Herbalists & Nutritionists: In the Clinic with Camille

A Mindful Eating Metaphor
It might help to think about this in terms of mindful eating. When you feel the urge to sign up for something, stop and ask: is my practice actually hungry for this?
If you've decided newsletters are your main marketing focus and you're specifically hunting for newsletter training - amazing. Dive in.
If you're just responding to a sale email, a fear of missing out, or a vague sense that you "should" know more? Take a step back. You might find the urge is actually about avoiding visibility work, not about needing to know this information right now.
The "Someday" List
When I'm tempted by a program but my business isn't actually hungry for it right now, I keep a running document with the link, price, and details. About 80% of the time, I realize that I don't need or want to do the program right now. It's a "nice to have eventually" versus a "I need to implement this right away and I think this course will help." Programs and classes are almost always offered again later.
A Suggestion
Before you sign up for anything this fall, ask yourself:
Is this a hunger in my business right now?
Am I going to implement what I learn, or just collect more information?
Am I using learning as a way to avoid the harder work of being seen?
We want synergy between what we're taking in and what we're putting out. Make sure there's a balance between the two.
Links and Resources
Submit a question for a future episode at intheclinic.com
Sign up for my weekly Practitioner Notes newsletter at intheclinic.com or camillefreeman.com
Find all episodes and show notes at intheclinic.com
About Me
I'm Camille Freeman, DCN, RH, and I host In the Clinic with Camille, a podcast for herbalists and nutritionists building and growing their private practices. I've been in clinical practice since 2003 with a focus on fertility, pregnancy, and menstrual health.

I've gotten several questions lately about whether or not I recommend Substack to clinicians who want to start a newsletter to help promote their clinical practices. TLDR: it's  not the best tool for the job. 
In this episode, I spell out why I don't think herbalists and nutritionists are well-served by using Substack as a way to promote a private practice. 
Essentially, it all boils down to: 
It's not designed for promoting services, classes, workshops, etc. and it shows. 
It's free, which is great, but you do pay in other ways - for example, in control over you readers' experience. 
Support is basically nonexistent. 
I go into a few other reasons in the show, but these are the big ones.
Go ahead and use an email service provider that's designed for the type of promotion we do when we write a newsletter. I use MailerLite, but there are tons of great options with similar features. 
For more on writing newsletters, check out my book: Write Better Newsletters: Grow your 1:1 practice with newsletters people actually want to read. 
And/or join my newsletter for practitioners to get a new note from me every Thursday. 
Thanks for being here!
- Camille

A behind-the-scenes update on a change I've been making at Bloom & Grow: after years of offering my freebies as open downloads, I'm now requiring an email address to access them. I wanted to share my full (evolving) thinking in case it gives you permission to change your mind on something in your own practice.
Key Points & Timestamps:
00:00 - Welcome and intro
00:18 - The backstory
01:10 - Why I've had a change of heart
01:35 - People don't click on web search results anymore, apparently
02:24 - Web traffic is down overall
02:53 - AI roadblocks
03:52 - Freebie set up
04:53 - Keeping an eye on results
05:13 - New website navigation
06:07 - It's okay to change your mind
Resources Mentioned:
My freebies page: camillefreeman.com/freebies
My book: Write Better Newsletters: Grow your 1:1 Practice with Emails People Actually Want to Read
My weekly practitioner notes: sign up at camillefreeman.com (or grab a freebie and join the list at the same time)
If you want to check out the new setup, head to the freebies page; some are still in transition, so you might see a mix of old and new setups. If there's something in your own practice that doesn't feel in alignment anymore, I hope this gives you a little wiggle room to change it. You can always change it back 🖤

I got a great question from Cora about whether I recommend that practitioners put their prices on their websites. Short answer: yes, I think it makes sense to publish your prices. In this episode I walk through why I feel strongly about this, what can happen when you don't share prices upfront, and how transparency frees up time and makes discovery calls more meaningful. 
Links and Resources
Sign up for my weekly Practitioner Notes newsletter at camillefreeman.com
Submit a question for the podcast at intheclinic.com
Find all episodes and show notes at intheclinic.com
About Me
I'm Camille Freeman, DCN, RH, and I host In the Clinic with Camille, a podcast for herbalists and nutritionists in private practice. I've been in clinical practice since 2003 with a focus on fertility, pregnancy, and menstrual health, and I love sharing the business and clinical lessons I've learned along the way.

