Dear Visionary... 💫

Welcome to our Sunday Student Spotlight series, where every other week we share the story and accomplishments of a Rockwell student or graduate.

Our community is filled with extraordinary healers doing inspiring work in the world, and we're thrilled to share their stories with you. 

Meet Dr. DeAnna Rice

Dallas, TX | Class of 2025 | DNM

When DeAnna was a nursing student working in a cardiology unit, she kept watching the same scenario unfold: patients suffering, going home on medications that barely worked, and when they did, often at a steep cost.

Something in her knew there had to be a different way to care for people.

So, she made a decision that surprised even herself—she left nursing school and enrolled at Rockwell School of Holistic Medicine to pursue her Doctor of Natural Medicine (DNM) degree.

“I am elated that I did,” she says now.

That conviction would be tested sooner than she expected.

Finding the Why

Not long into her studies, Rice received a cancer diagnosis and was placed on hospice in the final stage. Radiation was recommended—she declined.

Instead, she turned to what she was learning and what she believed. She began walking daily, eating more intentionally, and incorporating herbs, meditation, and fasting.

She also became intentional about her environment, distancing herself from negativity, staying rooted in scripture, and continuing to move forward.

“I believed that if I changed my mind and took better care of my body, I could live.”

The reversal began.

What started as an academic program became something far more personal—a framework for survival, and then for thriving.

“This was no longer just a program,” she says. “It became a firm decision to live healthier if I wanted to live.”

A Philosophy Forged in Practice

Rice completed her Doctor of Natural Medicine (DNM) and holds additional credentials as a Registered Behavioral Therapist and Certified Medication Assistant.

She now operates Dr. Rice's Holistic Health and Wellness Center in Dallas, Texas, where she works with clients not simply to manage illness, but to reverse, reset, and rethink how they live.

Her approach is grounded in a conviction she’s carried since her nursing days: the body’s systems are designed to work together, and healing comes from supporting that design rather than overriding it.

One of her most significant revelations during her education, she says, was understanding the power of herbs—not as a novelty, but as a precise, consistent, learnable practice.

“One of the greatest revelations for me was understanding how powerful herbs can be when used correctly and consistently.”

That precision matters to her. She pushes fellow practitioners to take mastery seriously: “How can you help someone if you don’t know what you’re doing? Learn well. Serve well. Treat people well.”

Purpose Through Pain

Dr. Rice credits the program—and the personal crucible she went through during it—with reshaping not just what she does, but who she is. Old habits fell away, and new capabilities came into focus.

“This education equipped me with powerful tools and stripped away old, unhealthy habits.”

What drives her now is straightforward: she wants people to understand that survival is not the ceiling. A high quality of life, she insists, is achievable—not as a distant hope, but as a practical outcome of changed thinking and changed living.

“It can be done by reversing, resetting, and rethinking how we live.”

Advice to Students

Her final words aren't about a protocol or credentials. It's personal.

"Never give up on yourself. Others may give up on you — but you must never give up on you."

Dr. DeAnna Rice, DNM, PhD, is a Doctor of Natural Medicine and founder of Dr. Rice's Holistic Health and Wellness Center in Dallas, Texas.

Connect with Dr. Rice:

Dr. Rice's Holistic Health & Wellness 

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