Wellness Reimagined: Shayna Melissa Stockman On 5 Things That Should Be Done To Improve and Reform The Health & Wellness Industry

An Interview With Maria Angelova

Be The Expert at NEW Cutting-Edge Science, not Simple Supplementation, but Gene ACTIVATION!

In our world of constant change, and with life moving faster than ever, topics such as mental health, self-care, and prevention have become popular buzzwords. People are looking to live healthier lives, and there is superb care out there that is being offered. At the same time, there are misconceptions about the meaning of self-care and exercise. Many opt for quick solutions — surgery, pills — to dull the problem without adequately addressing the underlying cause. Meanwhile, many parts of the industry are unregulated and oversaturated. People with years of training are competing with people with weekend training. Many providers are overworked, overwhelmed, and underpaid. The general public is not educated about asking the right questions when selecting a wellness provider. In the face of all this, what can be done to correct the status quo? In this interview series, we are seeking to hear from a variety of leaders in the health and wellness industries who agree that the wellness industry is in need of an overhaul and offer suggestions about what can be done moving forward. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Shayna Melissa Stockman RN, BC-ANP, PNP.

Shayna Melissa Stockman, RN, BC-ANP, PNP, a Nationally Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner (NP), is an inspirational health expert combining over 30 years of nursing/medical experience with naturopathic techniques and the latest biohacking strategies. She suffered auto-immune disorders, debilitating pain, and heart failure, yet helped heal herself holistically, without medications, and then her doctors became her clients!

Now known as The World Wellness Expert ™ and a #1 International Best-Selling Author, she fuses a proactive mix of functional, holistic, and integrative approaches with gene activation to attack the root cause for truly synergistic results that have changed thousands of lives. ShaynaMelissa.com

Thank you so much for doing this interview. It is an honor. Our readers would love to learn more about you and your personal background. Can you please share your personal backstory? What has brought you to this point in your life?

Sure! I was raised by my GrandMa who grew up poor with her divorced mother during the prior pandemic yet still graduated high school 2 years early. She never used excuses and worked hard to get ahead. I greatly admired and emulated her.

Even though her husband was a pharmacist, she chose healthy, more natural alternatives instead of medications. My grandmother truly led by example, showing me through demonstrations.

I watched her eat low-salt foods and bananas to avoid blood pressure medicine. She always attacked the root cause (i.e., salt intake) to stop the problem (i.e., high blood pressure) and that usually helped her avoid needing prescription pills. Nowadays we call attacking the root cause functional medicine and using food for medicinal purposes naturopathy. She was truly an intuitive holistic healer, well ahead of her time. (I’m not saying what helped her works for everyone but attacking your root cause can only help solve your problem.)

Her siblings all had diabetes, yet my grandmother ate healthily, stayed skinny, and never developed the family trait of diabetes. She took control of her own biology in the 1970s! We can take back the power of family tendencies by altering gene expression i.e., suppressing these family genetic tendencies like diabetes. Nowadays, we do this a little differently and call it biohacking, taking control over your own biology i.e., to express or suppress genes. She was truly intuitive and decades ahead of her time. Since she taught me these techniques in the 1970s! I too am quite intuitive and decades ahead of what the masses are only beginning to use!

Basically, in the 1970s, she raised me with holistic, naturopathic, biohacking, and functional medicine techniques decades before they became popular, or there even was a school for functional medicine!

Although I excelled at science and math, as well as had a nursing scholarship, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to become a nurse. I knew GrandMa loved helping people and putting smiles on faces, and so did I.

While in my first semester of college, I was involved in a horrific motor vehicle accident and met a very kind nurse that befriended me. That’s when I had my “ah-ha” moment. I thought, ‘Wow! She likes helping people and I like helping people. This nurse will never know how many lives she impacted, and how many of those lives impacted more lives. So, a mere rippling effect could become a tidal wave! I want to create, not a mere rippling effect, but massive tidal waves. I had the nursing scholarship, the car accident, and meeting this nurse, maybe this was my calling!’ Due to budget cuts, I was still awarded the scholarship, but the payout was zero. I wrote to every politician but there was no change in the payment status.

I took out multiple student loans and worked multiple full-time jobs while going to college full-time. I rode my bicycle miles to the bus and two bus transfers later, I would arrive at college. Purchasing used, outdated books were all that I could afford. After I was able to afford a car, I had to decide to use my last $5 for gas to get to college or food in my hungry stomach. I chose the gas because the food didn’t have an ROI (Return On Investment) and college would then provide me with a career and income. I choose delayed gratification (college) over instant gratification (food).

Before I even graduated nursing school, I took my LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) test and passed it. I also passed the RN (Registered Nurse) test the first time.

