Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra.
Hi Alexandra, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My journey in healthcare started when I was very young, and over the last 16 years I have had the opportunity to grow through nearly every level of the system. I began my career as a nurse and steadily worked my way into leadership and executive roles in ambulatory healthcare operations, all while continuing to advance my education and clinical training. Looking back, I think that experience gave me a unique perspective because I have seen healthcare from so many different angles, from direct patient care to large-scale operational leadership, and I reached many of those milestones earlier than I ever imagined.
At the core of all of it, though, was always the same goal: improving the patient experience and helping people feel seen and cared for during vulnerable moments in their lives.
Over time, I advanced my education, becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner, earning my Doctor of Nursing Practice degree focused on Organizational & Systems Leadership, and later completing an MBA in Healthcare Management. Professionally, I spent years helping large healthcare systems improve access, efficiency, and patient experience across specialty practices.
On paper, it looked like I had built a successful career. But the longer I worked within traditional healthcare systems, the more I felt disconnected from the type of care women truly deserved. I saw how many patients felt dismissed, unheard, rushed, or forced to navigate fragmented systems that made healthcare feel transactional instead of personal.
At the same time, I was watching Dr. Jessica Hott, now my business partner and co-founder of Novella Women’s Health, care for some of the most complex women’s health patients in our region. Many of these women had spent years searching for answers before finally finding someone who listened. We both kept coming back to the same question: what would happen if we built something entirely different?
That question eventually became Novella Women’s Health.
Leaving the security of established healthcare systems to build a private practice from the ground up was one of the most terrifying and rewarding decisions of my life. We poured everything into creating a space that feels different from the moment a woman walks through the door. Our mission is rooted in listening first, believing women’s experiences, and guiding them through every stage of care with compassion and expertise.
What makes this journey especially meaningful is that we are building this in Appalachia, where access to specialized women’s healthcare can be limited and where many patients have historically had to travel long distances for advanced care. We wanted to create something that raises the standard of women’s healthcare locally while also restoring trust in the healthcare experience itself.
Today, as CEO and co-founder of Novella Women’s Health, I wear a lot of hats. Some days I am focused on operations, strategy, and building systems. Other days I am helping patients directly, solving problems, or figuring out how to bring a vision to life with limited resources and a lot of determination. Entrepreneurship has stretched me in ways I never expected, but it has also reminded me why I entered healthcare in the first place.
At the core of everything we are building is one simple belief: every woman deserves to feel heard, valued, and cared for like her story matters.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, but I think that is what makes this journey so meaningful.
One of the biggest challenges was making the decision to walk away from stability and familiarity to build something completely from scratch. From the outside, people often see the exciting parts of entrepreneurship, but behind the scenes there are countless moments of uncertainty, risk, and pressure. Leaving established healthcare systems and stepping into private practice ownership meant betting on ourselves, our vision, and the belief that healthcare could be done differently.
There were also unique challenges that came with trying to build a modern women’s healthcare practice in a region that has historically had limited access to specialized care. We faced obstacles with startup logistics, insurance contracting, operational infrastructure, staffing, regulatory processes, and honestly just the sheer complexity of opening a healthcare practice. There were moments where it felt like every answer created three new questions.
On a personal level, one of the hardest parts was learning how to carry the emotional weight of leadership while still trying to be present as a clinician, business owner, partner, mother, and human being. Entrepreneurship has a way of exposing every weakness, insecurity, and fear you have. There were many late nights, difficult conversations, and moments where the responsibility felt overwhelming.
I also think being a younger female executive in healthcare can come with its own challenges. Early in my career, I often felt like I had to work twice as hard to prove myself in leadership spaces. Over time, I learned that leadership is not about having the loudest voice in the room. It is about consistency, resilience, vision, and the willingness to continue showing up even when things are difficult.
At the same time, every obstacle reinforced why we started Novella Women’s Health in the first place. Even before officially opening our doors, we were hearing from hundreds of women who had been waiting months or years for answers and were desperate for a different kind of healthcare experience. That reminded us that the work mattered.
The challenges have been real, but so has the purpose behind all of it. And I think purpose is what keeps you moving forward on the hard days.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Novella Women’s Health PLLC?
