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

Alright, Nancy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights 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?

The decision to start my practice was inspired and fueled by the burning passion for sharing the natural, functional medicine approaches used in healing my son. I started my practice because my son was ill, and I had gone to many doctors to find the root cause, yet they gave me no answers. I was working as a vice president at Goldman Sachs, a very stressful, demanding job that I loved, but the love for my son weighed more than my love for my career, so I threw myself into learning and educating myself to try to help my son. A devastating event turned out to be my ‘WHY’ for abandoning my former career as a corporate vice president in the brokerage arena. I could not, in good conscience, return to a corporate position with what I had learned. I wanted others to know they could reach total wellness but would need to think out of the box many times; to do that, you need to complement conventional medicine with alternative approaches because the body will benefit. Our conventional healthcare is lacking, and people can significantly benefit from adding natural, complementary approaches to achieve total wellness of mind and body.

The main step I had to take was to get an accredited and certified education. I enrolled in Nutrition and Holistic Health programs to get my Master’s Degree, further learned about functional medicine lab testing, nutraceuticals, and homeopathy, and developed customized protocols with my clinical research. I learned along the way. I attended conferences and medical seminars learning from other practitioners, and I put all the pieces to the puzzle together; fast forward, and he’s healed. He runs several marathons a year and has his own business as well. It’s been a fascinating journey.

Some key challenges in setting up my practice were transitioning from this corporate VP position mentality to starting my practice and wearing all the hats in the business because that’s what you do when you first start. I spent time brainstorming, researching, and writing down goals for the practice. It’s best to spend more time upfront figuring it all out. Learning how best to be productive with the hours you have on a given day was challenging initially, but it fell into place.

I would have done several things differently knowing what I know now. I definitely would have reached out to other similar industry professionals, worked on referrals, attended more in-person networking events, hired an established professional in the industry as a coach, or found more professional affiliates. You need to realize how meaningful all these relationships are, and they can lead to new growth areas.

My advice for young professionals considering starting their practice is the following.

Spend time discovering and asking these questions to yourself:
What is your passion behind starting your practice?
What’s the why you want to do this?
Your WHY needs to be very strong to start a practice. You will go through the dips and valleys of being an entrepreneur and must keep your passion as the driving force to withstand the journey.

There are a few areas to focus on; first, you’ve got to get down your why; as I said before, it’s more important than any business plan at the beginning. Next, determine your niche of people you want to work with because you can’t serve everyone. Then the business plan comes in when you set marketing plans for what you want to offer. How will you structure your practice? Is it going to be virtual or offer in-person sessions or a hybrid? Will you offer group coaching, lab testing, and supplements? How will you handle follow-up appointments? Will you have packages?
How are you going to systematize your practice?
For instance, in my follow-up program, I have an online membership that my clients can join every month. They schedule their phone or zoom sessions for a quick update for accountability, and addition; during that month, I do a live presentation on a current trend in the health field or how they could be mindful, eat healthier, or use the latest remedies to protect themselves against cold and flu season.

Technology can be utilized cleverly, and the goal is to automate your mundane activities that take up your time because you need the energy and focus on helping people with their health. Many new technologies have developed since I started my practice, such as online, automated calendars, customer relationship managers, mail services, and texting services. You can hire virtual assistants to help with your administration.
You can order business cards and set up QR codes.

You want to create a website without spending a ton of money. Your website will evolve as you do, but one consistent will be a way to collect email addresses of potential, current, and future clients. Once you figure out the social media platforms your clients are using, establish yourself and share free content on those social platforms.
You will need a robust marketing plan to avoid being the best-hidden secret by getting the word out and sharing some interesting tidbits.
Create a marketing calendar, so you know what you’re going to do for the next 30, 60, and 90 days; you know what the theme is that you’re going to be writing blogs, newsletters, and sharing on social media or even the topics you’ll be talking with your clients. A little preparation goes a long way.

I recommend finding a professional health center you can rent from for rental space since you may refer work to each other.

Speak to your accountant about structuring your practice as S Corp or LLC or what works best for you.

When creating your practice, there could be many distractions; always ask yourself, is your time going to these distractions? Are you going to get a return on your investment, or is it zapping your energy and attention from the core programs and services you are offering your people? Productivity, preparation, and automation will take you very far in your practice and wellness, empowering others and your success.

Remember, this is a journey; what you start today may develop into something else. For instance, when I began, client one-on-one sessions were first; then, I created corporate wellness programs. I went back to the financial institutions that I had worked with in my previous career and taught their high executives the 9 Steps to Healthy Living program, which was very, very fulfilling. Later, when nutraceutical companies approached me to be their medical educator to other practitioners, it evolved into founding and offering my certified health coach training in my Total Wellness Empowerment Institute. Now my day is filled with my students, graduates, and clients. So what you do today can evolve. Keep your eyes wide open and look at all the beautiful possibilities for sharing your passion and message with your clients.