After one year as an RN at a home care nursing agency, I became the supervisor of the entire agency. So, I went back to college, passed advanced placement exams, and earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Then, I graduated a semester early with my Master’s in Adult Health Nursing, obtained an adult health NP (Nurse Practitioner) license, and also passed the national board certification on the first attempt to become an ANCC Nationally Board Certified Nurse Practitioner. I completed the entire Post Master’s program in half the amount of time as most, earned my Post Master’s in Child Health Nursing, and obtained my second NP license as a child health NP. Thus, by age 26, I held four nursing licenses (LPN, RN, adult health NP, and child health NP).

After years as a nurse, I suffered: weird rashes, severe fatigue, debilitating nerve pain, excruciating joint pain, stomach problems, intestinal issues, and even full-blown heart failure.

I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. Tired of going to the doctor’s, “Try this. Try that” like I was a guinea pig or some experiment. When the prescription pills didn’t work, they would increase the dose, and when that didn’t help, they would add another pill. When the medications caused side effects, they’d add another pill or two to control the adverse reactions from the other medications. When that didn’t help, or they didn’t know what to do, they either sent me for more tests, repeated the same tests, or referred me to yet another specialist.

When the specialists didn’t know what to do to help me feel better, they left me feeling hopeless and helpless. The meds either made me wired, tired, or nauseous. And, when I declined the pills because of adverse reactions, the doctors would want me to “try” a similar pill or they would get upset, and the cycle repeated.

The doctors only treat symptoms, not root causes!

My healthcare providers weren’t getting me healthy. I thought, ‘If you’re not happy with a contractor doing your house, you fire them and hire another. If you’re not getting healthy with your healthcare provider, fire them and get another.’

I knew there had to be a better way!! So, I looked back to 1993, when my GrandMa stopped walking and the doctors left us feeling hopeless. Even as a new RN, I knew if I thought differently than the doctors, I could get results that were different from the doctors’ results. Doctors didn’t attack the root cause and didn’t solve the problem. So, if I attack the root case, I could solve the problem. As a new RN, I was able to get my GrandMa walking again without any walker, cane, or even assistance at age 79! So, I figured, like I did with GrandMa, if I got to the cause, I can solve the problem that the doctors couldn’t. I knew I had to again think differently than the doctors to get results that were different from the doctors.

After years of research, I discovered better ways that actually attack the root causes; we can activate our own genes to produce more potent antioxidants to combat inflammation, making more mitochondria that are required for cell life, and detoxifying cells before the toxins become toxic. We can also replenish depleted collagen that makes up our muscles (i.e, heart), joints, and bones.

That helped me feel better and thus be happier! Once I attacked the root causes, all of my symptoms, including pain, went away. Without the symptoms, I didn’t need medicine to treat symptoms that were no longer present. Without the medicine, I had no dependencies, interactions or adverse reactions. My energy level, weight, blood pressure, and sugars returned to normal. I was fully functional and happy!!

My doctors and specialists were so impressed with my results and those of our mutual patients that they are now MY clients!!

I want to empower millions more who feel hopeless to re-energize, feel better and be happier, often without synthetic medicine. But, I also want to empower millions more healthcare professionals to use my techniques because each healthcare provider can potentially impact thousands of lives.

What is your “why” behind the work that you do? What fuels you?

My GrandMa loved putting smiles on faces, a healthy lifestyle to prevent disease (a holistic approach), using food for medicinal purposes (naturopathy, or what I call “FARMacy”), attacking the root cause (now known as functional medicine), and suppressing family genetic tendencies (now called biohacking), as do I.

My “why” is the fact that I was left feeling helpless and hopeless, even as a healthcare professional. As an empath, I can’t even begin to imagine how non-healthcare professionals feel! Many believe that the specialist knows what is best for them so they just do as told and continue to worsen. I don’t want people to suffer (as I did) from autoimmune problems, heart failure, and debilitating pain while they continue to listen to their healthcare provider as their health declines. I want to show others that doctors and specialists are not the last stop. If their doctor, or specialist, can’t make them get better, there is still hope and a better way, often without medications. If your healthcare provider can not get you healthy, you need to consider a new healthcare provider or healthy alternatives!

I want to provide hope, and inspiration as well as empower them with the needed tools so that they too can truly transform into a new improved version of themselves.

Prescription pills usually only treat symptoms not causes and usually don’t stop, slow down, or reverse progression. These pills lead to dependencies, abuse, adverse reactions that lead to even more medicine for new symptoms, lethal interactions, and lethal overdoses! Statistics show that, if we minus synthetic opioids, there are more lethal overdoses from prescription drugs than from illicit ones!

Also, there are acceptable levels of carcinogens allowed in prescription pills, and they are not monitored nor adequately enforced. Why? Perhaps, to sell you chemo in the future!? Have you heard of the allegations about the manufacturer of the opioids, that they denied their opioid was addicting yet were trying to invest in the manufacturer of the medicine used to treat opioid addictions?

