Dr. Karlee Tario, ND – Calgary, Alberta
Dr. Karlee Tario, ND studied Medical Biochemistry at UBC and graduated from Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine in 2019. Becoming an ND has been her biggest achievement to date, one that she has been working towards since she was 15 years old.
Karlee’s greatest areas of interest in practice are hormones and digestion. “Growing up having experienced these issues myself, I have a passion for helping others with these same ailments. I have been in their shoes and understand the frustration on trying to figure out what was going on with my own body”. Even though she thought she was doing everything right, she still wasn’t feeling her best and was not given any answers. Furthermore, her passion for hormones and digestion stems from the fact that these physiologic functions are quite related; she often observes connections in practice. She also enjoys treating skin conditions such as acne and eczema, as well as delving into anti-aging medicine “to get people looking and feeling their best”! Her greatest inspiration are her patients. “When I see how far they have come from when we first started and how much dedication, time, and work they have put into optimizing their health, it motivates me to continue helping patients reach their goals. It makes me incredibly happy to see people feeling better.”
A typical day in the life of Dr. Tario, ND involves waking up and having morning coffee, followed by a walk with her little pup Penny, working at the clinic, going to an F45 workout, and spending time with her loved ones. She is usually very active and enjoys going for an evening bike ride or rollerblade. On her days off, she loves to hike or hit up the mountain slopes.
Work/life balance is something Karlee takes very seriously, because “life can fly by so quickly and I believe we should enjoy every second of it”. She only works 4 days per week and will pick up a Saturday shift every other week. This gives her time off to spend with friends and family, go hiking, camping, or snowboarding, but also provides patients more flexibility when booking appointments. “As a new grad picking up that extra Saturday has been great for building my practice. Having the 4-day work week also allows me to have a patient research or prep day when needed… Making the time to do the things I love is super important for my own health and wellbeing. As (naturopathic) doctors, we can get so busy taking care of other people that we forget to take care of ourselves. Having a good work/life balance helps me be better for myself and for my patients.”
Her advice for future NDs is to shop around and find a clinic that is going to be a good fit for you. Making the decision on which clinic to join was her biggest challenge upon entering the profession. “Reading contracts was stressful and confusing at times; I highly recommend hiring a lawyer to go over it, and don’t be afraid to negotiate, as some contracts are outdated.” Furthermore, she recommends making sure the contract doesn’t go against college standards. Her recommendation is to start out at two different clinics “to get your foot in two doors” and then switching over full time to the one that feels like the best fit.
– Interview by Annick Meckes, July 2021
