Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Gularson, PA-C, IFMCP.
Hi Jennifer, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I didn’t take a straight path into this work, and honestly, I think that’s part of what makes me good at it.
I started my career in traditional family medicine and spent years seeing women come into appointments feeling exhausted, anxious, foggy, disconnected from themselves, and often being told that everything was “normal” or simply part of aging. I kept seeing the same pattern over and over again — smart, high-functioning women who no longer felt like themselves, but who weren’t getting answers that truly helped them.
At the same time, I was living life as a working mom of three, building a career, navigating stress, and experiencing firsthand how much women are expected to push through while still showing up for everyone else. I understood the pressure many women feel to keep performing even when their bodies are clearly asking for support.
I then joined a women owned practice where the doctor I worked with started experiencing mood swings and other signs of menopause. Because of her suffering, it led the way to hormones and then functional and integrative medicine because we wanted to understand *why* symptoms were happening instead of simply covering them up. That led me deeper into hormone health, longevity medicine, lifestyle medicine, peptides, gut health, stress physiology, and the powerful connection between hormones, mental health, metabolism, sleep, libido, and overall quality of life.
Eventually, I took the leap and started my own practice about five years ago. It was exciting, terrifying, empowering — all at the same time. Building a business from the ground up while raising a family definitely came with moments of doubt, but I knew there was a huge need for a different approach to women’s healthcare — one where women actually felt heard.
Today, I work primarily with women navigating perimenopause and menopause, though I also help men optimize their health and hormones. My approach is very personalized and rooted in education, prevention, and partnership. Hormones are important, but they’re only one piece of the puzzle. I look at sleep, stress, nutrition, strength training, inflammation, gut health, metabolic health, and lifestyle because true longevity isn’t about chasing one magic fix — it’s about creating a sustainable foundation for long-term health.
One of the things I’m most passionate about is helping women realize they do not have to suffer through this phase of life silently. So many women are told that fatigue, weight gain, anxiety, loss of libido, brain fog, poor sleep, and feeling “off” are just part of getting older. I love helping women understand that there are answers, there are options, and that they deserve to feel vibrant and strong again.
What started as seeing patients has grown into speaking engagements, media interviews, educational events, podcasts, and creating content to help normalize conversations around hormones and women’s health. I’ve become very passionate about changing the narrative around aging for women. I want women to understand that midlife is not the beginning of decline — it can actually be the beginning of becoming more powerful, informed, confident, and connected to themselves than ever before.
At the core of everything I do is really one simple thing: I want people to feel seen, heard, validated, and empowered in their health journey.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it definitely has not been a completely smooth road — both professionally and personally.
When I first started focusing heavily on hormones and women’s health 10–15 years ago, there was still a tremendous amount of fear surrounding hormone replacement therapy. Much of that stemmed from older studies and headlines that created widespread panic without enough nuance or context. Women were being told hormones were dangerous, providers were hesitant to prescribe them, and many women were simply left to suffer through symptoms because they thought they had no safe options.
At times, it felt like I was constantly fighting an uphill battle against misinformation and stigma. I would sit with women who were exhausted, anxious, not sleeping, losing confidence in themselves, struggling in their relationships or careers — and yet they were terrified to even discuss hormones because of what they had heard. There was also resistance within medicine itself. Not every provider was comfortable with or educated in menopause care, and that could be frustrating to witness.
What’s interesting is that now we are finally seeing much of the science catch up to what many of us in this space have been saying for years. The removal of the black box warning on certain vaginal estrogen products was a huge moment because it acknowledged that some of the long-held fears were not appropriately reflecting the actual data. But even with updated research, there is still so much misinformation circulating online and so many women who are confused, scared, or dismissed when they seek help.
On a personal level, building a business while raising children and trying to balance being a provider, entrepreneur, mother, and human being has absolutely come with challenges. There were seasons where I questioned whether I could do it all well. Compared myself to other practices and other practitioners wondering if I had what it took to be successful. Like many women, I often felt pulled in multiple directions at once, trying to grow something meaningful professionally while also being present for my family.
