Boss Lady Series: Mindful Health SLO with Sheila Saltzman

“My goal is to help people feel healthy enough to live the life they were meant to live— a life full of passion, purpose and experience.”

// Dr. Sheila Saltzman //

Dr. Sheila Saltzman is the creator & owner of local business Mindful Health, where she practices as a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner in San Luis Obispo, CA.

As a female entrepreneur, there are always challenges to leading a life of balance! Today we’re diving in with her to learn her self-care practices & how she’s able to strike that balance of a healthy lifestyle while still creating thriving success in her business.

What is the most challenging thing about maintaining healthy balance in life as a female entrepreneur?

Dr. Sheila Saltzman: The most challenging thing for me as a business owner is the desire to always want to be there for my patients. I struggle with designating specific times to focus on my business. In a sense, I “bring work home with me” and I am quick to put my own needs aside to meet the needs of my patients.

How do you overcome this?

Dr. Sheila Saltzman: This is still a work in progress for me. But I find it easier to schedule time for myself, and then generously allow myself to put any available free time towards my business and my patients, knowing that I won’t let my personal needs be forgotten.

The goal of Mindful Health is to help clients find the root cause of health conditions rather than chase after symptoms with medication. Mindful Health believes that healthcare should be a partnership between the patient and practitioner.

Tell us a bit about Mindful Health & what you do?

Dr. Sheila Saltzman: Mindful Health is an integrated wellness center focusing on health optimization and sports performance. I am a certified Functional Medicine practitioner. This means that I have been trained in understanding how the different body systems work together and influence each other, and can all contribute to chronic symptoms.

Many practitioners only treat chronic illness, but I have taken these principles and applied them in a way where these same strategies can be used to help people achieve optimal health.

By utilizing my background as an Exercise Physiologist & Physical Therapist, I have developed an approach to health care that is truly based on achieving health rather than managing disease.

I offer specialized lab testing & personalized treatment plans to help people get to the root of their digestive issues, address adrenal dysfunction, balance hormones, improve sleep, decrease pain, think more clearly, prevent illness & injuries, & be their best self possible!

What does your daily routine look like?

Dr. Sheila Saltzman: I love getting my workout first thing in the morning.

That way I feel like I’ve already accomplished something before my work day has even started.

This usually involves hitting a 5:30am class at Headstrong! I keep my mornings open for administrative tasks & business development, & then see patients in the clinic for the remainder of the day.

My evenings are spent preparing for the following day. I like to know that I’m going into the next day prepared & with a clear mind. My evenings are usually spent doing food prep, preparing for my patients the following day, & a yoga flow to calm my mind and ground me before bed.

At Mindful Health, you believe each patient has a unique interplay between their own genetics, environment, & lifestyle. Mindful Health looks at each body system & takes into consideration how each one affects the other— including the gut, hormones, cardiovascular system, immune system & mind.

What is your “why” behind your offerings?

Dr. Sheila Saltzman: This is my favorite question..... because I love what I do!

All of it.

I enjoy the challenge of running a business & getting to create something that I’ve always imagined doing. I love endlessly learning about the latest treatment strategies that I can incorporate into practice & share with my patients.

I enjoy working one on one with people, getting to know them, build relationships with them, personalize treatments to meet their goals, & then getting to celebrate in their success when those goals have been met.

It makes my heart happy to know that I helped them achieve all that they have. And I get to learn and grow with them in the process.

How did you get into this field?

Dr. Sheila Saltzman: I have always been passionate about ALL things health, wellness & fitness related. It is truly my dream to be able to bring together my passion with my practice, & to be able to help people in the process.

I worked many years as a personal trainer & physical therapist before discovering Functional Medicine. It was like a light switched on when I realized that I can start my own practice where I can combine all these principles into one & offer the community something that no one else is doing.

I do what I do because I feel that I have some very unique experience & skills that could benefit a lot of people. I do what I do because I want to share this with people. I enjoy educating & sharing knowledge & this is a big part of what I get to do with my patients every day.

How are you able to prioritize wellness into your lifestyle while also owning a business?

Dr. Sheila Saltzman: Fortunately for me, my business is all about teaching people how to make lifestyle changes in order to improve or optimize their health.

I prioritize wellness by practicing what I preach!

I have learned over the years that “putting health in your life” often means letting go of some wild fitness or beauty ideals that might actually be causing you to overlook things that are more detrimental than good. I make it a point to place emphasis on my overall mental, physical, & emotional health before allowing my fitness or business goals to be the defining goal.

I check in with myself regularly- and if I find myself forgetting to make health a priority, I adjust accordingly. This will never be easy for any goal oriented person, but it’s a practice that I have learned to trust and stay diligent with because I know that’s what it takes to have a successful business— while simultaneously having a fulfilling life.

Thank you Sheila for a sneak peek into your daily habits & ways you can improve an overall balance in health with business. Find more info about Sheila's offerings, including Telehealth consultations on her site: https://www.mindfulhealthslo.com/ and healthy tips on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulhealthslo/