We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Samantha Harnish. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Samantha below.
Samantha, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Balanced Friends became a business completely by accident. At the time, we were just two best friends trying to navigate our own health struggles — things like mold toxicity, gut issues, hormonal acne, and unexplained skin rashes. We were frustrated with the lack of answers from traditional medicine, so we turned to at-home lab testing and functional detox protocols. When we started feeling better, truly better — it became clear that we had found something powerful. We felt a pull to share what we had learned. What began as us helping ourselves turned into helping others, and that’s when we found our purpose. Every time a client tells us they’re finally symptom-free, it’s confirmation that we’re exactly where we’re meant to be and it’s our fuel to keep going!
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?
At Balanced Friends, we empower people—especially busy women and moms—to take control of their health from the comfort of home. Everything we offer is accessible, simple, and designed to meet you where you are. From at-home functional lab testing to guided detox bootcamps and personalized wellness plans, we believe you shouldn’t need a doctor’s note or waitlist to gain insight into your health.
What makes our work so exciting is watching our community members experience real transformation. Seeing someone go from exhausted, inflamed, and overwhelmed to feeling vibrant again is the most rewarding part of what we do. We had a client become pregnant with twins naturally after struggling with reassuring miscarriages – there is no better client win that helping someone bring a new life (or two) into the world!
We’re not your average wellness practitioners—we’re real women juggling kids, work, and life too. That’s why we created tools and services that fit into real-life schedules and budgets.
Right now, we’re especially excited about our Hormone Balance Bootcamp—a brand-new offering created in collaboration with Morgana from This Isn’t a Diet. It includes a comprehensive hormone lab, functional medicine detox, educational videos, and practical guides to help you eat, move, and live in sync with your hormones. It’s the true definition of a holistic reset.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, one of the most impactful pieces of our journey was our willingness to pivot when we realized we weren’t fulfilled in our careers as dental hygienists. That leap into something unknown but deeply aligned was life-changing. The second was our training—becoming Certified Integrative Health Practitioners gave us the tools and confidence to help others in a meaningful, root-cause-focused way. And lastly, our ability to connect with others and share our story in a real and relatable way helped us build a community, not just a business.
Our advice:
If you’re feeling unfulfilled, trust that it’s okay to make a change—even if it’s scary. Follow what lights you up. Invest in education that excites you and be willing to start small. You don’t have to have it all figured out to begin. The most important step is just starting.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Right now, the biggest challenge we’re facing is balancing mom life with running a business—especially with toddlers who no longer nap! The constant juggle of being present with our families while growing Balanced Friends can feel like a lot some days. To help create more balance, we recently brought on a third Integrative Health Practitioner (Nikki) to divide and conquer the workload. It’s been a game-changer in helping us show up better both at home and in our business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.balancedfriends.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balancedfriends/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balancedfriends
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/balanced-friends-llc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC38ga_-zspUPqy6JSvlYd6A
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/balancedfriends/
Image Credits
Shawna Disbrow
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
