Women In Wellness: Dr Tanya Carroccio of Benehealth On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
“Not everyone has the same enthusiasm as you.” When I am passionately talking about the work we do and the amazing help we have provided to our patients I tend to forget that not everyone is ready for change or is ready to hear that there is a different way to approach health and wellness. I don’t lose my enthusiasm; I just try to figure out how to make my message more compelling.
As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Tanya Carroccio.
Dr. Tanya Carroccio, DNP is a doctorally prepared nurse practitioner with 30 years of healthcare experience in a variety of roles and settings. She is currently the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Benehealth, a rapid expansion franchise model for functional medicine and regenerative aesthetics practices. Dr. Carroccio lives with her husband, her golden retriever Missy and her cat Milo. She enjoys family time, hiking, scuba diving and painting.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
Thank you for inviting me to share my story. I was very fortunate to be able to grow up rurally on a small ranch in southern New Mexico with several horses, cattle, and other barn animals. We also farmed alfalfa. I was constantly busy on the ranch, which I attribute to my drive to always wanting to be productive. I graduated high school at 16 and started my microbiology degree at NMSU. During my first year in college, I had a son and found myself as a single mother. I did not let this slow me down, but I did change my major to nursing, with a minor in microbiology.
Since getting my nursing degree my life has been a plethora of opportunities. I started out as a trauma/emergency nurse as my first role and that lasted for about 7 years. This is still one of my most favorite clinical experiences. Why? Because I could be a critical thinker, no time for drama, and I could really be there both clinically and emotionally for the patient and family during possibly the scariest time in their life. I witnessed significant burn-out with the nurses and doctors during my tenure, which sadly made me want to not work in that environment. It was not the patients, but my peers that drove me away from the ER. There is so much burnout now among healthcare workers. It truly breaks my heart for both the patients and the professionals.
I was then recruited to take a leadership role in the cardiac cath/electrophysiology/vascular lab for a new heart hospital, which really started my leadership journey. During this time, I was also finishing my Master’s in Business Administration so I could have a better understanding of the operational side of healthcare, as well as being a soccer coach and a volunteer school nurse at my son’s school.
I was asked to start a company with a colleague helping seniors and their families navigate difficult decisions when it came to the elderly not being able to live alone. After a few years of successful foundation building for Assisted Living Locators (now over 130 franchises across the country), I sold my partnership, got married and moved away from Phoenix for a while. The next 15 years I took on several executive roles such as chief nursing officer, chief of quality/safety, chief clinical officer and chief compliance officer. These were wonderful (and stressful) experiences and set me up for the experiential, educational and knowledge foundation to take the leap and start a new business that is going to help millions of people reach optimal health and longevity.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
So many stories, so little time! But for this question, I want to focus on my own health story. In my 20’s and early 30’s I looked and felt healthy. I would gain or lose around 10 pounds during a typical year, but never really was too concerned about my overall weight. I ate the typical SAD (Standard American Diet) but was very active at the gym and hiking. In my late 30’s I started noticing some menacing symptoms, such as occasional heartburn, painful menstruation and GI issues (bloating/gas/constipation/diarrhea). By the time I was almost 40, I had gallstones requiring removal of my gallbladder, carried TUMS around with me everywhere I went and needed a hysterectomy for uterine fibroids. It seemed that overnight I had become a hot health mess. Not to mention the 10 pounds that I would gain and lose, never went away. As a matter of fact, over the next several years I had put on 10 pounds a year, with a total of ~80 pound weight gain! I also did not realize my lack of coping skills and poor work boundaries caused significant stress which I carried with me constantly. This made me sick frequently, causing me to take antibiotics a few times a year. By the time I was in my mid-40’s, my perfect blood pressure increased to unhealthy levels requiring medicine, plus I needed to start on PPI’s, a very strong medicine to combat severe heartburn, plus medication for out-of-control cholesterol and metformin for pre-diabetes! I went from looking and feeling good to being a high cardiovascular risk, tired, insomnia, moody and the list goes on — all before the age of 50. The medications I was put on were making me sicker and causing long-term cellular damage. I knew I needed to change. That is when I sought out functional medicine for a deep dive into my health issues. I knew that conventional medicine was only going to prescribe more pills and make me