Women In Wellness: Dr. Anna Kolomitseva Of Independently Healthy Wellness & Coaching On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

Invest in business education as early as possible. Naturopathic medicine schooling gave me clinical skills, but it didn’t teach me entrepreneurship. And whether you realize it or not, being a naturopathic doctor means you’re also a business owner. I wish I had invested in business coaching while still in school — learning how to build systems, create programs, and communicate my value, not just my services.

Today, more than ever, wellness is at the forefront of societal discussions. From mental health to physical well-being, women are making significant strides in bringing about change, introducing innovative solutions, and setting new standards. Despite facing unique challenges, they break barriers, inspire communities, and are reshaping the very definition of health and wellness. In this series called women in wellness we are talking to women doctors, nurses, nutritionists, therapists, fitness trainers, researchers, health experts, coaches, and other wellness professionals to share their stories and insights. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Anna Kolomitseva, ND.

Dr. Anna Kolomitseva, ND, also known as Dr. A., is an award-winning, Connecticut-licensed naturopathic doctor and founder of Independently Healthy Wellness & Coaching. The company is dedicated to redefining hormone care for high-achieving women through a concierge-style wellness model developed to fill gaps in care. Her work has been recognized with Best of Georgia Award and the State of Georgia Power Women Award for leadership in wellness and entrepreneurship.

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?

Of course! And thank you so much for having me.

Health and wellness have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up performing ballet, modern dance, and musical theater. Movement and discipline were part of my everyday life. They helped me become aware of my body — how I fueled it, and how it responded. Performing also taught me how to connect with people from a young age. It taught me how to be fully present and expressive. Both the physical expression and emotional presence shaped my understanding of health.

I was also the kid who got excited about science museums and anatomy exhibits. I was completely fascinated by how the human body works. That early love of movement and fascination with science eventually led me to study chemistry in university.

In high school, I worked in a few pharmacies and thought pharmacy might be the path for me. I loved the structure, the precision, and the science. But something didn’t sit right. What worried me was how little time pharmacists had to truly connect with each patient. And I knew I wanted something deeper. I wanted to offer more than medication. I wanted to be a part of their transformation.

Then I got sick.

I lost my voice completely right before presenting my Atmospheric Chemistry thesis. I was devastated. Thankfully, a friend recommended I see a naturopathic doctor. I was skeptical at first. I came from a heavy science background, and the whole naturopathic medicine thing was foreign. But I went in for cupping and just two days later my voice returned. I presented and did incredibly well.

It wasn’t long before I found a lump under my arm. A doctor suggested surgery, but that advice didn’t sit right with me. So I returned to that same naturopathic doctor for a second opinion. She identified it as an enlarged lymph node and recommended homeopathics. Within days, the lump was gone.

Everything changed right there and then. That experience showed me what it means to look at the body in a new way: to treat not just symptoms, but to ask why. Trust the body’s wisdom. Respect its process.

Later that same year, I enrolled in the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. Since becoming licensed, I’ve had the privilege of working with hundreds of women who, like me, were looking for a better way to care for themselves. These women who had done everything “right,” but still felt off.

I’ve never looked back.

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?

Being a naturopathic doctor isn’t just about clinical care. It’s also about vision, leadership, and building something from the ground up.

My career began as a licensed naturopathic doctor in Ontario, Canada, working alongside chiropractors and physiotherapists in a collaborative pain management setting. When COVID hit, I was suddenly in a position to innovate. And soon after, an opportunity to relocate to Georgia changed everything.

Was it exciting? Absolutely.

Georgia brought beautiful mountains and milder weather, but it also brought a professional dilemma: naturopathic doctors aren’t licensed in the state. I couldn’t legally practice to my full clinical scope, and that forced a hard question. Do I scale back, or do I reimagine what my work could become?

Instead of seeing the restriction as a setback, I founded Independently Healthy Wellness & Coaching, a company designed to fill a major gap in women’s wellness. With legal guidance, I developed a fully virtual, concierge-style wellness consulting model that complies with Georgia regulations while preserving the depth of care I believed in.

From that foundation, I built two signature frameworks, based on a decade of clinical experience:

• The Stop Dieting Method, a 12-week program focused on stabilizing blood sugar, breaking all-or-nothing food cycles, and teaching sustainable lifestyle micro-changes.
• The Independently Healthy Method, a longer-term transformational process that helps women balance hormones through functional testing and personalized strategy.

Over time, our work began gaining attention, not just from clients, but from medical professionals too. Today, we regularly receive referrals from OB/GYNs for hormone cases that aren’t responding to conventional care. Many women experience improvements within weeks: regular cycles, clearer skin, and leaner body composition.

It became clear that this wasn’t just a workaround. It was a blueprint that worked.

