots and even catfishing, and social media) there is more to compare ourselves to, that as most of us know isn’t reality, and authenticity sometimes get lost. So it’s also important to invest time in getting to know yourself and sharing your gifts with others . You might not work well with everyone, but being authentic will help you find your people (and help them find you) .

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

Feeling overwhelmed is something that happens to all of us at different times. It can be a simple, things as not going as usual (forgetting things, traffic, a long “to do” list or, a lot of bog things out of our immediate control (unemployment, illness, family issues, moving etc). . As someone who has experienced those thoughts and feelings of “I don’t know if I can handle this” around a serious illness , recovering from that, and the associated CPTSD / medical trauma (and some adult ADHD) , my perspective around :what is overwhelming personally has shifted, and I have added new coping skills, depending on what it is. One of the first things I do, is I make sure I exercise, take some time unplugged from devices, and set boundaries with myself (and others) on how much I can do in a day. A big change for me since the pandemic, is to spend more time cooking and meal prepping, and not having split workdays . (I used to have some days I started early in the morning, alternated with other days of working in the evenings). I also try to prioritize the administrative aspects of having a business. This is also one of mu bigger challenges with self employment, it is a contact process. Having times when I can focus on billing, scheduling, establishing new professional relationships ,and all those other things, makes it easier to focus on my favorite part, working with patients directly. I also find, that prioritizing sleep, and reducing the digital connection to email /texts , regular social activities, and taking breaks (especially getting outside when looking at a screen too long) help me refocus. I also find that the increased social acceptance of talking about overwhelm , stress and mental health issues is very important. When working with patients, when they come in feeling overwhelmed, many of them will share what is going on, and I find it is important to create and hold space for them to be heard, and will often add calming acupuncture points, and give suggestions for “homework ” to support their treatment. Some of these include : breathwork, getting outside, exercise, journaling, qigong, meditation, creative hobbies, and other forms of self-care;

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.balancefromwithinwellness.com
• Instagram: @bfw_wellness.la @donniellejames
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BalanceFromWithin
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donniellejames
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/donnielle-james-lac-los-angeles-3
• Other: TikTok @bfw_wellness