Deanna Tikhonov: A Passion for Women’s Health Education

Jan 5

Deanna Tikhonov is a Women’s Health NP, but it took her a couple years to decide that’s where her passion was and take the steps to get there. As a nursing student, she hated her med/surg rotation, but later attributed that to working with preceptors that were burnt out, overworked and didn’t like having students. After graduating as an RN, it took her several months, and over 30 applications, to find a job on a med/surg unit. She said that she ended up loving med/surg because of the supportive nurses that she worked with there. Since that experience as a nursing student, Deanna has become a patient and supportive mentor for the students that she works with. Deanna discusses how it is important for nurses to be honest with themselves about their feelings of working with students, not everyone likes to teach.

Deanna decided that women deserved more than a 15 minute office visit to help them with their issues, so decided to start educating women about how to help themselves by changing their lifestyles. She believes that changes to our diet can impact our hormones, leading to less negative symptoms and a more balanced hormone response. She started doing YouTube videos and education on IG as The Lady’s Guide, and offers simple, attainable goals to help us with many of our PMS symptoms and women’s health.

About Deanna Tikhonov

Deanna Tikhonov is a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and has been practicing at public clinics and private practices in New Jersey since graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2014. Prior to that, she worked as an RN on a Med/Surg Unit.

Through her time as a clinician, she noticed a gap in what women are taught about their bodies and women’s health topics. So she founded The Lady’s Guide, an educational, cross-media platform where she discusses common women’s health topics from knowing your birth control options to how to empower yourself during your GYN exam. Deanna offers virtual coaching sessions teaching women how to rebalance their hormones and improve their fertility without the use of medications but through lifestyle changes.

Lastly, Deanna recently became a 200hr certified Yoga Teacher with an additional Prenatal Yoga certification, gaining more knowledge on the mind/body connection. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and dog on hikes, traveling around the world, and practicing yoga.

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