We recently connected with Natassia Williamson and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Natassia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

I don’t believe there was one defining moment in my professional career that changed my trajectory however a sequence of events that brought me to this point.

When I first became a nurse it was a means to an end. I always knew I wanted to own my own practice. I wanted to be my own boss. I didn’t know how I would do it. I didn’t even know why I wanted to do it. When I was stationed in Alaska working on a medical surgical unit studying for masters I had the opportunity to work with postpartum patients.

Our hospital was small. We would have maybe 4 or 5 patients on the unit at a time, but the labor and deliver side seemed to be busy all the time. So much so we became the overflow unit for low acuity postpartum patients.

I loved working with the babies. I enjoyed teaching the moms. I always volunteered to be the postpartum nurse.

A year after getting out of the Army I had the opportunity to work postpartum full time as I was finishing my Masters. I was sad when I had to leave the unit to pursue my new role as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

I longed to get back into working with moms and babies. I even thought I needed to be a midwife in order to do it.

After becoming a mom and I realized their was a need for more support during the perinatal period. I experienced postpartum anxiety with my son in 2015. I experienced a loss of my daughter due to anencephaly in 2017. I gave birth to my twin daughters in 2018. I experienced feeding difficulties with one twin which ultimately led to her having a nasogastric feeding tube for 6 months and needing early intervention for developmental delays.

Long story short there was no one defining moment but a bunch of little moments defining my purpose and directing my path to help other mothers in their parenting journey.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Natassia Williamson Family Nurse Practitioner and Certified Health Coach.

I became a registered nurse in 2008. Nursing was not my first choice. I thought I was going to be a veterinarian. As mentioned previously I was on the verge of failing out of college my sophomore year. It was that year I met my husband who bluntly told me I was wasting a perfectly good opportunity to better myself and get my college degree. I woke up one day and said I would go to nursing school. I looked up the requirements and started taking courses. I got a 4.0 for two years straight and got into nursing school on the first try. I knew then the goal was to become a Nurse Practitioner.

I served in the Army from 2008 to 2012. My nursing experience includes MedSurg, ER and postpartum. I started my masters program while on active duty and later became a Family Nurse Practitioner in 2014. I also struggled with my own health problems. I had been obese for many years which led to chronic joint pain, abdominal pain, fatigue. I decided I no longer wanted to be the kind of “do as I say and not as I do” provider. I encountered many challenges faced by patients as I navigated the healthcare system personally and professionally. This motivated me to become a certified health coach in 2021. It was the motivation and training I needed to help myself in order to help others. I understand managing chronic disease is difficult and work with my clients to establish health goals. I also provide them with the tools needed to be successful in achieving those goals. I recognize every client is unique and requires individualized care.

As I mentioned earlier I am a wife and mother of 3 living children. When I became a mom navigating motherhood had its own highs and lows. I wrote a children’s book titled ABC D is Ability: Getting to know kids with disabilities. I had to become an advocate for my daughter who had feeding difficulties and developmental delays. I was motivated to write the book as I was researching possible causes for her problems. I wanted to highlight childrens abilities despite their disabilities as my daughter continued to amaze us daily with her progress. I started joining organizations and talking with other moms which helped me a lot through the challenging times. I became trained in perinatal mental health in 2022 after realizing the benefits of extra support during the perinatal period. My goal is to help support moms before, during and after their pregnancy.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I am still building my reputation in this field. I feel like this market is constantly growing and changing. Information is evolving and staying up to date with the latest is one way I am building my reputation. I want to be the provider who listens. I want my clients to know they are being heard. I am constantly networking in the community building connections. I love to volunteer with different organizations. When you do not have much to give in monetary value you give in other ways. I am giving my time back to the community.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn is that fear is always negative. If you allow fear to stop you from pursuing your goals, then yes it can be seen in a negative light. However overcoming fear to go after you want can be empowering. We all fear something but not allowing it to stop your forward progression is key. Go after your goals even when you are afraid. If you don’t you know it will never happen. If you do the possibilities are endless. You may make mistakes but you learn from them and continue to grow as a person. Don’t let fear stop you, let it motivate you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aurorahealthandwellnessllc.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tassiawithaurorahealthwellness/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077886746002

Image Credits
HalieDanielle.Photography