The following is an interview with Kelly Callahan, CCH, a 2011 graduate of Baylight Homeopathy. Her practice, Concentric Healing Homeopathy, is based in Camden, Maine. You can get in touch with her at concentrichealing@gmail.com.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Kelly: I spent my childhood and school years in Maine. Spring semester of my junior year of high school I went to the Chewonki Semester program and that had a huge influence on me. The exposure to farming and ecological perspectives led me to WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities in Organic Farming) in New Zealand during my year off after high school, and then on to major in Agroecology and Natural History at UC Santa Cruz. I also worked as a wilderness guide at UCSC, which led into alternative education and a couple years as a middle school teacher after getting my credential.

My husband and I re-located to Maine when our daughter was 3 months old in 2003. We’ve been living in the midcoast ever since. We love it here. We’ve found a beautiful spot on a ridge in Appleton where we’re currently homeschooling our two kids. Gardening, getting outdoors, 5Rhythms dance, and most recently- spinning poi!- all vie for my time when I’m not engaged with the kids or practicing homeopathy.

How did you first become interested in homeopathy?

KC: I was always into natural health and alternative methods. I had two homebirths. I was one of those people who thought homeopathy was like herbalism until my boyfriend (now husband) set me straight. His dad had taken a homeopathy veterinary course. But it wasn’t until I had a baby and was looking to use natural treatments that I pursued homeopathy. It was like a deep knowing that homeopathy is what I had to use. Once we got started, I was hooked.

What is homeopathy to you?

KC: I took a Tai Chi class once, and I remember having this feeling of all aspects of my being: mental, physical, and spiritual all moving in synchronicity. Homeopathy is like that- a medicine that heals us toward oneness and synchronicity within ourselves. In turn, that healing resonates out into our families, communities, and the world.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned with Baylight Homeopathy?

KC: I honestly didn’t understand the deeper spiritual purpose of homeopathy when I started at Baylight. When I heard my first philosophy lecture, I was floored. It was so much more than I had thought, and I was thrilled and blindsided. Nancy continued to always hold that space- of what we’re here to do, how we can show up for better, and how homeopathy can be a part of that. There was no dogma, just pure respect and love for our potential to heal and how homeopathy can help get us there.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

KC: I definitely want to continue practicing. Helping patients is at the center for me. But I’m a bit of an idea factory- I get a lot of them. Most of them just fly away, never to manifest, but I’m always thinking about little side-projects with homeopathy. Currently I’m working on a podcast project that I’m super excited about. It’s enabling me to bring together a desire to study and synthesize information about remedies, interviewing homeopaths from all over- which is very cool because I realized that the idea of oral history has been a thread that has run through my life- and finally some dramatic reading of old literature which also hooks into an old passion of mine: theater. It’s going to be called 1M: A Podcast for Homeopaths. So look out for it!

I also love teaching so I do hope someday to have a regular teaching gig in some capacity. But that feels a ways down the line; I want to keep finding my own niche in the homeopathic community of original work, as well as gaining experience and competence as a practitioner first and foremost.

Oh - and bringing homeopathy to places of need is also very important to me. I want to volunteer with Homeopaths Without Borders. I would LOVE to go to Tanzania and work with Homeopathy for Health in Africa. But I also think about starting a mobile clinic for migrant field workers who suffer a lot of acutes due to their work.

What does health mean to you?

KC: At one time, I was focused on food and exercise and more of tangible ‘inputs;- how you treat your illnesses, etc. And I think those things are important for sure. But today, in this moment, I think it’s really about love. How you *actively* love yourself. And that includes food, because if you love yourself you will nourish yourself well, physically. And you will be active in ways your body loves. And you will fill your own cup, which means you can love another. It’s possible to love yourself, feel loved by others, and love others and be physically ill. But if you are loving and are loved, maybe aren’t suffering as much. There are people who appear to be physically healthy, but are suffering emotionally and spiritually. So - to stay healthy, I say practice love toward yourself. Fill your cup.

Any advice for those new to homeopathy or those interested in pursuing a career in holistic medicine?

KC: Go on to hpathy.com and read Dr. Manish Bhatia’s letter to students of homeopathy.

This article was a life line to me when I got out of Baylight and was trying to practice and felt kind of lost and like I couldn’t be in touch with that magic I felt at school. Print it out. I had the 12 bullet points posted above my desk for a couple years. I only took it down because we were moving things around. I recently re-printed and read it again and every word of it still rings true for me.

And then I would add, be in touch with your own love of homeopathy. If you just think about getting clients and building your practice, you might feel frustrated and resentful if it’s slow going, or clients don’t come back, or cases don’t go as well as you like. Figure out what kind of homeopath you are and integrate homeopathy with your own strengths. You can be inspired by other homeopaths, but you can’t be just like any other homeopath. You can only be yourself.