The leading lady of authentic aging
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By Dani VanCamp
At age 42, CarolAnn Tutera felt she had the insides of a 92-year-old woman. She had all the classic signs of menopause. “I don’t know how I was putting one foot in front of the other,” she said. “I wasn’t burning weight.” That was until she tried bioidentical hormones. She got her life back. Tutera is now the co-founder and CEO of SottoPelle Therapy, an international company that trains medical providers on the product’s proprietary methodology of working with bioidentical hormones. As a medical entrepreneur, she has won numerous awards and recognition for her ability to succeed in a male-dominated industry. She has become the leading lady of “authentic aging” and someone who commands respect in the bioidentical hormone therapy field. She gained much of her success by mentoring and recognizing the talent in others. No success can be sustained if not led by someone who sees the value of people. “You need to be compassionate with your employees,” Tutera said. “You need a vision that they follow, you need to be effective in communicating with them and you need an open-door policy with them.” This recognition in the value of people extends to the patients and medical providers within the SottoPelle family.
Beginnings of SottoPelle Therapy SottoPelle Therapy was founded more than 20 years ago, as the dream of CarolAnn and her late husband, physician Dr. Gino Tutera. But it was her passion and persistence in the dayto-day operations that propelled the dream into a reality. “He learned about the pellets in 1992, in Rancho Mirage, California,” she said. “The doctor came up to him and said, ‘Help me put in a pellet.’ He said sure, but said, ‘What’s a pellet?’ “This was exactly what he was looking for—bioidentical products or hormones for women who have had hysterectomies or are in the throes of menopause.” The pellet is the size of a grain of rice and it is slipped under the skin. She says it offers “tremendous relief” of menopause symptoms.
Health & Wellness
“The pellets offer a nice, steady stream of hormones,” Tutera said. “When it’s placed under the skin, the heart regulates it. At rest, everything’s great. Your blood isn’t rushing through you as much. But when you’re stressed, your blood goes faster. There’s a need for more hormones. Your body is taking exactly what it needs 24-7. The body’s a beautiful tool and we’re helping the body regulate and function.” A new patient consultation is $185, and the three to four office visits a year are $300 each. “For me, it’s a godsend,” Tutera said. “I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. “We’ve made it affordable for everybody. We could just charge a lot for the incredible process. But that isn’t us. Our goal is to help as many people as possible.” The people positively impacted by SottoPelle are diverse in age, gender, occupation and/or sexual orientation. SottoPelle helps people in a natural but medically based therapeutic manner. The practice is focused not on just disbursing a quick fix, but addressing all aspects of someone’s health, physical and mental well-being. The SottoPelle lifestyle is not just about the remedy, but about the partnerships it creates with patients in advocating for their health. Tutera has created an international community of medical providers and patients who support balanced living. This has proved challenging over the years as change and champions of that change are often perceived as controversial. Tutera has held steadfast in supporting the mission, determination and dedication to the only thing that matters—helping people. Common sense coupled with naturally based bioidentical hormone replacement therapy delivered via a medically based and proven protocol, has elevated SottoPelle to success with its patients and as a corporate entity. Notably, Tutera has led the charge in advancing the healthy and balanced approach to authentic aging. She has supported many people via a plethora of charitable organizations for veterans and athletes impacted by traumatic brain injury.
Every day leader What sets Tutera apart as a leader and influencer is her dedication and
Fall 2019
persistence. She encompasses all that most want to become and has done it by helping people every day change their lives. After her husband’s passing, she was faced with not only a new challenge of continuing his legacy and dream but defining a new one for herself. She became even more steadfast in her mission to promote education and advocacy not only for hormone therapy but the total integration of balance CarolAnn Tutera says her patients have been positively impacted by into our lifestyles. SottoPelle therapy. (Photo by Kimberly Carrillo) Her greatest attribute is her ability “Everyone has to find their preferred to redefine herself and grow, she said. medium to maximize their lifestyle and She is always seeking new avenues to achieve overall balance; anything that grow and become the best she can be, keeps you active, happy and healthy is too. the ultimate goal,” Tutera said. SottoPelle was created and has sub“Your way of life is typically estabsequently flourished because of her lished by a pattern of habits or behavdedication to people and improving the iors over time. As we age, how we use quality of their lives. The next step and our time and energy becomes a topic evolution for SottoPelle is to support of focus and concern for many. It is the growth of empowerment in the 50- never too late to refocus and redirect and-older demographic. your energy to have the life you want Tutera advocates that “you can be at any age.” the best you want to be at any age.” As a 60 something, Tutera said she Ageism and the negative connota- has never felt more vibrant and haptions associated with getting older pier. are slowly dissipating under Tutera’s “I strive every day to learn somecareful watch. Her newly launched thing new and direct my life toward podcast, “Adventures in Aging,” on positive energy through my work and iTunes candidly explores the com- helping people,” Tutera said. “I have plexities, challenges and obtainable discovered there is no one panacea for joy that can be achieved with humor aging, but finding a healthy lifestyle and balance. and balance puts you on the right path. “Adventures in Aging” is her way As the old cliché says: age is just a of life. Tutera supports regular med- number, don’t let yourself be defined itation, exercise, eating nutritiously by how old you are but how young and balanced hormones. She found you feel.” inspiration in LifeFit, a program of low-intensity formative exercises for SottoPelle has several offices integrated transformation. This meththroughout the Valley. od focuses on biomechanics and utiTo find a location near you, lizes the innate strength within each or to find a SottoPelle doctor, person’s complete biostructure to visit sottopelletherapy.com. maximize his/her strength physically and mentally.