Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Ruffino.
Hi Katie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve had a passion for helping people ever since I was a little girl. Because I was fascinated by the human body and how it worked, I pursued a bachelor’s in honors biomedical sciences at Marquette University. I then continued to achieve a master’s in Physician Assistant there.
Throughout school, I felt that there were missing pieces to the healing journey that we were not taught about. The conventional medical system focuses on treating illness with medications to mitigate symptoms. I knew that this would only further continue patient suffering instead of treating the root cause.
Throughout my education, I was also struggling with my health and felt let down by the medical providers I had seen. None of them had the time or experience to help me in the ways I needed. I took matters into my own hands, like most patients with autoimmune issues, and researched multiple modalities of healing, including functional medicine, experimented with most of them on myself and found that true healing was possible.
Even though I knew there were other ways I would practice medicine after graduating, I wanted to have a formal education as well to have a solid understanding of the medical system, basic anatomy and physiology, develop critical thinking skills, and have authority in the field of medicine.
After graduating from PA school, I started working at a regenerative medicine clinic as the main full-time medical provider. I gained extensive training and experience in this newer field of medicine and continued to refine my healing craft. I felt burnt out at this point after years of education and research that I knew I could no longer maintain a typical 8-5 job and tend to my own health. I also knew that there were other ways of healing that I wanted to provide to patients that I could best do through my own business. Thus, I became a health and life coach and started my own business: Sunnysidekt LLC.
My business focuses more on mind, body, and spirit healing through targeted concierge 1:1 and group health and life coaching. I also became an independent contractor PA who worked in multiple other clinics for regenerative and functional medicine. Now, as a business owner, I am happy to say that it’s been the best decision I could have made for myself and the clients I work with. I can provide attentive care, and education, and guide people home to their true authentic selves.
Healing for me is beyond the physical. When I discovered this, I knew I couldn’t go back to my old way of thinking. I no longer wanted to focus on the physical medicine. I wanted to support people to heal themselves through the power of energy, mindset, lifestyle habits, and self-love.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Owning your own business seems impossible to be a smooth road!
I genuinely believe that being an entrepreneur is one of the most potent spiritual paths you can take. You are met with your deepest insecurities, strengths, and weaknesses, and your livelihood depends on your own success in ways that having a salary position could never. It’s you vs you.
One of my biggest struggles has been wearing all the hats in the business. Starting out, the funds are low and it requires you to learn how to be in all the roles. I learned how to be proficient in marketing, sales, content creation/personal branding, website development, finances, and more. You are the CEO and the product as a coach. You have to balance both working on and in the business. I had to trade more of my time instead of money. I did, however, invest thousands of dollars in coaches, programs, and more to develop the skill sets and support to make it happen. After all, I had only been focusing on formal medical education previously. Thankfully, my experience with social media helped.
Another struggle has been obtaining leads and new clients while still maintaining integrity with my values. As a medical provider, I’ve never been one to ‘sell’ to patients. I’m focused on listening to the patient’s needs and recommending to them what I believe will be the best plan to support their health goals. I rarely saw the dollar signs. Not that I’m completely unaware of costs for the patient, but I focus more on what they need. Having to be both in the sales role and the provider, I feel apprehension about charging people high tickets, even though it is what the services are worth. I’ve heard many times that “doctors do not make good business owners because they want to give away help for free”. I can appreciate that statement because my heart wants to help everyone for free or low cost, and I know I can’t. A business does need to make money to stay in business to continue to help people, though.
We’ve been impressed with Sunnysidekt LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business is in health and life coaching. I offer 1:1 and group coaching with the ultimate goal of walking others along the journey home to their true self. I help people heal their physical body, mind, and spirit.
My coaching looks unique to each person I work with because each person is unique. I offer an in-depth consultation to get the know each client’s health history, identify limiting beliefs, habits, or patterns, and develop a plan to best support their goals and vision for their life.
My group coaching is Pure Pathways: A Guided Detox Transformation, which includes a comprehensive approach to open drainage pathways to prepare the body to detox, a thorough parasite cleanse, lifestyle modifications of nutrition and habits, mindset shifting, and emotional and energetic release to heal from the inside out. I just launched the first round of the program in August 2024 and will be offering more rounds in the future and will continue to grow and evolve the program and my offerings with each group.
I bring a special offering to clients as I have formal medical training as a PA-C, whereas most coaches have more of a surface-level understanding of health. I also am constantly open to growing and bettering myself as a coach and my business to continue to provide the best care possible.
I have been told that one of the greatest values I have provided to my clients is how I listen without judgment and have my clients’ back 100%. I know what it’s like to go through the trenches of struggle, bouncing between medical providers, and not feeling heard or properly cared for. I never want my clients to feel that way. My goal is that they feel like I’m their teammate and will work alongside them to find solutions to their struggles. And if I can’t do it myself, knowing my limitations, I will direct them to someone who can.
This business is not just a career for me; it is a mission filled with passion and justice for all who struggle to find peace, joy, and fulfillment in their life related to their physical, mental, and emotional suffering. We have all accumulated stories people have told us, walked paths not made for us, and lived lives not in alignment with our own truth. I’ve been there and resonate with the pain and suffering that brings. By letting go of the things that no longer served me (poor diet, limiting beliefs, negativity, environmental toxins, stuck emotions, etc.) and inviting in what serves me (proper nutrition, nature, positive thinking, supportive people, allowing self-expression, etc.), I feel more fulfilled, at peace, and with joy than ever before. I hope that I can guide people to their version of that.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
To find the answers within. We have the incredible ability to heal ourselves if we get out of our way. We have the capacity to carry all the infinite intelligence inside of our intuition; we just need to quiet the noise and listen.
Everyone has their own opinion of how to do things and what their definition is of success. YOU have to decide for yourself what is true to you and fully embody it. That is the only way to find fulfillment, in my opinion 😉
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunnysidekt/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-katie-ruffino-pa-c-mpas-511aa418a/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sunnysidekt
- Other: https://linktr.ee/sunnysidekt
Image Credits
Paulina Grochala – took the photo of the group of women sitting at the table
