We had the good fortune of connecting with Christa Russie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christa, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
I’ve considered this question a lot over the past several years. At the end of the day, it comes down to the fact that I believe in what I do, I believe that people inherently know when something is off in their body and I believe that what I have to offer can benefit people who are struggling, and so I keep going.

As a pharmacist working in functional medicine, there’s this sense of not belonging. The landscape is filled with physicians, chiropractors and health coaches, but pharmacists have been the outlier until recently. We’re seen as the people who give drugs, not help get rid of them. That’s led to doubt at times, but when I’m envisioning how I can best be of service, functional medicine and nervous system work is it. When I have a client that gets to eat their favorite food again, or that has their anxiety and pain fade away, that absolutely lights me up and keeps me going.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’ve had an unusual career path, transitioning from intensive care nursing to retail pharmacy and now incorporating functional and lifestyle medicine into my work. I’ve always been passionate about yoga and the nervous system, but didn’t began my journey to becoming certified until 2020.

It wasn’t until I experienced extreme burnout a few years later that the link between my work and my passions, my ikigai, clicked into place. The development of a metabolic disorders and signs of autoimmune disease that weren’t being addressed led me down rabbit hole after rabbit hole, and eventually to a group of pharmacists practicing functional and integrative medicine. I was hooked.

As I personally did the same work I do with clients now, everything in my body came to alignment – lab markers returned to baseline, pain I had since I was a kid disappeared, bloating I had lived with for years – things I wasn’t even trying to fix – got better. That’s when I knew this was bigger than me. The power of lifestyle medicine and learning to tune in to our body was something I needed to be a part of and share with my community.

Canopy Wellness was born from this, and I think that my personal journey is what sets me apart. I have the substantial healthcare background necessary to help clients go deeper, but more importantly, I understand what it feels like to be told things are “normal” when you feel anything but. I know how it feels when your nervous system shuts down and you stop being you just so you can survive. And now I know that there is an other side, and I have tools to help people get there.

In truth, this process hasn’t been as linear a journey as I initially hoped, but there has been so much beauty in that. When my mom was diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer last year, giving up was a serious thought (she is now cancer free!) Instead, I pivoted from strictly one on one clients. I began creating online programs, partnering with chronic disease support groups and hosting workshops; things I could largely work on behind the scenes while dealing with life’s crazy curve balls.

Through those curve balls, I discovered a passion for group teaching, so as Canopy Wellness expands, I am excited about developing longitudinal groups where we aren’t meeting in isolation, but as a community. I think we have so much on our plates right now from work and family responsibility to the general state of the world and that weight on our nervous system translates directly to our body. By diving into that connection together, I think we can take powerful steps towards collective wellness.

This journey has been fulfilling, while also challenging every part of me. I work a full time night shift position (queue metabolic nightmare), and have a young child who deserves every bit of my attention. Trying to grow Canopy Wellness while also maintaining my own boundaries and sanity has required a lot of reflection and figuring out what I can let go to give this my energy. I’ve come to peace with the fact that slow growth is still growth, and so every day I put pieces in place to move things forward. My mantra is that things move forward when you slow down, and I find that when I am open to opportunities, the right ones show up.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Atlanta has so many hidden gems it’s hard to know where to start. I would absolutely begin a day (or 7) with yoga at a neighborhood studio and peruse some of the many handmade shops like Beehive and Garage Door. I love the outdoor access in Atlanta, so visits to Oakland Cemetery, the Botanical Gardens and the magical bamboo forest along the Chattahoochee are a must. As are the many outdoor music events that pop up like Jazz Nights in Oakhurst. Argosy in East Atlanta is a favorite for delicious everything and being a California girl, Mexican food is always top of mind, with Santo in Avondale and La Semilla on the beltline being some of my faves!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Community is the key to everything. Jess Pfeffer of Holistic Event Planner has been instrumental in helping me narrow my squirrel brain to executable ideas and is the best at checking in and giving unwavering support. The Functional Medicine Pharmacist Alliance let me realize that this is even possible. And of course my family – my partner and my mom have been my biggest champions (and my guinea pigs) and my 7 year old daughter knows more about the mind and body than I did in my 30s. Being able to live this journey together has been such a blessing.

Website: https://www.canopy-wellness.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canopy_wellness/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christa-russie/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CanopyWellnessAtl

Image Credits
Jon Freed of Black Rose Visuals for the head shot only

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.