What if your biggest challenges could lead to your greatest impact? 🌟
In this episode, Dr. Mandy Patterson shares her inspiring journey from surviving severe preeclampsia to becoming a transformative force in naturopathic and functional medicine. 🌿 She reveals how a heart-led approach—rooted in passion, wisdom, and empathy—can overcome infertility, build meaningful patient connections, and transform lives for generations.
Discover how she navigated the shift to online care during COVID-19, balanced pricing with self-care, and unlocked the true power of holistic healing.
🎧 Why listen? This episode is your guide to leading with heart, creating impact, and transforming your business and life. Don’t miss it!
Key Takeaways from this Episode
- The definition and impact of a heart-led business
- Overcoming personal health crises to inspire others
- The transition from occupational therapy to naturopathic medicine
- The unique challenges and rewards of specializing in infertility
- The importance of listening and empathy in healthcare
- Offering transformational healthcare online
- Balancing high-quality care with accessibility
- Success stories that fuel the mission
About the Guest
Dr. Mandy Patterson, founder of mandypatterson.com and positivityfertility.com, empowers women and couples to achieve vibrant health through holistic wellness. A mom of six and an expert in fertility, hormones, and mental health, Mandy blends conventional and alternative medicine to create simple, transformative health plans. As a speaker and coach, she inspires others to take ownership of their health and live their best lives.
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Explore the Dialogue’s Treasures: Unearth the insights within! Delve into the profound wisdom woven throughout our conversation.
Speaker: 0:01
Welcome to the heart-led Business Show, where compassion meets commerce and leaders lead with love. Join your host, Tom Jackobs, as he delves into the insightful conversations with visionary business leaders who defy the status quo, putting humanity first and profit second. From heartfelt strategies to inspiring stories, this podcast is your compass in the world of conscious capitalism. So buckle up and let’s go. Let your heart guide your business journey.
Tom: 0:35
Ladies and gents, brace your senses for a show that’s both hearty and health filled. We’re pumped to present Mandy Patterson, the wellness wizard with a heart-led hustle. Mandy’s got a medley of big, bountiful titles from a yoga instructor to a holistic health honcho. She’s spreading love through her digital domain, turning health hurdles into hallelujah moments. So sit tight as we go deep into her journey on today’s potent episode of The Heart-Led Business Show. Mandy, welcome to the show.
Mandy Patterson: 1:06
Hi, Tom. Thanks for having me.
Tom: 1:07
Absolutely glad you’re here. And you know, the first question I always like to kind of set the tone for the show is what’s your definition of a heart-led business?
Mandy Patterson: 1:16
Yeah. I think that I had to ponder that a bit. But I really believe that a heart-led business is getting up every single morning, feet on the ground, boots on the ground, and serving people with passion and wisdom and empathy. That is my definition of a heart-led business.
Tom: 1:37
So really putting the people first and thinking about what their needs are, what their desires are, and just thinking about that before potentially thinking about ourselves.
Mandy Patterson: 1:45
Yeah.
Tom: 1:46
Yeah. Okay. Awesome. That’s awesome. So tell us a little bit about your heart-led business and what inspired you to start it?
Mandy Patterson: 1:51
Yeah, absolutely. So I have a pretty diverse background. So I currently am a naturopathic doctor, functional medicine and I am in the arena of infertility. So what kind of fueled my passion for my business and what I do is 22 years ago, my son was born three months premature. He was a one pound 14 ounce preemie. I almost died. I had pregnancy induced hypertension, but it had progressed to the point of I was in kidney and liver failure when I walked into the hospital and they said, you know, you need to get your stuff in order. You’re probably not going to survive this and your son probably won’t. And, that like as, yeah, being really young cause I was 23 then, right. I was an occupational therapist before I became a naturopathic doctor. So that was kind of the pivot in my life when I realized that my voice mattered that, you know, I was the only one that could advocate for myself that had my best interest in mind. And I really had to use my voice in even uncomfortable situations, to communicate, you know, what my needs were and like what my son’s needs were. So he’s a healthy 22 year old today. But it was many challenges, even health challenges over the years that you know, I have six children, actually 22 down to 11, three boys and three girls. You know, it’s been a lot mothering and doctoring and doing all of those things. And so it was about, I would say 14 years ago when I started getting involved in more of the holistic arena, the alternative arena, and just really starting to learn. And I have always practiced as an occupational therapist in some form or capacity because I would just be, they call it PRN where they would just call me in if I could do it and I was juggling my own business with it. But during COVID was when I really pivoted and I was like, I’m not going to do that anymore because I feel like I can serve people in a much greater capacity as an online business owner and really meet their needs. So that’s kind of been my journey and my story.
