From Corporate Health Diagnostics to Holistic Doctor: My $900/hr Practice Wasn’t Built Overnight — But It Was Built. That's the Truth. And Here's My Story.

I worked corporate in diagnostics, but I craved the freedom of working for myself.

After using nutrition to reverse my children’s tic disorder symptoms, I researched becoming a registered dietitian and other clinical nutrition programs — but none were thorough enough or up-to-date. 💡

I didn’t need another degree. I needed a real education in root cause medicine — and Rockwell gave me that.

When I found Rockwell in 2017 — through a referral from another practitioner — I knew it was different. I had reviewed every RD and clinical nutrition program available, and Rockwell was by far the strongest.

Their holistic doctorate for Nutritional Medicine™ was more comprehensive than conventional RD or nutritionist curricula — truly cutting-edge, constantly updated, free from outdated food pyramids and biased, ineffective protocols.

I went on to earn additional holistic doctorates through Rockwell in natural, botanical, and functional medicine. Each one took between 6 months to a year, depending on my availability to work through the program. 

They took time, energy, and money, but I started practicing the day I finished my first doctorate — and it paid for itself within months. At first, I did it all — client intakes, marketing, and web design.

Within 18 months, referrals were steady, and I’d built a team with systems in place. Now someone else handles client intakes on commission and covers basic nutritional education for me.

I only have to work directly with each client for about 2 hours total, focusing on what I do best: reading labs and figuring out what's wrong so we can fix it. And that's exactly what I do. I fix things, and parents are happy. The children are happy.

I started out at $200/hour, then gradually raised my prices annually, a little at a time. I'm now charging over $900/hour with steady referrals that often have me booked out weeks ahead of schedule.

It still feels surreal, but that's the truth. My work gives me purpose and I truly love my career now — all thanks to the credentials and education Rockwell provided and the commitment I brought to it. They opened the door, and I walked through it.

I didn't want to be a physician and treat, diagnose, or prescribe. I wanted to be a licensed, board-certified holistic doctor and target, reverse, and eliminate root causes with a focus on prevention. 

After graduating, client after client came to me after spending thousands on the conventional medical industrial complex to no avail and with no results. Conventional medicine couldn't help them. Natural medicine could, did, and does.

I'm grateful to hold space for that health shift and how much it improves quality of life for another human being. It gives me peace of mind to know that I reduce suffering through my knowledge and help make life a little easier for others. 

In just a few years, I went from corporate employee to bestselling author, top podcast host, and the go-to expert for parents navigating pediatric tic disorders.

The diagnostics lab I used to work at for years now creates custom tests and panels specifically for my practice. You can become the go-to expert in whatever you're passionate about.

It's incredible how far I've come — from part-time corporate employee to full-time practice owner with a team, my own supplement line, and premium rates that value my time and compensate me for my training and talent. 

Most importantly, my work has changed lives for the better. Dozens of people have pursued this path because of my story — because they saw what a holistic doctorate makes possible.

If this helps another health practitioner step into their personal and professional authority, it's worth sharing. If you're wondering whether you can make this kind of difference — I did, and you can too.

— Piper Gibson, DFM, DHN, DNM, DBM, DSM

Doctor of Functional Medicine | Doctor of Advanced Holistic Nutrition | Doctor of Natural Medicine | Doctor of Botanical Medicine / Doctor of Spiritual Medicine