We had the good fortune of connecting with Mili Shah and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mili, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
I think the single most important decision that contributed to my success was making sure that my practice aligned with my values. There are so many ways to do business nowadays, but if they don’t align with how you want to view and interact with the world, you’ll end up facing a lot of resistance.

I have found the balance where I feel the integrity of everything I do, and that spills over into my practice, my teaching and my personal life.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My practice is located in University Heights/Northpark, San Diego. I have an acupuncture and herbal clinic that I share with with another acupuncturist.

What sets me apart from others would be my teaching experience. I have always been good about explaining what I’m doing and walking people through the healing process. Since I started teaching, I found that my treatments have become more potent. I’m not sure how that happened, but I am very excited about that. I find that my practice inspires my teaching, and teaching inspires my practice. It’s something that has unlocked a potential I wasn’t aware of until recently.

I’ve been practicing and in business for myself for 10 years. It was a lot of trial and error (so much error!), asking a lot of questions, planning, and trusting the timing. Nothing can accelerate real life experience, and I was someone who tried to accelerate that process. I learned to take things slow, trust myself and my intuition, and take care of things as they come up. What helped me the most was finding people who aligned with my values to collaborate and share experiences with. Whether this was other acupuncturists, or other business owners who are doing things in the way you want, I realized that when our values aligned we were able to freely share and help each other grow.

That’s actually what I’m all about. I love sharing and collaborating, I love collaborating with my patients to help them grow and get better. I love helping people. I think my practice, and the community I am building reflects that.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Safari Park – I love the safari tour and seeing all the animals.

Torrey Pines – the beach hike is my favorite! we usually start at the bottom, walk up the road, and walk down to the beach via trail. I always try and get there by 9am!

UTC shopping center – the speakeasy type cocktail bar – Raised by Wolves is a favorite. I love their cocktails AND mocktails

Balboa Park – the zoo, the museums, the spanish village art casitas, walking along the prado, picnics! I love this place

Leila – the middle eastern/mediterranean restaurant in northpark – EVERYTHING is good. Everything.

Buona Freschetta. – favorite italian restaurant, I love the one in Southpark

Dark Horse Coffee Roasters for coffee

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
It’s hard to name every single person who has helped or inspired me. I think the biggest shoutout would be to my community! I’m so grateful to be part of such an amazing community in San Diego. My community includes my family, friends, colleagues, patients and students. I couldn’t grow or move forward without your inspiration and guidance. I am eternally grateful to all of you! I also want to shout out my partner, with whom everything has become possible. I am so lucky to have someone that supports me unconditionally.

Website: milishahdacm@gmail.com

Instagram: @milishahdacm

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mili-shah-acupuncture-san-diego-4?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

Image Credits
Julie Quinn

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSoCal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.