Building this model wasn’t just about starting over. It was about raising the standard for what’s possible and doing it with integrity, measurable outcomes, and deep respect for the body’s natural intelligence.

Committed to continuous learning, I pursued an additional naturopathic license, this time in Connecticut, where I am now a licensed naturopathic physician. We’ll soon be opening a second location of Independently Healthy Wellness & Coaching there, this time with full naturopathic offerings for Connecticut residents.

What’s the biggest takeaway from that experience?

Sometimes the greatest opportunities come disguised as limitations. If you stay true to your purpose and flexible in your approach, you can build something far bigger than you ever imagined.

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

Yes, mistakes are most definitely our greatest teachers.

While moving to Georgia reshaped my career in a big way, there’s one early mistake that stands out the most: I thought I could copy my Ontario model into Georgia’s environment. I figured that what had worked before could work again if I just adapted slightly.

But it didn’t really fit.

And that was humbling. I realized technical expertise wasn’t enough. Leadership here needed something more — legal creativity, business strategy, and a whole lot of emotional resilience.

I had to rethink how we supported clients, how we structured our services, how we built a multidisciplinary team, and even how we explained our value.

Instead of clinging to an old model, I decided to start fresh. I founded a fully virtual, concierge-style wellness consulting company designed specifically for the environment I was now in.

By working within Georgia’s legal framework and actually listening to what women were asking for, we created something different: a model that places education, sustainable strategies, and client agency at the center.

Looking back, that early mistake was a turning point. Georgia didn’t just change where I worked. It changed how I think about my work — and about leadership itself. Reinventing the model didn’t set me back; it gave me a bigger path to build something better.

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?

Real wellness isn’t just personal. It’s powerful — and it ripples into workplaces, families, and entire communities.

When people feel better, they show up differently. They’re more energized, more focused, and more resilient. Not just at home, but in every role they play. And in today’s world, where organizations are looking for ways to strengthen both employee wellbeing and long-term sustainability, focusing on foundational health isn’t just compassionate — it’s essential.

That’s the larger impact I am committed to. Through education-based, concierge wellness consulting, we help people build true resilience. We give them the tools to make health-building food choices, to not just survive, but actually thrive during stressful times with stronger nutritional reserves — think B vitamins for energy and mood. We equip them with strategies that lead to restorative sleep, that not only fuels high performance at work, but also quality time with their families.

And the ripple effect is real. Chronic conditions like metabolic syndrome cost U.S. employers more than $10,000 per employee every year in absenteeism, lost productivity, and healthcare claims. When people are empowered with practical strategies before problems start, the benefits go beyond just the individual. Families feel different. So do organizations.

Fewer medications. Fewer missed days. Stronger performance. Deeper engagement.

Ultimately, when we help people build stronger foundations, we don’t just improve individual lives. We’re creating a culture where wellness, performance, and human potential are the norm — not the exception.

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.

I love this question because it’s always the smallest tweaks that create the biggest changes for our clients. The beauty lies in simplicity — not overcomplicating life with rigid morning routines or restrictive food rules. The more flexible a change is, the more likely it is to stick. And that’s where the real impact happens.

Here are my top five lifestyle tweaks I often share:

1 . Prioritize foods that don’t come in a package.

Whole foods support energy, focus, and hormone balance in ways processed foods simply can’t. If most of what you eat has a barcode, chances are it’s missing the nutrients your body actually needs. I often tell clients to ask themselves, “Did this grow, run, swim, or fly recently?” If yes, it’s probably a great place to start.

2 . Make your bedroom a sanctuary for sleep.

Sleep isn’t just rest — it’s restoration. It regulates metabolism, hormones, and even emotional resilience. Create an environment that invites your body to relax. Turn the alarm clock lights away from you, cool the room, use blackout curtains if needed. Your bedroom should feel like a retreat, not an extension of your inbox.

3 . Track your daily movement. Yes, really.

This one catches people off guard. Most think we’re active enough — until we start tracking. Ten thousand steps a day sounds like a lot, but it’s less about the number and more about making movement part of your everyday activities. One client doubled her steps just by walking during lunch and pacing on calls. She never stepped foot in a gym.

4 . Get creative with your protein.

Protein helps regulate blood sugar and keeps cravings in check, but it doesn’t have to come from powders or bars. I encourage easy, affordable options: lentils, canned wild salmon, tempeh, edamame, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs. Many of the best sources are the most budget-friendly. My rule? Build your meals around your protein — then let everything else follow.

5 . Try belly breathing — even just for 30 seconds.

