THE ACCRESCENT™ PODCAST Bonus EPISODE

Leigh Ann Lindsey (00:01.779)
Well, hello, welcome back everyone to the Accrescent Podcast. I’m your host, Leigh Ann Lindsey, and today we have the lovely Kelly on with us because she’s so amazing at helping me facilitate these conversations. Anytime I have something I want to share on a more personal level or in this case, really exciting updates to announce with you all. So thank you, Kelly, for being here.

Kelly Schmidt (00:24.908)
Yeah, I know, so excited to talk about this next chapter for the Accrescent coming soon.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (00:31.551)
Yes. I mean we were just talking off air that it’s it’s exciting, it’s nerve-wracking. I think it’s a big step for me and a step that I maybe didn’t think I was gonna be taking this soon in my career. And so the announcement is that I will be moving my in-person private practice office inside of a new

Integrative wellness medical facility called Helixana here in Irvine, California. So still in Orange County, just honestly, like maybe 15 minutes from where I’m at now. And so this is a big announcement. It’s something I have put honestly months of thought and intention and consideration into. Something like this is not a move I take lightly. And I think that’s what we’re gonna get into more today: why I made this decision.

I feel Helixona is such an amazing aligned next step for me and get to introduce you to them a little bit. We’re gonna have, I’m gonna have Cassandra, who is the CEO of Helixona on the show in a later episode to go even deeper into their values, who they are, the patients they’re treating. But today is a little like private, a crescent announcement of this and getting into it a little bit.

Kelly Schmidt (01:51.799)
Yeah. Inside scoop. Okay, so tell us why, why Helixona, why is this kind of the right next step for you and your work?

Leigh Ann Lindsey (02:01.425)
Yeah. I always I think the audience knows by now, I my main demographic is working with clients experiencing cancer or chronic illness. And as we know, supporting them through that journey.

emotionally, but then also looking at deeper emotional contributors to disease. So I always saw myself at some point being in a medical facility, having my private practice inside of a medical facility. That way every single day I’m steeped in that. That is the majority of the clients I’m working with. And and beyond that future implications of

After I have my PhD and I finish that dissertation, I don’t want the research to stop. I want to continue to research emotional contributors to disease and how we can better serve.

this population how we can better support healing from an emotional perspective. And so research is something I anticipate I will be doing for the rest of my life. And as such, wanting to be closer to that demographic, closer to those individuals I’m wanting to support so much. So that was kind of the initial step is

I always saw myself being in a medical facility again. I think the right opportunity just came so much sooner than I was anticipating. And that’s in fact been a reason why I have been digesting and reflecting this for so long to make sure that this really is aligned and it’s not me just jumping the gun or doing something a little bit impulsively.

Kelly Schmidt (03:44.143)
Sure. So, Helixona specifically, what about their ethos, the center itself, the people who work there, what kind of drew you to them and what feels right about this specifically with them?

Leigh Ann Lindsey (03:58.964)
Yes. So I’ve known Cassandra, I’ve known of Helixona for a little while now, maybe close to a year.

And have been with them just in kind of a colleague kind of relationship, observing what they’re doing. They’re about a year old, so they started their this amazing medical facility about a year ago. And anytime a new medical facility pops up in Orange County, I always want to go introduce myself, meet them, and see what’s up, because if this is gonna be a new resource that I can refer patients or clients to.

I get excited, but I’m never gonna refer clients to a place that I don’t know what’s going on over there. I don’t know what their values are or how they’re practicing, and if it’s a place I would feel safe and comfortable sending clients to. So almost a year ago now, I heard about them. I went over, I took a facility tour, I met Cassandra, the CEO, just purely to get to know them and see if this is a place I would feel comfortable referring patients to. And I was so impressed. I was

so blown away with their values, the services, the modalities they had, the level of nuance to the care they’re providing, and then the vision, which these are all the things we’re gonna get into. So, but I think that’s profound because it started as just a professional colleague relationship, and I have since referred patients to them because I think they’re doing really amazing things. So with that said, the values, the services

One of the things I love most about Helixona is the commitment to the patient experience, the commitment to the level of nuance they’re bringing to care, which is something even in the integrative medicine world, I feel is sometimes lacking. Where sometimes at offices there’s

Leigh Ann Lindsey (05:53.44)
There’s this beautiful idea of we have all of these amazing treatments, but they’re kind of being used really willy-nilly. There’s not very concise protocols, and so over at Helixana, they are so intentional about yes, we have all of these amazing technologies, and we’ll get into some of them in a little bit, but the when, the where, the how is just as important. So if you are detoxing from mold.

