In a health care system often focused on treating symptoms, one Rome-based practice is taking a different approach. Mindset Body and Reset is helping patients uncover potential underlying contributors to their health concerns while working toward a long-term goal of improving overall wellness and reducing reliance on medications whenever medically appropriate.
Owner Lori Leonard said the shift in her philosophy became increasingly clear over the past year as she observed a growing trend among patients.
“It really hit me how often medication is being used as a Band-Aid,” Leonard said. “Doctors are helping people, but many patients aren’t always getting the relief they truly desire. Instead, they often end up needing additional medications.”
As Leonard began digging deeper into patient lab work and bloodwork, she noticed common patterns emerging.
“We kept seeing vitamin deficiencies, low iron levels, low protein levels, liver enzymes being off,” she said. “The question became, why is this happening?”
While medications can effectively treat symptoms and are often necessary, Leonard said her team wanted to focus on discovering the underlying causes behind those health issues.
“We know medications can correct a problem,” she said. “But we wanted to ask why the problem exists in the first place. Nobody wants to be on a large amount of medication for the rest of their life if there is another path to better health.”
That realization led to the expansion of Mindset Body and Reset into a more comprehensive approach to wellness — and, Leonard emphasizes, that evolution has been built by a team of providers whose roles complement one another.
Mental health has been an important part of that evolution.
Kayla Mann, psychiatric mental health nurse practitione, has been a pivotal part of Mindset Body and Reset and has worked with Leonard longer than some of the practice’s newer providers. As the practice grew and the volume of patients needing mental health care and medication management increased, Leonard recognized that the demand had grown beyond what she could effectively manage on her own.
“Kayla has been such an important part of this practice,” Leonard said. “As our patient volume grew, the mental health and medication management side became more than I could handle by myself. Kayla has been instrumental in helping us provide that care and making sure our patients have the support they need.”
Leonard said the addition of other providers has allowed the practice to approach patients from multiple angles rather than expecting one provider to address every aspect of a person’s health.
Mary Kate Smith has also been with Leonard for a significant part of the practice’s journey and remains an important part of its foundation. Her work, along with the contributions of the rest of the team, has helped the practice develop a more comprehensive approach to patient care.
Greg Mercier, family nurse practitioner, was added as the practice expanded its focus beyond mental health and into broader physical and metabolic health.
“Greg was added to help us move into managing physical health as well,” Leonard said. “He helps balance the team and allows us to look at the whole picture — mental health, physical health and metabolic health — rather than treating each issue in isolation.”
Greg and Mary Kate have a particular focus on metabolic and physical health, complementing the mental health and medication-management services provided by the practice.
For Leonard, the goal isn’t simply to remove medications. It is to determine whether medications remain necessary while addressing the factors that may be contributing to a patient’s health concerns.
“The goal is less is more,” Leonard said. “We want patients to receive the right treatment and make sure medications are being used appropriately.”
The practice focuses on helping patients reduce dependence on medications when possible through lifestyle modifications, nutrition, and addressing underlying health concerns.
“Our goal is to help people reduce medications like acid reducers, and in some cases lower dependence on diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure medications,” Leonard said.
She points to headaches as one example where a broader evaluation can sometimes reveal alternative factors.
“Many patients are prescribed very expensive headache medications,” Leonard said. “Sometimes we discover the issue may be related to hydration, electrolyte imbalances, or magnesium deficiencies. When we address those issues, patients often find relief.”
The next major piece of the puzzle came with the addition of functional nutritionist Jenny Braden, a move Leonard describes as transformative for both patients and the practice.
“This is where things really started changing,” she said.
Braden works with patients to evaluate their eating habits and create realistic nutritional strategies aimed at improving gut health and overall wellness.
According to Leonard, many patients have experienced significant changes as a result.
One of those patients is Debbie McElveen, who said her experience was unlike any she had encountered in traditional health care settings.
“After I started seeing Lori, I felt heard for the first time,” McElveen said. “She listened to me and immediately had ideas on how to begin helping me feel better. Lori guided me through the process, putting me in touch with all the right people. Now, for the first time in a very long time, I feel better than I have in years.”
