Inspiring Conversations with Alexandria Procida of The Mindful RN

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandria Procida.

Hi Alexandria, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Hello! I’m Alex and I’m a Functional Nutrition Health Coach, certified through the Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner program. Prior to my coaching experience, I spent 5 ½ years working as a registered nurse. During this time, I obtained my master’s degree in Nursing but decided to transition to a modality that empowers and enables those who want to live their healthiest life.

Along with general health concerns, I specialize in helping clients with estrogen dominance and regaining their lost energy by using functional lab screenings and tuning into what their body needs to live a fulfilled, balanced life.
I LOVE to be outside in the sun, work out, spend time with my husband, cook healthy delicious meals and learn about the human body to find the best ways to thrive every day.

My aim is to help YOU take control of your life and make the best decisions for your health. I do this by educating you with information using the latest evidence-based practices regarding food, lifestyle, and mental health. I focus on lab-guided and individualized holistic behavior protocols to heal the entire body, not just focusing on specific symptoms.

To encourage healthiness and well-being, to thrive within a like-minded community, and follow my purpose and calling to heal, while empowering others to follow their own. Where did this passion to help others come from?

When I felt how good feeling healthy could be, I just wanted to share it with everyone. My journey started much later in life after years of fatigue, brain fog, and feeling uncomfortable in my own skin.

As many people may be able to relate, my childhood diet consisted of sugary cereals in the morning, deli meat sandwiches on white processed bread, chips made with canola oil, a little Debbies snack for lunch (where were the veggies?), and non-organic breaded chicken, white rice/white flour noodles and butter, and canned vegetables for dinner. Since we had well water and no filtration system, we had sugary minute maid juice or similar sugary beverages. No wonder I always felt like I needed a nap!

My early childhood years consisted of bronchitis every year, ear infections, allergies, and an asthma diagnosis. I was given antibiotics every time and an inhaler for asthma. Why did the doctor not ask about food sensitivities, mold, or my processed food diet? As early as I can remember, I was always so tired and could fall asleep anywhere!
When I turned 16, I went on the Atkins diet with my sister and we both lost weight but not by eating foods that fueled our bodies. We ate processed meats and cheeses, non-organic eggs, and “sugar-free” jello with cool whip almost every day. Again, where were the veggies?

At this time, I felt pretty good about myself because the weight was dropping off, but my hair was thinning, I craved sugar all the time, and I still didn’t have any energy. That diet did not last long! When I was 18, I put myself on birth control. The doctor never sat down and explained the actual side effects and what happens when you come off. I was on birth control for 12 years! My skin was dull, my hair thinning, low sex drive, and depression. When I did tell my OBGYN about my low sex drive she said, “Wellbutrin helps with a lot of my other patients.” I never did take it because I never really liked taking medicine unless I really needed to.

Here comes 30! Like many women, I wanted to look perfect on my wedding day, so I started to eat clean, and work out (6 days a week, mostly HIIT). I lost 25 pounds and tightened up A LOT, but I felt like I needed a nap after working out because I was going so hard. I did not realize my hormones were still out of whack from my previous lifestyle and birth control use. I came off birth control right after I got married after I became more passionate about educating myself on hormones and whole-body health.

When I did, I had acne all around my chin, mouth, and back. I had NEVER had bacne and I felt so insecure. I read “Beyond the pill,” By Dr. Jolene Brighton and I started to cure my acne with her advice, and work to get my hormones back in balance. This was not a quick process, but I was patient and started to feel much better each day. I had been thinking a lot about holistic/functional medicine for a couple of years and so in June 2021, I started the Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner program, and I was shocked at all the information provided, that I never learned in nursing school.

After taking my own labs and getting the results and recommendations from an FDN-P mentor I was surprised. For the past 2 ½ years I had been off birth control and really becoming in tune with my body, my hormones and gut function was still out of whack, this goes to show how dramatic and long-lasting the effects of birth control are. I am happy to say I no longer have these issues that I was struggling with.

