Dr. Tracey Steady Hardcastle earned both her Master of Science and Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine degrees from the Pacific College of Health and Science. She has been a practitioner of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine since 2007. She has advanced training in women’s hormonal health, including: menstruation, fertility, perimenopause, and menopause. She also has advanced training in pediatrics.
Dr. Steady Hardcastle approaches care from a holistic perspective where the mind, body, and spirit are all components of wellness. In 2013 she completed a practicum in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at UMASS Medical School. She incorporated mindfulness techniques into her practice to help her patients develop skills they could use outside of her office to manage stress.
Dr. Steady Hardcastle began using telemedicine to support clients in 2021 as a Certified Metabolic Health Coach, Certified Trauma-Conscious Transformational Life Coach, Master Practitioner of Neurolinguistic Programming, and Certified Hypnotherapist. Dr. Steady Hardcastle also completed Certification in Social Impact and Awareness, and recently completed her Functional Genomics Certification.
During her time in practice, Dr. Steady Hardcastle has been involved in various community education endeavors, including: a series of guest lectures on mindfulness at Berkshire School; being an independent study supervisor and guest lecturer about Chinese Medicine at Simon’s Rock College of Bard; being a Preceptor for Clinical Rotation for the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine; and providing Continuing Education for Yale New Haven Health Lawrence and Memorial Hospital on Acupuncture as it Pertains to Integrative Medicine, and for Healthy Seminars on Best Practices for Supporting Patients Recovering from Pregnancy Loss and Childlessness.
Traditional Chinese Medicine considers the energy we get from our ancestors to be part of our constitution, and that pathogens, diet, exercise, stress, and other lifestyle factors interact with our constitution in both positive and negative ways. It’s a little like ancient epigenetics. Functional Genomics provides a way to look at our constitution through a modern lens, and Dr. Steady Hardcastle is thrilled to add this perspective to her patient care toolkit.
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After graduating with my Master of Science degree in 2007, I had my own full-time acupuncture and herbal practice in Great Barrington, Massachusetts until 2020. During that time, I did advanced training in hormonal health, fertility, pediatrics, tick-borne illnesses, and anxiety.
In 2020, after 5 miscarriages, I was exhausted, my hormones were a mess, I felt alone and like no one understood what I was going through. I couldn't imagine a future where I could be happy without having a child, and worst of all, I kept trying to convince myself that pregnancy loss and childlessness weren't a big deal. This challenge was amplified by other losses I hadn't processed, and other times I had felt grief, shame, and regret.
Due to the pandemic, I also couldn’t practice acupuncture for several months. Like many people, I took the opportunity to see what changes needed to be made in my life.
First I trained to be a metabolic health coach specializing in perimenopause and menopause.
Then I found a training program where I learned the skills I needed to start deeply healing and see a new path forward. I will never be the same - no one who suffers a loss ever is, whether it is the loss of a person, of identity, or of hope. I like to think that the new me is bigger, more courageous, more aware. My grief brought to the surface every wound or loss I've ever experienced, every shadow I'd been running from, and every place where I needed to love myself more. This journey increased my capacity to hold safe space for others to do the same.
In 2023 I contracted Lyme disease and not only did it cause suffering on its own, it also threw off my hormones again. The tragic loss of my brother a few months later made everything worse, and my path back to balance included testing my DNA to see what small changes I could make to help my body heal. With the help of some skilled doctors, and the right support for my grief, I implemented DNA-inspired changes and started feeling like myself again.
My journey has been complicated and far from easy; but also contains many beautiful moments, wonderful mentors, and a deep and broad collection of tools. I offer you not only my knowledge, but also my lived experience and humanity.