Tom: 3:48
Oh, nice. Awesome. And so obviously now you’re focused on fertility and that was a primarily because of the issue that you went through with your son.
Mandy Patterson: 3:56
Yeah. So that was one of it. Cause after, when I came on the other side of that, doctors told me, you’re probably never going to have any more children. And I was like, who are you to tell me that I’m not going to have any more kids? I’m going to figure this out.
Tom: 4:08
Boy, did you show them wrong. Right. He had five more.
Mandy Patterson: 4:10
Exactly. So, you know, that at then was really hard for me to take because I was like, and you know I’m that type of person that one door closes, another door opens. And I was like, well, if I’m going to adopt some kids or, but I’m going to figure out my health now and get my things in order. Because clearly there were things that were setting me up to be ill during that first pregnancy. So yes. So I had some very close friends and like three of my sister in laws dealt with infertility. And I have just, as a mom, it’s been a tremendous joy raising children. It is my passion. It is like, All that I do, you know, in addition to my business and I want other families to experience that. And, you know, infertility has been on the rise for many years. So that’s kind of how I got into that hormone fertility arena and just kind of went full in and was like, yeah, I’m going to serve. I’m going to help people from a natural perspective, help them advocate for themselves, educate, empower, equip them with the that they need to be the healthiest versions of themselves.
Tom: 5:12
Yeah, that’s really great. And I hear that quite a bit. Actually, a lot of practitioners go into their area of practice because of a personal issue that they went through themselves as well. Do you find that you have history with that? That it makes you a better practitioner?
Mandy Patterson: 5:28
I think so because I think, you know, and I’ve seen it in multiple different angles as a practitioner that was an occupational therapist on the front lines. Like I worked in the hospital, I worked in the ICU outpatient, I worked in NICU, over the years I did home health. So I have a very like broad lens into which like I saw the system and how the system treated people. And it just as an empath, it was really hard for me. And so that in addition to being a mom, because my kids have had health issues over the years, and we’ve had to go to extremes. Even last year, my son he’s five hours from us. He goes to school in Chicago and I got a phone call. That he was in the hospital, was having abdominal issues. And he’s the one that was the preemie that had two bowel surgeries. And this had happened repeatedly and I sitting up at Northwestern hospital in Chicago at like, 11:30 at night. And I’m like, I’m going to figure this out. If I can do anything I can to prevent him from having to go in for a surgery, then I’m going to do it. And so literally within four weeks, I had him down in Gainesville, Florida, and we were doing a treatment program that focuses on people that have bowel adhesions from past surgeries. They also work with people that have infertility that have endometriosis. And so we did a week long program to get him on track.
Tom: 6:47
That’s amazing. And that history brings forward, you know, you’re an empath and you’ve had the family history as well. I mean, that you’ve got to have so much empathy for the patients that come to you for the fertility. Like how do you approach that with them?
Mandy Patterson: 7:02
Yeah. You know, I think the longer I’ve been in practice and the more people that I’ve seen, what I’ve really realized is people simply just need like a practitioner to listen to them, to sit with them, like, you know, walk through things with them. And it reminds me of the book. There’s a book out that’s called the quiet leader. And it was several years ago that it was published, but he really just alludes to, you know, from a compassion side of things, just sitting and listening is can be so therapeutic, right?
Tom: 7:32
Yeah. And especially in today’s like the insurance sick model I can’t say health model or sick insurance that we like the doctors can’t afford to spend more than five, five minutes with a patient. Of course we’re not being heard. And so having somebody that can sit down and how long are typically your consultations with patients?