You might be doing some eboo sessions, but we’re not gonna have you do Limp Star right after because that’s actually gonna cause an even deeper Hirx reaction. So we wanna be really, really intentional. They’re also being so intentional about the patient experience. Having worked in a cancer facility before and seen sometimes how overwhelming the experience can be, how difficult it is to

Kelly Schmidt (06:47.406)
you

Leigh Ann Lindsey (06:47.539)
book sessions, manage the online platform. They have some really amazing resources in the mix that are just gonna make that patient experience as easy as possible. And it’s all about

Kelly Schmidt (06:51.47)
you

you

Kelly Schmidt (07:00.27)
you

you

Leigh Ann Lindsey (07:03.239)
It’s all about patient care. It’s all about providing the absolute best experience possible from the level of services they provide to the level of empathy and compassion that’s coming from the staff, the care all of the staff and practitioners have around the work they’re doing. And so even a year ago when I first met them, that was something that really lit me up is there’s so much passion here, but there’s also so much integrity.

Kelly Schmidt (07:05.698)
Good.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (07:29.703)
Which y for me, like you can’t have one or the other, you need both.

Kelly Schmidt (07:35.726)
That’s very cool. Okay, so you feel really aligned with what they’re doing. How about what you’re bringing? Are you staying, know, siloed as the crescent? Are you joining their team? What is that going to look like?

Leigh Ann Lindsey (07:47.892)
That’s a good question. So I I am staying my own practice. So I’m staying the acrescent. Client bookings will still go through me.

Billing, all of that will still go through me as it always has. So as far as the patient or client experience with me, nothing’s gonna change except that if I see you in person, I’m gonna be seeing you in Irvine now, not Costa Mesa. but it’s really exciting because Helixona, one of their big, big visions is they want to be the one of the best facilities in the world for treating complex chronic illness. And this is something that I think makes them even more niche.

Kelly Schmidt (08:10.167)
Check.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (08:26.579)
Is there’s chronic illness, but the demographic they’re often working with are those individuals who maybe have multiple chronic illnesses. It the the name denotes it, right? Complex. It’s clients or patients who feel like they have been to see everyone. No one can seem to figure out what’s going on. Maybe there’s multiple diagnoses that practitioners can’t seem to figure out how to address everything at once. And so they want to be.

The best facility in the world for treating complex chronic illness and creating really science-backed research protocols for how to go about that, whether it’s Lyme disease, MS, mold.

answer being able to support them really deeply. So that excites me. And I think part of why, and this is probably what Cassandra and I will get into in our conversation, I think part of why they’re excited to have me there is they really understand and value that they can’t be the best medical facility in the world for treating complex chronic illness if they’re not treating and supporting the emotional side of healing.

Kelly Schmidt (09:35.288)
Yeah. Yeah.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (09:37.624)
And so it’s been so cool to see how much they value that. And even before Yes, I know. Well, how what a priority it is for them. Because again, in conventional medicine, like that’s really not a focus at all. In integrated in integrative medicine, it is a focus, but I still think even in integrative medicine, it’s not as high of a priority as it should be, right? If I remember being at the cancer center.

Kelly Schmidt (09:42.734)
It’s so rare.

Kelly Schmidt (10:03.79)
green.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (10:06.511)
And patients would be there eight hours a day doing treatments, eight hours a day, five days a week. And maybe one single hour of that would be focused on emotional wellness. So it’s beautiful, it’s a great start. And I think there needs to be, even in the integrative medicine world, even more emphasis on this. So it feels really amazing to be moving into a facility where they understand that so deeply and go.

Our patients are asking for this. We see that they’re needing this. And in order to be the best facility in the world for treating complex chronic illness, we know that we need to have someone in-house supporting this facet of healing. And so it’s also a really big honor that they feel that I might be a good person for that.

