Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Abbey Jones. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Abbey, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

After 18 years of working within the health care system at that time, I realized I was burning out. My true vision was to provide a different kind of care: a highly personalized, intuitive approach where I could dedicate more time and attention to each individual. To do that well, I knew I needed to deliberately decrease my patient load and maintain a small, focused panel of patients.

This transition required all my courage and a great deal of strategic planning. Moving away from high-volume care meant carefully structuring my financial and operational model to support a smaller, more dedicated patient base. Navigating the logistics of legal business requirements, insurance, and an online presence can feel overwhelming, and setting it up correctly from the beginning to suit your goals is so valuable. The shift from an employee mindset to a business owner mindset meant establishing professional referral pathways and a brand identity from the ground up.

My biggest hurdle as a new business owner was adding the role of marketer to my responsibilities. Naturally, I am quite introverted, so putting myself out there to network and promote my practice felt incredibly daunting at first. I worked to overcome this by staying anchored to my core beliefs and mission. I realized that clarifying my goals and dreams for the practice was crucial. It kept my business plan moving in the right direction and prevented me from getting distracted by the numerous ways that others advertise and build their practice. I am learning to market authentically by focusing on personal relationships and the individual needs of my patient population, rather than loud, traditional advertising.

Looking back, my only regret is that I didn’t do this sooner because it has become a most wonderful blessing! However, knowing what I know now, I would have invested in business coaching or a mentorship earlier in the process. Trying to wear every single hat, from IT specialist to accountant, in the first few months was a steep learning curve that might have gone more smoothly with a bit of delegated help.

For any young professional considering starting their own practice, my advice is twofold: Find the right mentors and run your own race. Seek out one or two people who have built a practice similar to the one you envision. Besides asking for their advice, find ways to support them, too. It should be a reciprocal relationship, and they could end up being a referral source for you. Ask them the hard questions about their struggles, their victories, and what kept them going during the lean times. It is easy to look at what other practitioners are doing and feel like you should replicate it exactly, but always honor your values. Stay true to your vision. Always keep learning. Your ideal clients will be drawn to your authenticity.

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.

My journey into healthcare began with a profound personal loss. When I was seven years old, my mother passed away from leukemia. That early experience sparked a lifelong, relentless search for ways to truly help others heal.

Over the course of my 19 years as a nurse practitioner, my personal experiences continued to shape my approach to health care. Navigating my own journey with PCOS, grieving the loss of my stillborn child, and mourning the passing of my youngest brother before he turned thirty deeply informed my perspective on what it means to heal. These weren’t only personal challenges; they have been the catalysts that continue to transform me into the intuitive, compassionate provider I desire to be today.

The birth of Osasuna Wellness: The word Osasuna means “health” in Basque. I founded Osasuna Wellness because I have witnessed firsthand the devastating gaps in the traditional healthcare system. Too often, I have met patients who felt entirely dismissed, unheard, or rushed through a revolving door of symptom management. It broke my heart to see people struggling without answers.

Healing is not linear. It involves physical, spiritual, and emotional awareness, and it often requires navigating complex detours. I established my practice to give patients the time, space, and expertise they need to discover their own true path to healing. I don’t only treat symptoms; I search for the root cause of disease. I provide functional health services, with specific focus areas including women’s hormonal health, guiding women through transitions and challenges including PMS, PCOS, infertility, perimenopause, and menopause. I also provide specialized care for patients navigating chronic fatigue, gut health challenges, and environmental or complex illnesses like Lyme disease, mold and biotoxin illness, and metabolic health disorders like hypophosphatasia.

Having walked through intense personal grief and health challenges myself, I hold a sacred space for my patients while treating the whole person. I am most proud of seeing my clients truly get well. There is no greater testimony for my practice than when a client tells me their quality of life has been completely transformed for good.

If you are tired of feeling dismissed on your healthcare journey, please know that you do not have to walk this path alone. True functional health requires a provider who listens to your story and tailors a plan to your unique biology and lifestyle. At Osasuna Wellness, I am here to empower you, validate your experience, and partner with you as you reclaim your vitality.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

This is a profound question, and to be completely vulnerable, it is a tough one.

I truly believe that healthcare cannot just be a job; it must be a calling. If it isn’t, the overwhelming sense of responsibility for your patients’ lives and well-being can easily exhaust you. Over the course of my time in health care, I have experienced the highest mountains and the lowest valleys. I have had the privilege of saving lives and helping countless individuals find true health, but I have also faced devastating losses that I thought were going to break me.

I’ve learned that grief and hardship are not only painful challenges, but can also be reminders of the immense value of time and people in our lives that we can still cherish today. Navigating these trials has taught me that it is vital for each of us, practitioners and patients alike, to have something to hold on to. We need a sense of peace, purpose, and faith to keep us anchored when everything else seems to fail. We need each other.

If I could go back, yes, I hope that I would choose this profession again. While the emotional weight of being a healthcare provider is real, the honor of walking alongside patients through their darkest health struggles and helping them find their way back to wellness is a gift that I desire to never take for granted. There is nothing more rewarding in my career than seeing a patient live a transformed, renewed life, and I am incredibly grateful for this journey.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Reading is a lifelong passion of mine, and it has been a primary driver for both my personal growth and the evolution of my practice. A few works have been particularly instrumental in shaping how I view healing and resilience lately:

• “Unexpected” by Dr. Jill Carnahan: Dr. Carnahan’s story is incredibly inspiring. As a functional medicine practitioner who has navigated her own significant health battles, her journey reminds me (and my patients) that even in the face of the unexpected, there is a path toward hope and healing.
• The work of Dr. Jennie Young: Her expertise in critical discourse analysis is applicable in so many arenas. In my practice and in my relationships with others, it has helped me refine how I communicate, and helped me understand the deeper narratives behind each person’s journey, ensuring that my words empower rather than diminish.
• The writings of Nadia Bolz-Weber: I find her work to be eye-opening and deeply refreshing. She tackles the complexities of the human condition with an honesty that resonates with my belief that healing must involve our spiritual and emotional selves, not just our physical bodies.

These authors have taught me that to be an effective healer, you have to be willing to look at the messy, unpolished parts of life with both curiosity and radical grace toward yourself, and others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://osasunawellness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/puraderma?igsh=a2Nxa3Y4cnVwb2lm&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1c6sXw1CY2/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbey-jones-msn-dcnp-ifmcp-635894153

Image Credits

Photos by Elizabeth Markling at Cheerful Hearts Media