Growing Pains
Growing Pains
by Jessica Veloza, APRN, FNP-C — Founder & CEO of Proactive Wellness
It’s fascinating how much Proactive Wellness has evolved since I first brought it to life. The direction I envisioned for this company has shifted and reshaped itself over and over again — and honestly, that’s part of the journey. Growth is uncomfortable. It stretches you, challenges you, and reveals truths you didn’t know you needed to face.
Lately, I’ve been praying — deeply and intentionally — for clarity, confidence, and decisiveness around what Proactive Wellness is meant to become. One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced since opening in April 2025 has been figuring out how to price my services and how to structure my membership packages in a way that reflects both my values and my worth.
My Early Influence: The Elite NP
In the early stages of creating Proactive Wellness, I followed the journey of other nurse practitioner entrepreneurs who built their own practices from the ground up. One in particular — The Elite NP — made a huge impact on me.
Through over a hundred podcast episodes, I listened to story after story of NPs creating their own freedom, building something meaningful, and refusing to be limited by traditional healthcare structures. It was empowering. I learned that I am capable, qualified, and that I already hold the key to stop trading my time for money.
I gained so much knowledge — from forming an LLC to knowing when to hire help and which tools could make running a practice more efficient. I will forever be grateful for the inspiration and education I received from The Elite NP community.
But recently, I’ve realized something deeper: even though I followed a proven model, I wasn’t fully honoring my own vision — the reason Proactive Wellness was born in the first place.
The Real Heart of Proactive Wellness
At my core, my purpose is simple but powerful:
to provide medical care that truly listens.
Care that is:
Unrushed
Personalized
Lifestyle-focused
Alternative medicine-informed
And grounded in genuine human connection.
I want to bring back that old-fashioned doctor-patient relationship — where your provider knows you, really knows you, and works with you to uncover the root of what’s going on, not just prescribe something and move on.
How It Started
When I launched Proactive Wellness in April 2025, all of my energy — my website, SEO, graphics, everything — was focused on weight loss, testosterone replacement therapy, and hormone optimization. Direct primary care was more of a side offering.
That model was based on what I thought I had to do to succeed. But it wasn’t what my soul wanted.
The flame that started Proactive Wellness actually began years earlier — around 2014 or 2015 — when I was pregnant with my third child. At that time, I was a registered nurse working on a busy cardiac progressive care unit after seven years as a cardiac monitor tech and unit secretary.
So, 20 years now — two full decades — I’ve lived and breathed healthcare. I’ve seen the inside of the system. I’ve felt its flaws. From the first day, I recognized how broken it was.
Seeing the Gaps in Our System
Why do we accept a medical system that gives us subpar care and limited choices?
Why do patients have to fight insurance for months to get needed medications or tests covered?
Why are we so quick to jump to medications or invasive procedures before exploring gentler, holistic options?
I’m not against Western medicine — it’s saved countless lives, and I’m deeply grateful for everything I learned through my years in hospitals and outpatient care. But I also know it’s incomplete. There are centuries-old tools — herbs, tinctures, oils, frequencies, energy healing, nutrition — that deserve a seat at the same table. We need both!
Also - there is a HUGE GAP between Healthcare Providers and Patients. Patients are left confused and or feeling like they got no help, didn’t have time to thoroughly ask the questions they wanted, and often told “they can only have two complaints addressed per visit.”
I want to help fill in that gap - with better listening, better connection, and better education and guidance.
My Education and Evolution
I’ve spent years chasing more knowledge so I could be the kind of provider patients deserve.
Associate’s Degree in Nursing (2012, Tallahassee State College)
Bachelor’s in Nursing (2016, University of West Florida)
Master’s in Nursing (2020, Keiser University)
Post-Master’s FNP Certificate (2022, Florida State University)
Board Certified and Autonomous Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Certified (APRN, FNP-C)
Graduate of Functional Nutrition Alliance’s Full Body Systems Program — a 10-month intensive that teaches functional and lifestyle medicine through each body system.
That last one changed everything. Andrea Nakayama, the founder, inspired me deeply. She not only healed herself from Hashimoto’s but built a community of practitioners filling the gap between conventional medicine and true healing.
Every patient I meet today reminds me why this work matters. Honestly, about 80% of my patients carry medical trauma— stories of being dismissed, rushed, or mistreated by the healthcare system. They come to me anxious and defeated, and my job — my calling — is to help them trust healthcare again.
Coming Home to My True Vision
So here’s the truth: I’m shifting my focus.
Proactive Wellness will now center around Direct Primary Care — accessible, affordable, relationship-based medicine that puts people first.
I’ll still offer the things I love — hormone optimization, integrative medicine deep-dives, and weight loss support — but my heart and brand will now revolve around primary care that actually cares.
Because at my core, what I love most is providing good care: educating patients well, empowering them to take charge of their health, and creating realistic, personalized plans that fit their real lives.
That’s what Proactive Wellness will stand for.
That’s what I stand for.
This is my evolution. These are my growing pains.
And I’m so grateful to be walking through them — because it means I’m growing in the right direction.
Written by:
Jessica Veloza, APRN, FNP-C
Founder & CEO, Proactive Wellness
www.proactivewellness.net
