BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Anna Marie Frank is set to speak at a TEDx event in Italy on Aug. 21, but long before she earned that invitation, she was working in Kern County schools and redefining what success meant in her own life.
Frank came to Bakersfield from Michigan at 22 years old after graduating university in 2005. She says there were few job opportunities in Michigan at the time, and when Bakersfield offered the most, she took it. She started her career in local classrooms and says her accomplishments grew faster than her fulfillment.
"Back then, I looked successful, but I felt sad. I felt lonely. I felt depressed — and that's part of the reason why I got into mental health," Frank said.
That struggle redefined success for Frank and inspired her to build Happy Whole You in Bakersfield, where she now uses her experience to support others through holistic health and wellness services.
Frank applied to give a TEDx talk nearly 100 times with a different idea — one focused on epigenetics, neuroscience and how thoughts impact biology — and kept hearing "no." Then, during that process, she had a realization while sitting at her computer.
"The more success I started getting, the less successful I was feeling," Frank said.
She went on a hike with a friend and shared what she had discovered about herself. That friend went home and reached out to a contact connected to TED in Italy. They contacted Frank and asked her to pitch the idea.
"And so this TED Talk literally landed on my plate. It did not happen how I thought it was going to happen," Frank said.
That realization became her talk: "The Most Expensive Lie About Success." Frank says the talk is about the behavior people engage in without realizing it, reaching outside themselves for fulfillment, and how that very behavior blocks true success.
"It's shedding light on your behavior and what you're probably doing that you're blinded to, you're not even realizing you're doing," Frank said. "In this TED Talk I wanna remove that for people so they can discover what it is so they can actually step into true success that will be fully fulfilling to them from the inside out."
Frank says her years as an educator in Kern County schools shaped that message. She says she saw early on that potential lives within people — not outside of them.
"I can literally picture you in my mind, future, what it is you want, what it is you desire, and I'm like how do we get you there?" Frank said. "Like you're already there but like how do we get you to believe that you're already there."
Frank also points to research she says supports the connection between mindset and physical health, telling clients the body can shift its biochemistry in 150 to 300 milliseconds by changing a thought alone.
Happy Whole You has contributed more than $100,000 in complimentary services to the community, including one-on-one sessions, sauna use, detox programs and products designed to support brain health and reduce inflammation. Frank says the goal is to show Kern County residents that holistic health resources are available locally.
"We don't have to go searching and driving to LA or up north or go to Costa Rica or other countries to literally get what we have right here," Frank said.
The business has also expanded to include a wellness home a few blocks from the main center, where clients can stay for 2-, 3-, 7- or 10-day retreat programs that include detox services, colonics and one-on-one sessions with Frank. Frank says the retreats draw visitors to Bakersfield and contribute to the local economy.
"Bakersfield is a destination," Frank said. "We have Hart Park. You can go hiking. We have Lake Ming. There's so many wonderful things — restaurants downtown — and so I just love to be able to contribute to the community in that way."
Wellness technician McKenna Yvette, who came to Happy Whole You as a client before joining the team, says Frank's approach stands apart from conventional medicine.
"She makes you feel seen and heard," Yvette said. "So any blockages or struggles that you have, talking to her, she makes you feel like you can open up about anything."
Yvette says she came to Frank struggling with a health issue that Western doctors had not been able to resolve. Through holistic remedies, she says Frank helped her get back on track.
"I am just very prideful of what we've done so far and what we're planning on continuing to do," Yvette said.
Wellness technician Lindsy Hendrix echoed that sentiment.
"You don't find a lot of people that are investing in others — and Doctor Anna Marie is absolutely one of those," Hendrix said.
Cindy Altamirano, a customer and local business owner, first came to Frank for personal health support and later became a friend and small-business collaborator. Altamirano says Frank helped her address hormone-related health issues after years of frustration with conventional medicine that offered few answers.
"I've had moments where I've been like, 'I'm ready to throw in the towel with my business,' and I've called her. She's been the person to say, 'Okay, what do you need, and how can I be there for you?'" Altamirano said.
Altamirano says Frank's impact goes beyond health services.
"She adds her personal touch into everything. She's not just trying to check off a box of each of her clients. She knows her clients. She knows what they need, and she prioritizes that," Altamirano said.
Bakersfield is also where Frank raised her children and built a life over more than 20 years. Her husband also runs a small business in the community. She says the city shaped the message she will now carry to Italy.
"I've been here for over 20 years and Bakersfield has been really good to me," Frank said.
When asked what she hopes to bring back to Kern County after her talk, Frank said she plans to seek out wellness practices and ideas she can bring home to share with clients. She also has a direct ask of the community: watch the talk when it is released, and share it.
"I truly believe in this message and that's why I want to get it out there and I can't get it out there on my own. It's going to take our community to support that," Frank said.
When she returns, Frank plans to continue sharing her message through her work with local schools, businesses and community members. She says the stage may be in Italy, but the purpose remains right here in Kern County.
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