Meet Stephanie Marango, MD | Physician, educator + tech founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Marango, MD and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I see balance as dynamic. It’s the pendulum on a grandfather clock swinging back-and-forth through its point of equilibrium…it’s your standing foot in a yoga tree pose constantly shifting on the ground to maintain your upright posture. There’s nothing static about it. For me, then, balance becomes a daily interplay. I’m not looking to ‘achieve’ balance, as if it’s something outside of me that I can attain and maintain. It’s a sense, a feeling that I’m looking to embody. And I use my body as guide. So, for example, if I feel exhausted – which is an indicator for me that I’m out of balance – but still have X amount of work to do, I may nonetheless take a walk on the trail outside my house to get coffee; because I know that those 45-minutes will freshen my mind and body and lead to greater efficacy in my work…even if I’m not ‘working’ during that time. That’s part of how my balance has changed over time – I have a deeper appreciation for the confluence between work and life. How, ultimately, my best doing actually stems from being, and not the other way around…which is an important distinction in our do-do-do society. Mind you, this doesn’t mean I maintain a perfect balance. I’m, in part, an expert at balance because I’ve been so good at blowing through it, lol.

What should our readers know about your business?
It’s interesting to consider how I got to where I am today. Professionally speaking, I have a private practice, write books, talk and teach nationwide, and run a tech platform (Coherent Health). They are seemingly different undertakings but it’s the same thread that runs throughout – I specialize in multiple perspectives on the body, and multiple approaches to its care. But, heck, if I could’ve seen any of it coming! It’s like that idiom about best laid plans, lol. I think we can – and are societally trained to – envision what we’d like to do and then plan linear steps that get us there. But in retrospect, how much of Plan A actually happens for any of us? For instance, I didn’t plan to go to medical school – not at all! It was the six-car collision that led me there. Once there, I knew that I wanted to help integrate care…but I didn’t know that would mean developing new curriculum, or writing books that ranged from straight-up anatomy to the anatomy of the zodiac. I had no idea that I’d be working bioenergetically with patients, or helping hundreds of fellow health/wellness professionals coordinate care. Where I am today is a result of life arising every day – and meeting it where it’s at, by making the best decisions I can with the information I have at hand. I believe that everything we do is a co-creative dance. And when we allow life to be, well, life…and we go along with its flow (and not just force it to our will)…we can be and do more than any Plan A we set for ourselves to begin with.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My best friend, Amanda, lives in Austin! She’s been my bestie since our freshman days at Stanford. And she’s never been to Bozeman (MT), which is my current homebase. So…for summer time fun I’d start with a latte at Wild Joe’s on Main Street. Amanda amazingly makes it through life without coffee, so maybe she’d get one of their tasty baked goods or breakfast burritos. Then we’d head out on a few hikes – if it’s hot we’d head to Hyalite Canyon or Fairy Lake. If we’re feeling ambitious, we’d hike to Sacagawea’s Peak; if we’re lucky, we’d see a mountain goat. Maybe we’d munch on some fresh berries at the local farmer’s market or pick some ourselves at one of the local farms, like Bear Canyon or Rocky Creek. If we had some extra time, I’d look into farms with al pacas to pet because they’re just fabulous. There’s so much to learn and experience around the area! We’d sign-up for an Extreme History tour to gain insight into Bozeman’s eponymous founder….learn about the ghosts of Virginia City’s ghost town… And more than ghosts, we’d enjoy the actual living, breathing residents who smile, talk to you ‘just because,’ and remind us to slow down and savor exploring one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I believe that everyone and everything that has graced my path has brought me to where I am today. The good, bad, and the ugly (check out the book, Journey of Souls by Michael Newton, for a super interesting perspective on this). That said, I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to my dad. From the get-go, he’s been the voice of walking to my own beat, creating my own path. He is a man of great passion and conviction, who has lived his truth. Sometimes, at great cost. But I think the best role models are those that walk their talk. Who do what they say, and say what they do. In many forms, then, he has always encouraged me to be me, regardless of what that looked like. He’s the one who – when I was switched at birth – fought the hospital to return me to my rightful parents. He’s the one who showed up after I was in a 6-car collision to help me recombobulate me. His is the voice in my head to ‘rise up, let the lamb become the lion.’ It’s like a permission, plus a call to the highest potential, that lives in me and that I now bring, as part of who I am, to others who may benefit from it, as well.

Website: http://www.StephanieMarangoMD.com

Other: hello@stephaniemarangomd.com
http://www.MyCoherentHealth.com

Image Credits
DGROM STUDIO