feel worse. Creating and going through our own Benehealth Restore program I have been able to lose 40 pounds, remove all prescription medication and feel incredible. We focus on “healthy weight” and not just “weight loss” for a reason. Accomplishing realistic goals for health is imperative for a sustainable health strategy. I still have some more weight to lose, but by reaching a healthy weight I have the energy, feel great and motivated to continue. I know that addressing the underlying causes of my chronic illnesses allowed me to reach my goals without having to be ridiculously restrictive or counting carbs or calories. So, I guess the main lesson — don’t wait to care appropriately for yourself. If you think you are heading in the direction of potential chronic disease or have chronic symptoms causing health issues, or want to prevent illness — go see a functional medicine practitioner NOW. You are worth it. I recommend you visit our website to learn more about functional medicine or check out the Institute of Functional Medicine.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One that comes to mind is when I was just starting out in leadership and needed to convince hospital administration, physicians, and my peers that the current process we had for operational efficiency and patient safety was not working when it came to patient throughput or “flow” while in the hospital or outpatient setting. I was given one shot at pleading my argument for major hospital-wide changes, with all the key stakeholders and decision-makers in the boardroom. I had worked with a small team and gathered all my data, facts, and research and we designed a strategic plan complete with the compelling reasons for change and a comprehensive, quality-focused approach to consider. Our work was applauded after I finished the presentation. I felt so good…until the CFO started asking questions. I realized that I had only covered the basic financials for the project but did not fully address the larger financial barriers. I felt really foolish for being so narrow-minded in my approach.
The lessons I learned were — it is imperative to get like-minded people on the team for traction and enthusiasm and motivation. But, by not including all potential stakeholders early on left a huge gap in our plan. Thankfully, the hospital president was very supportive, and we were able to work through the financials and implement it with huge success. Since then, I have cast the net wide for expertise when it comes to projects or process changes. That includes at Benehealth, where we have a volunteer Advisory Board that assists us with areas not in our expertise.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
Our work is based on the principles of functional medicine, which uncovers the underlying causes of disease, rather than merely treating symptoms. As we discuss on our website, conventional medicine is driven by dividing the body and mind into separate systems and treating symptoms, usually with prescription medicine. Our human body is super intelligent and works as a whole system. Each individual is as unique biologically as their fingerprint or DNA. So, having strict standards of care that are supposed to work for the masses does not make sense. Often we see patients who have started on one medication for a symptom and end up on 3–4 more medications to combat symptoms or because the original medication is not sufficient. The promotional commercials for pharmaceuticals tell it like it is when it comes to adverse side effects. Yet, the majority of people (and practitioners) believe that medicine is the first line of defense against chronic illness. Don’t get me wrong, conventional medicine is amazing when it comes to life-saving treatments. It is necessary for acute illness or trauma. But when it comes to chronic illness, prevention and achieving optimal health, getting to the underlying cause is imperative so as not to make the symptoms worse, add new symptoms or worsen the condition. It may not impact the world, but that is how Benehealth plans on impacting every single person that comes to us for symptom reversal or disease regression or prevention of chronic illness.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
Ok. These are not in any order, but first — stop drinking sugary drinks and drink more water. Added sugar, whether in juice or sodas or health drinks is a low hanging fruit when it comes to improving health. Fresh, filtered water in a reusable container should be your primary go to drink throughout the day.
Decrease stress by taking control of your environment and how you react to stressful situations. We voluntarily allow a great deal of stress into our lives. Turn off the news. Take a social media sabbatical. Be mindful of others’ negativity and create boundaries to protect yourself from it. Stress is harsh on our biological system and if out of control can cause chronic illnesses such as obesity, hypertension, and GI dysfunction.
We have heard it time and again, but movement is so important. Especially if you can get that movement in nature. Even if you are not used to exercising, I recommend at the very minimum you walk 10 minutes after every meal or snack. Take the stairs. Walk around the building or home. Just move. Being sedentary has been shown on biomarkers such as an increase in insulin, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels. Of course, a regular exercise or high intensity workout regime would be optimal.