Kelly Schmidt (10:46.382)
Yeah.

Kelly Schmidt (10:52.846)
Yeah, totally. It would feel amazing. And I also think a huge opportunity for your clients to be exposed to, you know, your cancer and chronic illness patients who are coming in and looking for support. mean, what an amazing thing to be right there situated in this amazing center for, you know, everything that

they may be dealing with and indeed a place that is seeking to be the best in the world. Like everyone’s looking for the best possible treatment, right? So very cool that you get to be kind of swept into that and offer, you know, what we feel to be. Those of us who have seen you, probably the best type of, you know, emotional support for the challenges that we may be going through ourselves. Like truly, it’s such an honor for you, but also an honor for your clients as well to be a part of all of this.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (11:42.976)
That’s so sweet to hear. Yeah, that makes me feel really good. So so there’s there’s that and it’s being part of that vision. But a part of that we’re, you know, Cassandra and the team at Helixana and myself are hoping to and really excited about the possibility of collaborating on creating workshops, in-person programs.

Courses, things like this that I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but I think kind of being siloed off in my own little practice, being in a PhD, doing all the things, it’s felt like I want to do that so bad, but it’s just a little bit too much for me to be able to tackle on my own right now. So I feel really excited that being being at Helixana.

give you know kind of being able to like bring our passions together, our passions for healing together, is gonna allow me to finally birth some of these programs and workshops I’ve wanted to do for years into the world as we’re collaborating on it together. So that’s also a part of the vision and a part of what might be new and different and exciting for clients to look forward to is some additional offerings outside of the one-on-one sessions that I maybe haven’t been able to offer before.

Kelly Schmidt (12:32.311)
Ready?

Kelly Schmidt (12:56.76)
Great. And for those of us who are long distance from you, exciting to hear that there might be things that where we can kind of tap into your mindset and wisdom from afar. So that’s pretty cool.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (13:06.887)
Yes. All of the things, right. It’s just it’s for me it feels like a new level of dreaming. It feels like I’m gonna be in in a place with the

The right demographic, so much passion and so much integrity. And that’s fuel. That gives me energy and even more passion and even more inspiration to be able to do more of the things I want to do and vice versa. So I feel like it’s just gonna be this really beautiful symbiotic relationship where we’re, you know, encouraging each other and inspiring each other and pushing each other to higher limits to be able to support and help even more people in person and online.

Kelly Schmidt (13:45.485)
Yeah. Yeah. So on that note, are you, is anything else changing about, you know, how you currently operate? Like I know you’re saying you’ll now see clients and he looks on a, but is anything else about the way you see clients changing? Yeah. Anything there that those of us, you know, who may be able to see you in person or even just remotely might need to know. Okay.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (14:06.417)
Yeah, I don’t think so. Like I said, all booking is exactly the same. Hours are the same. For remote clients, literally nothing changes. For in-person clients, the only thing that changes is the location they’re driving to. So

Kelly Schmidt (14:16.59)
Okay.

Well, they have sort of access to some of the Helixana tools and solutions in a different or new way.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (14:27.113)
I think this is part of what Cassandra and I will talk about in our conversation a lot deeper, which is with this new location, if there’s clients who are really interested in getting started with them, what that process looks like, because they have a number of different ways to join you know become integrated into the practice.

kind of depending on what you’re experiencing and what you’re needing. So we’ll definitely be able to talk through that so that the audience and clients have a really clear sense of, ooh, if I’m excited about what’s going on there, which I hope everyone is, how can I participate? How can I access some of these resources?

Kelly Schmidt (15:02.39)
Yeah, okay, very cool. That’s helpful.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (15:04.927)
So we talked about values. I I think we talked a little bit already about my my main demographic and the passion, what my whole PhD dissertation is gonna be on is cancer, emotional contributors, emotional contributors to disease, archetypes of disease.

And so that is really huge for me where I absolutely love where I’m at currently. And where I’m at currently is more of a longevity facility. And so it’s less about chronic illness, it’s less about cancer. And I’m not saying that if I have any current clients who, you know, don’t have cancer or chronic is you’re not getting kicked out. Everyone is welcome, of course.

