Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael KraMer.
Hi Rachael, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
People often ask “how long have you been a Holistic Health Practitioner” … and the answer is “since I was in my mother’s womb”. I can honestly say I was born that way, it was not something I grew into. I remember back, being an itty-bitty elementary school kid, sick on the couch and my mom trying to give me cough medicine. I didn’t want it, my mom suggested I take it with juice if I didn’t like the taste. I told her, “it’s not that I don’t like the taste, I just think if my body is sick, I should let it be sick and work it out”. I remember my mom trying to dry me off with a towel after a bath. I wanted to let the moisture soak into my skin.
Fast forward to today, my goal when working with people is to help others using natural means, including lifestyle changes, diet changes, vitamins and supplements to address their health goals. I often see people when they’ve tried conventional medicine without success. I help people by getting to the root. Conventional medicine would suggest an anti-depressant for depression, where I look at gut health since over 90% of serotonin receptors are housed in the gut. Conventional medicine would suggest an anti-anxiety medication for anxiety, where I look at how the adrenal glands are performing since adrenal glands secrete cortisol during stress. Again, conventional medicine would suggest a topical cream for skin issues. I make diet and detox suggestions because skin issues are an external symptom of an internal issue. I have found addressing the body holistically to be effective whether we’re talking about the things I mentioned, fertility, pain, thyroid conditions, or other health concerns.
I do this by simplifying complex health topics into practical, actionable guidance that strengthens the body and supports long-term wellbeing.
My appointments with people are often long. People are used to getting a few minutes with a provider. I decided to go into Private Practice so: 1.) I could take the time to educate them. I really wanted to change the paradigm. Instead of a provider simply offering a “quick fix” (that causes deeper issues), I find it incredibly important for them to understand… meaning understand the process of what went wrong and the solution. 2) I also wanted to be able to address the Spiritual component. My business slogan is “applying Biblical principles to health and healing”. Sometimes this means being able to pray with a person, other times it may be addressing a spiritual obstacle to healing.
Although becoming a Holistic Health Practitioner was not a direct path, there was a detour along the way. I became a Registered Nurse, a Director of Nursing in fact! In 1995 I had a daughter that passed away and the nurses that helped me through that were angels. I wanted to help others in that same way … walking alongside them in their struggle.
People that knew me were a bit surprised at my decision to go to medical school as I have always had a natural bent. I think I may have even been a bit naive to conventional practices. Day one on my job as a nurse my eyes were opened. People were on a long list of medication without their doctors looking at other factors: exercise, nutrition, hydration, etc. I decided at that time to “stay the course” with hopes of providing insight to healing modalities they might not be aware of. I became Director of Nursing. I still felt like I was “swimming against the current” because as a nurse I still had to follow conventional modalities that I saw as a hindrance to real healing.
The smallest thing leads to the biggest career change. I was helping a gentleman with a digestive issue, using a regimen that was providing success! His Dr told him to quit and go back to what he was doing previously with the doctor’s orders. The gentleman took his Dr’s advice. He quit doing something that was working, to go back to something that was NOT working, because his Dr told him to. I decided right then and there to go back to school to study Holistic Medicine and help people heal naturally.
And so that journey began! At first it felt as if my nursing degree (time and money) was “wasted” but it turned out to be incredibly valuable. I was able to have insider insight into the testing (and limitations) done in conventional medicine, and learn why people weren’t seeing results. I found companies that tested a differently, better, in a more in-depth way and educated individuals and families on natural health approaches that support resilience and vitality.
I also wrote a book about natural healing. I wanted this information to be able to be in the hands of any individual that wanted it. Whether you personally are seeking growth in physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual healing or if you’re a practitioner looking to help others heal. My book, “Happy Healthy, Healed and Want the Same For You” goes into much more detail about the journey into holistic health. It applies to those seeking personal or professional growth and really comes from a place of where science and Scripture intersect as we look at how Scripture uses these same various healing modalities such as breathwork and sound therapy.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It wasn’t an easy start on one hand. I guess it’s not as easy as “starting a new job”. I didn’t stop one thing on a Friday and have a flourishing business on Monday. But results speak for themselves so once I got started it grew fairly easily as people are excited to share something they finally have success with! As they saw success and shared with their family, friends, and neighbors, that indeed helped my business grow.
I would still say there have been challenges, but I quickly remind myself that any job comes with challenges and challenges strengthen us.
Some of the challenges I encountered have been around the areas of scaling, educating, and “quick fixes”:
1) Scaling up (and then down). Every business has marketing hours and expenses. I started another business, “My Goodness! Kombucha” as a means of helping others with their health, while marketing my Shekinah Wellness practice at the same time. This business quickly grew at an unexpectedly fast rate. This doesn’t sound like “a problem” but I could foresee that I wasn’t going to keep up wearing every hat of two businesses, and with the cost of all ingredients needed to make/sell kombucha quickly rising, I sold that business to someone who grows ingredients. That sounds like a success story, and it is, but it was definitely also a struggle to walk away from the “baby” I grew (and saying goodbye to a beloved employee).