I got a question in a recent Q&A call about wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) cream and progesterone. A client felt the cream was helping raise their progesterone, but the practitioner had questions about whether that was realistically happening. So what's the deal? I share a few thoughts on why a client might be noticing a difference and things to be on the lookout for as an herbalist or nutritionist if your client is using wild yam cream. 
Key Takeaways
Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) contains diosgenin, which can be converted to progesterone in a laboratory setting, but the human body does not have the enzymes to make that conversion.
If a wild yam cream seems to be helping with progesterone-related symptoms, the cream may actually contain progesterone (check the active ingredient label - some do).
Lower-quality or less transparent products can sometimes contain undisclosed ingredients or contaminants, including hormones, so it's worth investigating the brand and looking for third-party testing.
The placebo effect is a thing and may be at play here.
Wild yam does contain phytoestrogens, and while topical absorption levels are unclear, this is a more physiologically plausible mechanism than progesterone conversion.
Progesterone blood levels are pulsatile (they fluctuate roughly every 45-60 minutes), so a single lab draw in the luteal phase should not be interpreted as evidence of "low progesterone" without proper clinical context.
Links and Resources Mentioned
Sign up for Camille's weekly Practitioner Notes newsletter at camillefreeman.com
Submit a question for the podcast at intheclinic.com
Find all episodes and show notes at intheclinic.com
About Camille
Camille Freeman, DCN, RH, is the founder of Bloom and Grow, offering continuing education and community resources for herbalists and nutritionists in clinical practice. She has been in practice since 2003 with a focus on fertility, pregnancy, and menstrual health.

As I was out on a walk this morning, something I heard on Cal Newport's podcast resonated with me. I'm sharing a small takeaway point regarding over-optimizing and how I think that applies both to our clinical work and to everything that goes on behind the scenes to keep a clinical practice running. 
Key Takeaways
The optimization paradox: over-optimizing a single area can throw the whole system out of balance
In client work, you don't need to move every health pillar from a 2 to a 10. Moving several from a 2 to a 5 or 7 often produces better outcomes.
In your practice, "good enough" marketing across multiple channels beats getting one area in tip-top shape. 
This framework is especially useful for solo practitioners without formal business or marketing training as it takes some pressure off and offers multiple ways to improve
Links and Resources Mentioned
Cal Newport's Deep Questions podcast: Optimization Paradox episode with Brad Stulberg
Sign up for Camille's weekly Practitioner Notes newsletter at camillefreeman.com
Find all episodes and show notes at intheclinic.com
About Camille
Camille Freeman, DCN, RH, is the founder of Bloom and Grow, offering continuing education and community resources for herbalists and nutritionists in clinical practice. She has been in practice since 2003 with a focus on fertility, pregnancy, and menstrual health.
 

If you were trained to recommend RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) for strains and sprains, it may be time to update your knowledge a bit. In this episode, I share what came up in a recent Monday Mentoring session: the shift from RICE to PEACE & LOVE, why icing and total rest can slow tissue healing, and steps to promote recovery from soft tissue injury. 
In this episode, we cover:
Why the medical community moved away from RICE for soft tissue injuries
The PEACE acronym explained: Protection, Elevation, Avoid Anti-inflammatories, Compression, Education
The LOVE acronym explained: Load, Optimism, Vascularization, Exercise
Why suppressing inflammation with ice or NSAIDs may extend healing time
When gentle movement and load are better than total rest
My clinical additions: topical herbs and nutrient density for tissue repair
Where to find the BMJ graphic to share with clients
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: soft tissue injuries in Monday Mentoring
01:00 - The RICE paradigm and why it's becoming outdated
02:05 - Introducing PEACE & LOVE as the updated framework
02:40 - P for Protection: why total rest slows healing
03:33 - E for Elevation: managing swelling without stopping inflammation
04:00 - A for Avoid Anti-inflammatories: ice and NSAIDs reconsidered
04:38 - C for Compression: gentle support and lymphatic flow
05:02 - E for Education: trusting the body's healing capacity
05:50 - Moving into LOVE: the sub-acute and recovery phase
06:06 - L for Load: reintroducing movement without pain
06:48 - O for Optimism: mindset and conditioned recovery
07:23 - V for Vascularization: blood flow, cardio, and circulatory stimulants
08:05 - E for Exercise: returning to strength and mobility
08:30 - Herbal topicals and nutrition support for tissue healing
09:10 - Link to the BMJ graphic and client handout resources
Links Mentioned:
PEACE & LOVE blog post and graphic (BMJ)
Submit a Question
Have a clinical or business question you'd like me to answer on a future episode? I'd love to answer it. Click on the "Submit a Question to Camille" button at intheclinic.com.
Join the Practitioner Notes Newsletter
Want more clinical tips and practice-building resources? Join my practitioner email list, sent out every Thursday with a short note and three specific recommendations to make running your practice a little easier. Sign up at intheclinic.com or camillefreeman.com.