Kelly Schmidt (15:37.326)
good.

Kelly Schmidt (15:47.852)
Yes.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (15:51.68)
And for me to be able to be in a facility where every single patient walking through that door is in the midst of a severe diagnosis, that is where I feel I thrive, where I feel I can have a really, really massive impact. And so that’s another thing that I’m so excited about is being able to be in a space where every, you know, just every single client is someone I think I might be able to support.

Kelly Schmidt (16:20.608)
Yeah, and who really, really needs it at such a crucial time in their life’s journey. So that’s incredible. I’m sure there’s all kinds of people who are going to be introduced to you for the first time as well, and to some of this emotional work. So as you think about that, is that exciting? Is it nerve wracking? Is it a little bit of both?

Leigh Ann Lindsey (16:28.478)
Yes.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (16:42.899)
Yeah, I’m sure we’ll record another episode like this that’s more about the emotional process of moving and just getting into my internal experience of it a little bit, once I’ve actually digested it more. But it’s exciting. It’s funny, I was talking to a friend recently and I was like, it fe it’s giving first day of school vibes.

Kelly Schmidt (17:05.058)
Yeah, totally.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (17:05.809)
Where no matter what, no matter how established I am or how confident I am in the work I do, there’s still those fears of, okay, here I go, I’m going into a new place, and you know, are people gonna like me? Are they gonna like what I do? And even though intellectually I maybe already feel really confident in the answers, there’s still that kind of inner child who feels nervous about a big move like this. And I also

I also don’t take it lightly for my clients who are in person. This is why I deliberated on this decision for months, months and months and months, because it’s I almost feel like I’m uprooting a home. I almost feel like I’m uprooting my clients’ home. If that’s not self-inflating to say, I don’t want to make it seem like this is some magical place for them, but

I don’t take that lightly. I feel like everywhere I am, I try to create a space that feels like a sanctuary, that feels so safe and nourishing and uplifting. And I’m attached to the space I’m in currently. I’m sure some of my clients are too, which is why you know I don’t take it lightly that I’m moving, that I’m asking my in-person clients to move with me to this new space.

But I also know that it’s gonna be just as uplifting and nourishing and beautiful as where I’m at right now.

Kelly Schmidt (18:31.82)
Yeah, sure. And you know, there’s just these moments where we we arrive to sort of the next chapter in our lives and we always have an inner sense of like, I need to do this, but.

You know, it’s not a common for people to need to like walk up to the door and think about it and walk away and walk back up to it a few times. and the journey of stepping through it into the next chapter. Right. And I think it’s beautiful thing that you’ve thought so much about whether or not this was the right thing to do, but I’m sure you felt early on, like perhaps it was, and you just come to this place of like accepting that all will be well, that what’s good for you is good for everyone else, in your circle and the clients you serve as well. And I know that that will be true as you step into this.

next chapter.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (19:14.653)
Yeah, it’s exciting and I I do feel like up level or growth always comes with grief. At least for me, where I’m so excited about this move, I’m so excited about the immediate alignment, but I’m also so excited about the future dreams were

Kelly Schmidt (19:23.502)
Yeah.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (19:35.24)
Cooking up together. And there’s grief because I love where I’m at. The the people where I’m at are amazing. The staff, the practitioners are amazing. They’re some of my closest friends. So there’s a grief there of a a feeling of loss, even though I know they’re not going anywhere. We’re still gonna be referring to each other, referring clients to each other. We’re still gonna be spending time together. But there is a sense of loss and grief and sadness that comes with it.

Kelly Schmidt (20:02.178)
Yeah.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (20:04.871)
you know, could threaten to keep me from maybe making a move like this because it’s, I don’t wanna say goodbye to these people, I don’t want to say goodbye to this space. And beyond reckoning, you know, once once there’s all these considerations of is integrity aligned, our values aligned, our treatment, you know, nuances aligned, all of those things, there’s this sense of

Kelly Schmidt (20:07.764)
and short.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (20:32.391)
Okay, so all of that’s good on paper. What do I want to do here? I could stay where I’m at and stay very comfortable.

