biography

Christa Rymal | Registered Nurse, Founder & CEO

I have worked in the healthcare industry for over 25 years in emergency medicine, cardiac care, orthopedics, primary care, diabetes education and endocrinology. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, Master’s Degree in HealthCare Leadership, Advanced training from the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Institute of Functional Medicine, and American Academy of Functional Medicine.
Early on in my career, I lost a young nursing colleague to suicide. It was heartbreaking and eye opening. At the time, I was naive to the dangers of my own profession. As the years went on, I had many more colleagues sharing their experiences with secondary trauma, burnout, anxiety, addictions, depression, PTSD and chronic disease. Truth be told, I thought I could be the “sorrow catcher” for all my colleagues and teams’ pain and then I realized, I was suffering from the same workplace insults and injuries. It took me years to reconcile that I could love being a nurse and healthcare leader and still experience burnout from the challenges faced when working in healthcare. Most days, you are holding someone’s worst day in your hands and that never leaves you.

Many days I did not feel like a true health champion as I was constantly surrounded by sickness, had no time for normal work day breaks, working too many hours due to being short staffed, and sacrificing my own wellbeing to care for others. Adding to this turmoil was the lack of any selfcare or wellbeing education or training, along with no tools or time to process the grief around the last hand I held in a patient’s final moments. It was simply move on to the next illness, trauma and tragedy and just pretend like my stethoscope was an emotional armor that only I seemed to recognize had a thin and fragile veil of protection. It was a humbling moment when I had to look at myself in the mirror and realize that I might be the hardest patient that I would try to care for at the end of the day.

It was during my time as Director of Diabetes Care and Endocrinology in a large healthcare system, that I was motivated to be a change agent in the way we treat and manage chronic disease and that included our 40,000 patients with diabetes and our healthcare professionals. I was alarmed at the complex nature and cost of managing most chronic diseases, including the ones that were plaguing my own colleagues. I was determined to bring the science and practice of preventative and lifestyle medicine to more people living with a chronic disease or aiming to prevent one, along with sharing these new ways to whole person wellbeing with my colleagues. I was determined to stop working in a reactive system and state and do anything possible to move to a proactive model of care and yes, this meant re-evaluating my own selfcare too. This was the starting point for my change in personal health, passion for preventative, lifestyle and functional medicine, and the turning point in my career in healthcare. I realize the important role that nurses serve as they speak the language of medicine, healing, and health. This nurse is now on a mission to care for our healthcare professionals because at the end of the day, I need them and so do you!

Erin Erickson, DNP, MPH, MA, WHNP-BC, FNP-C, IFMCP, NBC-HWC is a nurse practitioner, health coach, and specialist in maternal-child health. She has extensive experience speaking and writing on issues related to maternal-child health, behavior change and coaching, mind-body medicine, and parenting. She completed her Master of Public Health, Master of Arts in Integrative Health and Wellbeing Coaching, Master of Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice in Women’s Health at the University of Minnesota, and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Family Practice at the University of Cincinnati. She was the recipient of a George Family Foundation Fellowship in 2015 and the University of MN School of Public Health Alumni Innovator Award in 2016. She is the founder and co-host of the popular parenting podcast, Mom Enough®. She practices integrative medicine at Allina Health, does health coaching and clinical hypnotherapy through her private practice MN Mind-Body Medicine, and is graduate faculty in the health coaching program at the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota.

Melissa Conway is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) based out of Saint Paul, MN. Melissa earned her bachelor’s degree in generalist social work practice at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and her master’s degree in clinical social work from the University of St. Thomas. Melissa has provided mental health care to individuals, groups, and families, and has extensive experience treating

patients across the lifespan in a variety of settings including residential care, day treatment, intensive outpatient programming, partial hospitalization programming, in-home therapy, emergency departments, and outpatient clinic. Melissa is Senior Director of Clinical Education and Case Management at Minnesota Mental Health Clinics and treats patients out of their location in Woodbury, MN where she provides individual and family therapy, specializing in crisis management, CBT, REBT, DBT, Mindfulness, and short-term solution focused therapy. Outside of work Melissa enjoys spending time with her three kids and English Bulldog, family, and friends. She loves cooking, reading, taking walks, working on house projects, attending concerts, being on or near the water, and is happiest when outside in sunshine and warm weather.

Dr. Kristin Lockhart

In the nearly two decades since Dr. Lockhart has been a physician, she has earned a reputation as a “kind, patient, and responsive” healthcare provider. She is a Family Medicine physician with obstetrics training and experience.

As a family doctor, Dr. Lockhart offers a full spectrum of medical care for women and their families. She is available for prenatal care and delivery, postnatal care for moms and infants, pediatric care for children from birth to age 18, plus diagnostics and management of chronic illnesses and conditions. She focuses on partnering with her patients to create a healthcare plan that honors each individual’s wellness goals. As a busy mom herself she understands the needs of other busy women. She understands the importance of food, sleep, community, and mental wellbeing as important factors in overall health.

One patient summed up the experience she’s had with Dr. Lockhart this way:

“Dr. Lockhart is amazing. We feel so fortunate that we have gotten to work with her. She helped deliver all three of our children and is their primary doctor. She is kind, patient, responsive, genuine and a true expert. I can’t imagine a better family doctor. ”

In Her Own Words
About her work as a physician, Dr. Lockhart says:

“It has been an honor to provide full spectrum family care for patients for over 18 years. The greatest joy in my practice comes with developing lasting, trusting relationships with patients and their families.

Over the years, I have developed a passion for caring for both women and children and love the energy and insight children bring to my practice. While it is of the utmost importance to treat both acute and chronic diseases, prevention is truly key to optimal health and wellbeing.

I love partnering with patients to identify and achieve their health related goals, acknowledging the contributions of food, activity, mental well-being, and stress reduction using a holistic and integrative approach.”

In Real Life

Dr. Lockhart has three children who keep her busy going to and coming from sporting events. She loves running, reading, traveling, and spending time with friends. She’s originally from Iowa.

Education
Family Medicine Residency
University of Minnesota

Medical School
Carver College of Medicine
University of Iowa – Iowa City, Iowa

Undergraduate Education
Bachelor of Science in Biology
Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa