The Business of Medicine

Dr. Lisa Chism: Sex + Breast Cancer + Menopause

What happens when a nurse practitioner decides to own her niche — completely? In this episode of The Business of Medicine, Matt Schneider sits down with Dr. Lisa Chism, DNP, APRN, FAANP, FAAN — a two-time AJN Book of the Year award winner, Certified Menopause Practitioner, and certified sexuality counselor with over 25 years of experience as a nurse practitioner. Dr. Chism has built a remarkable specialized practice at the intersection of three underserved — and highly profitable — clinical areas: sexual health, breast cancer survivorship, and menopause care. She shares how deep specialization isn't just better for patients, it's the blueprint for building a practice that's virtually impossible to commoditize. In this conversation, you'll hear how Dr. Chism carved out her lane in women's health, why menopause and sexual health are areas most clinics ignore at their own financial peril, and what it actually takes for nurse practitioners to step into their full potential as clinicians and business owners. Whether you're an NP looking to launch or grow a specialty practice, or a clinic owner trying to understand where the next wave of patient demand is heading — this episode is for you. About Dr. Lisa Chism: Dr. Lisa Astalos Chism (DNP, APRN, BC, NCMP, CSC, FAANP, FAAN) is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner specializing in breast health, menopause, and sexual health. She is a Fellow of both the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Academy of Nursing, and the author of The Doctor of Nursing Practice: A Guidebook for Role Development and Professional Issues.

Bonnie Barnes: How she's helping 10M people with Ketones

What happens when a competitive bodybuilder, NLP-trained coach, and exogenous ketone expert makes it her mission to change 10,000,000 lives, you invite her onto the BOM podcast to give her a platform. Bonnie Barnes is a health and wellness coach with over 20 years in the field — starting as a personal trainer for triathletes, evolving into competitive bodybuilding, and eventually becoming a passionate advocate for brain health, women's hormonal wellness, and exogenous ketones. She's also the founder of Let's GO! and works with athletes — including youth — at a performance training facility, blending nutritional strategy with mental resilience coaching. In this conversation, Matt and Bonnie cover a lot of ground: how exogenous ketones work at the cellular level, why women in particular are underserved when it comes to brain energy during hormonal shifts, how GLP-1 medications interact with ketone metabolism, and what the research out of Yale with Dr. Ben Bikman is revealing about brain fuel and performance. They also go deep on mindset — NLP, proximity, the cost of superficial relationships, and why the mental game is the make-or-break variable in health, business, and life. This episode is for anyone who wants to understand what's really going on between their ears — and do something about it. Connect with Bonnie Barnes: * https://www.instagram.com/fitceo_onthego/ [https://www.instagram.com/fitceo_onthego/] * https://letsgobhb.co/ [https://letsgobhb.co/] Connect with Matt Schneider: * Website: profitpractice.com [http://profitpractice.com] * CRM for clinics: ignitionsystems.app [http://ignitionsystems.app]

Bonnie Banres: How she's helping 10M people with Keytones

What happens when a competitive bodybuilder, NLP-trained coach, and exogenous ketone expert makes it her mission to change 10,000,000 lives, you invite her onto the BOM podcast to give her a platform. Bonnie Barnes is a health and wellness coach with over 20 years in the field — starting as a personal trainer for triathletes, evolving into competitive bodybuilding, and eventually becoming a passionate advocate for brain health, women's hormonal wellness, and exogenous ketones. She's also the founder of Let's GO! and works with athletes — including youth — at a performance training facility, blending nutritional strategy with mental resilience coaching. In this conversation, Matt and Bonnie cover a lot of ground: how exogenous ketones work at the cellular level, why women in particular are underserved when it comes to brain energy during hormonal shifts, how GLP-1 medications interact with ketone metabolism, and what the research out of Yale with Dr. Ben Bikman is revealing about brain fuel and performance. They also go deep on mindset — NLP, proximity, the cost of superficial relationships, and why the mental game is the make-or-break variable in health, business, and life. This episode is for anyone who wants to understand what's really going on between their ears — and do something about it. Connect with Bonnie Barnes: * https://www.instagram.com/fitceo_onthego/ [https://www.instagram.com/fitceo_onthego/] * https://letsgobhb.co/ [https://letsgobhb.co/] Connect with Matt Schneider: * Website: profitpractice.com [http://profitpractice.com] * CRM for clinics: ignitionsystems.app [http://ignitionsystems.app]

