Local Mom Highlight – Dr. Joey

Where did you grow up: 

I grew up in Canada, Southeast Ontario.

Town you live in now: 

Palm Beach Gardens

Why you love living there: 

I feel a little bit of every day is like you’re on vacation.  I love driving down all the Palm-lined streets. It is so beautiful here.  When we moved here seven years ago, we didn’t know anyone other than my parents and now we have such a great community of people in our lives.  This area has so many of the opportunities a big city has without the hecticness or traffic of big city life.  And of course…the weather.

Tell me about your kids: 

I have two children, Ivy, and Aussie.  They are eight and seven.  They are my best friends and so much fun.  They both love sports and most of our life now is watching their sporting events and rushing them to practices.  Ivy has always been my wild child; she never stops but can light up a room with her smile and energy.  Aussie is so lovable, sweet, and hilarious.  He always has us laughing.  They teach me how to live life the right way every day.

Favorite things to do with the kids locally: 

This changes every year based on their age.  Now we are often with friends hanging out in neighborhoods or by the pool after sports.  We love the beach at Singer Island, mini golf at lighthouse or Abacoa, sitting by the water at Utiki, and golfing when we can.  Drive shack in West Palm is now in rotation and we have a lot of fun there.  We also enjoy going Downtown Gardens with friends and letting the kids run around and play while the parents hang out.

What is your ‘day job’?  How did you get started with it?

I received my naturopathic doctorate in 2014 in Toronto, Canada.  I lived in Europe for years and was able to experience how integrative medicine worked over there, which was very inspiring.  

I am now at Wellness First in Juno Beach and the Clinical Director of the adjacent Plus Center.  Wellness First is member-based integrative primary care practice.  We are committed to addressing the underlying cause of medical conditions and providing an approach that is both individualized and comprehensive.  The addition of the Plus Center has allowed us to offer even more robust therapies, including IV nutrient, IV chelation and IV ozone.  We have an IV for everything from glowing skin to post-surgery recovery and everything in between.  We also offer advanced testing that can identify underlying causes for digestive issues, environmental toxin exposure, hormone imbalances, and autoimmune disease.  Common complaints such as fatigue, chronic pain, irritable bowel, and anxiety can be improved with minimal intervention that can produce lasting results.

Functional medicine is my passion, it is what initially drew me to medicine.  It is an exciting time to be in this field! We can do so much more than we are currently to enhance our health. I love being at the forefront of that.  

What is your best parenting advice? Lay it on us.  

I don’t know if I am in the position to be giving parenting advice but the one thing I do right is love them unconditionally for exactly who they are.  Let the child show you who they are and embrace it — that is where the magic happens.  My kids have taught me so much about life and love, I can’t wait to learn even more from them.

What do you do for self-care? 

There are several, but one of the most important things I do is allow my schedule to have spontaneity.  Sometimes I leave the housework, the never-ending to-do lists, and just do something fun that I really don’t have time for.

I also believe daily routines go a long way for self-care, so I exercise, eat tons of vegetables, laugh a lot, and snuggle with the kids every single night.  Traveling is my Achilles, so if it has been too long, I must book something.

Karaoke – what are you singing?

Sweet Caroline so that everyone joins in and drowns out my voice – ha!  

Anything else you want to share?

I love being a part of this community and am so grateful for the people I have met.  It is never easy starting someplace new, and this area already feels like home.  I could not be the person or mom that I am without all the support around me.