Her Story
About Vita
Vita Oyler is a renowned rehabilitation counselor, author, mentor, and small business co-owner with more than 35 years of experience supporting individuals living with chronic pain and disability. Her work integrates professional clinical practice with a deeply personal understanding of chronic pain, shaping her commitment to helping others develop sustainable, non-pharmacologic approaches to improving quality of life. She is dedicated to guiding clients toward realistic daily goals, resilience, and long-term functional improvement.
She earned her degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from San Diego State University and began her early career in hospital and clinical settings, including Scripps Clinic, where she focused on patient evaluation and quality-of-life assessments. Over time, she and her husband expanded their work into integrative wellness by exploring nutrition, lifestyle modification, and natural approaches to inflammation and pain management. This led to the co-founding of Cornucopia Natural Foods in 1994, a natural foods store focused on unprocessed foods, herbal supplements, and education around holistic health.
In addition to her counseling and business work, she is an author whose first book on chronic pain management has been widely received and shared across multiple platforms. She is currently developing a second book inspired by her mother’s immigration story from Italy, with aspirations of adapting it for screen media. She is also preparing to launch a podcast, Gentle Steps Forward, featuring conversations on pain management and wellness, currently paused due to health-related considerations. Across all her work, she emphasizes positivity, perseverance, and the belief that true success is measured by how one lives and feels each day rather than financial achievement.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Vita
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to dedication and wanting to help. I'm motivated by my own experience with chronic pain and my desire to help others find their way in life while living with pain. I believe that you have to be positive and you have to want to change and move along. You can make things work, always, one way or the other. Success doesn't have to mean money or material things - it means more how you feel and how you go through life in spite of the pain. I look at my own situation and the way things have evolved for me, and I've always believed that if you stay positive and set realistic goals, you can do it.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
It's a great field. If you want to help people to move on with their lives, rehab's the way to do it. You can pick any area in rehab - from physical rehab to emotional rehab, mental rehab, or even working with people who are incarcerated. Whatever you do, don't give up. When you're looking for a field, sometimes it just pops out at you. Go for it, and trust that you'll find the right area for you.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in my field right now are the changes in insurance policies, which sometimes prevent people from seeking help. There have been some changes in rehab that make it more difficult for people to access care. But I see this as an opportunity to do things differently - I offer free services because I love what I do and it means so much to me to help others. On the opportunity side, I'm really excited about launching my podcast called Gentle Steps Forward. I have speakers lined up, doctors lined up, and I think it's going to be a really good platform for learning how to deal with pain. I've had to put it on hold temporarily due to some medical issues with my eyes, but I'm looking forward to getting that started because it will reach even more people.
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