Erica Matluck, N.D., N.P.

What is your wellness philosophy?

Wellness requires addressing and understanding the interconnectedness of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual quadrants of health. We live in a culture that loves to compartmentalize different aspects of health and life, and I find this disconnect to be the greatest obstacle to true wellness. I believe that one’s experience of health is a combination of sensations and feelings that serve to give us feedback about the environment, our relationships and our lifestyle choices. We all share the same life purpose: to be who we really are. Illness or dysfunction in any one of the four quadrants is a sign that we have deviated from our authentic nature. Once we understand how our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual experiences are connected, not only can we create wellbeing but we discover great meaning in our lives. To be well is to live your life as you- not as the person others think you are or expect you to be- but as YOU- authentically and unapologetically.


What brought you into wellness?

I lost my mother to lung cancer at 11 years old and witnessing her treatment in the hospital had a profound impact on me. A few years later, an acquaintance of mine with a terminal cancer diagnosis declined conventional treatment and traveled abroad to pursue an alternative approach. His remission and recovery taught me that there are a lot of ways to approach healing. This really inspired me and shaped my journey. I started practicing yoga as a teenager. As an undergraduate I studied pre-med and anthropology, focusing on the intersection of health and culture, curious to learn how people in distant corners of the world heal. On the weekends, I was training to be a Reiki Master and doing energy work on other college students. I was determined to be a holistic provider and felt that the only way to do that was to learn from practitioners with varying perspectives and experiences. This has taken me all over the world- from university classrooms and massage school, to medical clinics in rural Nicaragua, to the jungles of Belize and Peru, to the heights of the Indian himalayas. I am a life-long learner and my pursuit to serve people holisitcally is never-ending.

What does You. We. All. mean to you?

It means that health and wellness is a shared experience. I consider the human journey and the healing journey to be the same path. It is the pursuit of becoming whole and we need each other to do that. “You” are a mirror for I and “you” support my healing by showing me the pieces of myself that I cannot see. In other words, “you” wake up parts of me so that I can become more whole. When we become aware of the healing capacity of human relationships we realize that “we” is essential because you or I cannot heal alone. Wellbeing is not only influenced by our relationships with each other, but it’s influenced by our relationship to “all”- from the environment to the celestial world. You. We. All. is a reminder of the holistic nature of our existence- individual healing is bound to the collective and beyond.

What’s your best piece of wellness advice?

Trust how you feel and own that YOU are the expert in YOU. The path to wellness is not one-size fits all to the more you look outside of yourself for guidance, the harder it is to listen to yourself. Always prioritize your experience and feelings over the advice of others.