We recently had the chance to connect with Zarya Rubin and have shared our conversation below.
Zarya, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
I have always valued intelligence, the desire to constantly be learning and improving ourselves, acquiring new skills, leading with expertise and evidence, but these days I do think integrity is in short supply. We can no longer agree on facts and basic scientific principles that have been accepted as universal truth for decades. Our leaders often cannot be trusted. We have people occupying positions of power with no qualifications to do so, not acting in the best interests of those they serve. So we need to go back to basics and make integrity a non-negotiable. Now, if you are operating with high integrity and have a great deal of knowledge and wisdom to share, but you are burned out, your tank is empty, then you simply won’t be able to share your message with the world. Truly, we need all three!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Dr. Zarya Rubin, MD – a TEDx speaker, former neurologist, functional medicine physician and burnout expert. What makes me unique is that I bring together a background of Ivy League education, decades of medical training, but combine that with first-hand personal experience navigating burnout, complex trauma and autoimmune disease. This gives me a great deal of compassion when dealing with patients and clients – I truly get it, I’ve walked in their shoes. I also have additional training in functional medicine and integrative nutrition, bringing the best parts of holistic medicine and evidence-based practice to everything I do. Right now, I am working on launching a private women’s community called “S.O.S – Step Out of Survival mode” for women struggling at the intersection of perimenopause and burnout! This is near and dear to my heart, as I have personally seen so many women reach their breaking point in the perfect storm of hormonal havoc and overwhelm that comes with midlife. I would love to offer support and guidance through this time and create a safe community of like-minded women to share and bolster each other – to let others know that they are not alone! I’m also offering a vision boarding experience for 2026 and will be offering The Color Clinic – which is a huge departure for me! Incorporating color analysis into well-being for women looking to find their identity and truly shine in midlife!
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Wow, this is a tough one. I know as a young child I was extremely opinionated and determined – I didn’t follow rules that I thought were unjust or harmful; I was bold, brave, loud, exuberant. I think that spirit got a bit crushed during my early school years and after facing medical trauma and the trauma of divorce. I became quiet, compliant, a “good girl” always doing exactly what was expected of me – I tried to be perfect and always be “the best” hoping that would bring safety and acceptance, but it never did. Sure, I was “successful” by all external measures – I went to Harvard, medical school, prestigious degrees and programs, but I wasn’t myself at all, not by any stretch of the imagination. I was a square peg trying to squeeze myself into so many round holes that never fit. It took decades of self-discovery, leaving medicine, reinventing myself to truly come back to who I am and who I am meant to become. The bold, brave, changemaker is back!
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I have so much compassion for my younger self – she tried so hard! She was so scared and wanted to do all the right things. I think I would tell her to slow down – take the time to truly find yourself before choosing a path that will only lead to more pain. Choose things for the right reasons. If sometime matters to you, don’t wait for it to happen. I almost missed out on the most important achievement of my life – having my daughter – because I ran out of time. I was so focused on medicine, my career, that there was no time for dating, and that is something I will always regret.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
I think the wellness industry has a lot to answer for these days. For many years, it encouraged women to pursue “self-care” – like adding more rituals, supplements, procedures, massages, salon visits, etc would magically take away systemic and institutional dysfunction that leads to burnout, especially for women. Obviously, we want to empower individuals with steps they can take to improve their own physical and mental health while we wait for systemic change to happen (it’s often glacial!), but we can’t place the burden or blame at the feet of hardworking women, moms, people who blame themselves that if they only did “wellness” better, that could counteract their thankless job with punishing hours and a demeaning boss. It can’t. Let’s stop pretending.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What light inside you have you been dimming?
I think fundamentally, I’ve always had an internal struggle between “artist and scientist” and that battle is finally being won! I grew up in a family of creatives, my mother is an actress, so is my sister, and I come from a family of performers. I tried to run away from that, not believing I could have a successful or serious career as a performer, so I went in the complete opposite direction, studying biology and medicine. But now, I am truly embracing my creative status. I know that I am most at home on stage with a microphone in my hand, whether that is singing or public speaking, or behind the mic on my weekly podcast, “Outsmart Burnout.” I take a creative approach to everything I do, and exploring my love of color, fashion, my eye for helping women look their best. What I dismissed as not valuable enough or serious enough in my past I now see is what makes me so unique and special and different! And brings me the most joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drzarya.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drzaryarubin
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drzaryarubin/
- Youtube: https://bit.ly/TEDxBurnout
- Other: Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/outsmart-burnout-midlife-wellness-for-women-with-dr/id1816580256
Image Credits
Sarah Waters Photography
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