Kori Feldman, M.D., has cultivated a rock-solid “A-team” at Vitality Family Health and Vitality Wellness Partners that is infused with trust, commitment and an innate capability to prevail in any given situation. Together, they are impressively powerful and wildly dedicated.
Though they are mighty, even the strongest are susceptible to experience times of struggle and, as with most practices, that time came with the huge shift that was brought on by the pandemic. But by that time, Kori’s team had already been facing a challenge of their own: they were going to be one team member short for several months.
“When the pandemic first hit, Jessica was on maternity leave and was supposed to come back in May. The pandemic pushed her return back, so she ended up coming back in August. It was crazy.”
Upon her return, Jessica Nowaczyk, Office Manager, continued doing discovery calls for both sides of the hybrid practice. She joined the team in 2018 and Kori says she is creative, driven, extremely reliable and has grown significantly in the past few years.
Kori has also grown since joining FPC. Prior to onboarding in 2015, she had been running an insurance-based family medicine clinic for six years and she was frustrated. She spent an abnormal amount of time with her patients trying to persuade them to live a healthier life and she felt stuck.
“I never thought that there would be a better way. I just knew, what I knew –conventional medicine. You work yourself to death until you retire and that’s it. As soon as I learned about FPC it opened up a whole new realm of possibilities of what life could be like and it made so much sense.”
Kori has been through quite the journey since her insurance days and is grateful to FPC for giving her the tools to be successful, and hit several “freedom milestones,” such as a two-week trip to Italy with her spouse. She incorporates FPC methods into her practice habitually and says that following the FPC hiring process is not only helpful, its crucial.
“I was amazed at how much easier it was to find rock-stars using the FPC process. I had dragged my feet before on making necessary changes and always paid for it. That’s one of the many reasons I appreciate my amazing team. It took so much blood, sweat, and tears to get here. It’s not easy, but it’s worth the effort of trying to find your A-players.”
That appreciation was pretty evident as we discussed each team member. Kori knew their likes and dislikes, and she pointed out several similarities they all shared. One of which was discovered through a recent personality test they had taken together.
“We got the Enneagram book and as a team, we filled it out and figured out what our numbers were. Tracy and I were very similar. We were both one’s.” Tracy Bongiorno, Physician Assistant, is the veteran team member at Vitality. She has been by Kori’s side for seven years and has been her “rock” through several challenges. Kori mentioned how much she loves Tracy’s practical and nurturing nature.
Jenny Bolognani, Nurse Practitioner, joined the team in 2019. Kori described her as their “hybrid virtuoso” and raved about how beautifully she handles their patients on both sides of the practice.
“She is so young and yet so mature,” Kori said about her Wellness Concierge, Becca Wert Thompson. “She’s easy to bounce ideas off of and always gives me honest feedback. She is an excellent listener with an amazing heart.”
Throughout the work week this team of five is in complete solidarity. They prioritize a two-hour team training every week and their quarterly goals adorn a board in their break room. They are quick at solving problems and if something unexpectedly comes up, they put it in their group text so everyone can offer support.
Their acquaintanceship, however, goes beyond their office walls. Kori had salt caves, painting parties, and Ariel yoga on her list of past adventures and talked about how excited she was for the plans she and her team had later that same day.
“We’re doing a ‘going remote’ party today as a team. Becca is getting married and moving and will be working remote next month. So, we’re going to a regenerative farm to learn about them and go on a hike. Then we’re going to a farm-to-table restaurant so I’m excited! Everybody is.”
Commitment, both to the team and to their mission, is what keeps this awesome group in sync. They communicate well, they grow together, and they are always there for each other.
“Success is impossible without your team,” Kori said. “Take care of them and they will take care of you.”
Are you ready for your own success story?
If you are, I have good news! We can get you results like this. It won’t be easy, nor will it happen overnight, but I’ve seen it happen so many times that I can tell you that’s it’s possible.
You’ve got to be hungry, driven, up for the work, listen more than you talk, complete more than complain, implement plans more than you announce them, and show up daily with a beginners mind. If you’re ready, it’s time to get to work!
