CH 1: “Why” Statement from the owner!
My Journey: From Art School to Cardiac Unit to Proactive Wellness
My path in healthcare began unconventionally. Burnt out from the food industry (waitressing, then a stint at Subway), I landed a unit secretary and cardiac monitor technician role on a busy cardiac step-down unit—thanks to my mom, a nurse on that floor. I didn't get the job on my first try; they told me to take a medical terminology class, which I did, while also pursuing an A.A. with a focus on art and art history, as I was planning to transfer to FSU for a double major in art and psychology.
My long-term plan was ambitious: two bachelor's degrees, a master's in psychology at FSU, a transfer to Vancouver for an art therapy program, and finally, a Ph.D. in psychology with an art therapy focus back at FSU. This 10-year plan would culminate in either working for someone as a psychologist or opening my own practice.
This dream took root around age 12, after my family was required to attend therapy following a traumatic accident: my four-year-old brother was run over by a work truck my father was driving. This tragic accident led to years of surgeries, extended hospital stays, and immense physical and psychological pain, primarily for my brother. (This isn't the core of THIS story, but it provides crucial context for my later drive.)
I remember sitting in family therapy with my middle brother, arms crossed, defiant. The therapist suggested art therapy. As artists, we were intrigued. In that group, the leader's passion and a wooden sculpture of a horse's bust he shared with us that he had made in art school at FSU captivated us. Art Therapy is a tool that can help process trauma when words fail. Later, my brother's struggles with mental health involved art therapy, further solidifying my interest. During a visit, the art therapist described her passion, despite the financial challenges of a master's degree and limited job prospects in Tallahassee. I recognized this as a kind of "starving artist" scenario, but with a steady, if meager, paycheck—a trap, I later realized, of working for someone else with little room for growth.
Back at the hospital, surrounded by nurses (from students to 40-year veterans) and witnessing their daily reality, nursing was the last thing I wanted to do. My mom said I’d be great, which of course made me want to do anything else! I’ve always been outspoken, advocating for truth and justice, and I saw the nursing profession as deeply unjust to the nurses. I saw their kindness and love, but also their pain and suffering: nurses crying from patient deaths, verbal abuse, overwhelming workloads, and mistreatment by doctors (more common then, than the slightly less common occurrence it is now). I often advised nursing students to "get out while you can; these nurses are sleep-deprived, angry, and hate their jobs."
At 21, three years into my hospital job, I was at FSU, ready to apply to the BFA program. I was cruising through my psychology major, with just one course left for an art history degree. Then, life took an unexpected turn. I met my future husband, and a whirlwind of biology and pheromones led to a rapid decision: if we wanted children, I should get pregnant soon. He proposed a week after we met (at 2 AM in a courtyard, with a plastic Colombian flag ring—I swooned!). I told him he'd have to wait 5-10 years for me to really marry him.
When I did get pregnant, I found myself in tears, a broke college art student facing an uncertain future. I remembered a doctor asking, "Well, how do you plan on making money?" I was offended, clinging to the idea of a life unburdened by financial concerns, where I would become a famous artist. But the reality of impending motherhood forced a change. I needed a career, and fast. The hospital was my familiar world. I loved the community, the "small-town" feel of its interconnectedness, and the shared intensity that bonded its people. And everyone did say I’d be a great nurse. I loved pathophysiology, and the sciences had always been second only to art. Ultimately, I chose nursing because I knew how much psychology was involved. We learn it in school, but it's not always at the forefront. Yet, good nursing, like most healthcare, demands addressing the emotional and psychological needs of patients. I’d seen too many healthcare providers fail at this, demeaning patients, or failing to provide the support they truly needed.
I went to nursing school, worked on the floor for four years, earned my BSN online while pregnant and working nights, and eventually pursued a master’s degree in nursing in 2018. I was about to start clinical rotations when COVID-19 hit. I finished the MSN, but the pandemic shifted my focus. I spent some time as a traveling nurse, but the bedside, home healthcare, hospice, and even the ICU couldn’t hold me. I couldn’t envision that as my life's work.
The dream of my own practice resurfaced, stronger than ever. The seed had been planted during my psychology aspirations. I'd always had an entrepreneurial spirit, a belief that I could provide uniquely high-quality care, driven by a genuine love for people. This wasn’t ego, but a deep commitment to doing any job exceptionally well.
In primary care, I struggled with the overwhelming need to do everything for everyone. Setting boundaries and balancing patient needs with my own self-care was a constant battle. At one point, I was 28 charts behind, a situation that was bad for me and for my patients who were waiting on critical prescriptions and referrals. The pull to create my own business became irresistible. I researched others who had succeeded, immersing myself in their stories. I'd formed my LLC in January 2023, preparing for a 1099 locum tenens contract at an Indian Health Services clinic in South Dakota. Fear of the unknown prevented me from fully utilizing it, but it was a first step toward Proactive Wellness Clinic.
To wrap this up: 13 years as a nurse, a functional nutrition certification, and a growing awareness of the healthcare system's shortcomings fueled my drive. I saw patients denied essential care due to insurance restrictions. I witnessed a system controlled by pharmaceutical companies and insurers, where providers often couldn't prioritize the patient's best interests. I saw a system that de-emphasized lifestyle and holistic options, often the most effective treatments, and lacked adequate training in areas like chronic fatigue, autoimmune disorders, hormone imbalances, and obesity—all issues compounded by my own experiences with yo-yo dieting and processed food addiction.
From this pain and frustration, Proactive Wellness was born. It's the culmination of my journey, my life's work, my outlet to channel my experience and passion for empowering people to take a proactive approach to their whole-person wellness. My functional and integrative medicine education has led me here, to a place where I have to create this business. Proactive Wellness is brand new, and I'm excited to build a practice that prioritizes patients, not profits, and creates a fulfilling, high-quality work environment for myself and others.