Novella Women’s Health was created with one simple but powerful belief: women deserve to feel heard, believed, and genuinely cared for throughout every stage of their healthcare journey.
We are a modern women’s healthcare practice based in Martinsburg, West Virginia, founded by Dr. Jessica Hott, a board-certified OB-GYN specializing in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery and complex pelvic pain disorders, and myself, a Family Nurse Practitioner and healthcare executive with a background in clinical care, operations, and healthcare leadership. Together, we wanted to create something that felt fundamentally different from the traditional healthcare experience.
At Novella, we focus on comprehensive women’s healthcare with a strong emphasis on listening first. Our practice blends preventive care, advanced gynecologic expertise, minimally invasive surgical care, wellness services, and innovative care models designed to make healthcare more accessible and compassionate for women in our region.
One of the things that sets us apart is our commitment to bringing higher-level specialty care closer to home for patients in Appalachia and the surrounding tri-state region. Many of our patients have spent years searching for answers related to pelvic pain, endometriosis, abnormal bleeding, hormonal concerns, infertility, or other complex women’s health conditions before finding us. We are incredibly passionate about restoring trust in healthcare and helping women feel empowered and supported instead of dismissed.
We are also proud to be building an integrated model of care that continues to evolve. From advanced minimally invasive gynecologic surgery to plans for in-office mammography, wellness therapies, iron infusions, and expanded imaging services, our goal is to create a more seamless and patient-centered experience.
Beyond Novella, our mission extends into advocacy, education, and community impact through two additional organizations that are deeply meaningful to us.
Hottwise Company was created as a healthcare innovation and consulting company focused on advancing women’s healthcare, physician support, operational excellence, and reducing burnout in medicine. Through speaking, consulting, and education, we hope to help reshape healthcare systems in a way that better supports both patients and providers.
We also founded The Story Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping bridge gaps in healthcare access for individuals facing financial barriers to care. The foundation was inspired by the countless patients whose stories highlighted just how difficult it can be to navigate complex healthcare systems without support.
At the center of all three organizations is the same core mission: creating healthcare experiences where people feel seen, valued, and cared for as human beings, not just patients.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think one of the biggest misconceptions about risk is that courageous people are somehow fearless. In my experience, the people who take the biggest risks are usually the ones who are deeply aware of what they could lose. They just decide that the possibility of creating something meaningful matters more than staying comfortable.
The biggest risk I have ever taken was walking away from a stable executive healthcare career to help build Novella Women’s Health from the ground up. On paper, it probably did not make sense to many people. I had spent over 16 years building my career, advancing into leadership roles, earning advanced degrees, and establishing financial and professional stability at a relatively young age. Choosing to leave that behind to enter entrepreneurship was terrifying.
There is a level of vulnerability that comes with building something from nothing, especially in healthcare. You are not just risking finances. You are risking your reputation, your confidence, your time, your energy, and in many ways your identity. There were moments where the uncertainty felt overwhelming.
But I also believe there is risk in staying somewhere that no longer aligns with your purpose.
Over time, I realized that the traditional healthcare system was not allowing us to create the type of patient experience we envisioned. We wanted to build a space where women felt truly listened to and where innovation, compassion, and high-level care could coexist. That vision became bigger than the fear.
I do not think of myself as reckless, but I do think I have learned to trust my instincts and lean into uncomfortable growth. Some of the best opportunities in my life have come from moments where I had no guarantee things would work out.
What I have learned is that meaningful growth almost always requires uncertainty. There is rarely a perfect moment where everything feels safe and guaranteed. Sometimes you simply have to take the leap and trust that you will figure things out along the way.
Building Novella has reinforced that for me every single day.
Pricing:
- • We accept multiple major insurance plans and continue expanding network participation to improve access for women across the region.
- • Flexible wellness and self-pay options are available for select services.
- Our goal is to make high-quality women’s healthcare more accessible locally, reducing the need for patients to travel long distances for specialty care.
- We are committed to transparent communication regarding costs, coverage, and treatment planning so patients feel informed and supported throughout their care journey.
- Through The Story Foundation, we also hope to continue expanding community support initiatives for patients facing financial barriers to care.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.novellawomenshealth.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theexecutivehealer
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajwisenall
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@theexecutivehealther
