Amy Baxter

Amy Baxter

When I asked 2013 TEDxPeachtree speaker Dr. Amy Baxter for a few words that described herself, she asked if she could phone a friend for help. Ever the multi-tasker and collaborative tour de force, Amy challenged the group of women she was working with that afternoon, packaging Buzzy products to lend her a hand.

After a few minutes of joking around about various adjectives, Amy and her prized team of “Mompreneurs” came to the following 4 word conclusion: Idealistic, Firecracker, Intelligent, and Caring. I certainly couldn’t agree more with their assessment.

Amy Baxter created Buzzy, a solution that eliminates pain from the process of getting a shot, after seeing the suffering caused by shots in her own children and those she served as a pediatrician. She knew that vibration and cool temperatures could be combined to confuse nerve endings, thus eliminating the pain felt in a target area. Why not create a solution for shot-related pain that could work for kids of all ages?

Amy referred to her husband as a catalyst for transforming her idea to end suffering, and turned it into a thriving, care-centered business. “At one point he said look, if you don’t do this, then every time you hear a kid cry you’re going to feel bad. Often one small concept can have profound effect and reverberations, and it’s exactly like a catalyst in chemistry. It just takes a tiny amount of one new substance to completely change a reaction.”

Amy’s idea for Buzzy is flourishing as a small business staffed by focused, driven women who are proud of the work that they’re doing to eliminate the pain and stigma associated with necessary medical procedures. Besides eliminating pain from shots, Buzzy also works on various applications.

“So, most of the women that are working for me are incredibly overqualified, but the flexibility of working with Buzzy has been something that has made the tradeoff worthwhile,” Amy said of her dedicated staff. “The fact that we’re doing something that’s helping people and using our brains is addictive.”

Being a successful, compassionate business person does, of course, involves some trade-offs. “I’m grounded by my family, but I’m not balanced or centered,” Amy said when asked about how she copes with the challenges around her. “I’m constantly juggling with one foot on a plank that is balanced on a ball. Balance is an illusion.”

Amy’s choice to pursue her idea for Buzzy was a decision that she knew would be tempered by sacrifices made in other parts of her life. She keeps pressing on though, because she knows that the work that she’s doing with her team at Buzzy is important to the mission of public health, pain management, and quality of life improvement worldwide.

“The women I work with are phenomenal, and I just enjoy our time, and our chemistry,” Amy said of her days at work. “I enjoy that we feel like we’re making something happen that is world-changing, but it’s easy to keep going because every day someone will send us an email or tell us a story about how Buzzy has changed their lives, or dramatically improved their lives. So that’s addictive.”

Have you gotten your ticket for this year’s TEDxPeachtree event? You really don’t want to miss out on Amy and others’ talks on November 8. Purchase your ticket today before they run out.

Katie Grills

Katie Grills is a marketing professional and resident of Atlanta’s Historic Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. When she isn’t playing catch with her dog, Katie likes to hone her culinary abilities, read short fiction, and explore the intricacies and oddities of Atlanta’s neighborhoods.

One response to “2013 Speaker Spotlight: Dr. Amy Baxter”

  1. […] Dr. Amy Baxter brought our attention to what better and proper pain management can do to reduce and eliminate needle phobia in children and adults. Healthcare providers and the public can overcome this barrier with a better understanding of pain. […]

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