Gwendolynn Diaz graduated from the California College of Ayurveda in 2019 with a certificate as an Ayurvedic Doctor (Medical Ayurvedic Specialist). She practices in Colorado.
A Purpose-Filled Life
Gwen is committed to her own self-care as a means of being strong and capable so that she can care for others. Self-care is an essential part of Ayurvedic medicine. She uses the airplane analogy and says, “It’s like putting on your own oxygen mask first, and then putting a mask on your child.” You must be well to take care of others. Gwen says that she is committed to “providing people the information and the opportunity to take care of themselves. As providers, we aren’t here to fix people, we’re here to help them see how they can help themselves. In doing so, we empower our patients to follow their own path. The benefits of serving others comes back tenfold.”
The Path to Success
Gwen started her practice as the pandemic began. Rather than go dormant, Gwen engaged the opportunity and became a voice for building a strong immune system. “I started offering online consults and became busy really quickly.” Word of mouth has been her greatest source of new patients, but she also works closely with several local allopathic (Western) physicians who refer patients directly to her. “When someone gets bloodwork and they find high cholesterol, instead of just taking a statin drug, their provider refers them to me to reduce the levels naturally. The patient comes in and we do a complete analysis of where to put their efforts. Between proper diet, herbs, and lifestyle, we do well at getting people in the range of what their providers want to see and they always feel healthier.”
Gwen is not big on social media but is a frequent guest on podcasts. She sees herself as a healthcare professional and integrative medicine practitioner whose focus is Ayurveda. This she says gives her “a seat at the table to talk about Ayurveda in the West as an effective system of medicine.” Her professionalism has earned her speaking invitations to two Western Medical conferences.
Work-Life Balance
Gwen is a single mom and takes summers and school breaks off to spend time with her child. She says, “Balance is very important, and this allows me to spend time with my family and take care of myself.” Working 20 hours per week, nine months per year, allows Gwen the time to care for everyone, including herself. “I try to keep boundaries on this so my personal life doesn’t take a backseat. I’m a single mom to a busy kid and I like doing other things in my life besides work. It’s a balance of time vs money.”
Earning a Living
Gwen charges $250 for a patient’s initial visit and $150 for each follow-up visit. Seeing patients part-time earns Gwen a little more than $50,000 per year. This supplements other sources of income allowing her and her daughter to live comfortably in Colorado. Gwen believes that the key to her success is “maintaining balance, keeping focused, and implementing a solid strategic plan.” Students at CCA study both business planning and marketing.
Why Practicing Adds Meaning to Life
Ayurvedic practitioners gain great joy from seeing the transformation in the health and well-being of their patients. Gwen says “it’s the aha moments where they see themselves from a new perspective” that warms her heart. She is moved by how “the baby steps her patients take to transform their lives are just as important as the big interventions.”
Advice for Students and Graduates
“Stay true to yourself so you can be effective at helping others. Medicine isn’t about you; you are just the vessel of knowledge and love. You provide the guidelines and open their path to their own healing. Be of service. With the West just now starting to embrace Ayurveda as it becomes mainstream, it’s important that we set the stage for how we want Ayurveda to be articulated and practiced. The deep lesson of Ayurveda is where the real juiciness lies. It’s the ability to apply this knowledge to our everyday lives. It helps us find some space in our busy lives, our busy minds, and keeps us on our unique path to understanding and taking care of ourselves and each other.”
Reach out to Gwen
Company Name: Origins Health
Website: www.origins-health.com
Phone: 970-718-2740
Email: gwen@origins-health.com Dr. Gwendolynn Diaz, AyD