There are many without medical or nursing education who helped themselves with one problem i.e., diabetes, and now they think that they are the expert. Just because one person has one success story, does not mean that technique will work for anyone else. Proven effectiveness comes from a lot more than a single success story. I have over 30 years as an RN (Registered Nurse) and over 3 decades as a Nationally Board Certified Nurse Practitioner! In addition to my own success story, I have empowered thousands of others to feel better and be happier, often without medications!

Each healthcare provider I educate, can potentially, not only save but change thousands of lives!! Hopefully, the healthcare providers that I educate will each pass along this new cutting-edge science to other healthcare providers who can each impact thousands of lives! If I only pass my knowledge to 100 healthcare professionals who each impact 100 more, that’s 10,000 healthcare providers. If each of the 10,000 healthcare providers impacts only 1,000 patients’ lives, that’s 10,000,000! 10 MILLION lives! I want my mere rippling effect to create massive tidal waves like this!

Another thing that fuels me is that so many others charge and get paid more than nurse practitioners do at a traditional job, yet we risk our lives (with contagious infectious diseases), change and save lives! We often pay our plumber, and roofer more per hour than we may make. Does this say that our plumber and roofer are more valued than us who change and save lives? Does their salary say that fixing a sink is more valuable than our health? Professional ball players and actors make millions more per year! Does this salary differential mean that they are viewed as more valuable than someone who can change and save your life!?!

Here’s what else fuels me-

While I suffered from heart failure, I was running an urgent care that was run by an insurance carrier. The administrator, instead of asking how I was feeling, asked, “How many did you see today?” Not only does this show a lack of respect and empathy for staff, but it clearly shows the greed of the medical industry. The number of patients seen does not take into account that I ran the urgent care with only 1⁄3 of the needed staff and that many patients required significant time i.e., a hemorrhage from a pitbull attack, a fragile child that can’t breathe and won’t divulge the underlying cause and a massive heart attack in an older man.

Also, we spend trillions of dollars to keep people sick yet spend less than 2% of healthcare on prevention that could save billions of dollars and millions of lives!!

What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now?

Online workshops, courses, and classes where I teach way more than the few minutes a doctor gives you during an office visit. They are live, and online, yet include replay access. My next workshop and course are “Get Healthy and Happy With Me”! It was created especially for those suffering from autoimmune problems like I HAD (chronic pain, fibromyalgia, fatigue, Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, skin disorders, IBS, allergies, asthma, and MS) as well as other autoimmune disorders (i.e., celiac, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, eczema, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus) and rare neuromuscular disorders.

My live and online classes include all-new content, beautiful slide presentations, and replay access that could also be watched at double or even half speed. I don’t give orders but empower my clients with the knowledge and know-how so they can avoid triggers that cause flare-ups, use food for medicinal purposes, activate their genes to produce potent antioxidants, make more mitochondria required for cell life, rid toxins before they become toxic and replenish depleted collagen. Each participant gets a private dashboard with replay access, additional videos, and empowering tools like a wellness workbook with notes in PDF format that can be printed. My courses also include a private supportive community of like-minded individuals. Depending on which course is purchased, the dashboard may also include a self-assessment survey, biohacker tracker, my complete BioHacking 101 Manual, prior events, a workshop, and a confidential consultation with me.

Other new online offerings I’ve created include Mindset Mastery, Biohacking 101, Food FARMacy and Burnout To Blissful for fellow nurses.

Although I created my first mastermind over a dozen years ago, “Empaths helping Empaths” is the new mastermind that I’ve created. This mastermind will only accept positive, altruistic team players. It’s important for fellow empaths (givers) to learn to receive, and surround themselves with other givers, especially since we can’t pour for an empty cup. Empaths Helping Empaths meetings will be predominantly online, via Zoom, facetime, phone, and a private online Facebook community, as well as less censored platforms. Some meetings will be in person i.e., wellness retreats.

I will soon speak at and host wellness retreats too!

Also new-I now offer annual and quarterly memberships for clients to consult with me live in-person and online, including via video (zoom or facetime), phone, text, email, fax, Whatsapp, Telegram, and more encrypted methods like Rumble, Discord, and even Voxer access. Membership is the best way to assure my availability whenever you need via video, phone, text, or even Voxer. Membership also assures appointment availability for one-on-one confidential consultations, lengthy consultations when needed, as well as rapid replies on your preferred method of communication, special savings, additional perks, and, most importantly, gets you feeling better quicker!

I will continue to accept clients as needed for one on one consultations but I prefer they are annual or quarterly members. This way they have more access to me and more often to really expedite their journey to their destination of happiness!

I recently started offering virtual video visits with the caregiver simultaneously (i.e., mother/daughter, or husband and wife) as well as health coaching to the caregivers (i.e., the daughter who wants to know how to take better care of her elderly mother with Alzheimer’s/dementia).

