We recently connected with Dr. Beth Maly, NMD and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Beth, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?
I have to be honest, while I was in school that was the only thing I could focus on…I couldn’t really think about the future – and that was true for many of us, but I know it was absolutely true for myself. I didn’t know who I wanted to help, how I wanted to help them, what I wanted to focus on. I took extra electives thinking sports medicine might be my love, or that environmental medicine might be something I wanted to focus on…little did I know that it would be my own experiences and having to be my own advocate of my health that would lead me to where I am now…the first day of my last quarter in medical school a professor started off class by saying “I want you to go around the room, introduce yourself, and tell me what you’re going to do when you graduate”…the students in the front began to say their names, where they would practice and what they were focusing on…as it got closer to me my palms began to sweat because everyone seemed to know where they were going and what they were going to do. Once it got to me, I stated my name and said “to be brutally honest…we have 3 months left of medical school and I still have no idea what I’m going to do or focus on…all I know is I want to stay in AZ and be my own boss”. The professor smiled, looked at the room, and said “you know…she is probably the MOST honest person in this class…everyone says they know what they want to do, but I know that she is being 100% honest”.
That remark made me relax, and it solidified that yes I do want to be my own boss but I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. So one challenge was in getting licensed, and if anyone has seen past interviews with me, or knows my story you know that on the first day of my medical licensing exams (out of 3 days) I found out my dad had passed which caused me to not complete my licensing exams. I had to wait 6 months before I could take them. So that set me back quite a bit…but it didn’t stop me from finishing and opening up my own practice. 6 months later, I completed the 3 grueling days of exams, over 8 hours each day, and over 600 questions later, and waiting ANOTHER 6 weeks for the board to announce who passed…I was finally a licensed Naturopathic Physician.
As far as the steps go, I had to wait to get my license, then I had to file paperwork with the state (and that was pretty smooth, very easy to do), then I had to get a business account which was also smooth as well. Some of the challenges I have faced is what many new business owners face…you work almost 24/7 to get up and running, and the start of getting clients is always slow – one week I would be busy, making lots of money to cover expenses, and the next week it would be crickets, which isn’t uncommon for businesses in the beginning. Business ebbs and flows, and you just have to trust the process, which can be challenging in and of itself. Another key challenge is being able to recognize when someone is not a good fit for your practice, and this happens and its okay. It can be very tempting to take on every single new patient that walks into your life, because as a healer you want to help EVERYONE, but that simply isn’t viable…so something I would suggest is if you have a particular patient you want to see or one you DON’T want to see, be stern with that, and know that not everyone can work with everyone and THAT is okay. That was challenging for me, because I did want to help everyone, but I did stick to my guns and was very honest with who I could and could not work with…it didn’t make it easier though.
Another piece of advice I would give a young professional who might want to start their own practice is – JUST DO IT. Like Nike says, just do it… if you want to be your own boss, know that it’s not always rainbows and butterflies, it can be brutal and there are some dark times when you aren’t sure if you need to get a job or if you can tough it out…if you want to be your own boss, you’ll make it work. You’ll figure out how to make it work, and just know you have to start from somewhere. Even if you work a few years in someone else’s practice, at some point you will have to start from square one. And that’s okay. So if you are considering it, just know that being a business owner isn’t for the faint of heart, it’s stressful and there’s a LOT of hard work that goes into it, but once it starts to bloom and you have more consistency in your patient load – you’re going to be so grateful you did it… you’re going to have your own say over the patients you see, and how you practice and that is worth everything.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am the owner and founder of Maly Health PLLC. I am an expert in helping burnt-out women revitalize their metabolism & naturally balance hormones. I help women from all over the world to improve their overall physical, mental & gut health so they can reclaim their confidence and energy. I don’t focus just on the physical, I also work with the mental health of my clients because I understand that how we feel inside our minds contributes to how we feel physically.
How I got into naturopathic medicine…well for starters every since I was a child I’ve always been a nature baby. I would play outside any chance I got, I would go searching for fairies, admire the shapes of different trees and plants, I was mesmerized by different fungi and bugs… so I’ve always been a nature baby at heart and I knew I wanted to go into the sciences because that was also a huge draw for me. Anatomy and physiology, psychology, it all interested me every since I was about 7 years old. I got my Bachelor of Science in Public Health, and from there I thought maybe I wanted to do physical therapy, so while in undergrad I was working in a pharmacy and as a physical therapy technician. I realized I didn’t like either, I felt like there was more I could do for the people coming to the pharmacy, and physical therapy just didn’t grasp my heart. That’s when my mom mentioned naturopathic medical school because it combines the best of both worlds – Western & Eastern medicine.
