Dr. Kori Feldman, Practice Owner at Vitality Family Health, has a journey that unfolds like a ray of sunshine in an industry often clouded by rigid traditions. Her roots in medicine were forged by a blend of challenge and realization. Despite her gravitation toward integrative and natural medicines, Kori initially chose the conventional path, delving into an environment marked by strenuous hours and unfulfilling tasks.
Between medical school and her early years as a doctor, Kori experienced deep dissatisfaction. She was in a system that viewed each patient as a collection of symptoms and doctors as superhuman, and this overshadowed the need for vulnerability and developing an emotional connection with patients.
“I knew in my heart that I wanted to practice differently. And initially, my motivation was to have the freedom of time; but then I also realized I wanted to make a better impact. I wanted to help people live the lives they were meant to live.”
Kori was forced to contemplate her deepest ambitions when her dad, a successful businessman, backed out at the last minute on his promise to co-sign the loan that would help her get her dream practice started.
“He pulled out in the 11th hour and said no in front of the banker, and it was mortifying. The banker was like, ‘Well Kori – we can still do the loan with just you but for a smaller amount.’ And I thought ‘crap, should I just give up and go work for the hospital system? Or will I choose to fight and create a practice where I can help people live the way they’ve always wanted?’ It was a life-altering moment.”
Shortly after starting her business, Kori came face to face with another pivotal moment when a sudden tragedy “shook her to her core.” The untimely loss of her 34-year-old sister caused profound introspection and ultimately became the catalyst that would reorient her and lead her on a transformative journey.
“It really shook me. It made me reevaluate what I was doing with my life, and I felt like I wasn’t really helping people. I was just spinning them around on medications and that path wasn’t satisfying and I knew it wouldn’t be sustainable.”
Kori discovered FPC at a medical conference, and suddenly everything made sense. She was introduced to business coaching for the first time and learned about a program that not only taught entrepreneurship to practitioners but also promised them something that spoke to her – freedom of time.
“FPC just came into my life out of the blue like manna from heaven. I attended a presentation where they asked, ‘is anyone looking for time freedom?’ It resonated immediately and I thought, ‘ok, I’m listening.’ So, I made the decision to move forward and have never looked back.”
When she first joined FPC, Kori gained a full understanding of the challenges associated with learning something new and unfamiliar. As she began navigating through the curriculum and doing presentations, she realized it was not at all what she was used to.
For her, the biggest shift came when she changed her mindset. This would set the tone for her coaching career within the community, as she felt very committed to try and “rescue” other doctors.
“You can’t grow your business until you grow yourself and get in the right mindset for what you want. FPC was teaching me the difference between owning a business and owning a job. There’s this fear around making money, but the truth is that you can make a living while making a significant impact.”
Being able to make continuous improvements has been exciting for Kori. From starting her family practice to becoming a hybrid specialist with a wellness practice on the side, she was able to get out of the insurance model which was a huge thing she wanted to achieve.
“I wanted to show other hybrid practices that you can make this as big or small as you want. You don’t have to be a one-model style of practice to hit financial wins. Time was the biggest thing that I was looking for but hitting $100,000 in a month, that milestone was like icing on the cake.”
“I don’t envision myself ever retiring,” Kori shared. “I envision myself continuing to have the autonomy and freedom to move my schedule around and do what I want; but still practicing in some capacity. And the cool thing is that I keep getting connected to different people, and it helps me get little kernels of new ideas to plant; and fans the flames of my motivation.”
One of the big ideas Kori is working on in the coming year is adding an extra line of service by providing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. This will provide members who aren’t ready for her wellness programs with another option to achieve their optimal selves.
Kori continues to stay driven in her mission of helping more people and admits that she sees herself continuing to coach and give back for as long as possible. She says that she can’t imagine herself ever becoming disconnected from the FPC team or the community.
“When you’re struggling – not if – but when you struggle and you have rough days, rough weeks, and rough months, the FPC team will be there to remind you that you will get through that storm and that you’ll be better for it. You’ll come out of it stronger and more confident, and you’ll prove to yourself that you can handle anything.”