My ‘Why’ is for the betterment of humanity to reach total wellness of mind and body and for other practitioners to learn this process through my certified health courses. The goal is to empower mindful practitioners to gain confidence while achieving total wellness, discover natural approaches, and be a ripple effect on their clients and patients. Value your time, and spend most of it on projects that benefit others and achieve wellness.

Nancy, 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 went into the wellness industry because I was inspired and fueled by the burning desire and need to find answers to heal my son, and when I did, I was transformed forever. At that point, I knew I wanted to open my practice and share the natural, functional medicine approaches used in healing my son.

I offer non-invasive functional medicine lab testing and create customized protocols for my clients based on their lab results and medical history.
Since I came from Corporate America, I wanted to empower employees to reach a healthier lifestyle and achieve total mind and body wellness. In many of the corporations I work with, the employees work hard and play hard, which affects their health. Offering in-person and online programs provides them with the steps to live healthier and happier lives.

My approach sets me apart by incorporating my analytical thinking and utilizing unique lab testing that provides insight into how a person is functioning across one’s cellular metabolic functioning, allowing individual tailoring of nutritional interventions instead of guessing. The testing offers insight into intestinal health, mitochondrial energy production, methylation, detoxification, vitamin nutritional markers, neurotransmitter breakdown, amino acids, oxidative damage, and fatty acids.

I genuinely enjoy presenting, creating slideshows, and empowering others with the information. I am honored to be a part of my clients’ and students’ lives, watching them grow and be the ripple effect of positive change. This is the legacy I want to leave the world.

I founded the Total Wellness Empowerment Institute to reach a more significant number of people and fill the demand for certified healthcare practitioners. My courses are accredited and certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. The courses are to think out of the box in several niches; one is for special needs children and children suffering from anxiety, depression, and stress. The Special Needs courses are great for nutritionists, naturopaths, pediatricians, physical therapists, speech therapists, behavioral therapists, and parents. Another course is the Healthy Weight coach, which is great for personal trainers, yoga teachers, Pilates instructors, aestheticians, medSpas, health coaches, nurse practitioners, and nutritionists. Lastly, the advanced health coach program will provide a comprehensive health coach program for anyone wanting to be empowered to become a certified health practitioner while being positively impacted.

In my spare time, I will do freelance health writing and present to other practitioners for integrative wellness companies.

With the burning desire for others to achieve total wellness, I wrote a Wellness Blueprint book titled Healthy Living Every day, Total Wellness For Mind & Body. I make it easy to complete the book because all you need to do is read a page daily; that’s it. If you miss a page, pick it up to today’s date, that is how it was designed, one page a day.

When you love what you do, it never feels like work, it’s empowering, and you want to seize the day with all its glory.
If you want to empower each other, you’ll find me at nancyguberti.com

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I do believe a reputation is built on being mindful of yourself and others. My reputation in the industry is built on character, communication, authenticity, and trust. I have conducted myself by being sincere with others, truly caring, always listening, then offering thought-provoking recommendations. I do what I say and practice what I preach and always foster a culture of openness, and am authentic in my relationships. I care about my team and my clients and value my experience with others. It’s not enough to build a good reputation; you also have to maintain it, check in with yourself, and ask if you are consistently acting in a way that promotes a good reputation.

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

Reading books about productivity and entrepreneurship is so motivating. It’s like getting in shape, and you should get into the habit of listening to or reading books that will inspire you. You can read the paperbook or listen to it on Audible.

Here are some of my favorites:

The Art of Exceptional Living by Jim Rohn
The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell
The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey
The Psychology of Achievement by Brian Tracy
This is Marketing by Seth Godin
The One Thing by Gary Keller
The Power of Ambition by Jim Rohn
No Limits by John Maxwell
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz
No Excuses! by Brian Tracy
Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nancyguberti.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancyguberti
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyGubertiNG
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyguberti
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/nancyguberti
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NancyGuberti
• Yelp: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyguberti/
• Other: Total Wellness Empowerment Institute: https://totalwellnessempowermentinstitute.com Practitioner Mentorship: https://totalwellnessempowermentinstitute.com/mentorship Monthly Membership: https://totalwellnessempowerment.com Healthy Living Everyday Book: bit.ly/HealthyLivingEveryday Podcast: https://nancyguberti.com/podcast Corporate Wellness: https://nancyguberti.com/corporatewellness/ Email: nancy@nancyguberti.com