Very, very comfortable. I have an established flow to my practice. I have an established routine and rhythm in my day. So why disrupt that, Leanne? And there’s a part of me that would love to just go, and opportunities come my way, but I’m just gonna keep status quo, because that is what is easier and smoother for everyone involved, and that is a hundred percent true. This is disruptive, this is change, this is different.

Kelly Schmidt (21:06.647)
and

Leigh Ann Lindsey (21:09.021)
But on a personal level, when I really sat down and looked at all those things, there was a part in me that went, if I pass this opportunity, I think I might regret it for the rest of my life. And

Kelly Schmidt (21:20.142)
then

Leigh Ann Lindsey (21:23.043)
Not not because of any necess because it feels like it’s it’s the kind of thing that is going to push me to become an even better practitioner. It’s gonna push me closer to the dreams I say I want to achieve and the impact I wanna have on cancer and chronic illness in a much bigger context. And so if I said no and the only reason was because staying put was more comfortable, I know.

Kelly Schmidt (21:49.273)
Yeah.

Yeah, that’s kind of how you know like with that’s your reason that’s how you know It’s not the right choice, right? Like if the reason is it’s just easier and comfier over here, but you have big dreams They they fundamentally compete with each other don’t they so you you know the step forward that you have to take and I mean sometimes we just I don’t know we just have to like leap into the abyss right and find out it’s a feather bed and I think that’s that’s kind of the path, but it doesn’t mean that

you know, there isn’t like some disruption, some challenge, some figuring things out as you go. And I think, I don’t know, I just appreciate you sharing it because maybe people don’t always think about how you’re, we’ve talked about this before, like how you’re also going through your journey of like figuring out how to like heal the things that have kind of chained you to past realities you don’t want to live in anymore. And how it…

please out day to day in your life, right? Even in a decision like this, I think is really helpful and impactful to hear. I don’t know, just the real, the realities behind making a decision like this. It’s not just like, oh yeah, and so this opportunity came up and I’m gonna do that and see you all there.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (23:01.567)
Absolutely. And I was really being very, very intentional about I don’t want to make this move just because it feels prestigious or anything like that. But but beneath it, things aren’t aligned, right? Like the values aren’t aligned. All of these different little things. And so that was actually where I was at first. Because at first on the surface, I was like, hmm.

Kelly Schmidt (23:14.552)
Yeah.

Kelly Schmidt (23:20.75)
really.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (23:31.07)
I’m really excited about this, but am I jumping the gun? Am I missing something? Which is why I spent months doing my due diligence to get to know them even better. Many meetings, multiple questions to go. This also isn’t just an ego move of it’s gonna make me feel really fluffed up, but actually beneath the surface, behind cl behind whatever, you know, it’s not what’s really aligned. So yeah. Yeah.

Kelly Schmidt (23:36.566)
were.

Kelly Schmidt (23:40.642)
So why?

Kelly Schmidt (23:52.611)
Yeah. Right. Yeah. Cool. So when does this all take place?

Leigh Ann Lindsey (24:01.355)
that’s a great question. and then we can probably get into some of the the main things they treat as well as some of just like the fun, cool modalities they have. But beginning of September. So I’ll be moving over the last weekend of August. And so I think the beginning of September, that first week in September is when I’ll start seeing clients there.

Kelly Schmidt (24:16.622)
Okay.

Kelly Schmidt (24:27.112)
You’ll start seeing clients. Cool. Very, very cool. It’s coming up quickly. It’ll be here before you know it.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (24:29.979)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yes.

I I know, I know. I know it feels kinda last minute. It’s time to start getting emails out and updating people, which is all coming, but like we said off air, I also wanted to record this episode just so people could hear a little bit more in depth.

Kelly Schmidt (24:48.162)
and

Leigh Ann Lindsey (24:48.509)
what went into this decision, how much intention went into it. And then, like we said, we’re gonna hear from Cassandra in future more to go even deeper into who Helixana is, what they represent, how they’re treating patients.

