Meet Aalia Al-Barwani, MD | Obesity Medicine Physician and Owner of Albidaya Wellness PLLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aalia Al-Barwani, MD and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aalia, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have been a physician for many years working in various settings from federally qualified health centers to hospital outpatient clinics and direct primary care. In all those settings I worked as a primary care doctor and saw that my patients’ weight played a big role in their overall health and how well they did with management of their medical conditions. In the settings I mentioned, I was not able to properly address this issue due to many factors including lack of time in the schedule, lack of proper education and autonomy. After receiving my board certification in Obesity Medicine, I decided it was time to make a move to change things up; give myself more autonomy and control and to make a difference in my patients’ lives by addressing the root of many of their health issues. I decided the best way to do this was to start my own practice and so I did.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Albidaya means “the beginning” in Arabic and I want my practice to be a new start or beginning for those looking to make some real changes in their health and weight. Albidaya Wellness PLLC is a completely virtual weight loss practice that focuses on helping women to lose weight and achieve better health. We do this from a comprehensive approach, we look at your nutrition, mind set, emotional and mental health, physical activity, sleep health and medications, to name a few. I am excited to be able to provide such a robust and convenient weight loss service to my patients . After over a decade of providing primary care to patients I am excited to be able to get to the root of a lot of my patients’ health issues. I strongly believe in patient education and do that in every session as well as on my social media platforms.

I did not have any business training when I started my practice and it was difficult to move forward without any guidance or mentor to direct me. What I wanted to do was still pretty novel in my area, as is the whole field of Obesity Medicine. It was certainly not easy. I had limited resources and have to still work part time to support my practice as it grows. I had to do a lot of work behind the scenes to build my practice to where it is today and learned a number of important lessons. I have learned the importance of doing my homework to understand the different components that make a business, from building a website to marketing and social media and putting together services that my patients can access online, etc. I have learned that at some point it is important to know when to learn a new skill and when to delegate. I have learned to be patient and that working with other people who have different priorities can be challenging. I have learned to collaborate with my colleagues in the field.

I want the world to know that I am very passionate about what I do. I enjoy helping others and I am constantly thinking about how to improve my practice in order to serve my patients and the greater community better.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of the many things I love about Houston is the diversity of people, food and places to experience in the city. Day 1:
Breakfast at Snooze in Montrose
Shopping at The Cottage Shop and nearby shops at the Montrose Collective

Day 2:
Houston Zoo
Lunch at Sweet Green in Rice Village then dessert at Van Leewen’s.

Day 3:
Stroll down 19th street in the Heights and check out the local stores then go exploring at the Railway Heights food hall.

Day 4:
Aga’s for lunch then head to rooftop cinema

Day 5:
Galveston Beach for the day.

Day 6:
Biking at Buffalo Bayou then lunch at The POST

Day 7:
Museum of fine arts in the morning then
Pinkerton’s BBQ for lunch

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
As with all the success that I have achieved, praise and glory goes to the Almighty first. Also important to mention is my family, who continue to encourage and support me through my entrepreneurship journey. Whether it has been in finding a name for my business to the logo and every small detail in between and since, they continue to inspire and cheer me on which I appreciate unreservedly.

Website: www.albidayawellness.com

Instagram: albidaya_wellness

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/aaliaalbarwanimd

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/albidaya.wellness

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqK4YkyEI39NsUgMEg-UVMA

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@albidaya_wellness