Kimberly Verbeke: Turned 20,000 into $1.3M! How She Does It

Kimberly Verbeke is a Naturopathic Practitioner, certified health coach, and the founder of Avita Wellness & Aesthetics in Boerne, Texas. Her clinic is a destination for patients seeking root-cause, integrative care — from advanced IV therapies and peptide protocols to BHRT, regenerative medicine, and functional aesthetics. Known for her ability to crack cases that conventional medicine has missed, Kimberly blends scientific rigor with a deeply personal, whole-patient philosophy. Today she’s joining us to talk about building a thriving integrative practice, the business realities behind root-cause medicine, and what it really takes to grow a clinic on your own terms. Key Takeaways * Root-cause medicine is a business model, not just a philosophy — but you have to build the systems to support it * Protocol-driven care creates consistency, trust, and revenue stability * Cash-pay integrative practices require strong patient education and clear value communication * The best clinic owners are constantly investing in their own clinical education — it directly drives growth * Burnout is a systems problem, not a passion problem — the right team and operational structure changes everything About Kimberly Verbeke: Kimberly Verbeke is the founder and owner of Avita Wellness & Aesthetics, an integrative health practice located in Boerne, Texas. As a naturopathic practitioner, certified health coach, and dedicated athlete, Kimberly has built her clinic around a single conviction: the body has an extraordinary capacity to heal when given the right tools, environment, and guidance. Avita Wellness offers a comprehensive suite of root-cause, evidence-based services including IV therapy (NAD, high-dose Vitamin C, ozone, Methylene Blue, and more), peptide protocols, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), low-dose naltrexone (LDN), regenerative medicine, personalized supplementation plans, and integrative aesthetics. The clinic also features a PA-C specializing in functional and integrative dermatology, creating a truly whole-person care environment. Kimberly’s approach is rooted in personalized medicine. Rather than managing symptoms in isolation, she works to understand the unique biochemical and lifestyle picture of each patient — using comprehensive lab analysis, symptom assessment, and cutting-edge therapies to design individualized care plans. She is especially skilled in cases involving chronic illness, hormonal imbalance, toxicity, Lyme disease, immune dysfunction, and aging optimization. Her path to naturopathic medicine is both professional and personal. Having navigated her own health challenges, Kimberly brings a depth of empathy and lived understanding to every patient relationship. She is known among her patients for her meticulous attention to detail, her willingness to listen deeply, and her ability to identify root causes that other providers have missed. Beyond the clinic, Kimberly is a lifelong learner and competitor. She stays at the forefront of integrative medicine through ongoing education and conference attendance, and she channels the same discipline she brings to athletic training into her clinical practice. Whether in the gym, outdoors, or with her family and dogs, she exemplifies the vitality she helps her patients reclaim. Avita Wellness & Aesthetics serves the greater Boerne and San Antonio, Texas area at 104 Medical Drive, Boerne, TX 78006, and accepts patients by appointment.

Dr. Felice Gersh: How To Thrive In Private Practice

Dr. Felice Gersh delves into her decision to pursue integrative medicine and the expansion of her therapeutic toolbox. The conversation covers the evolution of medicine, the challenges of starting a practice, building a thriving practice, balancing clinical and non-clinical work, and the impact of integrative medicine. It delves into the flexibility and evolution of medical practice, as well as the challenges and rewards of venturing into private practice. Chapters * 00:00 Early Career Influences * 25:27 Transition into Integrative Medicine * 34:45 The Evolution of Medicine * 49:34 Balancing Clinical and Non-Clinical Work * 01:05:21 The Impact of Integrative Medicine About Dr. Gersh Felice Gersh, M.D. is a multi-award winning physician with dual board certifications in OB-GYN and Integrative Medicine. She is the founder and director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine, a practice that provides comprehensive health care for women by combining the best evidence-based therapies from conventional, naturopathic, and holistic medicine. For 12 years, she taught obstetrics and gynecology at Keck USC School of Medicine as an Assistant Clinical Professor, and she now serves as an Affiliate Faculty Member at the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine through the University of Arizona School of Medicine. Felice is a prolific writer and lecturer who speaks globally on women’s health and regularly publishes in peer-reviewed medical journals. She is the bestselling author of the PCOS SOS series and Menopause: 50 Things You Need to Know. Her research focuses on women's hormones, metabolism, aging, and menopause. Whether she’s mentoring medical students, writing groundbreaking books and medical articles, or guiding her patients, Dr. Gersh’s mission remains constant: Empower women to thrive in harmony with their bodies and their health.