Dr. Kristamarie Collman is a double board-certified family medicine physician and author of Glow Up Your Life: The Rx for Looking and Feeling Good from the Inside Out. From a young age, she has made it her mission to empower women from all walks of life with tips to “glow up” by feeling more confident, beautiful, and bold. We had the pleasure of chatting with her about what motivated her to enter the field of medicine, how she is bringing her goals and visions to life, and recommendations on how to cultivate self-love in our daily lives. Let her words inspire you to glow up your life and take care of you.
Healthified Magazine: Thank you for speaking with us today. What inspired you to become a physician?
Dr. Kristamarie Collman: I grew up in a household with a younger brother who had a rare genetic disorder. This resulted in us being in and out of hospitals and spending time around different doctors which left an impression on me. During school I also enjoyed science courses such as biology and human anatomy. After volunteering and even working in hospitals, I was inspired to apply to medical school and the rest is history. I feel honored and fulfilled to be a physician and as my career continues to evolve in ways I never would have imagined.
HM: Why did you choose family medicine as your medical specialty?
Dr. Kristamarie: I chose Family Medicine because it grants the opportunity to look beyond the physical symptoms and dig deeper into the other determinants impacting people’s health. Family Medicine doctors get to form long term relationships with patients and in some cases spend time with the entire family in one visit (for example they’ll see the mother, children and grandparents during a visit). It’s important for patients to trust me and I feel like I’m a part of the family.
HM: In your practice, you take a “holistic approach” to help patients enhance their lives. Why do you use this approach?
Dr. Kristamarie: There is so much more to health than our physical symptoms and simply prescribing a pill. In my practice, I like to take into account an individual’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing when making recommendations for their health.
HM: Do you also incorporate lifestyle medicine in your practice?
Dr. Kristamarie: Yes, I love to incorporate lifestyle medicine and prevention in my practice. Lifestyle medicine encompasses people’s behaviors such as their diet, exercise, sleep, social connections and stress. I truly believe it’s important to take these factors into account when making recommendations for both disease treatment and prevention.
HM: One of your personal goals is to uplift women. What experience, if any, drove this goal?
Dr. Kristamarie: I realized that as a Black female physician there is so much impact in inspiring and empowering others, especially women of color, to do everything they’ve ever dreamed of. Statistically, in the US, about 5% of physicians are Black and less than 3% are Black women. Growing up, I did not see many others in my position who looked like me and I was often told on numerous occasions that I’d never become a doctor. Therefore, it has become important for me to empower others to go after their dreams no matter what statistics state or society believes.
HM: Tell us about your book, Glow Up Your Life: The Rx for Looking Hand Feeling Good from the Inside Out. What inspired you to write it?
Dr. Kristamarie: My book is an inspirational book to help women look and feel good. I was inspired to write this book based on a body shaming experience I had while modeling during college. At the time, although everything appeared great on the outside, I was living a very unhealthy life and had low self-esteem. After reflecting on my experience, I desired to create a book to help women feel great about themselves by adopting healthy lifestyle habits while improving their personal style.
HM: We love how you are empowering women to look and feel fabulous. Why is it important to not only feel good on the outside, but also the inside?
Dr. Kristamarie: Feeling good on the inside is about more than just making sure we are feeding our bodies nourishing foods, but is also about the energy we send out into the world on a daily basis. When we slow down to connect with our mind and body or say no to stress, it allows us to shine from the inside.
HM: What are some of your tips to cultivate inner confidence and self-love?
Dr. Kristamarie: Practicing daily self-affirmations can be powerful and help with both self-love and confidence. If you spend ample time on social media, unfollow accounts that may make you feel bad about yourself or your current situation. Lastly, one of my favorite ways to cultivate self-love entails sending yourself a gift note when ordering product(s) online. Write yourself a sweet love note with words of encouragement and you will be pleasantly surprised once your package arrives.
HM: What is your mantra that drives you everyday?
Dr. Kristamarie: “I am enough. I have enough. I am doing enough.” This mantra reminds me that I have everything I need to be successful, and to be grateful for the things I have. It reminds me not to compare myself to others and that I am doing enough in each and every moment.
