The Illusion of Going It Alone: How Community Shapes True Wellness

Introduction: The Illusion of Going It Alone

Wellness often appears to be a solo journey. We hear phrases like "take control of your health" or "listen to your body," which can make it seem like the path to well-being is something we must figure out entirely on our own. But in reality, no one truly does wellness alone. We learn from shared knowledge, from conversations, from those who have walked the path before us.

For me, the journey into holistic health started as something deeply personal. I was seeking tools that could help me feel better, physically and emotionally. But the more I learned, the more I realized that my access to wellness didn’t come from isolation—it came from the knowledge others had shared with me.

The Role of Community in True Wellness

At first, my approach to wellness felt independent—reading, researching, trying new practices on my own. But looking back, I see that my biggest transformations came from conversations, perspectives, and insights from others. Wellness didn’t exist in a vacuum; it was always part of a larger community of thought.

That’s what has always been most important to me: staying open to many perspectives rather than subscribing to one rigid dogma. I’ve always loved therapy for this reason—it creates a space for exploration rather than telling you what to believe. In wellness, just like in personal growth, having a range of perspectives helps us navigate what’s right for us as individuals.

Wellness shouldn’t be about blindly following trends, nor should it be about rejecting everything outside of one framework. It should be about learning, questioning, and finding what resonates.

The Systemic Side of Wellness

Wellness culture is often criticized for putting too much burden on individuals—sometimes for good reason. When we frame health as purely a matter of "personal responsibility," we risk ignoring the larger systems that shape access, affordability, and opportunity.

I’ve had to navigate social safety nets in Massachusetts, and I recognize how much privilege and access shape wellness. Not everyone can afford organic food, weekly acupuncture, or a gym membership. And yet, our healthcare system often falls short in providing the kind of proactive, whole-person support that would prevent deeper issues down the line.

Wellness is not just about "making better choices." It’s also about having the ability to make those choices in the first place.

A big part of what I do is help people navigate the medical world—translating complex information, helping them ask better questions, and making sure they feel empowered rather than overwhelmed. Many people trust me with conversations about treatments they don’t fully understand, often because they didn’t feel they had the space to ask questions when they were with their providers. What often surprises them is how supportive I am of many conventional or allopathic treatments.

I don’t necessarily agree with every treatment exactly as it’s presented, but I see medicine as an evolution—some new things are better, some are not, but all of it is part of our collective growth. My goal is to help people see their healthcare choices as tools, not dogma, and to formulate ways to go back to their healthcare providers in a way that fosters a more collaborative conversation. In doing so, both patient and provider can engage in a dialogue that leads to better understanding and, ultimately, better results for both.

Holistic Wellness and Medical Care Should Coexist

Another issue in wellness culture is the idea that holistic and medical approaches are at odds with each other. But in reality, the best wellness model is one that integrates both.

• Learning about your body through holistic practices can make you a better advocate for yourself in medical settings.

• Science and holistic wisdom are not enemies. True wellness is about partnership, not opposition.

• Access to information should be about empowerment, not fear. The more we understand, the better we can make choices that support our well-being.

The Power of Connection: Building a True Wellness Community

At its core, wellness is about connection—to ourselves and to each other.

• It’s about sharing knowledge rather than keeping it exclusive.

• It’s about creating spaces for discussion, where people can explore different perspectives without fear of judgment.

• It’s about advocating for systems that support well-being while also using the tools available to us right now.

This is what I’ve tried to cultivate at Refresh Wellness Collective—a space where wellness is not just about individual optimization, but about community, conversation, and mutual support.

A Call to Action: We don’t have to "fix" these systems overnight, but we can start by engaging in conversations, sharing knowledge, and making wellness more accessible to those around us.

Wellness isn’t just an individual pursuit. It’s a collective one. And together, we build something stronger than we ever could alone.