2) Educating. There are tons of misconceptions out there. I have found if I don’t take the time to educate on these topics, people keep falling for the same thing and later see the detrimental outcome. Many people don’t realize just how bad antibiotics are, or what the gallbladder does (why not have it removed), or that cholesterol is an antioxidant or the right kind of salt is an electrolyte. People often think if something is good, more is better. People don’t realize the importance of healthy fats, soluble fiber, and sources of these things. They don’t realize that sugar is highly addictive, very harmful to health, and is literally in almost everything on the store shelf. People are told their lab work is “fine” but they don’t feel fine. Why is that? People are told their hormones are “fine” but they don’t feel fine. Why is that? These things take time, there is a lot to unlearn and most people, even if they don’t like to think so, are seeking a quick fix.
3) Quick fixes. Take this for that and that for this. While in nursing school, I realized the medical books are made by pharmaceutical companies. The books teach “the way to treat this condition is this drug”. I left that industry but realized many are looking for a quick fix in a natural form. The truth is they have to make changes if they want to see the desired change in their health. I have found that people see results when they make the changes, and don’t see results when they don’t make the changes. It’s a simple truth. A simple foundation. But it’s hard to avoid some things that are so common and cause significant health problems. It’s hard to unlearn SO MANY things that are so common in our culture. When people do that for a period of time and see the detrimental results, they eventually seek help and are typically told “it’s aging” or just “busyness of motherhood”, and don’t get the answers that provide the results they’re desperately seeking.
Even though there have been some obstacles or challenges, I’d say I’ve been very blessed with loyal people that do the work, see the results, and share their good news with others!
As you know, we’re big fans of Shekinah Wellness. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Applying Biblical Principles to Health and Healing”. That is my business slogan. I revert back to that for literally everything. Scripture has been my source of truth for everything … whether it’s about diet, health, marriage, parenting, business, etc.
My strategy for each person is very customized. I don’t think everyone should be gluten free, dairy free, or follow a vegetarian or paleo diet. There are times when each can be beneficial for a period of time depending on the person’s situation, but I like to look at each person individually to determine what would be best for them.
There are certain things that I like to go over with each person, such as the importance of daily habits and routines, amount of sunshine and daily movement, and how stress and relationships affect health.
My areas of expertise include:
Holistic & Natural Health Education
Family & Children’s Wellness
Preventative Health Principles
Functional Testing
Stress & Hormonal Balance Education
Alternative & Complementary Health Modalities
Health Writing & Content Creation
Public Speaking & Teaching
Client Education & Support
My personal philosophies regarding health include:
Health decisions should be made from knowledge, not fear
True wellness strengthens the body rather than stressing it
Education is the foundation of lasting health
Something I’d like everyone to know is that the testing that is done through a functional practitioner is very different than testing done through their doctor. I’ve done many social media posts on this topic and I’d love to explain each test. If this is something they’d like to know, I encourage them to connect with me. I guarantee it will make sense, they’ll love what they hear, and they too will see results.
I often use the image of a tree to explain the difference between conventional medicine and holistic or functional medicine. In this analogy, the tree represents the human body, and the leaves represent symptoms. Imagine a tree with diseased or dying leaves. Conventional medicine tends to focus on the leaves themselves—cutting them off or spraying them with a pesticide or fungicide to manage what’s visible. Holistic or functional medicine, on the other hand, looks at the entire system and asks why the leaves are struggling. What is the condition of the soil? Is the tree getting too much or too little water or sunlight? Is there something in the environment causing stress and damage? By addressing the root causes, the health of the whole tree can be restored.
If you asked people that I’ve worked with, what I’m known for, I’m sure they’d say something along the lines of “helping them to make sense of complicated information. Helping them to understand WHY certain things are good or bad for your health. Encouraging them to first try the least invasive option, knowing other options will be there later and applying biblical principles to health and healing”
What I’m most proud of would be reviews, testimonies, and updates that people send me. They speak for themselves! When I read them I am SO proud of THEM for doing the work, for seeing the results, for referring me to family and friends and get to be part of their healing journey as well.
I’ll share 2 recent ones here:
(Katie R. email 9/10/25)
Hi Rachael,
Just wanted to thank you again for all your help, patience and expertise. My mom is so relieved and beyond grateful to have a plan moving forward with her health and I am too for her sake. So grateful for what you do – thank you!
When I see value in something I love to share that with others. And yes, she found it very valuable – she hugged me with tears in her eyes in your driveway <3
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(Jolene R. F. emailed 9/30/2025)
Wow! Thank you so much for all of this information. I absolutely am amazed at how knowledgeable you are. I truly think it is a gift from God. I am excited to see where I will be in three months!
Thank you again! You are much appreciated.
What matters most to you?
Relationships. My relationship with Christ, my husband, my kids and grand kids, and my community (giving back). Relationships matter most to me because they are foundational and have a multidimensional impact on health and well-being.
Ultimately, our relationships create our legacy and I’d say my legacy, what I’m known for after I’m gone, is the most important thing to me. Which is in large part, why I wrote my book, Happy, Healthy, Healed and want the same for you. Please pick up a copy and connect with me to share your thoughts with me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shekinahwellness.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shekinah_wellness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shekinahwellness
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-kramer-134301a4/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/shekinahwellness
