From Skeptic to Advocate: How Dr. Laura Ricci Found doTERRA Through Her Own Health Journey

For Dr. Laura Ricci, the path to wellness wasn’t paved with simple solutions or conventional healthcare alone. Dr. Ricci earned her doctorate in physical therapy in 2008 and quickly specialized in women’s health and pelvic floor rehabilitation. The specialty emerged from necessity rather than academic interest. “We often learn what we need in our own life,” she said during a recent interview. Years later, when a large tumor required intensive abdominal reconstruction, physicians told her she couldn’t work for a year. The identity crisis that followed changed everything.

“I went through this whole identity crisis of, ‘Who am I? If I’m not Doctor Laura Ricci, if I’m not treating patients,” she recalled. During that forced pause, she completed a certification in women’s health and functional nutrition coaching and began working with clients virtually.

Curiosity as Gateway

When doTERRA entered Ricci’s life in 2014, she approached it with the skepticism of someone trained in evidence-based medicine. A nurse-led class on oils caught her attention, though barely. “I was super skeptical, but I’ll just cross it off my list and I’ll keep going,” Ricci said. Two oils later, she experienced relief. Her first assumption: placebo effect.

Then came the research. Ricci spent Friday nights on PubMed, the medical literature’s digital library, finding thousands of studies validating essential oil efficacy. “I started thinking, ‘Why are we, as healthcare professionals, not taught this when we have alternatives?'” she said. The question haunted her.  Alternative approaches existed, backed by research, yet remained absent from medical training.

Accidental Growth

Ricci didn’t set out to build a doTERRA business. She helped people, sent links, and answered questions. Her husband, a CPA, kept noticing checks. “He would say, ‘You got a check from doTERRA. We got another check from doTERRA. What are you doing?” she recalled. She found herself Googling how to help new members.

The business grew organically, fed by word of mouth and genuine results. By 2016, Ricci had committed fully. She taught classes at home, experimented with Facebook Live as the platform launched, and watched her doTERRA work surpass her virtual health coaching practice in both scale and impact.

The progression followed doTERRA’s typical trajectory for successful Wellness Advocates. Ricci advanced through silver, gold, platinum, and diamond rankings. According to company disclosures, the top 7 percent of Wellness Advocates building businesses reach these ranks.

Different Dynamics

Physical therapy practice had taught Ricci about resistance. Hospital patients resented her arrival. “You walk in and say, ‘Hey, I’m with physical therapy, ’ and they often respond with, ‘I don’t wanna get up. I just had surgery, are you crazy?” Outpatient clients regularly announced they wouldn’t do home exercises. The burden of motivation fell entirely on her shoulders.

doTERRA flipped that dynamic. “What’s so beautiful in the doTERRA community is a lot of us come to doTERRA because we’ve had some dark nights of the soul,” Ricci said. People arrived ready. They had exhausted conventional options, faced dismissal from providers, or searched for alternatives. “They’re ready to take that next step in that ownership of their health and wellness.”

Ricci describes her role as a guide rather than a persuader. “It’s not my job to convince you of anything,” she tells prospects. “My job is to provide education and support and answer your questions.” She encourages independent research, pointing people toward PubMed and doTERRA’s rigorous quality testing protocols. doTERRA’s CPTG Certified Pure Tested Grade protocol subjects every batch to rigorous third-party testing, addressing purity concerns through gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and heavy metal analysis.

Healthcare’s Gap

The dismissal Ricci experienced as a patient resurfaces constantly in conversations with women seeking her guidance. “I have had so many conversations just in the past two weeks with so many women who were just dismissed by their healthcare professional,” she said. “They felt like their doctor didn’t even listen to them.”

This gap between patient needs and provider attention creates space for doTERRA Wellness Advocates like Ricci to function as listening posts within the healthcare system. “So much of what I do is be a listening ear,” she said. The role isn’t medical advice. It’s an acknowledgment. “You are not alone. I know how you feel.”

Ricci bridges her physical therapy expertise with essential oil education. Post-surgical patients receive guidance on using peppermint for an invigorating aroma, digestive blends for gut motility issues, and topical applications for supporting the appearance of skin. “These tools have made such a difference,” one client told her.

Simplicity as Strategy

When doTERRA launched its Wellness Made Simple campaign, Ricci recognized the philosophy she already practiced. “If we make it too complicated, people just shut down,” she said. “People are automatically going to say no. They get overwhelmed, and it’s not going to go anywhere.”

Her approach begins with a warning. When people request links to essential oil education and are beginning their journeys, she responds carefully. “I can provide a link, and that is going to completely overwhelm your nervous system. There’s so much to learn and digest. I am your tour guide.” A quick call replaces digital browsing. Information flows in manageable portions. The monthly foundational wellness program reflects what research shows about behavior change: consistency matters more than variety. 

Growth Beyond Products

Ricci credits doTERRA with personal transformation exceeding her doctorate’s impact. “It’s one of the biggest catalysts of growth in my life in a lot of ways,” she said. Public speaking terrified her throughout high school and college. “I hated public speaking with a passion.”

Essential oils gave her something worth discussing despite the fear. “I think because it had such a connection, such an impact in my life, it forced me to start speaking and doing live videos and teaching and using my voice.” International travel followed, including a trip to Kenya, where she visited the geranium and tea tree farms and met the farmers and their families. It changed her.

She also visited the Peppermint farms in Oregon. “I needed to go to the peppermint farms and hear how it’s a fifth-generation farm and how they met,” she said. “I love hearing those stories and that connection.”

Addressing Skepticism

Ricci recognizes her former self in every skeptical healthcare professional. “The skeptics are my favorite because I was one of them. I see them deeply, and I understand,” she said. Medical training drills evidence requirements deeply. Everything demands research, peer review, and validation. “This is the way that it is, these are the only options, and that is just so ingrained.”

She sat in that first class thinking the approach sounded “a little hippy.” Seeking solutions cracked her open. “When you’re in enough discomfort, and when you’ve done what you were taught or trained, and tried everything, you get to the point where you begin to think outside the box,” she said.

Timing matters. Healthcare professionals contact her during their own health crises or when they are seeking alternative options for loved ones. “They’re going through their own health challenge, and they are open. That wakes us up and shakes us up a little bit.”

Human Connection

Technology enables Ricci’s business. Virtual meetings, social media education, and online ordering are all essential infrastructure. Yet 2025 requires constant humanity verification. “I literally said, ‘This is Laura, a real human, not a robot,” she wrote in recent check-in messages. Some recipients laughed. Others seemed relieved.

The in-person event her team hosted recently drew a significant response. “People are needing that,” Ricci said. “I’m constantly thinking that’s what sets us apart in doTERRA is that we offer a VIP experience for people.”

The white-glove service approach differentiates doTERRA from retail competitors. Products aren’t available at online marketplaces or supermarkets. Instead, Wellness Advocates provide personalized guidance. “You have a mentor, a guide through this whole process, which is cool,” Ricci said.

Exploration brought Dr. Ricci to essential oils. Relief made her curious. Research made her believe. Community made her stay. “I’ve met some of the most amazing people and friendships and connections through this work,” she said. “And I found it lit me up, felt like so much fun, and became really passionate versus draining.”

The trajectory wasn’t planned. The transformation was comprehensive. “doTERRA was the solution that I didn’t know that I needed, and I had no idea how much it would transform my life.”