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Faces of Billings

Shara Kay Overstreet, Managing Partner and General Manager of Granite Health And Fitness

Embrace the now,” recites Shara Kay Overstreet, sharing her favorite quote. “I make an effort to live every moment to the best of my ability and I try to share that with my friends and followers.”

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Shara believes in taking action and staying true to herself. 

“I am determined, competitive, blunt, action-orientated, and resourceful,” she says. “I am a self-starter. I take the initiative and make things happen. I try to create a better world for everyone depending on my ability to influence.”

Born and raised in Billings, Shara has fond memories of carefree, late summer nights spent playing kick-the-can in her neighborhood, and hot days swimming at Rose Park pool. Interestingly, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman lived in her childhood home during the filming of the movie Far and Away.

“We moved out and lived in an apartment while the movie stars lived in our home for three months during the summer of 1991,” she recalls. “It was super cool to meet them and I will forever be a Tom Cruise fan.”

Shara hopes to make an impact on her community by giving back in meaningful ways. In addition to personal donations and participation in community events and fundraisers, she wants to be a role model for others. 

“On a personal level, I give back by being authentic. I choose to share my life with the community (via social media) with the hopes that sharing my experiences and trials will help others. I try to be as real as I can.”

Although proud of her Montana home, when asked if she prefers the mountains or the beach, Shara can’t resist the allure of the ocean. 

“The beach,” she replies. “Sun, warmth, and you can do anything outside. It caters to my personality better than the cold, dreary, winter nights. I find the sun and activities outside in warmer weather to be more social and engaging. I am an extrovert by character and I love being around people. The beach and summer satisfies the social butterfly in me.”

Shara has three children, two boys and one girl: Cade (21), Trafton (15), and Kiya (12). A major turning point for their family came when she and her husband decided to end their marriage. 

“The death of my family changed my perspective on life,” Shara says of her divorce. “One thing I have learned through that experience is that we are not designed to suffer major life events alone. Seek guidance from those around you. Take nuggets of advice shared with you and apply them to you as you see fit. I also like to say ‘Embrace the suck’. Accept where you are, what has happened to you, learn from it and move on. Reinvent yourself and move onto the next chapter.”

Overall, Shara is the happiest when she is surrounded by her children, smiling until their cheeks ache.

“As many Sundays as we can, we have brunch as a family. It is usually a super fun meal where we all catch up and laugh to the point we have tears in our eyes.”

Kimberly Meier, Co-Owner of Meier Chiropractic 

“Outgoing,” replies Kimberly, when asked which word others would use to describe her. “I just love talking to people. It drives my husband and kids crazy when I chat with strangers- but I promise, they usually start the conversation-most of the time.”

Caring for others is Kimberly’s trade as well as her passion. Her outgoing nature compliments her profession as a chiropractic doctor and allows her to make an impact in the lives of those she treats. 

“I hope that everyday we help people understand that they have control to make better decisions for their own health and wellbeing,” she states. “Society has us believe there is a pill that fixes everything and this takes the control away from the individual. We hope to empower people by helping them understand the simple things they can do to feel better everyday. We see a lot of pregnant moms and I value having conversations about amazing experiences in delivery instead of the horror story most people like to share. Our bodies are an amazing gift and we only get one.”

Born in a small town outside Edmonton, Alberta, Kimberly left to attend college. At 24, feeling unsure about her readiness to assume the responsibilities of a full time doctor, she embarked upon a 3 month long solo backpacking tour of Europe.

“I am forever grateful for what I learned about life and myself during that time,” says Kim. “I was able to come back and graduate with a more confident and mature head on my shoulders.” 

She met her husband Jeff shortly before she was supposed to move back to Canada, marking a major turning point in her life. 

“Very long story short, we decided on a Monday to get married that Friday, which was the day of our graduation day from chiropractic school,” she recounts. “We had only known each other a few months. I was supposed to move back to Canada and take a job with a chiropractor in my home town. The decision to marry Jeff took us over to Ireland for 2 years and then to Billings where we started our own practice 13 years ago.”

Kim and Jeff have two daughters, Sadie (13) and Dylan (10) as well as two dogs and two cats. 

