Meet Dr. Amanda Tracy | Naturopathic Doctor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Amanda Tracy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Amanda, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
My interest in plant based nutrition and my personal health journey led me to become a Naturopathic Doctor specializing in women’s health. In my teens and 20s, I was plagued with irregular periods. Naturally, when I specialized in naturopathic medicine, female hormones and menstrual cycles were of personal interest. I created a regimen using natural therapies, herbal medicine and nutrition to support my hormones but it wasn’t until I fully embraced a 100% plant based diet, got serious about stress management, and made sleep a priority in my life, that I was able to have regular, monthly periods in my 30s and 40s. Consequently, as my practice grew, women that needed the same types of support and hormone balance were drawn to me more than other types of patients were and it became the majority of my practice.

In 2017, before it was en vogue, I experienced “burnout” and this was a wake up call that forced me to re-evaluate my lifestyle, work-life balance, and my nutrition and supplement regimen – as well as how I approached my medical practice as a business. I had never shied away from being a business owner or entrepreneur, my family had multiple small businesses and my sister and I were very involved in them growing up – but I had to find another way to “do” the business of being a doctor to have the bandwidth to be both the CEO and a caring healthcare provider.

Although this was a really difficult time in my life, this exploration led to me not only healing myself, but also creating the medical practice I have today – a solopreneur boutique telemedicine practice specialized in what I do best – working with women who feel their bodies are in chaos because of changing hormone levels, sleep issues, stress or anxiety.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’ve been a licensed Naturopathic Doctor (ND) since 2005. For 15 years, I helped build an award-winning wellness center in Massachusetts. In 2021, I relocated to Northern California wine country and transitioned my practice online to serve women from New England to California and everywhere in between. My telemedicine practice specializes in perimenopause and menopause wellness.

I love helping women over 40 to reclaim their body, mind and mojo to master their metabolism, sleep deeper, have more energy and always be in a kickass good mood. I am passionate about helping women take charge of their hormones because I’ve seen the incredible benefits of holistic medicine in my own health journey.

Patients come to me feeling like their bodies and minds are in chaos due to hormonal transitions, menopausal symptoms, and the constant stresses of life. I understand where my patients are at, struggling with symptoms of hormone imbalance while trying to cope with the demands of their busy lives, because I’ve been exactly where they are.

In the past three years, I have been creating programs and offering opportunities for women to work with me outside of the setting of 1-on-1 consultations. This has proven to be both inspiring and challenging. Because I can work with women across the US, it is inspiring and fun to create programs to simultaneously support women over 40 in perimenopause with different lifestyles and living in different time zones. But it also has been challenging to convince women they will get the care and attention they need and deserve outside of 1-on-1 consultations and in a group class or DIY video course – but it can be done!

The first launch of my group perimenopause course, SOLVE Your Perimenopause Puzzle, did not go as well as I hoped. I was offering the group experience as a lower cost option to the work I do with patients 1-on-1 and I was perceiving the advantage of the group to be the cost savings for the patient. After this failed initial launch, instead of abandoning the group model altogether and adding more 1-on-1 spots in my schedule, I sought the coaching and advice of my accountability partners, coaches and past clients.

I learned that the group program is much more successful when I launch it to women that are self motivated about their health and do not need as much individual advice to stay motivated and accountable but do need a clear action plan designed for them by an expert and desire a community for support and comradery. The perimenopausal and menopausal years can be a lonely phase of life and having a like minded community of women going through the same situation is empowering.

This year, I am creating a one-day experience out of my 6-week group class which I plan to be incorporated into a mini retreat. A long-held professional dream of mine is to be part of a wellness retreat catering to women in perimenopause and menopause that integrates yoga, plant-based medicine, and holistic health.

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?
Well, that’s an easy one! I happen to live in the Suisun Valley, the ‘Petite Syrah Capital of the World’ and second oldest American Viticultural Area (AVA) in California, second only to Napa – so we will be wine tasting. A few of my local tasting spots are Mangels Winery for delicious wines with a friendly price tag and Sunset Suisun co-op to try new craft wines. When I am in Napa, I like to enjoy the patio at Domaine Carneros with sustainably grown vegan sparkling wines and their vegan cheese plate.

On the second day of the weekend, I suggest taking a salsa class at Slow Fox Dance studio and the hitting Oxbow Public Market in Napa for vegan tacos at C Casa.

And since it’s a long weekend visit, we would have to spend a day getting out in nature (beyond the vineyards). I would suggest a short hike out to Tennessee beach and a picnic lunch by the ocean or checking out the lavender fields or redwood forests in nearby Sonoma county.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to dedicate my shoutout to my grandfather, Jim, who recently passed, from whom I inherited my entrepreneurial spirit.

I always knew him as a successful business owner and a stubborn force of nature with a strong internal compass but it wasn’t until hearing stories from his earlier life from friends and family that I realized how much courage and determination he mustered to open his first business.

While he may not have understood the intricacies of natural medicine, he was always asking me about “the business” of my wellness clinic and I knew he was proud of what I was achieving. He knew what it meant to take risks and be a visionary – he was talking about adding pickleball courts to the family tennis club in 2012, a decade before anyone ever heard of the sport! I am glad to carry on his legacy.

Website: https://dramandatracy.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandatracynd/

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik5zSphGRoM&list=PLl9-SZJOrN_WnxwBQ3AJTzI0_f6UPFVI0