Riva Zuri Robinson, a bright and bubbly Bay Area resident, was a decade into her education in Western medicine when she realized that a career as a traditional doctor wasn't for her.
"I hated feeling like I had to play by their rules. I love giving people the confidence to be healthy. I wanted to do that."
Despite her family's deep roots in medicine — both her parents work as doctors — Riva found herself at a loss. Western medicine didn't align with her vision of wellness as something lived outside of hospitals. She left her residency and began searching for a new way to help people. For six to eight months, while temporarily working at her parents' practice, she felt hopeless.
It wasn't until attending a conference on anti-aging that Riva stumbled upon something called Functional Health — and everything changed.
"I thought medicine was just about pills and treating illness. I didn't know it could be about helping people thrive."
The keynote speaker, Dr. Tasneem Bhatia, spoke about Functional Medicine's focus on gut health and its connection to underlying conditions such as depression. It struck a nerve in Riva, who had struggled with her own body dysmorphia and eating disorders as a child. She immediately bought Dr. Bhatia's book and followed the suggested elimination diet. The transformation was swift and profound — more energy, clearer skin, weight loss, and a body operating at full capacity.
It was a breakthrough she was eager to share. The former competitive gymnast began working as a personal trainer, taking clients at her apartment building's gym and gradually weaving in Functional Health principles. She evolved from personal trainer to life coach to doctor — embracing online patient meetings from the start, with no need for a brick-and-mortar practice.
But the path wasn't without its challenges. As a solo entrepreneur practicing a discipline many traditional doctors don't even recognize, the isolation could be real.
"I'm a one-woman show. It's isolating being a solo entrepreneur without coworkers or a community. I work for myself and I miss that feeling of comradery."
To grow her business and find her people, Riva turned to online learning, taking part in Social Media Week and studying under instructors who taught her to bring her business — and her effervescent personality — online through social media and video marketing.
"I was able to build a family of coworkers when I didn't have any. To have people on the same journey as me has been so amazing. I love that I have a community now and I love being a part of it."
Riva also found that the best instructors taught her something beyond tactics: the value of vulnerability and generosity.
"I want people to see the value whenever they read one of my social media posts or watch my videos. I want their lives to be better because of it. That's how you build trust within your community and stand apart from the others."
She credits an always-be-learning mindset as what continues to push her forward — including being open to courses she didn't think would apply to her.
"Sometimes you may not know exactly where you're going or what you want to do, but you know how you want to feel. Lean into the things that restore you. You'll figure out how to work around the obstacles."