Theresa Nutt

The best advice I've received is don't get too narrow in your thinking. So many people are taught to find your place and then get really narrow in your focus, but the people I'm most drawn to bridge the heart with science, with the human spirit and spirituality. The more expansive your thinking, the better. My degrees are not in the same field because it gives me different perspectives to approach things, and I'm more innovative as a result. That expansive thinking has been key to my career.

I would tell young women entering my industry to stay open, stay curious, and not narrow their thinking too early in their careers. I would encourage them to explore different roles, perspectives, and opportunities so they can discover where their strengths truly align rather than feeling pressured to define themselves too quickly. I believe growth comes from being willing to learn continuously, ask questions, and step into spaces that may feel unfamiliar at first. I would also remind them to trust their own voice, build strong relationships, and remain adaptable as the industry evolves. Most importantly, I would emphasize that limiting your mindset can limit your potential, so it is essential to think broadly, embrace possibilities, and allow your path to develop with intention rather than constraint.

I think we're financially in a challenging place in healthcare, and I work in academia, so the combination of academic healthcare right now involves a lot of budgetary restrictions. We've got AI pressing on us, which is challenging what kind of work we do and what we streamline. I also think a lot of our structures don't actually help people get well, so we have to really look at how much we keep investing in the traditional medicine and treatments when that doesn't actually cure people at the rate that it needs to. Add to that insurance and pharmaceutical companies and just the expense of delivering healthcare - it's so multifaceted. With all of that as the backdrop, when we look at whole-person integrative medicine, lifestyle, and what fuels the human spirit, it's hard to find the funding to pay attention to that when it actually creates the best outcomes but not the best revenue.

One of the values I hold really, really dear is that people are the most important resource on our planet, and the more we can lead with paying attention to the humanity of things, the better the outcomes. My other value is integrity and high quality - I like to see that we're doing good work. Another value of mine is we need to take care of the people doing the work, because we have not historically done that in healthcare, and that leads to burnout and problems that are multifaceted. And then I think just in general, life is more than productivity, and I think we've forgotten that in our current reality. I am very much a soul and self-care nurturing type of person. We need to have lifestyles that actually nurture our well-being day in and day out, so we can manage whatever life throws our way.