POPLAR BLUFF — Looking back, Tiffany Persons says she took the “scenic route” to her career. The nurse, entrepreneur, wife and mother of three from Elsinore left high school intending to be a physical therapist, pivoted to nursing, then discovered a passion for integrative medicine. She drew on all these areas to found Solara Wellness, a booming exercise and health studio on Vine Street.
“I’m so passionate about the impact of working out and being around like-minded people. I think my whole goal is just for women to come in and work on themselves personally and physically, mentally,” she said.
A time and place for health
Integrative medicine is a young field that, true to its name, integrates functional medicine, lab-based optimization, and modern therapies to improve patients’ overall health.
“There’s a time and place for each type of medicine. If we have a heart attack, a stroke, even an infection, we’re glad for antibiotics and the ER, right?” she said. “However, chronic fatigue, gut issues, chronic headaches, things like that, we need to look a little deeper rather than giving medication; [asking] why are you having this issue, rather than just treating it.”
Persons began looking into it in 2023 while working as a primary care nurse at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. She began recommending red light, PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field), and other therapies to patients with chronic conditions, but had nowhere to send them.
“I think they’re great add-ons for anyone that’s struggling hormonally, autoimmune-wise, (or with) chronic pain. These machines really can make a difference. There’s a lot of good studies on them. I know it’s newer in the health arena, but sometimes just getting out and trying new things is a really good way to impact your health positively,” she noted.
At the same time, the mother of three noticed another gap in the health care landscape. During a summer trip to Colorado, Persons discovered gyms with childcare — something she’d never seen in Southeast Missouri.
“I’ve been mostly a stay-at-home since I’ve had kids. For the last seven years, I’ve worked about two days a week, so I’m mostly home with them. There’s never really been anywhere that I can bring my kids, and that (childcare) helped me so much,” she recalled.
“Then my husband and I were just driving around one day, and I was like, ‘What if I just open it, and we have it all under one roof?’ I think he thought I was half crazy at first.”
Her husband, Kyle, quickly got on board with the idea, though, and realized he knew the owner of a vacant building on Vine Street. They toured the former Cape Electrical supply a week later, and Persons was sold on both the building and the location.