We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Kela Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Kela , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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 started my practice out of my own personal struggle with infertility. When I got married at 32 I thought starting a family would be easy but quickly learned for us it was anything but. We did what most couples do when faced with these challenges. We consulted our family doctor who sent us to the OBGYN who ran a ton of tests and awarded us the “unexplained infertility” diagnosis. After a few more doctors, many more tests, and 4 more years, we were told because now I was 36 that we needed to try IUI (intrauterine insemination) or IVF (invitro-fertilization) if we wanted a family. That just didn’t sit well with us because there was nothing medically wrong with me and I had confidence that my body could do this on its own. That is when I left that last doctor’s office on a mission to get as fertile as possible so I could give my body and mind what they needed to create life. This is when I dove into research and figured out exactly what I needed to do to optimize my fertility, body/mind/spirit. Within 2 years I was pregnant with my first and 2 years later I did it again. Having my second at 40 years old. Once my second was born I knew I had to teach other women what I had learned so no other couple had to suffer the way we did. With 1 in 8 couples struggling with infertility, I knew this was what I was meant to do. With a two-year-old and a newborn, I left my corporate America job and went back to school to pursue this passion. After completing several degrees I started my practice a little over 7 years ago now. It’s a virtual health clinic serving clients worldwide teaching them how to optimize their hormones at every stage of their lives. Fertility, Perimenopause, menopause, men’s health, and more. To date, my team and I have helped thousands of women and couples get pregnant and bring home healthy babies. This is truly a passion of mine and why I was put on this earth so I could turn my pain into purpose.

Dr. Kela , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am the owner and founder of The Hormone Puzzle Society, a women/couples health hub for fertility, hormones, and pregnancy. Through this platform, I work with women/couples worldwide helping them to optimize their body/mind/spirit for fertility and overall wellness. Through programs, podcasts, summits, functional lab testing, and more, I and my team pride ourselves on helping people around the world reach these goals. Our motto is Test, don’t guess, and through our functional lab testing and targeted nutrition, supplement/herb, and lifestyle plans we are able to find the root cause of your health issues and heel those roots for optimal health even when conventional medicine can’t or hasn’t. Our goal is to help over 100K women/couples and we are well on our way to pursuing this goal.

What are my credentials, I am a triple board-certified doctor of natural medicine, DNM, and DHM from the Board of Natural Medicine Doctors and Practitioners, Board of Integrative Medicine, and The American Association of Drugless Practitioners. I am a board-certified functional nutritionist and a 5x certified health and life coach. I am a best-selling author and have published multiple books on fertility and hormones. I am the host of The Hormone P.U.Z.Z.L.E Podcast, Solving-Infertility Summit, and Healthy Happy Pregnancy Summit. I have been coaching clients and seeing patients for over 25 years.

Our sister company is Fertility Coach University and I am the lead educator here. The University is a board-certified, international institution of higher learning and offers mentorship and programs to other practitioners looking to pursue fertility and hormone holistic health certification programs and degrees.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Other than training and knowledge, what I think is most helpful for succeeding in my field is a winning mindset. Business ownership is hard, especially in the health space. Many of us have a scientific brain but not a business brain. As I have built my practice I have had to come out of my comfort zone many times and that has been tough. I had a mentor tell me once, “It’s not about you, but the people you are trying to serve”. That stuck with me and anytime I am nervous or scared about taking a risk, speaking live, or sharing my story I remember that quote. I wake up every day with a winning mindset and know I am going to change someone’s life today. It starts with me. I have to get out of my own way and lead with a giving heart.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I have built my business and reputation through collaboration with other practitioners/doctors who are doing what I want to do in the field and on their platforms. One piece of advice I have for the readers is, never be scared to reach out to someone for collaboration. Even if they do exactly what you do, they aren’t you and people love to work with people who have similar missions. I have collaborated with some of the biggest names in this industry because I wasn’t scared to reach out to them and ask. I also think being consistent with my message and getting my audience to know, like, and trust me has helped me build an amazing reputation in this industry. Consistency, a clear message and a proven protocol that works is the winning combination to a successful reputation in this field.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.coachkela.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kela_healthcoach
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kelahealthcoach
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelarobinsonsmith/
• Other: Podcast- https://coachkela.com/podcast/

Image Credits
I own these photos.