Mandy Patterson: 7:50
Yeah, so I usually do an initial 30 minute consultation with them just to get to know them better what their health goals are, what their challenges are, you know, what they’re looking for in a practitioner. And you know, like I frame it around, you know, the work that I do is an investment, right? Like I am really aiming for transformation and transformation doesn’t happen overnight. And Functional and Naturopathic Medicine is not a quick fix. It’s not a quick pill. So, you know, and some people are still in that mindset, right? That you just go to the doctor, you spend 15 minutes with them, they hand you a pill and it makes you better. But I think, you know, society is waking up even, you know, post COVID even more so to understand that, you know, the system doesn’t have our best interest in mind and the pills don’t fix things in that we have to work on our own internal terrain. And when I talk about that, I mean mind, body, and spirit. to get to a better place of healing. My initial session is like a 30 minute. After that, I usually spend, so my one to ones, I spend two times a month with them for at least 50 minutes, you know, checking in, like, you know, I usually have a suggested protocol for them that we’re reviewing. I’m seeing where their hangups are and roadblocks and such. But I also do group coaching as well. And so my fertility program called Positivity Fertility, I lead that with my partner, Dr. Jeannie Shuffley. That is every week they get support through to us in coaching sessions. And then we also have, like, an online portal set up where they can message us and, you know, it’s a community we’re building.
Tom: 9:24
Oh, wow. That’s really great. So shifting to the business side. So you’d mentioned that you’re an empath and what I’ve found, and I am as well, that a lot of empaths that go into health and wellness businesses tend to struggle with charging the worth that you are worth. So tell me the kind of how you approach that, how you, maybe the struggle that you went through and some challenges, you know, in the early days of having your business.
Mandy Patterson: 9:47
Absolutely. You are so right. It is a challenge. And it was really hard for me to shift my mindset around that several years ago, but I realized that in order to take good care of myself, so I can be the best version of myself as a practitioner for people that I do have to charge higher prices. And I think it’s really However, you know, I have an incredible amount of content, free content out there for people. You know, I run the Gutsy Fertility Podcast. We have an extensive blog and recipes on my website. And so, you know, if people are just kind of getting in my world and trying to understand how I approach things from a health and wellness side, you know, I’ll direct them that way. If, you know, money is an issue. However, you know, I think offering smaller options for people for them to get into your world such as like, many courses which we do have in like smaller things. Like I actually offer like a lab review for people. It’s kind of an intro where I’ll look at their conventional labs. I’ll explain to them what that means from a functional lens, which is very different because I always tell people the conventional lens has a much broader reference range than the what would be considered a healthy range. So, you know, people that are inside the conventional range are not necessarily healthy. They’re just average. So that’s an important piece. But then I also offer like even a package where I do some testing for them, like hair tissue, mineral analysis and food sensitivity testing and kind of put together a protocol for them through that. And they get on, they get email access to me through that. And then I have larger tiered programs that are, you know, three months, six months, up to 12 months, based upon what they’ve got going on. I’ll tell them, you know, this is what the length of time that I think you’ll need coaching support for me to take care of this problem. Yyou know, so for instance, I actually had a mom reach out to me a couple of days ago, 18 year old has her daughter has a lot of acne going on and other things, you know, she’s an 18 year old. She’s not going to need year long coaching program, right? But that initial testing, I can really put together a solid plan for her to really reverse the acne and get to the root cause of her hormone challenges.
Tom: 11:52
Oh that’s great. I think that’s really smart having different options for different price points. Cause not everybody can’t afford that one on one. And I think that the whole mindset of, you know, sick insurance pays for everything. Well, no, it pays for when you’re sick and you know, hopefully we don’t get to that level where we need to use it, you know, so it’s interesting.
Mandy Patterson: 12:10
Well, and that’s kind of how I frame it to people. You know, interestingly enough, I was learning about even an IVF clinic on what they’re charging for like the average couple that walks through the door. It’s literally 75,000 dollars. They can bet that they’re going to make that much money off those individuals because they know that IVF usually takes multiple rounds in each IVF round being approximately 20 to 30 thousand dollars. So it’s a business model, right? And so when I’m talking to people about that, I’m like, you know what? Sometimes people do have to go to the IVF path and that’s perfectly fine. But what I’m doing is optimizing your body for a healthy baby, like in healthy generations to come. It’s a very different mindset, right? So, and then two you know, framing it for people around, well if you’re having infertility issues now, there’s usually root cause issues for that, or there always is root cause issues for that, and that could cause you health issues down the road, right? So do you want to take care of it now, or do you want to take care of it later when it’s going to be more painful?
