Today we’d like to introduce you to Anita Padilla and Whitney Baskett.
Hi Anita and Whitney, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Anita’s story:
I always joke that I have had lifelong learning to do what I do. I grew up in poverty and dysfunction. I found myself stepping on a community campus in Corpus Christi, TX. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I had to return to school to provide for my two children. I am a single mother. I wanted better for them.
After many hours of study and changing my major, I was told I had to transfer to another school (4 years instead of 2 years) or start paying my way. I was shocked because I had good grades. However, it had nothing to do with good grades. There was something called a ‘career student’ that they were trying to prevent.
So, I stepped on another campus, Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi. I visited the engineering and nursing schools on campus. The nursing school advisor explained things well and was very welcoming. I felt out of place because I thought a university would never accept me. I laugh at myself now in hindsight because I thought you had to have a 4.0, perfect SATs, and a large bank account.
I almost quit that first semester. It’s a long story, but dysfunction caught up with me again. I showed up at the school after crying all night. I looked like a mess, but I was there because I had to be patient for another nursing student’s checkoff. I had thirty dollars in my pocket, no place to stay, and two kids. It was also right before Christmas. I was going to walk out and not return. I thought this dream was just not achievable for someone like me. But, the faculty changed my life that day. They told me about a scholarship to help me get on my feet with my kids.
I was staying with a friend who was also a nurse, and she helped me with a place to stay until I could get on my feet. I managed to get through school by learning how to budget student aid and welfare. It was humbling and scary.
As graduation neared, the pressure of passing my licensing exam became overwhelming; there was no more student aid. I had secured a job as a graduate nurse at a local hospital, but if I did not pass my exam, I would be demoted to a CNA until I could. As you can imagine, the income was considerably different. The test results were not provided immediately after the exam. I walked out of the testing center feeling as if I had failed. When I finally got my results, I fell to my knees on the floor. Tears of relief and happiness kept coming. After years of struggling and stress, I had finally made it. I was a registered nurse.
Nursing school was hard, but being a nurse was harder. I finally found a graduate school that was exactly what I was looking for, Wilkes University. I worked many nursing jobs. I remember at one time, I had four jobs and still attended school while trying to raise my kids by myself. Looking back, I am unsure how I did it, but I got through it. I even had to overcome my fear of flying. I had to fly back and forth to Pennsylvania to do residency requirements there.
I periodically returned to my alma mater to help them with their students. I was an adjunct professor off and on while I continued to go to graduate school. I worked initially on a neuro/trauma floor, but my calling was psychiatry. I worked as a floor nurse at two local hospitals and as a psychiatric home health nurse. It was at one of these hospitals, that I first met Whitney Baskett, my practice partner.
When I became a nurse practitioner, I started working for a great practice that gave me a lot of autonomy. It was nice because I was still being sent to the same hospitals I worked in as a floor nurse. I already felt at home as I was working with people I had known for years. I just had a new role. Whitney approached me as she needed a preceptor to complete her studies as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. She was already a family nurse practitioner. We had known each other since our baby nursing days in 2013, but she and I became closer friends after I was her preceptor.
My previous employer hired her, and we were off and running. We worked a lot of hours and wore many hats. While Whitney and I were grateful for the opportunity and learning, we still wanted more. I obtained a part-time job with Dr. Calzada, who owns Round Rock Psychiatry. Around that time, a friend that I had gone to nursing school with opened her own clinic with other nurse practitioners. With the help of Dr. Calzada and the encouragement of my dear friend, Bernice Aizon, FNP, Whitney and I took a big leap of faith. We opened our telemedicine practice, ZenDeva Wellness. We both still work for Dr. Calzada’s practice as well. He is also our medical director now. We are very fortunate to have him. We have only been in business since October of last year but have seen an incredible response to our practice, and we are steadily growing.
Whitney’s story: While growing up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, I knew that I was not meant to stay there. When we had to buckle down in high school and figure out what we wanted to do after graduation, I made up my mind that I wanted to study marine biology because of my love for the ocean and animals.
I grew up with my great-grandparents and had a lovely childhood. They supported me throughout every extra-curricular event I participated in and spoiled me. They taught me the value of hard work. My heart soared when I found a college in Corpus Christi, Texas, known for its marine biology program, TAMUCC. My grandparents were devastated because I was going to move so far away, but this was just something I knew I had to do. I wanted to leave my sheltered midwestern life and start a new adventure.
By the end of the first semester, I was not doing so hot. I realized I didn’t even like science. Additionally, the only way I would get anywhere with a marine biology degree without having to work at a Sea World was by completing my Ph.D. I was not okay with this.
My mom had recently gone back to school to get her nursing degree. I had never considered nursing an option, but I decided to try. So, I changed my major and was accepted into the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi nursing program. I had an amazing professor who interested me in the mental health aspect of nursing. When I had my first clinical rotation at a local psychiatric hospital, I knew this was the only part of nursing I would be passionate about. I was hired on as a mental health technician in that same hospital. My clinical instructor then helped me get my first job as a mental health nurse at another local mental health facility. This is where I would eventually meet Anita.
