Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kaytee Hadley, Founder of Holistic Health and Wellness, located in Richmond, VA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I am a functional medicine dietitian, health coach, and founder of Holistic Health & Wellness. I support folks with mental and physical illnesses in addressing the root causes of their symptoms so they can create mind and body wellness using my 6 Lifestyle Pillar Approach. I am especially passionate about educating and working with individuals with chronic GI symptoms and depression/anxiety to address these imbalances and get rid of symptoms for good.
While I am based out of Virginia, my practice is 100% Telehealth, so I work with individuals all over the country and abroad. To my clients, I am their nutritionist, health coach, and biggest health advocate. Most of the people I work with have been let down by conventional medicine, never truly listened to, and not supported in their health journey. For most, I am the first person who has taken the time to hear them, validate their experiences, treat them as part of their healthcare team, and empower them with the knowledge and strategies to find healing.
Tell us about yourself
I witnessed firsthand the divide between mental and physical healthcare as a teen struggling with anxiety, depression, and chronic gut issues, and it almost cost me my life. After a suicide attempt at 16, I was determined to find true healing instead of just managing my symptoms. I studied nutrition, psychology, kinesiology, and functional medicine to find these answers and founded Holistic Health and Wellness to share them with others.
There are so two big motivators for me:
- Seeing the changes in my client's health and hearing how it's completely changed their lives after years of being told, 'everything's fine' or 'there's nothing more we can do.'
- Knowing that there are literally millions of people being told the same messages, not being heard or supported, and losing their quality and even length of life because of it
There's ALOT more work to be done changing the healthcare system and wellness landscape.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Every day I am honored and grateful to be trusted to support so many folks in their health journeys. It's truly not a responsibility that I take lightly- health is so incredibly personal! And for people who have been failed by our conventional medicine model, it takes a great deal of trust to work with someone else and try another approach. I do what I do because there's a need for it... I know because I experienced it and heard it from my clients every day.
My biggest accomplishment has been going against the grain. Standing up to the conventional model and saying, "This isn't good enough. Not for me, and not for my clients." I get pushback on a regular basis from conventional healthcare practitioners and from the general healthcare landscape for using lifestyle and non-pharmaceutical interventions to foster healing. Functional medicine is beautiful. It quite literally saved me, and I see it help people who have been let down by conventional medicine every single day. I won't stop sharing it because it goes against the grain, and I'm proud of that.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Sometimes I feel like I'm spinning my wheels. I'm so focused on perfection and get stuck in the nitty gritty that I lose sight of the big picture because I run out of mental energy and time in my day. I've been working on delegating more and building a team that can allow me to guide, direct, and do the things that only I can do in order to progress my business and mission. This is actually really helpful because it makes my work less lonely, helps me stay on track with projects, and fills up my energy and excitement.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Don't wait until you have everything figured out and perfect before you launch your business or the next big thing. Start with the foundations and build from there.
- Don't be married to your ideas or framework. These will evolve over time, and if you intuitively allow your business to morph, it will grow into something unexpected and beautiful.
- Surround yourself with a network of people that provides you with emotional, strategic, and tangible support to lift you up personally and professionally.
- I'm going to give one more because we all need the reminder…. Build in time for your own mental and physical health. Skimping on sleep, movement, nutrition, and stress relief will come back to bite you. Try giving yourself little 'snack times' throughout the day where you spend 5 minutes doing something that nourishes your body, mind, or soul.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://kayteehadley.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kayteehadleyhealth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayteehadley/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaytee-hadley/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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