We had the good fortune of connecting with Rebekah Zonozy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rebekah, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
In some ways it feels like it has been years in the making. I have been in pediatric health care for over 15 years, almost all of it working with children diagnosed with cancer. I have loved every minute of my career, and always say that i gained more from the children and families I worked with than I ever gave to them. Over the last 5 years, I have been on a health journey for both myself and our family. As a mom of 4, I really believe teaching my children healthy habits and practices in every area of life is the best way to set them up for lifelong holistic wellbeing. Throughout this journey for me and my family, I have felt a deep internal pull to bring more functional & integrative medicine to the pediatric realm. Because there really isn’t enough of it. I strongly believe that childhood is the perfect time in someone’s life to give them the tools and knowledge they need to be a participant in their own health journey, and to help them think about health in terms of prevention, rather than in terms of disease treatment. It is also the perfect time to work on getting to the root cause of any current health issues. That way we can work on repairing and rebalancing the body, shifting towards health instead of disease. So, that’s where the idea of living childhood upstream came from!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As previously mentioned, I have been a pediatric health care provider for the last 15 plus years, and a nurse practitioner for 10 of those. Pediatrics, and more specifically pediatric oncology, has been a passion of mine since high school. I completed nursing school in Canada, moved to the USA in 2004, and worked full time while completing my graduate degree to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. It was definitely hard work, with a lot of late nights and working non stop on the weekends, but it was absolutely worth it. It challenged me to really focus on my goals, both personally and professionally, and learn to adopt a healthy work life balance. Venturing out into the world of functional medicine has been a work in progress. I was first introduced to the concept of thinking upstream in nursing school in Canada. There was a strong focus on preventative health throughout the program. But that sort of went on the back burner after graduation and I began to work full time.. I started to come back to the concept about 5 years ago, Initially for my own health, but then the more I learned the more I naturally brought home to my family and children. I began to realize more and more how important upstream thinking is, and how incredibly impactful it can be to someone’s wellbeing. If you can get to the root cause of a disease or health concern, instead of just making the symptoms “manageable” or putting a bandaid on them, then you are truly providing HEALTH care. I wholeheartedly believe everyone deserves to live an abundant and healthy life, and I mean everyone! There are barriers to health for so many, and I want to help break down some of those barriers by sharing the knowledge I have with others. I believe we need to shift our perspective from sick care to health care, to root cause management & disease prevention. My goal is to help make that happen for children & families in a realistic & practical way.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Dallas Arboretum – always a beautiful place to enjoy, especially with the kids Fort Worth Zoo – Kid friendly, and also feel like I am at a theme park in some ways, So well designed The Sound in Cypress Waters – great place to sit on a patio & enjoy one of the great restaurants. Live music some nights Pecan Lodge – for the full Texas BBQ experience HG Sply Co. – delicious & healthy food, great atmosphere

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family is such a wonderful support to me. They challenge me and teach me on a daily basis. My husband is an incredible cheerleader and continues to support me in all my crazy ideas and ventures. And of course all the leaders in functional and integrative medicine that have paved the way for us, and given us some incredible tools to help us succeed.

Website: www.childhoodupstream.com
Instagram: @childhoodupstream
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/childhoodupstream/

Image Credits
NA – all my own

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