Limit your exposure to toxins. Taking you shoes off at the door will prevent pesticides and other chemicals
from being tracked into your home. At our offices, we ask that clients remove their shoes, bring or purchase non-skid socks or wear booties. This keeps the toxins from asphalt and other areas out of the office. Benehealth intentionally uses zero or ultra low VOC products for our office renovation. Plus, we have a Pro-Molecule filtration system in our office to ensure clean air. Also, avoid storing or microwaving food in plastics. Use glass or ceramic instead.
Live your life with purpose. Purposeful living is using your unique gifts to contribute to a meaningful cause while creating a life that you love. Living with purpose gives meaning to your life, which leads to happiness and contentment. Allow yourself time each day to reflect on your values and center yourself. Meditation, even for 10–15 minutes a day, helps to keep you grounded. Practice some deep breathing and positive affirmations. Take the time to enjoy a sunset, stop to help a neighbor, hold the door for a stranger. Don’t be so busy that you miss the little opportunities to find beauty in your life.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I want to see health becoming an obsession for the masses and that demand for holistic practice supersedes traditional medicine so that research and insurance companies promote wellness by encouraging members to see functional medicine practitioners in order to dive deep into a person’s symptoms or disease process. This includes financially covering a 45–60 minute visit, each time! The 10–20 minute office visits are not acceptable for patients or for practitioners. People need to say ‘no more’ to medications as a primary frontline defense for chronic illness. The health movement would also include a major reduction in processed and non-organic foods,a push for regenerative farming and significant oversight to reduce toxins and pollutants we ingest or inhale every day.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
- “Not everyone has the same enthusiasm as you.” When I am passionately talking about the work we do and the amazing help we have provided to our patients I tend to forget that not everyone is ready for change or is ready to hear that there is a different way to approach health and wellness. I don’t lose my enthusiasm; I just try to figure out how to make my message more compelling.
- “Plan for 20% contingency, then add on another 20%.” I found out that even with a scrubbed budget and the best quotes on product/services, ect. that things ultimately get missed in a start-up business. It is best to have a good contingency for your start-up budget, so that when you have those unexpected expenses or missed items, you realize it is going to be ok.
- “Be picky about those you choose to support you”. I initially started looking for advisors that I knew were excellent in their field of expertise. When I asked those couple of advisors for support, I asked as if I was ‘putting them out’ or causing disruption in their life. Because of that, I had two advisors not even make it past the first couple of meetings. So, then I realized I need to change my mind set to “it is an honor to be an advisor for Benehealth” and became pickier about the person and their interest, rather than just expertise.
- “Don’t forget to cultivate current relationships.” Getting wrapped up with starting a new business certainly requires intense focus. But, what I realized after potentially missing out on some key alliances is that those relationships that you had in previous workplaces or situations need to not be forgotten. They are key to helping the business get off the ground.
- “Enjoy the high times but be prepared for the crisis”. When you are excited about the vision and mission of your company and wrapped up in all the operations and set up to be successful, you sometimes forget that this excitement “high” does not last forever and that there will be plenty of times where things are not going so smoothly. Have your plan in place when things are not going as planned and don’t forget to celebrate often.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Oh my…all of them are hugely important and they are all interlinked in some way. I have the most influence over mental health through our focus on the whole person for health and wellness. As I have mentioned, the mind is a part of the body and what affects the body, affects the mind and vice-versa. There is so much science behind how we can influence our mental state by fixing our state of health. The gut-brain connection is one of those amazing marvels. Our gut has incredible capabilities that surpass even our other organs, and has its own enteric nervous system, often called the “second brain”. So much is now known about the gut microbiome and gut-brain connection that influences our daily health. For example, the gut is our largest storage for serotonin, which plays a vital role with sleep, mood, appetite, pain sensitivity and overall well-being. So instead of taking a pill for anxiety, we could start by identifying issues and fixing the gut.
What is the best way our readers can follow you online?
Sign up for our YouTube channel. We are starting a video series, which you will not want to miss because we will be providing excellent biohacks for health, wellness, longevity and beauty.
Follow us on Instagram (www.instagram.com/benehealth_az) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/benehealth4life)
Thank you for these fantastic insights!
Women In Wellness: Dr Tanya Carroccio of Benehealth On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.