Tom: 13:08
Yeah. Well, and IVF is almost just a Band Aid solution. It’s not really fixing the underlying issue of the infertility necessarily.
Mandy Patterson: 13:17
More insurance is paying for the IVF too. So that’s another alert for, you know, people to say, Oh, I’m just going to go that path is the easier path, but is it the best you know?
Tom: 13:27
Yeah. Yeah. So early on in your career, like walk me through kind of some of those challenges that you faced where you’re like, I have to charge more or else I’m going to go crazy or whatever the situation was for you.
Mandy Patterson: 13:38
Yeah, I’ll say that pivot came back about four years ago. So I actually online in 2017 because my husband and I moved our six kids to Australia and we lived there for two years. And so, at that point, I had already gone into the online space and just got incredibly busy and was like, Oh my goodness. Like I’m just, you know, doing hours for dollars here. And like, I really have to be protective of my own health because I had my own health crisis before and it doesn’t go well. That’s when I really started and I’ve worked with some different mentors and coaches. And you know, what I think as an empath, the hard thing for me was I really want quality transformational healthcare to be available to all. So that’s been like the rub and the struggle for me. But I started to realize like, if I’m protective of myself and if I’m staying in a high vibrant state. Then those I’m going to attract higher vibe people and people that are, you know, able to pay more financially. And then that frees me up to like do scholarships or, you know, what it, whatever it looks like for people that I feel like they’re like, want to get started and they can’t afford it. Then I figure it out. I help them figure it out. Like if that’s an extended payment plan, you know, or, you know, walking them through how they can.
Tom: 14:57
And I like that, you know, that you’re offering scholarships and I was speaking to a practitioner yesterday who was saying, you know, the more. Money that you make in your practice, the more pro bono stuff that you can do, and the more charities that you can support and more people that you can help. So it doesn’t do anybody good if one, you’re stressed out all the time about money and where’s the next, you know, dollar coming from.
Mandy Patterson: 15:20
Yeah, and I think like I’ve had to like really build up my mindset around you know, I have a very deep faith as a Christian and I firmly believe God brings the people that need help and that need, you know, they might just, and it might even look like a 30 minute session with me and they don’t end up working with me. But at least I can impart some wisdom to them and give them some little seeds to like, you know, that are planted that they can think about. Like I just had a mom come to me two days ago, that’s got stage four cancer and they’ve given up on her with chemo and radiation. And she has six children and I kind of walked her through, this is some different options we can work together. And she came back and she was like, we just can’t afford it right now. And I was like, look, I’m willing to work with you around a payment plan, but the very least, I would at least do some initial testing so you can have a protocol to get going, you know, and just trying to move people in that, like, direction, especially when I know it’s a life or death situation, right?
Tom: 16:13
Yeah. That’s so great of you. Yeah.
Mandy Patterson: 16:15
And if I hadn’t, like, I feel like if I hadn’t had my own near life or death and death experience, like I wouldn’t have maybe the capacity to really like speak up and like really try to nudge and push the gently push them in that direction to understand. You’ve got to figure this out right now. Like, and I’m willing to help you figure it out. I will do whatever it takes. To support you, but you know, so, and I did give her some resources, you know, to at least start you, I said, check out some of this research, you know, I’ve seen some miraculous things with these protocols and things, you know, so.
Tom: 16:51
And it’s a balance as well, because like, you may want to help somebody and do it for free, but then again, will they put the value on it and actually do the work necessary to get the result if it’s free?
Mandy Patterson: 17:02
Exactly. And I think when you psychologically think about that, I even know for myself, when something’s given to me free. I, it’s not going to hold the same value and I’m not going to put in the amount of work that needs to be done, you know, to get there. And so there is an association between, you know, a payment and paying a significant amount of money to get a result, right?
Tom: 17:24
And especially if there’s a partial scholarship involved, there’s still skin in the game in terms of a real investment from the patient point of view to get those results to happen for sure.
Mandy Patterson: 17:36
Yeah, actually just discussing a scholarship yesterday with a past client that would like to do some testing. And I’m like, why don’t we talk through this? And I think like, as Business owners like we’re gifted in that because we can present different options to people and really like dig down and like help them problem solve.