One thing that sets me apart from other doctors is I really take the time to get to know my patients and clients. I spend at least 60-90 minutes just getting to know you on your first visit – what are your goals, what is your pain, what’s your stress, GI health like, what are your hobbies… naturopathic medicine really brings a different taste to the medical field. So many people are looking for alternatives to what is offered in western medicine and what I can provide individuals with is the chance to learn about their body both on a physical and emotional level. I empower women to reclaim power over their health and ultimately over their lives.
Another thing that sets me apart from other practitioners is that I focus a lot on education – really teaching what is happening to the body and why. The Latin root for the word “doctor” is Docere which means “teacher” and sadly this has been lost in most western medicine practices. Most people go to the doctor and have only a few short minutes with them before they are handed a prescription to treat only the symptoms of their ailments. What makes me really proud and excited about what I do is I really TEACH my clients and gives them back their power. How I do this is I teach them about the root cause of their ailments; once they understand the CAUSE of their pain and suffering, I then teach them so they understand how to then FIX the issue and that’s where they take the power of their health back into their hands, instead of just stifling their symptoms. (This is not to say, however, that medicine is the problem – there are times western medicine is important be it for emergency situations, or conditions that are life or death without prescriptions).
My own health and personal journey brought me to where I am today; in medical school I gained 30 lbs that to me seemed like it was overnight. My hair started falling out, I began to experience cardiac issues and I was severely depressed. I was so freaked out my first thought was to do what everyone else does…go to a western medical doctor. At first they said I was simply depressed, offered me antidepressants (which I refused because I just KNEW there was something else going on) and ran a small amount of labs. They diagnosed me as being hypothyroid. I was placed on medication and was told I would never be able to come off, that I shouldn’t expect to ever lose weight but to get used to the fact that I will indeed keep gaining weight…feeling distraught and hopeless I realized that I was in NATUROPATHIC medical school, that we find and treat the root cause. So I went to the physicians at my school and they were able to help me navigate my own health and helped me to understand how my severe burnout pushed my health in the direction it went and 3 years later I was able to come off my thyroid medication permanently and lost all the weight and kept it off.
My practice and business is built upon the foundation of my own personal journey because it keeps me grounded in who I help and who I want to speak to. I have found that I am able to help women on a deeper level because while I may not understand EXACTLY how they are feeling, I do understand what it is like to not feel heard by the medical community, to feel like there are no other options, to be gaslighted by doctors who say my symptoms are just in my head. I ground myself knowing that by treating the root cause, most ailments can be treated and reversed. I honor the knowledge I have and am honored to be able to share this with other women.
I want you to know that investing in your health is literally wealth. It is the BEST investment you can do for yourself, because without health you cannot do what you love, you can’t be 100% present with your friends and family…and when you make the decision to work with me I don’t take that lightly – I make sure we are a good fit, I make sure I can help you, I take the time to get to know you, to learn about you because ultimately YOU are your own best doctor because you know what its like living in your body 24/7…I’m just the conduit of information to help you on your healing journey.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Well, as I mentioned before at the beginning of this interview – my dad passed away very unexpectedly…to say the shock of it really shook me is an understatement…and I don’t think I can quite describe the pain, confusion and grief that goes along with something like that. I thought maybe I could push through the exam, but deep down I knew I couldn’t and my husband was there to really help support me and help me think a little more clearly because I couldn’t do it for myself.
After his passing I really felt lost in life. I felt like I didn’t think I wanted to go through with getting licensed, I felt like maybe my time in medical school was wasted…losing my dad – one of my biggest supporters really took a toll on my own belief system…but here’s the thing about that…no matter how much someone believes in you, the belief you have in yourself is what truly matters and really gets the fire lit underneath you. I had to find the belief in myself that I could be a good doctor and that I truly wanted to do it, and I approached the exam knowing full well that I wanted to do this… it wasn’t anyone else’s choice. The test in and of itself is traumatizing just how intense and extreme it is…add that to the memory of losing my dad, it took all my strength to pull through and make it. And that’s how I knew I could get through anything…that I really understood my own resiliency.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
A couple strategies honestly….one is getting out there in the community – when I first got licensed I mentioned one of my cousins really helped me get out there and brought me into the family Pilates studio to bring service to others. Another way is through referrals…once someone knows, likes and trusts you, they are more willing to refer others to you, and from then on you get more and more referrals and that is very helpful…you get like-minded people you know you work well with. Another way of growing clientele has been through social media. Now I don’t mean running ads – because trust me I’ve been there done that – what really worked was showing up on Instagram (and if it’s your thing, TikTok) and really bringing education to the table along with the spice of your personality, I’ve been able to grow my clientele through these routes… Just don’t box yourself in, and allow clients to come from all different avenues!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://malyhealth.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malyhealth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/malyhealth/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbethmaly/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgMoacyP57b1c7KOl3VNagg
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@malyhealth?lang=en
Image Credits
Haleigh Bouma Kawena Maly