Renee Long has been a member of the staff here at TWIHW as a Medical Assistant since 2011. With over 30 years of experience helping women with nutrition and eating disorders, and her years of service here working closely with the medical team and our patients, it is no surprise that Renee has a wealth of knowledge. Because Renee is a very compassionate care giver, her patients trust her, request her and look to her for guidance and instruction. Behind the scenes her co-workers consider her an in house mom often seeking her out for her nurturing style or simply because she’s a great friend and listener with an infectious laugh. She has a huge heart for people and furry critters and she is always ready to jump in for a rescue if she sees one having a tough time. She likes a good challenge, a good problem to solve, and with an amazing drive and passion she will persist to resolution. She’s a loving wife, a dedicated mom, and an adoring grandmother who enjoys RVing, cooking, and helping others.

When it comes to Celeste Valle, well, what’s not to like? Our Practice Administrator and more, Celeste manages to patiently and kindly oversee all operations of TWIHW. She brings calm amidst storms while exuding grace and integrity. She is a multi-tasker extraordinaire and has a breadth of knowledge and skills that she has garnered from her time in the U.S. Army National Guard, 14 years in Healthcare Administration and her Master’s in Business Administration. She can easily transition from running a marketing campaign to resolving a computer problem to solving operational issues and make it all look easy. She possesses a charming innocence about her that is loveable yet not to be mistaken for weakness. She is strong, persistent and does not shy from difficulty. She is one of those rare people who can see the details and the big picture and put everything into perspective. We are grateful for her positive outlook, the way that she leads with a sense of humor, kindness and a selflessness that makes the rest of us feel valued and appreciated. We aren’t sure how she does it all amidst raising a busy family with 4 children, but we all know how fortunate we are to have her as our co-worker, leader, and friend.

Our employee of the month for November is Kim Beale. With the exception of Dr. McManus, Kim is our most tenured employee. More than a decade ago, Kim had an appointment with her PCP at a bustling family practice and he was not able to see her so she was put on Dr. McManus’ schedule instead. From that point on, Dr. McManus became her family’s doctor. For the previous 5 years, Kim had seen multiple doctors and been prescribed multiple drugs for various health issues. Kim had expressed to Dr. McManus on numerous occasions her distaste for the medications she was taking. Kim was basically feeling “fat, tired and depressed”. Dr. McManus tried to tell Kim about this “new approach” she was using but Kim was very resistant. Finally, Dr. McManus literally said to Kim, “Give me 6 months and if I can’t change your life, we will go our separate ways. I KNOW I can fix you”. Kim finally agreed and within just a few weeks of practicing Dr. McManus’ health and wellness approach to medicine, Kim was stunned by her results and she soon after found herself begging Dr. McManus for a job. The rest is history. Kim is still shouting this exciting news from the rooftops! Over the years, Kim’s duties and responsibilities have changed but it has always been her passionate and creative personality and her willingness to take on any task or project that promotes the practice, that have been the driving force behind her success. Compassionate, loyal and so very generous and thoughtful of others, it is not hard to see why she is so appreciated. She is a person of many interests and talents. She is a wife and a mom, a musician, a gardener, a chef, a photographer, a fashionista who can convert to outdoor camping, four-wheeling, dirt biking and motorcycling in a flash. It is this exact interest in learning, knowing and solving problems that has allowed Kim to grow with the practice and to help the practice grow. Her name, “Kim” is of English origin and means “Leader of the Warriors”. How appropriate! She leads us every day with strength, passion and gusto. She’s our Queen of all trades, our Miss TWIHW, and our trusted friend.

Every month at The Woodlands Institute for Health & Wellness, we celebrate one member of our awesome team.  This month, we are celebrating Nancy Mehlert, MS.  Nancy began her wellness journey at TWIHW as a patient.  Several months into her wellness program, after realizing how life changing the experience had been for her thus far, she developed a passion for nutrition and the wellness field, left her successful career in management, enrolled in school to work for a Masters in holistic nutrition, and joined the TWIHW team in 2006 as our nutritionist on staff.

Nancy is unarguably one of TWIHW’s best assets.  She’s extremely smart, kind-hearted, encouraging, amazing at everything she does, and is continually complimented by coworkers and patients alike. Some of the adjectives used to describe Nancy’s attributes include compassionate, enthusiastic, dependable, thorough, accessible, unique, bright, genuine, energetic, fiercely loyal, humble, and passionate. She is sincerely concerned for the health and wellbeing of everyone around her.