So fellow nurses and other healthcare providers can implement my techniques alongside their existing services, I offer fellow nurses and other healthcare providers my classes, courses, workshops and private one-on-one mentoring. Some of my upcoming classes will be created especially for healthcare professional who may want more scientific details.

Even though I have live informational, inspirational, motivational and transformational talks (with or without my book signings) scheduled, I’m always open to new speaking engagement opportunities i.e., conferences, retreats and summits.

I am currently accepting applications for aspiring writers and writers to become best-selling published authors in my third multi-author book Tragedies To Triumphs-Secrets To Success. Each candidate must have a real story of how they turned their tragedy into a triumph, be willing to type (or dictate) their story, share their story with the world, disclose their secrets to success, and contribute to our next best-selling book. Each author will have a writers’ workshop, their chapter professionally edited, headshots on the back cover as well as inside along with their bio, website, social media links, and optional name on the front cover!

Books are therapeutic, healing, and a great way to get your uncensored story out to the world, leave a legacy, expand your audience, as well as increase clientele and revenue. Those wishing to do so can visit my ShaynaMelissa website to see the requirements, reserve their book space or schedule a free discovery call for Q & A.

To stay up to date with my upcoming events as well as receive my newsletters with exclusive invites and special savings, please visit my ShaynaMelissa.com website and submit your email on the pop-up.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

A young man had a motor vehicle accident, and a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). After he was weaned off the ventilator, I was responsible for his rehabilitation i.e., helping him to learn to walk and talk again…Since his TBI, his mentality was that of a younger child. I would make his rehab fun i.e., have him blow bubbles to get his lungs aerating, dance to get his body moving and play music so he would hum the words. He had expressive aphasia, where he could think of words but they wouldn’t come out of his mouth. When he burped, I would say, “piggie” because it would make him laugh. Well, when someone else burped, his first word after his accident was “piggie!” Whenever someone would burp, he would proudly say, “piggie!’’ I was like a proud momma hearing her baby’s first word. The lesson learned was to watch what you say because children will mimic and repeat everything.

Another time, I was supervising an entire subacute and long-term care facility. A woman was choking, people yelled for help, and I asked, “Are you ok?” Absolutely no sound came out of her mouth and she gestured that she was choking. I performed the Heimlich maneuver, and she sighed with relief. I asked again, “Are you ok?” Since she didn’t verbalize anything, I almost thought she was still choking but saw no signs of distress. Then, I found out that she was non-verbal for years.

Here’s what that taught me-

Her whisper of “Thank you” to me was her first words in years. Happy I saved her life! What I learned is that when someone is choking, there is no sound. But, if they’re non-verbal, there’s still no sound! When there’s something important to say, she will speak! The facility probably covered this up from her family because they were understaffed and undertrained (nurses’ aides didn’t know the Heimlich). Instead of panicking and yelling for help, the staff in the cafeteria who were feeding the patients should have known what to do for someone choking! Prevention and adequate staff are keys to avoiding unnecessary injuries and deaths!

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. From where you stand, why are you passionate about the topic of Reimagining The Health and Wellness industries? Can you explain what you mean with a story or an example?

I’m passionate about reimagining healthcare because I HAD autoimmune disorders, debilitating pain and heart failure. I was left feeling helpless and hopeless by even the specialists. After I healed myself holistically without the medications, my doctors became my clients and referred their patients to me.

But, much of what I know is still not taught in medical schools. If the doctors don’t know these alternatives, how can they offer their patients all options so that they can truly make an informed decision? My heart is called a vital organ because it is vital to LIFE! If I didn’t heal myself, I would be DEAD! Imagine how many didn’t heal themselves, and unnecessarily DIED! Wellness reimagined can not only change lives but save lives.

Educating healthcare providers with new cutting-edge science and prevention are key.

Too many healthcare providers keep the patients sick because it’s quicker and/or because it gives them recurring business. For instance, it takes longer to discuss dietary changes or healthy alternatives than it does to say, “Here, take this. Schedule a 1-month follow-up.” If they get you better, you don’t need to come back. If they keep you sick (needing them), i.e., with a blood pressure pill, you must come back in for a blood pressure check, prescription refills, blood work, sonograms, echo and results.

There are too many healthcare providers that do not practice what they preach. For example, the morbidly obese endocrinologist I knew would tell diabetic patients to lose weight and watch what they eat. Doing the opposite of what they instruct the patients is hypocritical. I believe that if your healthcare provider does not value his/her own health, they are not likely to value yours either!

When I talk about Reimagining the Wellness industry, I am talking about reimagining it from the perspective of the providers as well as from the perspective of the recipients and patients. Can you share a few reasons why the status quo is not working for both providers and patients?

The current healthcare system is not working because it does not get nor keep the patients healthy. Since it keeps them sick, we should rename it the sick care system or revamp it to reflect its current name.

Here are a few of the reasons that our current healthcare system is not working:

-More people are sick than healthy.