“We have reached the maximum number of animals allowed in our subdivision,” she notes. 

Although she loves hiking in the mountains every chance she gets, Kim is happiest when she is cooking while listening to a house full of chaos and laughter with family and friends. 

Kim’s favorite quote, one that has resonated with her since college, conveys the desire to progress and a sense of purpose which have pushed her to success. 

“And then the day came when the need to remain the same became more painful than the risk to evolve.”

Erin Amato, MD, Founder and Medical Director of The Center for Ideal Health, Co-Founder and Medical Director of Montana Psychiatry and Brain Health Center 

“I am happiest when I’m connecting with people I love, feeling inspired, chasing a dream and finding new ways to solve problems, learning and stretching my abilities, seeing my kids happy, and when there’s good food and music involved.” 

While most people would describe Dr. Erin Amato as driven, she sees herself as passionate. 

“When I feel passionately about something or have a goal in mind, I fully dedicate myself to make things happen,” she says. As a full-time physician and mother of six, her dedication and ability to excel enable her to make an impact within the community and at home. 

“As a physician, I’m trying to find innovative ways to alleviate suffering for people who have had their lives impacted by mental and physical illness,” Erin explains. “As a Mom, I hope to raise kind and generous children who want to make a positive impact in the lives of the people around them…I really hope I’m teaching them to maximize their potential and to make a difference in the lives of others.”

She and her husband have been married for 23 years. Their children are twins Daniel and Isabelle (both juniors at University of Colorado-Denver), Benjamin (15), Elijah (12), Raphi (7), and Lucy (6). 

“I grew up in a large family as the oldest of six kids, so busy households are the norm for me,” she says. “I always knew I wanted to be a mom in addition to whatever I pursued as a career.”

Raised in Billings, Erin recalls wanting to leave Montana as a young woman, wishing to explore the rest of the world. Yet, as the years passed the allure of her hometown drew her back. 

“I now have a greater appreciation for what an exceptional place it was to establish my roots and values,” she attests. “I knew this was the right place for me to raise my family and contribute to the medical community.”

While she sometimes finds herself longing for the warmth of the beaches during the dreary winter months, most of the year her favorite place to visit is a quaint, family cabin on the Boulder River. 

“It’s a little piece of heaven and is a great place for solace and peace when life feels frenzied and overwhelming. It’s the perfect spot for a weekend reset.”

Over the years, her journey in medicine has brought her to many different places, working alongside mentors and colleagues who shaped her as a physician and patients who taught her important lessons about life. Ten years ago, Erin founded the Montana Psychiatry and Brain Health Center with two other psychiatrists.

“In the past 5 years, I've really focused on bringing cutting edge treatments, like TMS and ketamine therapy, to address the problem of treatment-resistant depression in my psychiatric practice.”

A turning point in her career occurred three years ago, when she attended her first meeting for the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. 

“It introduced a whole new paradigm for how to work with patients and really expanded my view of how I want to practice medicine,” Erin recounts. “I was also so impressed by how many happy doctors I encountered at that meeting as they’re breaking out of the mold of some of the trappings of traditional medical models. We hear so much now about the epidemic of physician burnout and I felt like the doctors I was meeting were invigorated by the practice of medicine, which was so refreshing.”

She created The Center for Ideal Health with the vision of helping people address their health concerns at the root-cause level in order to create a state of optimal health and living. 

“Much of my medical career has been focused on addressing illness, which has an important place when people are acutely suffering. But I also want people to achieve long-term health, happiness, vitality, and optimal aging and performance and these are things that aren’t really addressed through traditional models of medical practice…If we're talking about creating healthy brains at any age, that means prevention and effective treatment of common chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune disorders, and hormonal imbalances that are associated with aging.  One of the most effective ways to do this is through lifestyle interventions that start as early as possible.” Now, Erin splits her time between the two practices and is Medical Director of Montana Psychiatry and Brain Health Center.

Drawn to the light, optimism, and enthusiasm for life in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words, Erin shares a quote from one of his poems which reminds her to enjoy the gifts and beauty found in each new day:

Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day
who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

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