When we’re stressed, we breathe shallowly from our chest. But when we shift that breath down into the belly, we activate our parasympathetic nervous system — our “rest and digest” mode. Just place one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Breathe in so that your belly moves out, then exhale even slower. It sounds simple, but it’s one of the most effective tools to quickly calm yourself. Some clients use it before meetings, others as part of their bedtime routine.

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’d call it “Foundations First.”

It would be a global wellness education movement — one that treats the building blocks of health the same way we treat learning to drive, swim or ride a bike. The basics of how to care for our bodies — how to nourish ourselves, sleep well, manage stress, and support our energy naturally — should be taught early and often. These skills should be part of parenting, part of school curricula, and absolutely part of healthcare.

Right now, they’re not. And we’re seeing the fallout.

When people don’t know how to choose nourishing foods, or how to hydrate properly (spoiler: soda, coffee and juice don’t count), or how to shift their bodies out of a stress state — they’re not failing. They’ve just never been shown how. The result? We’re seeing rising rates of burnout, obesity, ADHD, hormone dysfunction, autoimmune conditions and even more children struggling with complex neurodevelopmental challenges like autism. These aren’t personal flaws. They’re warning signs that the foundations are missing.

“Foundations First” would change that — by making this kind of knowledge accessible and part of everyday life. That means teaching basic cooking and nutrition in a way that’s practical and approachable — like how to spot a high-fiber vegetable by its texture (think: apples vs. bananas), or how to satisfy a sweet craving with something like dates. Knowing how to prep nourishing meals with minimal cleanup — think sheet-pan dinners, slow cookers, one-pot meals helps with consistency.

It’s about helping people develop the core habits that give them energy, emotional steadiness, and metabolic strength in a way that actually fits into their lives. When people have strong foundations — everything else becomes easier. Supplements work better. Medical strategies go further. Life feels more manageable.

This kind of movement wouldn’t just create healthier individuals. It would create stronger families, schools, more resilient economies, and a healthier future for everyone.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

Looking back, there are a few things I wish someone had pulled me aside to say earlier in my journey:

1. Invest in business education as early as possible.

Naturopathic medicine schooling gave me clinical skills, but it didn’t teach me entrepreneurship. And whether you realize it or not, being a naturopathic doctor means you’re also a business owner. I wish I had invested in business coaching while still in school — learning how to build systems, create programs, and communicate my value, not just my services.

2. Build your signature methodology before you think you’re ready.

You don’t need to have 10 years of experience to create something powerful. I wish I had started thinking about scalable frameworks earlier — those that can help more people without being chained to one-on-one hours. Every practitioner should be thinking about impact beyond the treatment room.

3. Master communication — not just continuing education.

We’re taught to keep up with science and clinical research (and that’s critical), but no one teaches you how to speak. How to share your work in a way people can actually understand. Speaking confidently — at workshops, on social media, in corporate wellness settings — is just as essential to serving as what happens inside your practice.

4. Treat financial literally as part of your wellness philosophy.

Money isn’t the enemy of healing. Financial health is part of whole-person health. I wish someone had told me earlier: learn how to read your numbers, manage business finances, and invest wisely. The stronger your financial foundation, the more freedom you have to serve others.

5. Hire help sooner than you think you need it.

You can’t do everything alone. Trying to figure out tech, design, scheduling, marketing — it slows your growth and pulls you away from your zone of genius. Delegating tasks to people who specialize in those areas is an investment, not an expense. It lets you focus on what you do best: changing lives.

Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

Mental health, hands down.

So many people are carrying a silent struggle — especially high-achieving women who appear to have it all together on the outside. They meet deadlines, lead teams, raise families…but inside, they’re anxious, depleted, or disconnected. And the hardest part? It’s often missed. Mental health challenges still carry subtle stigma — especially in professional spaces. People don’t bring it up. They minimize. They push through — until they can’t anymore.

In our work, we see how that stress shows up in the body. Not just in hormone patterns or sleep, but in specific nutrient depletion that often gets overlooked. For example, chronic emotional stress burns through magnesium stores — a mineral most people are already not getting enough of. Vitamin D levels are often suboptimal, especially when not properly tested or supported. Even the type and form of omega-3s people take can affect mood — and many aren’t using the most effective ones.

While nutrition and lifestyle can offer powerful support for mood and mental clarity, we also recognize our limitations. That’s why we often collaborate with therapists — to ensure our clients are supported in all the ways they deserve. Because true wellness isn’t just physical. And there is no health without mental health.

What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?

I love to connect. You can explore more about my work, including our education-based wellness programs and client success stories at www.ih-wc.com. You can also find me on Instagram at @gracefullyhealthing, where I share simple, real-world strategies for supporting hormone health.

I’m passionate about helping people understand what’s possible when we return to the foundations of health, and I’m excited to keep building a movement where sustainable wellness becomes the norm, not the exception.

Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.