Where We Get Curious
About The Things
Unseen
TRAUMA-INFORMED · NUTRITION-ROOTED · INTEGRATIVE MENTAL HEALTH CARE
If you're here, you're likely searching for something deeper. Something that’s effective and makes sense. Answers.
Maybe you’ve landed yourself here because you haven’t responded to traditional psychiatric medication or you’ve struggled with the side effects of meds and are looking for a drug-free option. You’re tired of blanketed treatments and the trial and error of polypharmacy and desire individualized, targeted treatment.
Or perhaps, Innermost is your first stop- you’ve been given a diagnosis and you need support but are not desiring medication at this time and want a root-cause understanding and treatment that doesn’t merely manage the symptoms but truly levels the imbalances without all the side effects.
Or perhaps you’ve never been diagnosed and don’t care to be- you know your struggles and don’t need a DSM label to validate what you already know exists. You’ve tried to navigate potential hormonal imbalances or nutrient deficiencies on your own. You’ve seen your doctor. Drawn the labs. You’ve been told “everything looks good” all while feeling less than good. You feel exhausted, overwhelmed, anxious, defeated, and you need direction.
At Innermost, we believe that your
symptoms are signals, not failures.
They are invitations to go deeper.
Together, we’ll explore the ways that stress, toxins, nutrient deficiencies, digestive dysfunction, inflammation, or infections might be working against your brain’s ability to function and heal.
your innermost story.
WE GET CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT’S BENEATH THE SURFACE,
Using functional testing, we investigate
the
Root Causes
and
Hidden Dysfunctions
IS YOUR LIVER SUPPORTED TO ELIMINATE HEAVY METALS AND OTHER VARIOUS TOXINS?
IS YOUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM PROPERLY BREAKING DOWN THE FOOD YOU EAT AND ABSORBING ADEQUATE NUTRIENTS SO THE BRAIN CAN FUNCTION OPTIMALLY?
ARE UNDERLYING INFECTIONS CREATING INFLAMMATION TO THE BRAIN?
ARE MINERAL IMBALANCES CONTRIBUTING TO HORMONAL IMBALANCES?
ARE UNDERLYING FOOD ALLERGIES OR SENSITIVITIES CREATING WIDESPREAD INFLAMMATION AND NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES AFFECTING BOTH THE GUT AND THE BRAIN?
:
A ROOTED, EVIDENCE-BASED, PERSONALIZED APPROACH TO
Mental Health
Contrary to the DSM, you are not just a checklist of symptoms with a diagnostic label. Mental health is far more complex, shaped by a web of nutritional and biochemical factors. If the one-size-fits-all poly-pharmacy approach hasn’t been effective for you, it doesn’t mean you’re broken- it simply means you have unique root causes that have yet to be discovered and you need a compassionate and curious practitioner to ask the right questions.
Nutritional malnourishment and metabolic dysfunction can wreak havoc on every organ in the body -
Your brain is not exempt.
Your gut and brain are besties, deeply connected, constantly talking, and sharing secrets. Therefore what you eat— or don’t eat—directly affects the health of your brain and the status of your mental health. Nutrition plays a critical role in mental health and resilience by supporting a healthy gut microbiome, neurotransmitter synthesis, regulating hormones, decreasing inflammation, and balancing blood sugar. Adequate levels of key nutrients are essential for optimal cognitive function, emotional regulation, and stress response.
Hi, I’m Staci Villa!
MEET YOUR PRACTITIONER
and a recovered windbag of worry.
Mental Health
Registered Dietitian,
integrative and functional
Practitioner,
My own battles with unprocessed trauma, anxiety, ADHD, intrusive thoughts, and IBS weren’t “just in my head”—they were rooted in deeper imbalances in my body, fractures in my story, and mangled beliefs about myself. And the more I tried to ignore my symptoms, gaslight (no pun intended), or purely berate myself without addressing the why, the more sick and stuck I became.
I was a typical millennial raised on a steady diet of processed foods and unprocessed emotions. I had no idea this toxic combo was fueling my gut issues and mental health struggles. It wasn’t until I started tuning into every part of myself—my emotions, thoughts, identity, and unique nutritional needs—that real change began. I found that my mental struggles weren’t just in my head—they were rooted in my heart, soul, and physical body.
Mental illness isn’t
just in your head.
Through my own journey and walking alongside many others in theirs, I have found mental illness to be a very personal and invisible kind of suffering that has had so much stigma and misunderstanding attached to it. At Innermost, my mission is to dismantle the stigma associated with mental illness and instead shed light on the metabolic and nutritional factors that contribute to brain dysfunction. At Innermost, I take an integrative, nutrition-rooted approach to mental health care, uncovering what’s often missed in traditional treatment.
Understanding the biochemical root causes is key to finding relief from the symptoms and the stigma. I’ll guide you in piecing the innermost puzzle, connecting the dots between your mental state, gut-health, nutrition, and lived experience. By understanding the deep and overlooked connections between your inner chemistry and your inner thoughts, together we will begin to untangle the innermost web that has kept you sick and stuck.