Redefining Health, Leadership, and Impact: A Conversation with Monica McKitterick of Impact Family Wellness
Redefining Health, Leadership, and Impact: A Conversation with Monica McKitterick of Impact Family Wellness
Welcome to Episode 2 of The Table Network Podcast, where we sit down with remarkable leaders shaping culture through faith, work, and community. In this episode, host Zac Tinney and co-host Jamie talk with Monica McKitterick, founder of Impact Family Wellness, about friendship, leadership, burnout, and building a healthier approach to life and business.
Why Friendship Feels Harder Than Ever
The episode opens with a question passed down from a previous guest, “The Friendship Guy” David Cherry: Why do people struggle with friendship today?
Monica doesn’t hesitate:
“Friendship is hard—especially as an adult—because it takes effort on both sides and people are in such different seasons of life.”
She paints a vivid picture of the challenge: parents with newborns, professionals juggling mid-career stress, retirees adjusting to slower rhythms—all looking for connection, but often in mismatched life stages. Real friendship, she reminds us, is built on intentionality and timing.
“It’s kind of like dating,” she laughs. “You can find a great person, but if you’re not in the same season, it just doesn’t work.”
Breaking the Sick-Care Cycle: The Birth of Impact Family Wellness
Monica’s journey began in traditional medicine, where she spent years as a family nurse practitioner in overburdened clinics.
“I went into healthcare to take care of people,” she says, “but I ended up drowning in paperwork and treating patients like cattle.”
Everything changed when she saw a Facebook ad about Direct Primary Care (DPC)—a subscription-based model that removes insurance barriers. Intrigued, she took a leap of faith.
“I clicked the ad, Googled how to write a business plan, convinced my husband it was real, moved to Texas, and opened my practice three weeks later.”
Today, Impact Family Wellness serves Central Texas through a membership model that provides unlimited access, same-day appointments, transparent pricing, and direct text access to providers.
“We make healthcare easy and human again,” Monica says.
The Four Pillars of Health Every Leader Needs
When asked about the role of health in leadership, Monica doesn’t hold back:
“If you don’t have health, you’re going nowhere. I don’t care how great a leader you are—you’ll burn out if you feel awful.”
She breaks it down into four core pillars:
Nutrition – “Put crap in, you get crap out.”
Body Movement – Not exercise, just move. “Touching your toes counts.”
Sleep – “Four hours isn’t heroic—it’s delusional.”
Stress Management – “Over 80% of healthcare issues are caused by chronic stress.”
These principles, she says, aren’t about perfection—they’re about awareness. Leaders can’t pour from an empty cup.
From Nurse to CEO: Building Healthy Teams
A few years into running her clinic, Monica stepped away from direct patient care to focus on leadership and growth.
“I sit down with each of my 10 employees every month—not to tell them what to do, but to ask what they need from me as a CEO.”
That shift has allowed her to scale her impact while maintaining her passion for relationships.
“I still get to do what I love—connect with people and help them grow.”
She’s also expanded her reach beyond healthcare, writing books and offering consulting for medical professionals who want to start their own Direct Primary Care clinics.
“I realized I didn’t want ten clinics. I wanted more freedom. Now, I help other healthcare providers do what I did—open their own, live their purpose, and reclaim their time.”
Lessons on Boundaries, Burnout, and Buying Back Time
When Jamie asks how she stays grounded through chaos, Monica’s answer is equal parts wisdom and humor.
“I learned the hard way. Saying yes to everything nearly broke me. Setting boundaries doesn’t make you mean—it makes you available.”
She now practices what she preaches: protecting her time, investing in rest, and even trusting a virtual assistant in the Philippines (“Shoutout to Kent!”) to manage her calendar with accountability she once lacked.
Her advice for leaders?
“Stop scheduling over your gym time or date night. You wouldn’t do that to someone else’s calendar—don’t do it to yours.”
Redefining Success and Making an Impact
When asked what advice she’d give someone stuck in a draining career, Monica’s counsel hits home:
“Define what success means to you. Helping people can take many forms—it doesn’t always mean staying in the same lane. Find what truly lights you up.”
For Monica, that’s empowering others—whether through healthcare, mentorship, or leadership.
“Entrepreneurs exist to fix broken things,” she says. “And healthcare is one of the most broken systems out there.”
Her voice carries both hope and urgency:
“If Netflix raised prices 30%, we’d cancel. But we accept it from healthcare every year. It’s time to rethink the system.”
Where to Find Monica
You can connect with Monica or learn more about her work at:
Impact Family Wellness – Direct Primary Care in Central Texas
The DPC Formula – Resources, book, and consulting for healthcare providers
Or simply Google her name: Monica McKiterich — “I’m pretty sure I’m the only one,” she jokes.
Passing the Baton
Each Table Network guest leaves a question for the next. Monica’s challenge for the upcoming guest, Justin McCullogh, is simple yet profound:
“How do you define success?”
Key Takeaways
Friendship and leadership both require intentional effort and shared timing.
Direct Primary Care is transforming how healthcare works—prioritizing relationships over red tape.
Health, boundaries, and rest are essential ingredients for sustainable leadership.
Success isn’t about expansion—it’s about alignment.
