Karen Audrey Carter, CFM, is a 25-year veteran of the post-mastectomy and foundations industry. Having worked for major bra retailers, foundations manufacturers, post-mastectomy product manufacturers, and owning two businesses, she has accumulated an extensive knowledge of clients' needs from this specialty business. After isolating women's specialty requirements in her geographic area through her
previous job experiences, Karen opened her first business in 1998 as a home fitter for post-mastectomy services. She subsequently opened her boutique, Second To Nature Women's Boutique, in Augusta, Georgia, at University Hospital Breast Health Center in 2000. She had the pleasure of serving thousands of women with their fitting needs over the years, and obtained extensive experience and training in the image consulting needs of women with cancer. After selling her first business and moving to Tennessee in 2007, Karen began working for two major post-mastectomy manufacturers as a sales representative. After being tutored by leaders in the industry at that time, she was also given the tasks of certifying new fitters and business owners for post-mastectomy fittings. Advice and help with Medicare compliance, accreditation, fitting and business management was a large part of her work. Consulting services were then added as she found that a great many of her clients needed business management advice. Businesses were concerned with their success and how they could grow and improve their sales, be compliant with ever-changing insurance regulations, fit difficult clients, and more. There was no outlet for them to turn to for such advice and experience, so Karen lovingly and generously offered this help to many business owners, speaking through her own experiences in the field. Her services expanded when she was contacted by several hospitals interested in opening these boutiques to offer fittings for their own patients. She assisted in design, development, and accreditation for these boutiques, and has enjoyed seeing their continued success. Karen opened her second boutique in 2011, The Balancing Touch, in Aiken, South Carolina, at the Aiken Regional Medical Center's Cancer Care Center. There she can enjoy keeping her connection with working directly with women who are undergoing cancer care, and Karen loves to give her patients messages about self love, self care, and their internal beauty, hoping to make a difference to them
during their difficult journey through cancer. When not at her business, Karen offers her knowledge and experience to assist new and experienced business owners in growing their businesses in a way that is easy to understand, compassionate, and reasonable. She also enjoys working with complementary care and healing arts practitioners in merging the gap between traditional health care and complementary health care modalities. Her passion lies in assisting women in living their dreams of business success, personal growth, and healing. She enjoys working with cancer patients, business colleagues, and all women in assisting them to achieve their goals. Karen has had personal experience with cancer when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002. She watched, supported and encouraged her mother as she went through surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation and thankfully enjoyed a successful remission from the cancer, but the journey taught her a deeper personal level of this business through this journey. Karen's goals include growing and expanding her own business, incorporating holistic care into her services, developing a workshop for cancer patients about self care, and working with the healthcare community to promote awareness and openness concerning the special needs of these women and complementary care for them. Altogether, she uses her varied experience, love of all people, deep desire to help others, and her entrepreneurial drive to assist everyone possible through her consulting services.