Kelly Schmidt (25:04.75)
Well, give us a little overview, like you were saying, like some of the cool things that they offer over there.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (25:10.205)
Yes, so I have a short list. This is not all inclusive, but I do want to just touch on it really briefly. they’re treating things like persistent fatigue, chronic inflammation, autoimmune diseases, Lyme, MCAS, mold, pots.

Mitochondrial dysfunction, long COVID or postviral syndromes, Ellers-Danlow syndrome. So again, some of these really complex, tricky-to-solve cases. And again, that is not an exclusive list. They have amazing, amazing analysis and tests they’re doing beyond blood work, the in-body analysis, ANS testing, right eye diagnostics.

The mied analysis

And then amazing, amazing treatments. Of course, they have all of the IV therapies, which I’ll talk about a little bit more in a second. EBU therapy, Lymph Star, Biocharger, Beamer, Biomodulator, Scannar, Erconia Laser Therapy, Neuromuscular, Platelet-Rich Plasma or PRP therapy. And again, that’s not even the comprehensive list. These are just some of the amazing treatments that are going on there. Nano, oxygen, and hydrogen baths.

Kelly Schmidt (26:25.358)
you

Leigh Ann Lindsey (26:29.473)
So it’s exciting, and it’s so exciting for me to be in a facility that is so comprehensive. I think that’s really hard to find. number one, because some of these modalities are not very well known, and then number two, because they are incredibly expensive. So to be in a place that has so much under one roof is really powerful. And it’s exciting for me as

you know, in the work I do and the patients I work with, I’m often sometimes educating clients on, hey, have you heard of this treatment? You should go do it. But sometimes it’s oftentimes it’s in-house, but sometimes it’s sending them somewhere else. And so to be able to have it all in-house and have really, really rich, comprehensive, integrative care is just so exciting.

Kelly Schmidt (27:14.286)
Yeah, I think we’ve said this before. I think this is a really big downfall of our healthcare system is that it sends people on a rabbit chase trying to find where they can see people and making more appointments here and waiting and scheduling. It just becomes really overwhelming. So I think to have so much in one space is…

a real gift even just to the psyche of someone who’s going through a cancer diagnosis or a chronic illness. I mean, I think the last thing that they want on their plates is to try to figure out how to get all of these modalities fit into their schedule and where they are spread out across wherever they may live. So huge, huge, huge gift to be able to have this all in one place. I that is incredible.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (27:56.456)
Yes, and then y the last thing I wanted to note on that is they again, in the aim of making things as easy and smooth for patients as possible and trying to support them, because we understand that integrative care is expensive, is all of their IVs are covered by insurance.

Kelly Schmidt (28:16.61)
Mm.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (28:17.253)
Which is so hard to do in talking to them behind the scenes, the hoops you have to jump through with insurance companies to be able to have IVs covered is very intense.

such a labor of love. And so it’s massive because it for a lot of this complex chronic illness, cancer IVs are a huge part of the treatment. And so being able to have just one more thing that’s covered by insurance is massive and can offload a significant financial expense for the client. So that’s something that is re you know, really, really exciting that they’re doing over there.

Kelly Schmidt (28:32.45)
No.

Kelly Schmidt (28:40.974)
Thank

Kelly Schmidt (28:49.368)
Yeah. Yeah. my gosh. Sounds amazing. That is super cool.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (28:58.941)
Yes. So I think I is there any other immediate questions that come up that you can think of with that?

Kelly Schmidt (29:05.87)
I don’t know, I think you’ve answered most of the ones I was thinking of. But like you said, I think you’ll dig into a bit more of what Helixana offers and sort of their ethos with their founders. And I’m sure we may even have more of them on the podcast in the future. So that will be really exciting. And then just to hear about how things go when you get going, I think that will be a really interesting conversation have as well.

Leigh Ann Lindsey (29:31.826)
I know, I know. So many exciting things to come. So thank you, Kelly, for being here to help me share this announcement. Thank you, audience, for listening and tuning in. And yeah, I think there’ll be a future conversation to come with Cassandra where we’ll just get to dive really, really deep into now all of the nuance of this. She’s gonna be able to explain it and get into it so much deeper. So thank you so much, everyone.

Kelly Schmidt (29:33.282)
Thanks for sharing.

Kelly Schmidt (29:55.31)
All right.