-USA has 1 in 2 that are obese, 1 in 2 that develop cancer, 1 in 4 that will die from heart disease, and 20% of CAD (Coronary Artery Disease) deaths are under age 65.

-Patients are sick, staying sick, and not getting better.

-Prescription meds (medications) usually only treat symptoms, not root causes. They usually don’t stop or reverse the disorder.

-People are dependent upon medication and the doctors for the medicines that often contain carcinogens (cancer-causing ingredients)

-These meds lead to dependencies, adverse reactions that require more meds, and even lethal interactions and deadly overdoses.

-Our country (USA) spends the most on healthcare, 20% of its economy. Yet we are one of the unhealthiest populations.

-We spend less than 2% on prevention that can save billions of dollars and millions of lives!

-Every generation had a longer life expectancy than their parents until now. Our children are predicted to be the first generation that will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.

-If we don’t count synthetic opioids, prescription drugs (medicine) kill more than illicit ones.

-We spent $22 million per year on treatment for chemical addiction, not prevention. If we educate kids about the dangers before they try them, we would save more money and more lives.

-Prevention saves money and lives yet we only spend about 2% on prevention!

-Trillions of dollars are spent in the USA on healthcare. Yet less than 2% of healthcare is spent on prevention!

-Since healthier alternatives are not usually paid for by insurance carriers, many dismiss healthier options and are stuck with carcinogenic meds that only treat symptoms, not causes.

-Doctors are not taught about all options i.e., activating genes, so they can’t offer all options to their patients. Then, the patients can’t make a truly informed decision of all choices.

-Some healthcare providers don’t want to get you well because they will lose your recurring business i.e., visits for prescriptions and testing.

From the perspective of the healthcare professional, in addition to the above reasons, the current healthcare system is not working because:

-We are asked to do more and more tasks for less and less pay.

-Insurance carriers like to reject paying providers. Or, they even ask for money they paid for services to be given back!

-Healthcare providers make less money than their plumbers and attorneys who don’t risk their lives and don’t save lives. Yet the healthcare workers need to make enough money to afford the plumbers and attorneys.

-Professional athletes and actors get paid millions of dollars more than healthcare professionals. This says that society values athletes and actors more than their health and more than the providers that can keep them healthy or save their life.

-We are so short-staffed that we don’t have time for self-care! Healthcare providers are not providing for their own health!

-The baby boomers are getting older, retiring, and needing more medical care yet the next generation is not going into healthcare.

-We need to incentivize the next generation to not run from becoming a healthcare provider, but welcome it!

Why do you think there is a good opportunity now to improve and reform the health and wellness industry?

What we are doing in healthcare is not keeping people healthy and is not getting them healthy.

We are heading toward a disastrous shortage of healthcare professionals. Since the pandemic, many left the medical profession because they became ill, got scared, retired early, died or were terminated for not complying with the mandated vaccination that didn’t have proven efficacy or safety. Also, the baby boomers in the health industry are retiring, they will need more medical attention, our entire population is sicker, and the next generation is not going into the industry or leaving it.

We’ve never spent more money, and been sicker. We’ve never been this unhealthy i.e., our children will have a shorter life expectancy than the parents, and 1 in 2 are developing cancer!

We can now activate our genes so that our body does what it used to do and should do.

Prevention and keeping them well will save BILLIONS of dollars and MILLIONS of lives!

Can you please share your “5 Things That Should Be Done To Improve and Reform The Health & Wellness Industry”? Please share an example or story for each if you can.

#1 Be The Expert at NEW Cutting-Edge Science, not Simple Supplementation, but Gene ACTIVATION!

Research to use the latest and greatest that attack these root causes:

-Oxidative stress causes inflammation and is linked to over 100 dis-orders as well as 9 of the top 10 leading causes of DEATH in the USA.

-Mitochondria are required for cell LIFE and their malfunction is linked to many dis-eases.

-Toxins cause toxicity and DEATH.

ACTIVATE GENES can:

-produce more potent antioxidants which combat oxidative stress that causes inflammation and linked to over 100 dis-orders

-make more mitochondria that are required for cell LIFE and

-detoxify cells before the toxins become toxic.

As we age, we lose 1–2% of collagen per year, as evidenced by deeper wrinkles, thinner bones, weaker muscles, and painful joints. So, replenish depleted collagen.

Since I activate my genes and ingest new liquid collagen, I feel better than I had in many YEARS! I’m no longer needing nor using any medications! Thus, I have no dependencies or side effects!

#2 Practice What You Preach, Lead By Example and others will follow!

Practice a more naturopathic approach as I do-eat healthily, activate your genes, replenish collagen, and use adaptogens to feel great! Fuse multiple modalities for synergistic effects, better outcomes & happier clients.

I use: holistic to treat the whole (body, mindset, and cellular level), naturopathic plant-based options, functional to attack the root cause, and integrative to merge medications, if needed, with alternatives. I also biohack to activate or suppress genes. Now my doctors follow me and are MY clients!

