Exploring Life & Business with Julia Zahn of Abundant Care and Wellness Pediatrics

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Zahn.

Hi Julia, I’m so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story? How did you get to where you are today?
After 20 years of practicing as a Pediatric RN and then as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, I’m thrilled to have found my niche where I can help children and families thrive. I’ve always had an interest in preventative and integrative medicine. In college at Marquette University, I started a physical therapy program. I was drawn to the holistic nursing approach when I took a few nursing classes. Tending to a person’s physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being appealed to me, so I switched majors. After graduating, I did several different nursing jobs and finally found my passion while working in a pediatric primary care office. I discovered that I loved collaborating alongside parents as a team to help them support their children’s health and wellness. After receiving my certification as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner from Rush University, I wanted more tools to solve challenging health issues in children. I discovered functional medicine, opening up a whole new world of solutions! Functional medicine (FM) is a science-based, personalized, holistic healthcare approach that focuses on identifying and treating the root causes of illness. Seeing children heal and recover by addressing nutrition, sleep, stress, environment, emotional well-being, and more has been so fulfilling. It’s also an adventure to continue to learn as new evidence and research become available.

Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Taking the road less traveled in medicine has been challenging. I am learning to utilize a functional medicine approach in pediatrics, which involves traveling to conferences and shadowing other providers over a few years. There is always something new to learn, so I spend time not seeing patients as a permanent student. This includes reading new research, listening to webinars, and attending conferences. Opening my office as an independent contractor for Abundant Care and Wellness and learning how to run a small business has also been an adventure. After working as an employee for 20 years, learning the business and administrative side of running a practice has been a steep learning curve. It is an ongoing process of flexibility, growth, and change to make the experience smoother for families who come to see me. I’m so thankful for the encouragement and coaching of my colleague Jessica Powell, APRN, and her courage to start Abundant Care and Wellness. Working on my own can also be challenging. I’m thankful to have fellow practitioners in the community to lean on when I don’t have the answer to a complex or urgent problem.

Let’s switch gears and talk about work. What should we know?
Abundant Care and Wellness Pediatrics serves children ages 0-18. I offer primary care and specialize in addressing complex health issues in children, including (but not limited to) allergies, asthma, eczema, chronic gastrointestinal problems, behavioral concerns, ADHD, mast cell activation syndrome, and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS and PANDAS).

My approach is to look at a child’s health history, starting with the mom’s pregnancy through the child’s current health issues. I pay close attention to lifestyle (including nutrition, exercise, and sleep), the microbiome’s health, immune function, environmental exposures, and psychological health. To aid in identifying the underlying causes of illness, I use a variety of diagnostic and laboratory testing. Based on a child’s health history, physical examination findings, and diagnostic testing results, I create a plan that addresses nutrition, sleep, stress, exercise, and environment. When necessary, I prescribe nutritional supplements and pharmaceutical treatments. I recommend evidence-based treatments, which means they have been studied and deemed safe and effective. Additionally, I sometimes recommend other therapies that may be needed, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. I rely on the expertise of pediatric specialists and refer to them when needed.

I am proud of being the only functional medicine provider specializing in pediatrics in the Wichita area. I offer appointments that are 30-60 minutes so that adequate time is available to listen to parents’ concerns and provide education and support. My role is to listen to and educate parents so they can make their own decisions about their child’s health. Supporting parents’ decisions about their children’s health is important to me.

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Branching out as a small business owner has come with risk. It has been both a financial and professional risk. However, innovation and growth aren’t possible if you don’t move forward toward a goal or dream and take risks. If we want to find new solutions to problems, we must be willing to try, possibly fail, and try again.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://abundantcareandwellness.com/pediatrics/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbundantCareAndWellness

Image Credits
Headshot: Dawn Kolaskey, Other images: Amanda Dick