We were lucky to catch up with Revée (Dr. Ray) Barbour, ND MS recently and have shared our conversation below.
Revée (Dr. Ray), 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?
Starting my medical practice happened much earlier than I wanted to, thanks to being unexpectedly laid off from my previous job as an associated physician at another private practice clinic. It was an unsettling experience because I was recruited for the role, relocated to Sacramento, California, and promised an opportunity for growth. I was the only African-American doctor in the practice and was excited to join their team. However, over time, as I became successful in the practice by building my patient panel and receiving high accolades for the care provided, the other physicians began to distance themselves from me and exclude me from events and invites. Then, I suddenly started to receive harsh criticism from the leadership team when I declined requests to work more hours than indicated in my contract, and for not following certain orders that I knew were high risk for patient endangerment and malpractice. Eventually, the owner told me I had to leave the practice because they didn’t have the “numbers” to employ my role, and I wasn’t a good fit for their office culture. Within days after being laid off and given severance, the practice posted that they were hiring for a new physician.
This was one of the most challenging experiences I’ve ever had in a professional setting. It was traumatizing and made me feel that unless I chose to ignore my identity and moral values, then I might be at risk in future employment settings of being laid off or fired again for simply thinking and being different, and not because of failure to perform duties or exhibiting a lack of merit. I felt helpless and betrayed by broken promises, and never wanted to allow any person or company to have that level of power over my livelihood again. So I took my pain and trauma and channeled it into building my ideal medical practice.
Within one week after my layoff in December 2017, I decided to invest my severance pay into starting my naturopathic medical practice. I knew I had the support of my patients behind me, and I knew nobody else would be a better boss or create a safer work culture for me than myself. In six weeks, I applied for and received a business license, tax EIN, set up my website, secured a Google voice number as my professional line, created a logo, printed business cards and pamphlets, purchased vital medical equipment, and secured an office space. By early February 2018, my practice opened, and I began seeing patients out of a high-rise building in downtown Sacramento using a Regus office rental membership. By December 2018, I worked my way into a full-time private practice office rental in East Sacramento and partnered with another naturopathic doctor to share a medical suite.
I continued to practice full time until early 2022, when I felt burnt out from the demands of owning a busy practice and staying open during the pandemic. I eventually switched to a remote telemedicine business model to provide more work-life balance, and it’s been sustainable with far less overhead.
Looking back on the process, I wish I had more time to plan for my business when I first started, but sometimes in life, you have to take what you’re given and find a way to make it work. It cannot always be perfect or ideal. Gratitude and persistence are crucial for reframing failures into learned opportunities and future successes. Another challenge in starting my practice was not being able to do it in a community I was native to or well-known in when I opened. It takes time to build any business, but especially so when you’re a transplant in a new community. However, never underestimate how quickly loyalty and support can grow when you take the time to network and volunteer at community events. In my first two years of business, I seized as many opportunities as I could to speak at events, table at health fairs, and give free wellness presentations to various organizations and medical support groups so the community could know who I am and what I offer. People do pay attention and will remember you! To this day, my practice still attracts a large percentage of prospects via word of mouth.
For anyone contemplating whether they want to start a medical practice, first know what your “Why” is. The “Why” matters and will be the driving force that sustains you on days you feel too tired to continue, or when you experience failures and mistakes along the way, which will inevitably happen. I was clear back then and still am clear about my “Why”, and the mission has evolved over the years, but the root remains the same. Also, build a practice not just based on what you want, but also based on what your community truly needs. If you have the privilege to do so, take the time to learn what the people in your community need most to thrive, and be sure to market those areas vividly so people know you offer the solution to their main concerns or desires.
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.
A Dose of Vitamin Ray is a naturopathic and functional medicine practice delivering virtual concierge healthcare and wellness coaching nationwide, with primary care services available in California and New Hampshire. I teach and advise my patients to understand that the body can self-heal, thrive, and prevent disease when given the right tools and support. In my practice, natural therapeutics and minimally invasive healing options are always used as first-line treatments whenever possible.
With over a decade of medical practice and nearly twenty years as a healthcare professional, I serve as a naturopathic family medicine physician who centers on women’s health, complex care, and ancestral medicine. At the core of my practice’s mission is to serve not just individuals but also uplift and optimize the health of Priority Communities (BIPOC), who have been underserved and mistreated in conventional healthcare. In my practice, patients are always treated with the utmost respect and humanity, as well as heard and seen as their authentic selves.
My practice treats a plethora of medical conditions, including but not limited to, hormone imbalance, GI/gut complaints, SIBO, autoimmunity, physical burnout, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, environmental toxicity (i.e. mold, heavy metals), recurrent/chronic infections, infertility, mental health disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, liver + gallbladder disease, gout, arthritis, food intolerances, nutritional deficiencies, and more. The clinical approach includes completing an in-depth intake and functional lab testing to identify the root cause of imbalances, followed by personalized treatment plans using nutrition, lifestyle support, herbal medicine, mind-body-spirit medicine, supplements, and other therapeutic tools to restore balance and vitality.
I am most proud of winning two notable business awards in 2023 – the Sacramento Favorites Award and the Quality Business Award. These awards highlight my hard work and commitment to delivering exemplary healthcare and wellness support to the greater community. I am also proud to have been featured in multiple top publications such as US News & World Report, Sacramento Magazine, MindBodyGreen, and House Beautiful, to name a few. My career success has also afforded opportunities to serve as a medical advisor to several companies and nonprofit organizations, including Nourished Natural Health, Rae Wellness, and Carrie’s Touch.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
During the pandemic, the lockdowns slowed down bookings and in-person visits. There was immense fear and uncertainty in the world during the first few months, and my business was negatively impacted by the rapid socioeconomic changes. By May 2020, I had to pivot to save my business. I switched my business model from fee-for-service office visits to offering 3-month and 6-month wellness programs. These programs saved my practice because I was able to lower the volume of patients, increase revenues, and provide service options both in-person and remote across the country.
Then, in 2024, I had to pivot my practice again. I relocated to New Hampshire from California to save on overhead costs and to be closer to family. I changed the business model to monthly membership subscriptions where patients could choose a service package option based not only on their medical needs but also their budget. This pivot accounted for the impact of inflation and the recession on many households who could no longer afford high-ticket service options, but still wanted personalized care.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn the lesson of what business success is. I was programmed for many years in school, media, and business mentors that if your business isn’t growing fast with a fully booked calendar, hiring employees, and making 7-figures or more annually, then your business won’t be notable or successful. That belief couldn’t be further from the truth! Business success is whatever you make it. For me, chasing after a white patriarchal/capitalist standard of business success was killing my body, mind, and soul. It never felt aligned, but rather, a forced ideology that if I failed to follow what others were doing, then I wouldn’t grow, make a big enough impact, or enough money. Don’t believe the hype!
Sometimes, you have to forget what everyone else is doing and focus on what feels true and healthy for you. Just because an approach isn’t widely practiced doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. I changed my mindset about what success is and reframed my business goals to honor work-life balance, optimized operations to run with minimal oversight and labor, and flexibility to always do what feels best for me at any given time. As a result, I’m thriving in ways I wasn’t before because I now have minimal stress, my anxiety and depression have resolved, and I feel great about creating a path that works best for my needs and goals.
The lesson to unlearn is that you don’t have to “fit into the pack” or follow mainstream to be successful. Define what success is for you based on what matters most to you, and is protective of your peace.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drraynd.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drraynd/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drraynd
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrRayND
Image Credits
N/A – all images are self-taken or created.