#3 Prioritize Patients over Profits & Wellness Over Wallets! Don’t Keep Them Sick, but Get Them Healthy! Instead of just renewing prescriptions, teach lifestyle and dietary changes. To save precious time from repeat sick visits, just keep them well by activating their genes!! Instead of giving orders that only treat symptoms, empower them with knowledge to attack root causes. When we attack the root cause, we can stop progression, & even reverse it. Then the symptoms go away. Without the symptoms, there’s no need for synthetic, carcinogenic drugs (meds). Without them, there are no dependencies, interactions, adverse reactions, or lethal overdoses.

#4 Under-promise & over-deliver, listen to THEIR needs, reassure them, and follow up.

Too many doctors focus on their own needs i.e., revenue, time-savers, and not the needs of the patients. As an empath, I prioritize the patients’ needs over my own. Not all, but many doctors paint an unrealistic picture of what medications will do for the patients. They overpromise medication results yet don’t often mention potentially dangerous side effects like death! For example, doctors often tell patients that immunosuppressant medications for autoimmune disorders will help them feel better, as well as reduce the severity and duration of their symptoms. Yet, they often leave out the common side effects like significant weight gain, increased infections, high blood pressure, diabetes, gastritis, ulcers, osteoporosis, fractures, and blindness.

I provide realistic expectations, and reassure them when they’re scared. To find out how they are feeling, I also provide follow-up calls and even texts.

#5 Keep them healthy and happy so they feel great, often without medications!

Healthy and happy clients transform into super fans that refer family and friends who also become super fans!

From the recipient and patient side of the industry, can you please share a few ways that patients and recipients should reimagine what the wellness and healthcare industry should provide?

Sure! The wellness industry should provide ALL options, including:

-healthier alternatives to prescription drugs like naturopathic options i.e., natural ingredients that don’t contain carcinogens, artificial colors, sweeteners or preservatives

-lifestyle modifications i.e., healthier eating, food for medicinal effects, and exercise

-more than 2% spending on prevention

-childhood knowledge to emphasize prevention over treatment because we can’t easily unboil (undo) the hard-boiled egg, reverse disease. Childhood education should include healthy eating, exercise habits, the dangers of illicit use, prescription abuse, STD and teenage pregnancy prevention

-instead of treating symptoms, attack root causes i.e., oxidative stress that’s linked to 9 of the top 10 leading causes of death

-mindset mastery that there is a better way

Patients can also learn that we can activate genes to:

-rev up your own body’s production of potent antioxidants that combat oxidative stress that is linked to over 100 dis-orders and dis-eases

-make more mitochondria that are required for cell LIFE

-activate lazy sirtuins to detox the body’s cells before the toxins become toxic and

-replenish and produce more collagen that builds up muscles, bones, joints and skin to strengthen muscles like your heart, thicken bones, lessen joint discomfort, and even diminish wrinkles.

It would be nice if ANY of the above were even taught in medical school. We need to educate healthcare providers to emphasize and prioritize prevention over treatment, attack root causes over symptoms and use more natural plant-based alternatives over carcinogenic drugs (prescription medications) that cause dependency, adverse reactions, interactions, and lethal overdoses. We need to emphasize patients over profits and wellness over sickness.

We also need to emphasize individual patient needs over simple algorithms, educating patients to make informed decisions over doctors’ orders and new cutting edge-science like activating genes over old-school prescriptions. For example, when we activate genes, our own body can make more endogenous antioxidants that are up to a MILLION times more potent than exogenous (synthetic) antioxidants like vitamin C tablets. These super-potent antioxidants combat the root cause of oxidative stress and don’t contain artificial colors, preservatives or sweeteners.

Those that are suffering from heart disease since they were infected or injected by the virus or vaccine, could really benefit from their own body making more mitochondria. Wellness reimagined would provide the know-how for these survivors to have their own bodies make more mitochondria.

Here’s why-

The heart beats 24/7 so it requires a lot of energy. Mitochondria are in the cells, produce the energy (ATP) of the cells and are required for cell life. Perhaps, that’s why out of all our organs, the heart has the most mitochondria, because it requires the most energy to function 24/7. This nasty virus goes into the mitochondria of the cells, replicates there, and when it can’t replicate anymore, destroys the mitochondria. Fewer mitochondria mean less energy for the cells to live. When the last mitochondria are destroyed in the cell, the cell DIES. Heart cells are killed! We can now activate a genetic pathway, a gene, to have your own body make more mitochondria that are required for cell LIFE!!! Also, our heart is a muscle made up of collagen. When I was in heart failure, in addition to activating my genes, I started ingesting a new liquid collagen…My heart now functions normally!! And, I don’t use any medications!

My clients who had problems since they were infected or injected during the pandemic, especially those with heart problems, now activate their genes to make more mitochondria and feel much better.