After working as a mental health nurse for a few years, I decided I wanted to advance my career in the mental health field. I applied to psychiatric nurse practitioner programs at nearby universities but missed the deadline due to missing transcripts. I knew I still wanted to return to school as soon as possible, so l applied for another master’s program. I got accepted into TAMUCC’s family nurse practitioner program and graduated in 2018.
Family nurse practitioners were quite saturated in the job market back then. My first job was in San Antonio, about 2 hours away from Corpus Christi. I started there as a nurse practitioner working in a chemical dependency/detox unit. I assessed and treated individuals who had been arrested, and oversaw people that were put in the ‘sober tank’ overnight.However, traveling back and forth each week was difficult, so I started applying for more local jobs.
Even working as an FNP, I still found myself drawn to the mental health side of nursing. I asked one of my previous clinical preceptors if there was any chance I could get hired at his clinic. He gave me his boss’s email, and I scheduled an interview with him. Unfortunately, I was turned down because I was applying for a position at urgent care, but my only experience was in mental health. The doctor told me I was welcome to scrub in with him (he was a cosmetic surgeon) and shadow his nurse practitioners to get that experience. I gladly took this offer, and shortly after that, I was hired.
After working there for about a year, I still knew my calling was for mental health. My fiancé, now my husband, encouraged me to follow my dream. I worked part-time and, went to school at Maryville University full-time to get my post-masters certificate as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) in 2021.
Due to the pandemic, finding preceptors in mental health was very difficult. I was so blessed to work with Dr. Praderio for two rotations. He taught me so much, and I looked up to him. He specialized in geriatric psychiatry. He helped me understand the reality of Alzheimer’s disease and its burden on caregivers. My great-grandpa was suffering from dementia and passed while I was in FNP school. Later, my great-grandmother also passed away from dementia. Dr. Praderio’s guidance and training helped me through those tough times.
After my rotation with Dr. Praderio, I was fortunate that Anita took me on as a student. Her supervising physician hired me to start administering ketamine infusions as an FNP. Eventually I was hired as a PMHNP in his practice as well. This was a great experience as I worked with inpatients at our local mental health facilities and outpatients in private practice.
I was nervous when Anita came to me about starting our own business. Since high school, I had hated anything to do with business and had no common sense regarding money. This was new and scary, but I’ve always been a person who believes in the good in others. I also had faith in Anita’s savviness. I never dreamed I would have my own practice as a nurse practitioner, but here we are. I know the journey is going to be difficult. However, thanks to the lessons my great-grandparents taught me about working hard, I am ready to keep working to get where I want. We want to succeed so that we can help others on their wellness journey.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Well, I have already discussed a lot of personal struggles. However, professionally and business-wise, Whitney and I have had to learn many new things. We are nurses not businesswomen. The business side of things has been the hardest. We needed to learn how to incorporate our business, do payroll taxes, etc. Once we identify something that needs to be done, we research how to achieve it and work as a team to accomplish it. There are things we had to teach ourselves to minimize the overhead. So, it has been challenging. But we are both dedicated to making our practice a success. We have a vision of how we want to help people. We are definitely not the ordinary telemedicine practice.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us more about your business.
ZenDeva was opened on World Mental Health Day. We are a telemedicine practice for mental health and wellness. What sets us apart is our approach. One of the biggest complaints I used to hear from patients before I became a nurse practitioner was that they didn’t feel heard. In many instances, they even felt discounted. Whitney and I have a different approach. The outcomes are better when we work in collaboration with our patients. We do not push treatment. We listen, and we discuss treatment options. Our patients have more choices in their treatment plan.
Additionally, we wanted to implement cultural competence into wellness. We are multi-ethnic. There are many cultural disparities in mental health care, and we want to break down those barriers. We are constantly researching cultural aspects of healing that we can implement in our practice. I am currently working on a certification in Aruveyda healing.
Also, not everyone wants to take prescribed medication. We offer holistic wellness. Whitney is certified by Cornell University in medicinal plants. We are also both pursuing a certificate in sound healing. We have experienced a great response with our bariatric surgery patients in need of psychiatric evaluations. Our work with this population inspired us to open a nutritional wellness department of ZenDeva. We have a wonderful National Association of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified coach, Averi Cash, who continues to develop that department with educational videos and other content. Research has show that there is a direct link to gut health and mental health. We want to guide others in mindful eating and nutritional wellness–not weight loss. We appreciate all shapes and sizes of humanity. We have never seen a similar practice to ours, but it reflects our philosophy and spirit.
Can you talk to us about the role of luck?
My goodness, that’s a loaded question. Whitney and I are in this business for the right reasons. We truly want to help people on their mental health and wellness journey. We appreciate that wellness is different for everyone. We approach each patient with the very best of intentions. I believe in good karma, and we, as good people, are destined for success. So far, we have had good luck–knock on wood (lol I am also a little superstitious).
Pricing:
- Pricing varies by insurance
- Self pay rates available
Contact Info:
- Website: www.zendevawellness.com
- Instagram: @zendevawellness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083261056432
- Twitter: Twitter.com/@ZenDevaWellness
Image Credits
Anita’s profile picture: Eliana Rosete Whitney’s profile photo: Photohousefilms and franko_photographer
