In 1983, Julie Conner had just completed her dietetic internship at Westchester County Medical Center when she was offered a position as a dietitian at a large nursing home (Daughters of Jacob Geriatric Center in the Bronx, NY). After six months of working there, she decided that she wanted to open a private practice where she could see her own patients for nutrition counseling. Back then, dietitians either worked in hospitals or nursing homes, and dietitians did not see patients in private practice outside of a hospital nutrition clinic. Julie pitched the idea to another dietitian at the nursing home. She liked the idea so together, they opened Nutrition Counseling Services of Westchester. Their first offices were in Fishkill, NY and Mamaroneck, NY.
Soon after, the other dietitian decided that she did not want a career in dietetics anymore, so she decided to go back to school. Julie was left running the business on her own and renamed it Conner Counseling Services. At the time, Julie was living in Carmel, NY with her husband, Will. Over the next few years, Julie had three children and went back to school for her M.P.H. degree at the New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY. She received her degree while running both offices simultaneously. A few years later, she opened two more offices in Pomona and Suffern, NY in Rockland County.
In 1992, when Julie’s daughter, Kristi was a year old, the Conner family moved to Brookfield, CT. Julie began seeing patients one day a week in the offices of Brookfield Family Medicine in Brookfield, CT. Conner Counseling Services at Brookfield Family Medicine grew. In the Fall of 1996, Julie moved Conner Counseling Services from Brookfield Family Medicine to a larger 500 square foot space at 777 Federal Road in The Brookfield Towne Center. Julie decided to change the name of her business to Healthy Weighs, a play of words on the “healthy ways” that Julie had been successfully guiding her patients towards. The building that she was renting was a storefront, so she decided to incorporate a small health food store into the business. Patients could purchase healthy foods that would help them stay on their special diets.
In January 1998, Julie was driving down Federal Road when she stopped at a local real estate office. The owner convinced her to see the old Marie White Real Estate building down the street at 366 Federal Road which she heard was for sale. Julie agreed and the rest is history. On January 27, 1998, Julie and her husband, Will, moved Healthy Weighs into the former Marie White Real Estate building.
According to Lew White, the Marie White building was built sometime in the 1930’s. It was originally a dog kennel. It was one of the only buildings on that section of Federal Road, as the aerial picture we have hanging in our office depicts. Sometime in the late 1950’s, Lew and Marie purchased the property. Lew hired Ed Miller, a local contractor in town, to put an addition on the building.
In 2010, in preparation for Dr. Brian Conner joining the practice, Dr. Julie and Will Conner decided to build a 2700 square foot addition onto Healthy Weighs. Dr. Brian is their middle son who was going to be graduating from New York Chiropractic College in 2012. For two years, Dr. Julie and Dr. Brian saw patients during the construction. Billy Conner, their eldest son who had a Masters in Elementary Education, decided to join the practice and become the Wellness Office Manager. His help was imperative for the practice to grow. In 2013, Dr. Julie and Dr. Brian decided to purchase Board Certification in Functional Medicine through the Institute for Functional Medicine. Functional Medicine truly looks at the root cause of disease and is the future of healthcare.
In 2014 the addition was completed. Healthy Weighs then officially became Healthy Weighs Wellness Center. Our name was trademarked to reflect the unique name that we chose for our business. One department at a time was then added. First Massage Therapy, then Acupuncture. Dr. Brian went back to school to get Certified as a Nutrition Specialist and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. A third nutritionist, Colleen Wall was hired. The following departments were added over the years including: Functional Medicine, Spa Services (Facials and Waxing), Energy Medicine, Reiki and Medical Reiki, Reflexology, Hypnosis and Guided Imagery. Two additional massage therapists were added to the team.
In 2018, both Dr. Julie and Dr. Brian became Board Certified in Functional Medicine through the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM). They are two of only 1000 Board Certified Functional Medicine Practitioners in the world. We are all very proud of that accomplishment. We feel that we offer the widest array of integrative and holistic wellness services available anywhere. In 2019, Dr. Julie decided to share our expertise with others. We now have both an internship and residency program here at Healthy Weighs Wellness Center so we can train the health professionals of the future and help patients beyond our own walls.
Healthy Weighs Wellness Center is The Key to a “Healthy Weigh” of Life!
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