*These are general guidelines that do not take into account an individual’s medical history. Please seek the medical advice of a healthcare provider who is aware of your unique medical situation and knows how to activate genes (most don’t). You’re more than welcome to schedule a confidential consultation with me. I offer consultations to every USA state and several countries.

What do you think are the biggest roadblocks to reforming the industry? What can be done to address those hurdles?

The absolute biggest roadblocks to reform are “big pharma” (large pharmaceutical companies) with deep pockets, greed and their financial influences on politicians, the CDC (Center for Disease Control), the FDA, health insurance carriers, many healthcare facilities and some providers. The other half of this roadblock is the corrupt people that receive the money from “big pharma” i.e., politicians’ pockets, insurance carriers, healthcare facilities and some providers. For example, there were laws created to mandate a vaccination that was not yet proven effective or safe.

Another roadblock is greedy doctors that chose their wallets over wellness. I have personally met physicians that have seen my phenomenal results time and time again, as well as those of our mutual patients. While many of the doctors become my clients, some chose a blind eye because they believe that getting their patients better would cause them to lose money on repeat sick visits! It disgusts me! I’ve seen this with pain management doctors, dermatologists, and even cancer specialists!! My own skin doctor was amazed that my suspicious lesion (irregular borders and multiple colors that had increased in size) disappeared. But, I believe he thought that if patients no longer have suspicious lesions, he will lose a significant amount of money performing biopsies, his biggest money maker! In the past, I had seen an oncologist for a mass…I had no surgery and no longer have a mass! But, again, this doctor too realized that if someone no longer has cancer, they will lose a fortune from regular visits, IV administrations, and the marked-up pricing of chemotherapy and blood testing. What they don’t realize is that they will save tons of time by not treating as many sick people and each patient that gets well will refer many more people that want to get and stay well!

The FDA allows “an acceptable level of carcinogens” (ingredients known to cause cancer) in our prescription medications and does not monitor nor enforce this! Just 1 carcinogenic pill ingested twice per day is 730 carcinogen exposures ingested per year! I believe carcinogens are put into medications now to sell you chemo later. When a third party measures the amount of carcinogens in a medication and it is found to be above acceptable limits, that’s when the med gets recalled for carcinogens. But, normally no third party spends their own money to unveil this disgrace. Other medications are on the market even though they don’t have any long-term safety data nor even proven efficacy that they work!

There should be no known carcinogens allowed in meds. Pharmaceutical companies should be charged say 10% of their revenue as an additional tax. This additional tax money should be used to hire a third party that tests the meds for carcinogens and fines the pharmaceutical companies when carcinogens are found in the meds. The money collected from fines should go toward prevention programs to educate, i.e., kids about eating healthy, healthy cooking classes, sports programs, horseback riding, gym memberships, swimming lessons…Teach prevention of STDs, illicit use, prescription abuse and teen pregnancies.

Other roadblocks include:

-Insurance carriers pay for synthetic medications that contain carcinogens but not natural health alternatives.

-Insurances pay for treatment like diabetes but not prevention nor self-care i.e., dietary and lifestyle modifications like a nutritionist.

-People not wanting to spend money to get healthy but will easily spend that same amount of money on dinner, drinks, getting their nails or hair done, or a ball game.

-People not wanting to spend time or energy on self-care but would rather just pop a pill.

-People are brainwashed to think the doctors know best when most have no idea of the power of endogenous vs exogenous, natural vs synthetic carcinogenic, or cutting-edge science to activate genes vs traditional medications.

-People not advocating for themselves or their significant loved ones enough when their healthcare provider is not getting them healthy.

-Most doctors are brainwashed thinking they know best when most don’t even know that we can activate genes to rev up our own endogenous production of good defenses. (When I say doctors, I mean healthcare providers in general. In this article, doctors may be used interchangeably with the term healthcare providers, and vice versa.)

-Most doctors aren’t taught how to educate patients about prevention.

-Most healthcare providers aren’t taught all options i.e., activating genes. So they can’t adequately educate their patients to make fully informed decisions.

We need to revamp medical schools to emphasize prevention over treatment, patients over profits, wellness over sickness, and natural alternatives over carcinogenic addicting pills that cause dependency, interactions, adverse reactions, and lethal overdoses. We also need to teach future doctors how to attack root causes over just treating symptoms and how to activate genes to produce super potent endogenous antioxidants over taking weaker synthetic vitamins that contain artificial colors, sweeteners, and preservatives. We need to revamp health insurance coverage to include the above measures i.e., natural alternatives, nutritionists, prevention classes, gym memberships.

I’m very passionate about the topic of proactive versus reactive. ProActive vs ReActive is the title of a chapter in my first best-selling book Overcoming Life Obstacles (OLO) that reached #1 internationally. I would rather be proactive (emphasize prevention) than reactive (treat disease) because it’s not that easy to unboil the hard-boiled egg, meaning reverse the damage. Since the damage can’t easily be undone, the hard-boiled egg is like clogged arteries in your heart, better if they just didn’t happen in the first place.