Gummy multivitamins are everywhere now, from adult formulas to prenatal and senior blends - but are they actually a good substitute for capsules or tablets? In this episode, I discuss clinical considerations, including quality control findings, sugar content, and formulation limits that affect dosing and nutrient stability.
In this episode, we cover:
When gummy multivitamins might be the best (or only) tolerable option for a client
Sugar and non-nutritive sweetener content to review before recommending
Why iron and higher-dose B vitamins may be missing from gummy formulations
Why gummy multis tend to have lower overall nutrient doses than capsules or tablets (which isn't necessarily a bad thing)
Consumer Lab quality findings: degradation issues, overages, and what they mean clinically
Upcoming Multivitamin Deep Dive class details
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: answering questions about gummy multivitamins
01:00 - When gummies are a reasonable alternative (dysphagia, pregnancy aversions, palatability)
01:50 - Sugar, non-nutritive sweeteners, and blood sugar considerations
02:55 - Missing ingredients: why iron and higher-dose B vitamins rarely make the cut
04:10 - Lower nutrient density: how the gummy base limits room for active ingredients
05:00 - Consumer Lab findings on quality control, degradation, and nutrient overages
06:45 - Clinical bottom line: who gummies work for and when to supplement separately
07:50 - Other ingredients to review: dyes, excipients, and lower-quality fillers
08:30 - Multivitamin Deep Dive class invitation: July 13th, 5:00 - 6:30 PM Eastern
Links Mentioned:
Consumer Lab summary of gummy multivitamin quality testing
Multivitamin Deep Dive class (July 13th, 2026 from 5-6:30 pm; 1.5 NPCE available through Dec 2028)
All-Access 2026 Supplement Deep Dive Pass
Submit a Question
Have a clinical or business question you'd like me to answer on a future episode? I'd love to answer it. Click on the "Submit a Question to Camille" button at intheclinic.com.
Join the Practitioner Notes Newsletter
Want more clinical tips and practice-building resources? Join my practitioner email list, sent out every Thursday with a short note and three specific recommendations to make running your practice a little easier. Sign up at intheclinic.com or camillefreeman.com.

Lots of us get brilliant ideas for new courses and programs in the summer. Here, I share why I strongly recommend that you don't build the course or program before you know if people will sign up for it. Instead of spending dozens or even hundreds of hours creating a course, consider running a pilot version and making sure at least a few people are willing to pay for the program before you start creating it.
See also episode 39 from way back in 2022: Why You Shouldn't Create an Online Course 
In this episode, we cover:
Why the surge of summer creative energy can lead to a very expensive mistake.
Why "that sounds interesting!" is not the same as confirmed interest.
How to put your idea out there before investing time and money in creating something new.
What to do if nobody signs up or if a handful of people do.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
0:11 - Summer and the creative energy surge
1:04 - Building something nobody buys
2:18 - What "interest" actually means (hint: $$)
2:59 - Co-creation vs. building in a silo
4:11 - Start with a Google doc and a price
5:32 - If nobody signs up, at least you know 
6:31 - If five people sign up: build it simply, together
7:15 - Make it fancier in round two
Submit a Question
Have a clinical or business question you'd like me to answer on a future episode? I'd love to answer it. Click on the "Submit a Question to Camille" button at intheclinic.com.
Join the Practitioner Notes Newsletter
Want more clinical tips and practice-building resources? Join my practitioner email list, sent out every Thursday with a short note and three specific recommendations to make running your practice a little easier. You can sign up at intheclinic.com or camillefreeman.com.
 

Whether you use AI tools yourself or want nothing to do with them, if you share educational materials, run a community, or work with clients, you may want to have a written AI policy. In this episode, I share the one I created for Bloom and Grow, which is still very much a working draft. 
In this episode, we cover:
Why practitioners who don't use AI still need a policy 
The four parts of the Bloom and Grow AI policy: note-takers in live sessions, scraping and uploading community content, disclosing AI use when sharing case studies, and keeping forum interactions human.
The existence of invisible AI note-takers (the kind that don't show up as Zoom participants) 
What I can and can't control, and why I chose to include these things in my policy anyway.
The difference between a community/course AI policy and a personal AI policy
One way that I'm experimenting with AI in my own practice: SOAP note drafting from session transcripts, using a HIPAA-compliant tool with client disclosure.
Resources mentioned:
Off the Grid Podcast with Amelia Hruby - especially the episodes about how to write a thoughtful AI policy (and the others in the AI series!) 
Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
0:11 - Why you should keep listening even if you hate AI discourse
0:56 - Credit to Off the Grid podcast for shaping my thinking
1:29 - Two policies I'm working on: community vs. personal
3:33 - Reading the Bloom and Grow AI policy
3:45 - No AI note-takers in live sessions 
6:17 - No scraping or uploading B&G content to LLMs
8:32 - Disclose AI use when sharing case studies for feedback
8:46 - Keep forum and chat interactions human
9:48 - What's coming: my personal AI policy for the website
10:07 - What I'm actually experimenting with right now (SOAP notes)
10:55 - Why your AI stance is worth making visible
Submit a Question
Have a clinical or business question you'd like me to answer on a future episode? I'd love to answer it. Click on the "Submit a Question to Camille" button at intheclinic.com.
 
Join the Practitioner Notes Newsletter
Want more clinical tips and practice-building resources? Join my practitioner email list, sent out every Thursday with a short note and three specific recommendations to make running your practice a little easier. Never written by AI 😆 You can sign up at intheclinic.com or camillefreeman.com.