We’re looking forward to introducing you to Tori Rey. Check out our conversation below.
Tori, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What battle are you avoiding?
This is a deep warm up question, but I’ll use it for some accountability here. I’m facing the reality that movement is a non-negotiable part of healing. There’s simply no way around it. You would think that because I teach all about the human body, I would embody this key pillar of health. However, I don’t.
For the last five years I’ve been on a journey of restoring my health naturally, and guiding others to do the same. I’ve spent countless hours practicing and preaching the importance of changing our diets, consuming herbs and detoxing our bodies. Anyone who lands on my videos will learn how to heal entirely on their own. I’ve cultivated discipline with my diet in a way that I’ve seen only a few people match; but there comes a time where diet isn’t enough.
I’ve hit a wall.
Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “you can’t outwork a bad diet.” The same is true in reverse—when it comes to healing, a clean diet isn’t enough without movement. I was so motivated and so disciplined to change my diet and detox my body after being bed-bound in a hospital, but I’m struggling to apply that same discipline to even moderate-intensity movement.
I’m telling myself the same excuses I hear my clients tell me: “I don’t have time” or “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
I know what I have to do—yet I find myself busy with work, busy with errands, busy with everything else.
We all struggle with something. Even when we know better, sometimes it’s hard to do better.
Funny how the mind works.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Tori Rey—I’m a Natural Health Practitioner (you’ll find me as Detox Tori across the internet). I make natural health simple, even when the world makes it complicated.
I’ve been through it all: x-rays, specialists, hormone panels, stool tests, functional medicine consults, and an overwhelming list of supplement protocols. I’ve spent more time and money than I care to admit on my health. But through it all, I’ve learned to let go of the noise, focus on what matters, and heal my body without all the bells and whistles.
It’s much more peaceful and effective this way.
I’ve spent the last 9 years studying the human body and the root cause of disease. It started in college when I was preparing to go to medical school, but after ignoring the signs my body was showing me I found myself in a hospital bed with an autoimmune condition that led to 10+ rounds of immunotherapy, blood transfusions, steroids, a full face of acne, cysts, and excessive hair loss.
I quickly realized the medical system could offer me nothing to heal the root cause of my symptoms. I have since healed myself 100% naturally, created an online community for natural health education, and worked with clients worldwide.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
As you can tell from my social media accounts, the internet has played a significant role in my personal and professional journey. But there’s a strange duality at play here: (1) it warps our view of humanity yet offers profound connection like never before, (2) it provides freedom to work from anywhere yet keeps us bound to our devices, and (3) it breaks bonds between people yet also restores them.
We’re constantly flooded with short-form, half-true, and emotionally charged content. It’s no wonder people feel confused, frustrated, and disconnected. We’re reduced to what we say behind a screen—curated for engagement and optimized for attention. I get it. I rely on social media to run my business. I’ve helped other businesses grow through it too. Behind every “casual” video, there’s often a strategy.
We’re living through the most emotionally and ideologically confused era, all while being more digitally “connected” than ever before. We’re spending all our time in this place where it’s harder to have conversations with people who believe differently; it’s harder to feel the humanity of someone through a screen.
Humans are tribal by nature (which is amplified by social media). We need belonging. And I’ve found a way to navigate this digital landscape that feels more aligned with that need.
Social media helped me find my tribe. When that tribe evolved, it led me to another one. I found creators (particularly 2) whose messages resonate deeply and I plugged into their communities off social media. And as a creator myself, I created spaces off social media too.
That’s when the internet becomes more like a neighborhood than a battleground. Where conversations happen face-to-face. Where stories are shared through voices, not captions. Where bonds are formed beyond the scroll.
It reminds me of something simple our moms said growing up: “Join a club. Try a sport. Go outside.” The same advice applies here. Use social media to find your people—but don’t stop there. Come together in community. That’s where restoration begins.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
“I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” —Matthew 19:23-24 (NLT)
My third year of college, I was injured by a pharmaceutical medication that sent my body into an adverse autoimmune reaction where I was hospital-bound for weeks. Doctors were trying everything from immunotherapy and blood transfusions to steroids and other pharmaceuticals to stop my body from “attacking itself.”
When you lose complete control and have to surrender your fate completely outside yourself, you realize some things about your spiritual state. I didn’t acknowledge God at all leading up to this experience, but as soon as I hit that hospital bed I found Him. My spirit knew to pray, my spirit knew who to rely on, my spirit knew who to surrender to.
He released me from the hospital on the day that I asked to be released; I wanted to go to an academic ceremony that I was being recognized at back at my college.
Our relationship was strong when I came out of the hospital. I was talking to Him and hearing from Him. I found natural medicine and psychedelics and started on the journey to healing myself, forgetting about the One who healed me in the first place.
I’ve only ever shared about the physical toll this experience had on my body, leaving me with chronic cysts, a full face of acne, hair loss and nervous system damage. I started to gain attention as I was talking about my health story online, and success came fast. People resonated with the journey that I was showing and I went from nothing to hundreds of DMs, hundreds of emails, hundreds of consultations—all within six months.
You forget about God when you’re so busy like that.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Ah—modern medicine
We’ve peer-reviewed our way into confusion
Natural herbs being combined with chemicals for patent and profit
Diagnosis names have become a distraction
Doctors playing God.
I recommend you eat more fruit…
and you need a study for that?
The white coats are the smart people
They know your body better than you
Sounds crazy doesn’t it?
Medical error is the third leading cause of death
Doctors aren’t God.
I wanted to be one of the smart people…
then I realized nature has all the intelligence right here.
Ah—but don’t get me wrong
I can’t rub some dirt into my broken bone
There IS a time and a place
I needed them for stitches recently
But made my own herbal antibiotic at home
I think my poem sums it up.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What will you regret not doing?
Learning Spanish! My mom is one-half Dominican, one-quarter Panamanian, and one-quarter Colombian. My dad is full-blooded Puertoriqueño. How I’m not fluent after taking Spanish in school from fifth grade through senior year of college—I will never understand.
I’m committed to offering all my natural health teachings in Spanish (someday).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://detoxtori.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/detoxtori/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@detoxtori
- Other: The Healing Blueprint Detox Course: https://detoxwithtori.com/blueprint
Image Credits
Madison Doyle @coolgalstyles