My motto is,

“I would rather be ProActive to prevent your dis-order today than

ReActive to treat it tomorrow!”

I’m very passionate about the topic of proactive versus reactive self-care and healthcare. What do you think can be done to shift the industries towards a proactive healthcare approach? How can we shift the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike?

Money talks. Show the health insurance carriers how they can save billions of dollars by allocating a larger portion of revenue to emphasize prevention.

As discussed earlier, I would mandate an extra tax paid by the pharmaceutical companies to have a third party monitor and enforce meds that contain carcinogens.

Create new laws mandating and enforcing that 20% of health insurance profits be reallocated toward prevention programs.

Start with educating the healthcare providers so they can educate the patients, especially the children, about prevention. Educate the healthcare providers to choose empathy over self-serving agendas, giving and serving instead of taking, prevention over profits and wellness over wallets.

Educate the teachers on how to educate the children about healthy habits before they have bad habits and become ill. Mandate schools to have students participate and pass a health course about prevention before they can graduate from each school, i.e., elementary, junior high and high school. Spend say $100 per student to educate a child (about the dangers of cigarettes, e-cigarettes and STDs) before they start. It’s much cheaper to pay for a prevention class than for chemotherapy or rehabilitation!

Incentivize each insured to participate in a prevention course to receive $100 back. Consider incentivizing for a gym membership. Empower them with knowledge so they can make truly informed and educated decisions. Show them the consequences of lacking self-care looks like vs self-care where they feel better and are happy. For example, diabetics may die 8 years sooner than non-diabetics. Teach self-care i.e., what the patients can do preventatively to better their odds of staying healthier longer, to increase not only their lifespan but their health span as well.

Lead by example and have me as the spokesperson or goodwill ambassador.

If insurance companies pay for prevention, maybe we will see preventive centers instead of more cancer centers.

Change the mindset to change the actions that dictate the outcome! Educate people to make informed decisions, attack root causes, choose naturopathy when possible, and activate genes so that your body does what it used to do and should do.

“If insurances pay for prevention, they will save BILLIONS of dollars and millions of lives!” — me

Thank you for all that great insight! Let’s start wrapping up. Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?

I’d like to quote myself, “Believe to achieve, take consistent action, and just never ever quit!”

“If you believe you can, you will. If you believe you can’t, you won’t!”

The doctors gave up hope for my 79-year-old GrandMa to ever walk again. But, I gave her hope, we took consistent action (daily stretching and strengthening exercises), and never quit. At age 79, she walked again without any walker, cane or even an assist!

I had severe autoimmune disorders, debilitating pain, and full-blown heart failure. The doctors didn’t provide any hope, yet I healed myself holistically without the medications. Then, my doctors become MY clients!

If both of us didn’t have belief, we would not have tried or succeeded. If you don’t have a solid foundation of mindset mastery, you may self-sabotage. Here’s an example of this self-fulling prophecy. If you think you will fail a test, then you won’t study, and you will fail. “Your thoughts control your actions that dictate your outcomes. So, sometimes, you only need to change your thoughts to change your outcome!!” — Me

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)

I would absolutely love to have a private lunch with Ellen DeGeneres!!! I was heartbroken when I found out that she was ending her show before I was ever on as a featured guest. (LOL) She thinks outside of the box, is a leader, not a follower, extremely altruistic and empathetic yet funny. Ellen is hard-working, and hugely successful yet very humble. She emphasizes prevention, dancing to destress, and laughter as the best medicine. (At the beginning of all of my classes, courses, and workshops, I start off with a 3-minute Ellen happy dance.) We share many of the same qualities, I’m just not as well-known yet! (LOL) She’s already helped many get their starts. With her experience and connections, this would be a breeze for her. Since she has a huge following, very influential, and people listen to her, she has the power and could empower me to truly transform Wellness Reimagined!!!

Ryan Seacrest and Keanu Reeves, are in a 3-way tie for many of the same reasons as well as others! ;-) Ryan is the only one I know who has held as many successful jobs simultaneously as I had. Plus, he’s often filming in NY, my main location. Both Ellen & Ryan recently left a show, so they may now have time for our lunch. Plus, Keanu needs a break from all his movies. I’m sure we can all have lunch together in the matrix!!! ;-)

I appreciate your time and valuable contribution. One last question, how can people reach or follow you?

They can go to my website www.ShaynaMelissa.com, and click the “contact” tab to follow me everywhere and subscribe to my YouTube channel. (On my YouTube channel, they can see my trailer for this article.) While on the contact tab, they can send me an email. Or, they can click the “schedule” tab and schedule a confidential consultation via phone or video visit.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.

About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.