About Rooted Allies

Health can be confusing, overwhelming, and lonely. Too often we’re handed quick fixes, apps, or medications that don’t address the bigger picture. I started Rooted Allies because I know what it feels like to be searching for answers without a clear roadmap.

Rooted Allies is built on three pillars

Our Groves bring these three pieces together in a supportive, small-group setting where clarity, consistency, and connection take root.

Self-advocacy in health

It begins with choosing to care about ourselves. From there, self-advocacy grows into learning to speak up for what we need. It means understanding our options, making confident decisions, and finding the language to navigate the health system even when it isn’t perfect.

Self-respect

Self-respect is about following through on the commitments we make to ourselves. It means taking our own goals seriously, staying consistent, and building trust in our ability to change. When we practice self-respect, we strengthen the foundation for progress that lasts.

Peer support

Change is easier when you don’t have to do it alone. A small group creates accountability, encouragement, and space to share honestly. When we connect with others who share a similar goal to improve their health, we feel less isolated and more capable of change.

photo of two pillars, symbolizing the foundation of Rooted Allies

Meet your guide

Oh, hello, I’m Sooz

My background is in building communities, supporting entrepreneurs, and helping people connect to each other. I know how powerful it is when a small group forms around a shared purpose.

Rooted Allies grew out of my own lived experience, now more than 2.5 years into an ongoing health and wellness expedition that has changed every part of my life. It began when I picked up The Diabetes Code by Dr. Jason Fung in March 2023. That book opened my eyes to what was possible. But I still had to decide to care about myself enough to speak up, follow through, and take ownership of my own health. From there, I joined The Fasting Method community, learned through podcasts and books, and started experimenting with new approaches.

The results were life-changing: I reversed Type 2 Diabetes, lost more than 100 pounds, stabilized my high blood pressure, and after six months on Mounjaro (a GLP-1 used for Type 2 Diabetes and weight loss), I successfully off-ramped from the medication with my endocrinologist’s endorsement. Since then, I’ve reduced my body fat by roughly 25% and made sustainable, long-term improvements to my overall health. Has it always been easy? Nope. But I finally believe I’m worth the effort.

I created Rooted Allies because we shouldn’t need to be full-time researchers to figure out how to improve our health. And as much as AI can be incredibly useful (it helped me name Rooted Allies!), nothing compares to peer support and real connection.

I write about my ongoing health and wellness expedition in my Substack publication, It’s All Happening, where I share reflections, book recommendations, and what I’m still learning along the way. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn or Instagram, and learn more about my work at sooz.com.

Sooz has helped me focus on my health in ways that feel practical and doable. She shared tools that helped me think beyond weight loss, including how to ask my doctor for the right tests and how to speak up about what I need. It’s been really helpful to have someone walk through that with me.

D. S., California

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