For Leonard, stories like McElveen’s reinforce the importance of listening to patients and developing individualized treatment plans.
Another patient, Edie Brown, credits the practice with helping her regain control of her health after years of searching for answers.
“Lori and her team have literally saved my life,” Brown said. “In three months, I have more answers and have felt better than I have in years. The team really listens to you. This team is an answer to my prayers, and I’m thankful to be a part of the Mindset and Body Reset family.”
Leonard believes many patients simply want someone to help connect the dots between their symptoms, lab results, lifestyle habits, and overall health.
That holistic approach has resonated with patients such as Brandi Jones, who said nutritional counseling played a major role in improving her health. Jones, a local mother and nurse, said the practice’s approach helped provide answers she had spent years seeking for her daughter.
“Mindset and Body Reset has been transformative for my life and health,” Tammy Compton said. “Understanding the root causes of health issues and taking a more natural approach to health care has improved my overall health. Making better food choices through nutritional guidance has made a difference in how I feel while also helping me reach my weight goals. Lori and her staff have given me the tools to improve my long-term health.”
The impact has extended beyond individual patients to entire families.
“Lori and her team have enabled my children and me to go from sluggish and drained to lively and joyful,” she said. “After years of looking for answers to help my daughter with ADHD, the answers always came up short. We met with Lori to do a deep dive into her labs, and Jenny helped direct her nutritional plan. It was truly life-changing. Her teachers were amazed at her ability to show up at school focused and happy after just a few weeks of nutritional changes.”
That experience has also helped shape Leonard’s vision for where Mindset Body and Reset could go next.
One of her goals for the near future is to add a stronger pediatric focus to the practice. Leonard said she wants to give families another avenue for investigating physical, nutritional and metabolic factors that can sometimes contribute to symptoms that may appear to be exclusively related to mental health or ADHD.
The goal would not be to dismiss legitimate mental health or ADHD diagnoses, Leonard said, but rather to make sure children and their families have an opportunity to look at the whole picture before assuming medication is the only answer.
“I want us to be able to look at the child as a whole,” Leonard said. “There can be nutritional, metabolic or other health factors that deserve to be evaluated. I want families to have the opportunity to understand what is going on before we automatically reach for medication.”
While patient success stories are encouraging, Leonard emphasizes that medications remain a critical part of modern medicine when medically necessary.
“Medicine is very necessary,” she said. “But it’s often used as a patch instead of a way to help patients become healthier. Our goal is to help patients heal, not just patch their issues.”
Leonard said that philosophy does not mean asking patients to abandon medications or suggesting that medication is inherently wrong.
Instead, the practice’s approach is to evaluate each patient individually and determine what combination of medical treatment, nutrition, lifestyle changes and other interventions makes sense for that person.
She acknowledges that making lifestyle changes can be difficult, especially for busy families juggling work, school and extracurricular activities.
“We understand the soccer moms and football dads who get off work and rush their kids to practice and do good just to stop at a drive-thru,” Leonard said. “Life is busy.”
That’s why Mindset Body and Reset focuses on sustainable progress rather than overnight transformation.
“I know it’s hard,” Leonard said. “But we’re here to help every step of the way. We can move in baby steps. Those small steps help patients move toward a healthier and happier lifestyle.”
For Leonard, the practice’s growth has ultimately been about creating a team capable of seeing more of the patient than any one provider could see alone.
“Mary Kate and Kayla have been with me longer, and they have been absolutely pivotal to this practice,” Leonard said. “I never want their value to be overlooked. Every person on this team brings something different, and that’s what allows us to take care of the whole person.”
Greg’s addition has helped expand the practice’s ability to address physical and metabolic health, while Jenny’s nutritional expertise has added another layer to the team’s approach.
For Leonard, the ultimate goal remains simple.
“It’s about longevity,” she said. “It’s about helping people live healthier lives for the long term. It isn’t always easy, but it’s absolutely doable when you have the right support system in your corner.”
As more patients seek approaches that look beyond symptom management alone, Mindset Body and Reset hopes to continue expanding its team and services, including a future pediatric focus, while helping patients in Rome and Floyd County better understand the connections between their mental, physical, metabolic and nutritional health.
