Where she stood
In 2007, Dr. Christy Russell-Shae was a naturopathic doctor on Long Island whose practice ran on what she called “a healthy dose of common sense.” She cared for adults and children alike. Her heart was with autistic children, and with the parents who had tried everything and were still looking for someone who would see the whole child.
She could see what was possible when a child’s whole health was cared for. She could also see how many more families she could reach if the work had room to grow.
What she did not have was the structure to carry it: a plan, a place, a team, and a business strong enough to hold the vision of her legacy.
“Will you help me create a wellness revolution for autistic children?”
What she chose
She began with Legacy in Motion, our work with people bringing a legacy project to life.
Jennifer stepped in as interim co-founder. Christy held the vision and the care. Jennifer built everything around it: the strategic plan, the funding, the space, a small and devoted team, and the daily operations that let a doctor simply be a doctor.
In 2008, Simply Vibrant opened its doors in Rockville Centre. Within a year, the schedule was full. There was no advertising and no marketing budget. One parent told another, and that parent told the next. The center grew entirely on word of mouth, and entirely on trust.
Parents began to notice changes: in how their children listened, how they connected, how they met the people around them. And as their children changed, the whole family’s life began to change with them.
The center became a community as much as a practice. With a Bayville neighbor who opened his waterfront property, and the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island as sponsor, Simply Vibrant created A Day for Dreams: a day at the beach that brought fun to kids and an easy, open-hearted day to the families who love them.
What stands now
In 2009, with every appointment filled and the foundation set, Dr. Christy bought Jennifer out, just as an interim partnership is meant to end. The center was hers, standing on its own.
Dr. Christy led the center for years after, and mentored other natural health practitioners along the way. In time she stepped back from Simply Vibrant. One of the practitioners she mentored, Tracy, carried that foundation into her own practice, Pure and Simple Health, in Rockville Centre.
For Jennifer, Simply Vibrant was an early lesson in what LivWeal® now holds at its center: when the right structure is built around a person’s calling, the calling reaches further than one person ever could.
The name on the door has changed. The care that began with one question has not.
If you or someone you know is standing where Dr. Christy stood, with a vision that needs a structure strong enough to carry it, we would be glad to talk with them.
If someone you advise is standing here, we would be glad to talk with you first.
