We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Regan Tilley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Regan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

In the summer of 2020, in the height of the global pandemic, I left a job as an employed, salaried physician, and opened my own Direct Primary Care practice. At the time, I was working with a friend who was a nurse practitioner, and had been her collaborative physician for a little over a year. She had been helping me with what I needed to do to get up and running, as we had planned to work together.

The completion of my new 3000 square foot space was only slightly delayed by supply chain issues, and I was ready for business in September, only a few weeks after my planned August 24 opening. I was excited, to say the least, and the freedom from insurance based practice was a high I hadn’t experienced before. I wasn’t out of the woods, as the legal system was slow in processing applications, licenses, name changes (I also got married June 2020), and so on. However, it wasn’t a hindrance.

Over the next few months, my business thrived, and I was becoming busy enough to need help. My friend had started to be hard to pin down on when she was going to come on board (budgeting had been done with her paying 1/3 of the bills, working in the clinic 1/3 off the month). By February, I had to face facts. She wasn’t going to show up. Repeated no shows on scheduled days, and calls from clients at the other location saying they couldn’t get ahold of her, was the writing on the wall.

I reached out, and discussed being paid, as most collaborative physicians are, and what came next was a shock. I was deleted from the website, my email was shut down and I was denied access to the electronic medical records.

I was also in a tailspin, as my beloved uncle had been ill with COVID, and passed away the same week. In that week, I had also hired a registered nurse, and right after I told her I would not be leaving her alone to manage the clinic, had to travel for the services.

The day all of my access was removed, I spent the next several hours building a website, created a new domain with email addresses, and spoke with the admin of the EMR. I set my website to live at 1:30 am and trusted the process. It was painful. She had been the matron of honor at my wedding. My best friend. It was over in a day.

As I ruminated on the struggle, it made it quite clear that she was right a couple of months earlier when I had asked her for advice on a business task. She said “You’re a smart girl, you’ll figure it out”.

And I did. I was empowered. No longer did I feel weak or helpless. I had pulled off a huge feat. My practice hasn’t suffered, and it actually took off, new customers mentioned a different energy without her any longer involved. I realized I AM a smart woman. I can figure things out. I don’t need a business degree. Where better than the school of life to sort things out?

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

I am the Functional Medicine Doctor for men and women in middle life who are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.

In truth, as a family practice physician, I see all ages, though it is most often the mother in a family who is my first client. She is seeking a doctor who believes in medical autonomy (I do not require vaccines in my clinic), who is open to natural and holistic care, takes time to listen to her clients’ needs and desires, and partners with them on their journey to wellness.

At WHOLEhealth MHK, we take time to get to know our members. We want to know YOUR story, directly from you, so we can see what makes you tick. Your WHY is immensely important and will be your North Star on your journey. Bringing you back to center when you feel like quitting.

We know it is important to focus on the whole person, so we investigate body, mind and spirit, as areas that may need treatment. There is no pill for every ill when you come to see us. I practice intuitively, listening to your energy and reading between the lines as you share your story, and come up with a unique plan for you.

We have multiple modalities with which we work with our clients. We embrace the energy and frequency of the human body, and use sound, micro currents and frequency to help with healing, as well as infrared sauna, IV nutritional therapy, and health coaching. Our Quantum Metabolic Reset is geared towards bringing people back to BEING human, and resetting the parasympathetic nervous system. The human body has a remarkable ability to heal when it is in the right state, with the right resources.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Resilience…one of my favorite topics. I’ve actually lectured on it.

My story of becoming a physician is a long one. I wanted to be a doctor since I was six years old. I knew it was my calling. However, when I approached college age, the strict story from the women in my family said that I could be a wife, mother, nurse or teacher… so I got married at 18 and started nursing school. I even have up a full ride scholarship to Graphic Arts school (not so long story, when the joy of being a doctor was stolen, I fell back to my love of art).

I diligently went to nursing school, worked full time, had babies and dealt with a less than perfect marriage, all the whole putting on a good face. After my third son was born and I’d returned from maternity leave, there was an emergency on our unit. No one would step up to help the poor man, not even the doctor who was there. While I stood with my hand in this man’s abdomen, I had a catharsis…I could do it. I could become a doctor.

So I started that path. What followed were some of the worst years of my life, in regards to health. It deteriorated each year. I gained a lot of weight, developed Hashimotos thyroid disease, had several surgeries, most with complications. I made it through medical school and residency but I was not my best self.

I was fortunate to have been exposed to Functional and Integrative Medicine during Med school and residency, and I began to make small changes. I overcame paralysis, narcotic dependency, depression, eating disorders and eventually left an unhealthy marriage once I was out in practice.

I believe I’m alive today because of the process that is Functional Medicine, and have strived every day to share it with everyone I meet.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

This is a short answer.

Respect. Leading from a place of service. Working as a team. Allowing each member of the team to work to their highest potential.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wholehealthmhk.com
• Instagram: @dr.reganwhmhk
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrReganTilley?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: Regan Tilley
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@regantilley5627