It’s a pleasure to introduce Dr. Corinne Brown! She is an acupuncturist with experience in helping people achieve their health goals. She is compassionate, caring, and takes the time to listen to her patients in order to develop personalized treatment plans. Modern Moon Acupuncture is located in a beautiful space in the heart of Deutschtown on the North Side of Pittsburgh. The inviting atmosphere of the clinic and self-care boutique welcomes patients and immediately makes one feel comfortable and at ease with a warm cup of tea!
I hope you learn more about Modern Moon and enjoy these photos from our recent branding session. -Laura
Tell us a little about you and your small business.
My name is Dr. Corinne Brown, OMP, and I am an acupuncturist in Pittsburgh, PA. I moved to Pittsburgh in 2021 from Asheville, NC where I went to grad school for Chinese medicine. Before that, I lived in Richmond, VA for eight years, and grew up in Virginia Beach, VA. I love the outdoors, being creative, watching movies, eating delicious food and seeing live music.
Modern Moon Acupuncture was established one year ago in November ’22, and we just relocated the clinic to the Deutschtown area of the Northside at the beginning of October ’23. We were previously working out of a shared space in a wellness center in Mt. Lebanon, and are so happy to finally have a stand alone brick and mortar space for Modern Moon Acupuncture. I am extremely proud of how this new location for the clinic has turned out and can’t wait to share it with the people of Pittsburgh.
What inspired you to start a small business?
I always knew in my heart that I wanted my own acupuncture clinic. When we were in acupuncture school, we had a business preparation class where we had to create our own practice, and that is when the idea of Modern Moon was first created. I knew prior to that, that I wanted my own clinic, but in that class we got to start manifesting and creating the possibility of it, and I came up with the business name at that time. After graduating, I started working for an already established acupuncture clinic. I feel blessed for the opportunity to have worked there, but I always knew that I wouldn’t be there long. Spending time working within someone else’s dream helped me realize that I needed to see my own dream out, and that feeling inspired me to open my own practice as soon as I was able to.
What is the mission of Modern Moon Acupuncture?
The mission of Modern Moon Acupuncture is to facilitate the body’s innate ability to heal itself by initiating a harmonization of energies within the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels; addressing the root cause of pain, illness and mental unrest. Our vision is to live in a society where acupuncture and herbal medicine are seen as preventative care, utilized at the very first sign/stages of illness, pain or disharmony; instead of as a last resort for one’s medical treatment.
What services and products do you offer?
We offer acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, gua sha, and moxibustion therapy. Those last three services are adjunctive treatments to the acupuncture therapy. They are body work techniques that help with many different types of conditions and are applied at the end of acupuncture treatments if needed.
We also have a self-care boutique storefront that sells clean, plant-based skin care (cleansers, serums, toners, body polish scrubs, lotions), supplements (adaptogenic mushroom tinctures, magnesium, fire cider, herbal coffee), Chinese medicine books and resources, other cultivation tools such as oracle cards and journals, and lifestyle products such as facial gua sha tools, bath soaps, bath bombs, candles, room sprays, jewelry, gemstones, cooking spices, premium quality teas and a variety of essential oil rollers. We also have a small “new mommy” line of products that are wonderful for pregnancy, postpartum care, babies. I have curated a store of products that I fully believe in and am excited to share with the community.
Could you share a tip or two with us?
Always keep your neck covered by a scarf or wear a hoodie as the weather starts to change in the fall and winter! There is an area on the neck, called the “wind gate”, that is extremely susceptible to “catching wind and cold”, and when this happens it can both lock the neck up, causing pain, discomfort and/or possibly headaches, as well as cause you to come down with a cold or lower your immune system. If you are interested in keeping your immune system up as we head into the winter season, definitely keep a scarf on!
Second tip, if you do get sick, don’t start taking echinacea or elderberry right off the bat. Those herbs are fantastic at helping boost the immune system, but if you are already sick, that might actually do more harm then good. These herbs are considered tonics, and if there is a pathogen present, we don’t want to “tonify” a pathogen (which would build them up, give them the “good resources” you are trying to give yourself, and ultimately make them stronger and stick around longer). We want to prescribe you herbs that will clear the pathogen out of your body first, and then we can start taking lovely tonics again. It is best to take echinacea, elderberry, and any other immune tonic when you are not sick. Doing it this way will build up your immune system to help you not get sick as easily or fight things off faster when you do come down with something.
What are some unexpected benefits of owning a small business?
You are able to choose aspects of your business that align with what you value in life. For instance, I only work Tuesday through Friday because I believe we all should have three days off of work a week. I like seeing my first patient of the day at 10am, because if I want to rest more, go on a walk, have some alone time in the morning or take a work out class, I have the ability to choose to do that. I take a longer lunch in the middle of the day because I appreciate the European lifestyle more than the American one. If I do need to get extra work done, then I can still take some time in the middle of my day to do that without having to sacrifice getting to have lunch. I also choose to close at 6:30 because it allows me to leave at 7, and still have time to go home and cook dinner and enjoy the evening with my partner. All of these things I value incredibly in my life, and help me to not experience burnout as often as when my hours were not picked by me. Owning a small business has allowed me the opportunity to live my life alongside of these values.
How did you decide what to wear to your branding session?
I wanted my outfits to reflect my personality, style, and the aesthetic of my clinic. I want people to be able to see me in the photos and know that they are going to see the same person when they come in to the clinic for their appointments.
How did you chose Laura Mares Photography?
I researched different Pittsburgh photographers and absolutely loved the work that she did. I got excited by her branding sessions and felt that was a good pick for my business.
What is your favorite photograph from your personal branding session?
We did different types of photos, some of just me, some of me working, the clinic and the products. I think I have favorites from all of these categories. It’s so hard to choose just one, but I think one of me looking straight at the camera when I am wearing the brown top with the white sweater over it might be my favorite. There are two just like that, but one is a little closer up than the other, and I think the close up turned out absolutely stunning (they all did), but I haven’t seen a picture of me like that before and I feel really beautiful. Thank you!
What is on the horizon for Modern Moon?
Right now I want to just get settled in to the new space and see how my practice grows. I have lots of plans for the longterm future of Modern Moon, but opening this new location was an absolutely huge undertaking for me, and I’m ready to see what it feels like to settle into this space a bit.
Where is the best place for our readers to find you online?
Our website is www.modernmoonacupuncture.com and our instagram account is @modernmoon_acupuncture.
Any last thoughts you would like to share?
Doing this session was so much fun! I am so excited to be a new member of the Northside community, and can’t wait to see what is in store for my practice now that I am here.
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