My shifts in mindset and lifestyle approach, in combination with having functional lab testing, ran to understand the necessary adjustments needed for balance and restorative function.

My passion to help others feel better and taking control of their physical wellbeing through optimizing their own unique physiology is personal and now that I’ve made it my business, I take it very seriously. Let’s put an end to the symptoms you may have “normalized,” and dig deeper to get to the bottom of the dysfunction. Our bodies need all our systems to be in good balance to function properly and maintain resilience.

While I invite you to join me in this mission to live better in your wellness and longevity, it is YOU who must be dedicated to removing contributors and stressors as well as adjusting diet, sleep patterns, and physical activity accordingly. Now is the time for a conversation that puts you first!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
What a road it has been, many twists and turns along the way, but the views have been breathtaking. As a new entrepreneur, the true struggle was being able to shed my old self-identity.

The employee mindset, the fear of the unknown, the need for rules/policies, and having to know all things that were useless for the journey I was embarking upon. I transitioned from a conventional medicine setting as a bedside nurse to starting my own business in holistic wellness.

The major struggle was creating your business out of thin air and going from a guaranteed income to a big question mark. Truth is that this moment has been waiting for me, and “the how” will always figure itself out. Each leap you take and survive gives permission for the next.

I’ve learned to embrace uncertainty.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Mindful RN LLC?
I am a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner and health coach. I focus on hormone balance, digestive health, detoxification, energy production, stress management, lifestyle optimization, and more!

I lead my clients on their very own journey to holistic wellness by using functional lab screenings to help show where and how much function has been lost in the body. I take the healing opportunities from lab results to create an individualized health plan tailored specially to each client.

I use lifestyle protocols to make clients feel better and start taking control of their health by empowering and supporting them. What sets me apart from a typical health coach is that I am certified to run labs and educate clients based on the results.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My advice is to put yourself out there and always ask questions. People are always willing to share, especially about what they are passionate about. I have many mentors to sound in on depending on what the obstacle I am facing is.

I had a lot of support during my certification through the Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner program. I also work for a Functional MD in Scottsdale that has been a mentor to me by allowing me to ask questions whenever I need to, allowing me to shadow during client visits with permission, and collaborating on patient needs.

Another mentor that stands out is a long-time health coach that is available by text, call, or e-mail when I need help with difficult cases or just simple business questions.

Pricing:

• Empower • 90-minute diet and lifestyle consultation • Extensive client history and intake • Individualized recommendations for diet, rest, exercise, stress reduction, and supplements • (5) 45-minute continuing coaching sessions • Optional a la carte lab test available • PDFs, meal plans, and other educational resources • Pharmaceutical-grade supplements at discounted rate $950
• Revitalize • Three months of diet and lifestyle overhaul • Extensive client history and intake • Ordering, review, and functional interpretation of lab results • Lab assessment includes: Stress and hormone panel and GI-MAP gut pathogens testing • 90-minute results and recommendation session • (10) 45¬-minute follow-up sessions • Individualized recommendations for diet, rest, exercise, stress reduction, and supplements • E-mail support • PDFs, meal plans, and other educational resources • Pharmaceutical-grade supplements at discounted rate $3250
• Balance and Resilience • Six months of complete diet and lifestyle overhaul • Extensive client history and intake • Ordering, review, and functional interpretation of lab results • Lab assessment include: Stress and hormone panel, GI-MAP gut pathogens test, Mucosal barrier assessment, Metabolic wellness panel • 90-minute results and recommendation session • (15) 45-minute follow-up sessions • Individualized recommendations for diet, rest, exercise, stress reduction, and supplements • E-mail support • PDF’s, meal plans, and other educational resources • Pharmaceutical-grade supplements at a deepest available discount $5250

Contact Info:

• Email: themindfulrnllc@gmail.com
• Instagram: @themindfulrn_
• Facebook: the mindful rn LLC

Image Credits:
Joseph Procida