Starting my own practice was especially vulnerable because there’s no roadmap for that. You carry the emotional weight of your patients, the responsibility of running a business, and the pressure of making it succeed. There were long hours, sacrifices, moments of self-doubt, and times where I had to learn to trust myself more deeply.
But honestly, those struggles are also what shaped me. I have surrounded myself with many like minded professionals who work together to support one another . These challenges made me more empathetic, more resilient, and more passionate about creating a different experience for women. I understand what it feels like to be overwhelmed, stretched thin, and searching for answers — and I think that’s part of why my patients connect with me.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in functional and integrative hormone health, with a strong focus on helping women navigate perimenopause, menopause, metabolic health, longevity, and overall optimization. I also work with men’s hormone health and wellness, but the heart of my work has really become helping women understand that they are not “crazy,” lazy, or simply aging poorly. I help them realize there is often a physiologic reason they feel the way they do.
What I’m probably most known for is the way I listen to patients and the amount of time I spend with them. So many women come to me after years of feeling dismissed or rushed through appointments. They often tell me, “You’re the first person who actually listened.” I think that matters just as much as the medicine itself. Many times I am the fifth, eighth or even tenth person they have come to see and no one has put the pieces together for them.
I also bring a lot of experience to this space. Hormone health has become a much bigger conversation recently, which is wonderful because women finally feel more empowered to seek help, but there are also many practitioners who are relatively new to managing hormones. I’ve been immersed in this work for years, through a time when hormones were still considered controversial and many providers avoided these conversations altogether. That experience has given me a deeper understanding of both the science and the real-life complexity of what patients go through.
I’m also very passionate about staying innovative and continuing to evolve. Medicine is always changing, and I believe patients deserve a provider who stays curious and informed. I spend a lot of time keeping up with emerging research, treatment options, peptide therapies, metabolic health strategies, lifestyle medicine, and longevity-focused approaches so I can offer individualized options for patients who want to be proactive about their health rather than simply reacting once disease develops.
At the end of the day, my philosophy is that healthcare should not just be about surviving, it should be about helping people feel vibrant, strong, mentally clear, connected, and fully engaged in their lives. Hormones are often one piece of that puzzle, but true wellness comes from looking at the whole person and being proactive rather than waiting to be reactive.
What I’m most proud of is probably the trust my patients place in me. Many of them come in feeling defeated and leave feeling hopeful again. Knowing that I’ve helped someone get their energy back, sleep through the night, reconnect with themselves, save a relationship, feel confident in their body again, or simply feel heard, those are the moments that mean the most to me.
How do you define success?
I think my definition of success has changed a lot over the years. Earlier in life, success often looked more externally such as achievements, credentials, building a career, growing a business, accomplishing the next goal. While I’m proud of those things, I think success feels much more meaningful to me now.
Today, success is really about alignment and fulfillment. It’s finding joy in the work I do and feeling like what I’m doing genuinely matters. It’s being able to help people in a meaningful way while still protecting peace and balance outside the office. I’ve learned that success means very little if you are constantly depleted while achieving it.
A huge part of success for me is my family life; having healthy relationships, being present for my children, creating memories, and building a life that feels full both personally and professionally. I think many women spend years pouring into everyone else, and I’ve learned the importance of also creating space for my own wellbeing and happiness.
I also define success as continuing to grow and evolve. I never want to stop learning — whether that’s through medicine, wellness, spirituality, travel, personal experiences, or simply listening to other people’s stories. Curiosity keeps life exciting and keeps me connected to purpose. I think staying open to learning is what allows us to continue growing at every stage of life.
And honestly, one of my biggest goals is longevity in the truest sense of the word. Not just living longer, but staying active, strong, engaged, and vibrant for as long as I’m alive. I want to continue hiking, traveling, exercising, exploring, connecting with people, and fully participating in life. To me, success is creating a life where your health supports the way you want to live, not limits it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yourbestlifewithjennifer.com
- Instagram: @jennifergularson
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifergularson
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-gularson-pa-c-ifmcp-8b260a3b/
- Youtube: @jennifergularson7049
