A Way to Wellness — In Our Backyard

There’s a Montecito mom who is challenging Montecitans of all ages to reclaim their health and wellness with her new wellness center in the Upper Village.

You need to see Talina Hermann before you get sick — it’s a novel idea to most, but for Hermann, it’s the smarter and better way to take care of yourself and your family.

Hermann is hoping her new wellness center will offer members of our community a chance to optimize their health — without getting on the 101.

In Montecito, we love easy. We love less traffic. And most of all, we love not having to leave the Upper Village unless necessary. Of course, for most of us, taking a trip to a specialty store or doctor is par for the course — but how nice would it be to grab a sandwich from Village Wine and Cheese and then pop into a new wellness center? 

Well, if you are considering a change in the way you handle your health — it is the start of a new year, after all! — and want to try something different, the Montecito Wellness Clinic might be just the ticket.

“Right now, we look at health care backwards,” explains Hermann. “We go to the doctor when we are sick and hope they can make us better. In our center, our goal is to look at clients when they are healthy and well, so we can optimize their health and have a proper benchmark to start with.”

Hermann’s vision for helping others stay healthy comes from her own childhood.

“Growing up in the Ukraine, I was always sick. It was after the Chernobyl blast of 1986 (considered the worst nuclear disaster in history); so many of my friends and their families had illnesses or sickness due to radiation exposure.”

Eventually Hermann moved to the United States and completed a degree in business and design, working in lifestyle and womenswear in Los Angeles for several years. However, she always wanted to get back to her concern for health and wellness.

“While I was running my business and having children, I started getting burnt out mentally, emotionally, and physically. I struggled because conventional medicine didn’t seem to have answers for at the time. All my tests were coming back ‘normal’ and yet I felt anything but normal.”

So, she decided to look for the answers herself. After endless hours of workshops, seminars, and evening classes, she decided to focus all her energy on health and wellness.

“I closed my design business and began exploring holistic medicine, functional medicine, clinical herbal medicine, lifestyle nutrition, acupressure, and spiritual psychology.”

She recently completed a four-year program in integrated medicine.

“I truly believe we can do better for ourselves. Our country spends trillions in annual health care expenditures for people with chronic and mental health conditions. These statistics are astonishing! It is time to shift our focus from managing the symptoms and start looking into the root cause of what is causing our symptoms. The majority of our chronic diseases are preceded by long-term disturbances in functionality.”

Hermann hopes that her new holistic clinic will resonate with residents here and elsewhere, who are looking for something different: “My intention is to create and hold a sacred space for women and their loved ones to heal and to become empowered on their wellness journey. Our clinic blends the wisdom of ancient medicine and science to honor the unique nature of each patient.” 

Hermann has lived in Montecito for the past 12 years with her husband, Steve, and two daughters, Laurel and Elle. She spent months looking for the perfect location — and then one came up, right next to Via Vai in the Upper Village off East Valley Road.

“I feel very fortunate to have found a wonderful space — the medical office run by the incredible orthopedic doctor, Dr. Fareed, who helped so many patients.”

Hermann makes no claims that she is the end-all, be-all. But her hope is to help clients by supporting them: “The bottom line is that almost everyone seems to have a chronic condition and is on some sort of medicine. I am not saying we have a magic pill. What we offer is cumulative health care support.”

Hermann shares an analogy: “When you go to the gym, you don’t just go one time and lose 20 pounds and feel amazing. It’s cumulative. You go every week, and you do that for months and you start to see results.”

Her vision for her Wellness Center is to meet each patient where they are: “A lot of times, we are the last stop for people. They are tired with Western medicine and desperate for answers. We don’t treat diseases; we are here to support the patient.”

This means offering one-on-one personalized care and coming up with a plan that treats the whole person.  

Hermann has one simple piece of advice that everyone can use if they want to start better understanding their own health: Keep a journal. 

“The majority of our diseases originate in the gut. So if you can keep track of what you eat and more importantly, how you feel afterwards, it will help you to see if there is a pattern.”

She is as hopeful for each patient as she is practical: “I can’t tell someone who is living on coffee and donuts to stop cold turkey. That would never happen. However, I can encourage them to make small weekly changes to their diet that will gradually improve their lifestyle.”

So, what is a perfect day for this Montecito mama?

“Right now, we are readying our space to open so I am swamped! But I love dinner at the San Ysidro Ranch and loading up on healthy snacks and remedies at Montecito Natural Foods store.”  

To learn more and to get on their mailing list, check out: www.MontecitoWellnessClinic.com  

In this column, we feature Montecito Moms with interesting and unique careers. If you have a mom you think would like to be featured, email dalina@ gmail.com