Tom: 17:55
Yeah, exactly. And that’s my whole kind of theme in terms of the sales coaching that I do is that we’re not sales people, we’re problem solvers. That’s what you’re, that’s what we do is solve a problem if we can. we can’t, we refer out to somebody else. So what type of like really cool, like benefits have come by for you personally for having a heart-led business versus just focusing on, you know, making a profit?
Mandy Patterson: 18:18
Yeah, I literally had a client just reach out to me a couple weeks ago And we had worked together with her husband for six months. They were wanting to get pregnant with their second baby, had complications with their first and we worked really hard. They went all in. We did, you know, significant amount of testing. Like I laid out a program for them. And they did great. And she, at the end of that program had a miscarriage and, you know, was pretty down and I just kind of told her, I’m like, you know, you have the foundation in place, don’t give up. It’s been a year since I’ve heard from her. And I was wondering, you know, what’s going on with them and lo and behold, a message showed up on my inbox from her that they had their second baby. The baby was literally just born in May. You know, she was so grateful that I gave them the tools and the coaching for a healthier family and for them to have better health. And you know, that is what keeps me going. We’re contributing to a lifelong legacy for people. I mean, it’s about that longer. Longer vision. My husband doesn’t necessarily get that with the vision because he’s not a visionary and I’m a visionary. And I try to explain it to him and I know not everybody understands that, but you know, and like another case was like a local golf coach that came to me, had diabetes and was really struggling. And so we worked together for a whole year and we literally like, we’re well on our way to reversing his diabetes. And he goes to his doctor and he’s like, Well, that medication that I gave you is working. And he was like, I’m not taking the medication. Like I actually lost weight. I worked with a holistic professional and I’ve put habits in place that are going to promote health for me.
Tom: 19:59
Yeah. No, that’s so rewarding. I’d almost say that it’s worth as much as the monetary. Yeah, I think it’s probably worth more than the monetary reward as well, but you can’t have those stories unless, you know, you’re okay with making a profit because at the end of the day, if we’re not making a profit, we’re not going to be around and be able to help people.
Mandy Patterson: 20:17
Absolutely.
Tom: 20:18
Yeah. Cool. Nice. Well, Mandy, we’re getting to about that time to wrap up here. I want to thank you so much for being on the show today, but how can people learn a little bit more about your practice and potentially work with you?
Mandy Patterson: 20:29
Yeah, Tom. Absolutely. I am grateful that you allow me to come on. And I know when we first met, I felt like we were kindred spirits and we just connected in that way. So thank you for allowing me to come on and speak. But people can find me in a couple different places online. So my website is mandypatterson.com. And then my couples group coaching fertility program is positivityfertility.com, and I’m out on social media, like I’m on Instagram as Dr. Mandy Patterson, D R Mandy Patterson, Facebook, Mandy Patterson, Functional Medicine Practitioner. I’m actually on TikTok as the Gutsy Fertility Podcast, cause I actually do run a podcast as well called Gutsy Fertility Podcast.
Tom: 21:12
What a great name.
Mandy Patterson: 21:13
Definitely my son inspired that just with all of his gut issues over the years and it was like gutsy is who I am and it’s just fits perfectly.
Tom: 21:22
That’s great. Well, cool. Well, Mandy with us today and sharing your wisdom and sharing your stories of being a heartled business owner and all the great things that come along with having that business. So thank you so much.
Mandy Patterson: 21:33
Thank you, Tom.
Tom: 21:33
And thank you listeners for watching and listening to the show today. I certainly appreciate it. I know Mandy certainly appreciates it as well, and all of her links and social media and websites and all that will be linked up into the show notes. So please make sure you’re checking that out. Go see what Mandy’s all about in her Heart-Led hustle. And I know our guests really love it when listeners can connect with them either on social media or through email. So please do that. And also my little ask for you guys is if you could do me a solid favor and give the show a rating and review on your podcast player of choice, whether that be Spotify, Apple, or YouTube, it really helps spread the word about the heart-led business show and all the great entrepreneurs that are leading with their heart and putting people first and until next time lead with your heart.
Speaker 2: 22:20
You’ve been listening to The Heart-Led Business Show, hosted by Tom Jackobs. Join us next time for another inspiring journey into the heart of business.
