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Posts by Samantha Montalbano

How to Fall Back Asleep When You Wake Up in the Middle of the Night

By Samantha Montalbano | March 14, 2026 | 0 | 3 min |
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Almost everyone has experienced it. You wake up in the middle of the night, glance at the clock, and suddenly your mind is racing. You start wondering why you’re awake,…

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7 Ways to Optimize Your Bedroom for Better Sleep

By Samantha Montalbano | June 28, 2025 | 0 | 3 min |
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Because your bedroom should be a sanctuary, not a stress zone. At Sozo Lifestyle Medicine, we believe healing starts with the basics—and few things are more foundational to your health…

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How Stress Impacts Health — And How to Naturally Take Back Control

By Samantha Montalbano | June 3, 2025 | 0 | 4 min |
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At Sozo Lifestyle Medicine, we believe in treating the root—not just the symptoms. And one of the most overlooked root causes of illness today is stress. Whether it’s mental strain,…

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Ready-to-Eat Meal Services in Scottsdale & Surrounding Areas

By Samantha Montalbano | March 24, 2025 | 0 | 4 min |
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Eating well shouldn’t feel like a full-time job, but between grocery shopping, meal prep, and cooking, it often does. For those with busy schedules, preparing healthy meals at home can…

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© 2026 Sozo Lifestyle Medicine
Samantha Davidson

Fitness has been a part of Samantha’s life, since she was young. She started with sports at the age of 4 and spent her childhood playing soccer and running track. 

Influenced by her mom, who is a nurse, and her father, a massage therapist, Samantha decided to pursue a career in healthcare with emphasis on nutrition and exercise. After high school she attended Glendale Community College on a cross country scholarship. Two years later, she attended  Arizona State University and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology.

Sam has worked in clinical and industrial fitness for the past 16 years, She is a certified Life Coach and holds instructor certifications in Group Exercise and Ballet Barre.

In spare time Sam loves running, dancing, and spending time with her husband and two young daughters. She and her husband homeschool  their daughters and lead an active lifestyle.

Her passion is helping members reach their fitness goals through positivity and community.

Aly Axelrod

Plant-Rich Nutrition Consultant

Aly Axelrod comes to Sozo Lifestyle Medicine to fulfill a dream of helping people achieve optimal health through proper nutrition.  As our Plant-Rich Nutrition Consultant, Aly will work in sync with Dr. Young to educate on how to incorporate more plant-rich foods into your daily life, making it as fun, easy and adaptable as possible.  With certifications as a Health and Wellness Consultant and Plant-Based Nutrition Specialist, Aly will “meet you where you are and take you where you want to go.”
James Babana Pricing

See the Push Through Performance Website to request information on pricing.

James Babana, PT, DPT

Dr. Babana graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL earning a doctoral degree in Physical Therapy in 2018. Using a previous background in massage therapy and meditation, he is able to offer a unique approach to supporting positive lifestyle changes, improving mental & physical well-being, and promoting the best-self version in every client.

He has vast experience working with tough cases across the age spectrum, but has really honed his skill set in restoring neck and back pain. His particular focus has been helping people get back to fitness faster while recovering from painful disc herniation and nerve impingement. This is also true for those considering surgical interventions, as well as those who already completed their procedures. Dr. Babana emphasizes as a personal philosophy that it is best to modify an exercise program than completely delay it, helping to get his patients back in the game while maintaining fitness progress.

See the Push Through Performance Website to request information on pricing.

Hannah Kokulis

Hannah Kokulis

NASM Certified Personal Trainer

Hannah Kokulis moved to Arizona from Albuquerque, New Mexico to attend Grand Canyon University. She graduated from GCU in 2021 with her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education.

Hannah grew up playing competitive sports. Throughout her life she has had a love for fitness and leading an active lifestyle. During high school and college, she struggled with various health problems. Along the way she lost her love for being active and started to develop unhealthy eating habits.

Hannah started her wellness journey after moving to Arizona. She developed a love for nutrition, eating foods she loves, being active, and finding balance in her life again. Hannah adopted a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle that has significantly improved her health. She previously suffered from cystic acne and frequent migraines, which have almost entirely resolved. Her love for teaching, holistic health and fitness motivated her to become a Certified Personal Trainer. She is excited to share her passion and encourage others to be the healthiest and happiest versions of themselves.

Crystal Geer Pricing

Free Consultation Visit (30 min)

Sozo Members – $110

Non-Sozo Members $135

Crystal Geer

Crystal Geer is a Doctor of Physical Therapy who works with patients of all ages, specializing in the treatment of orthopedic conditions, sports injuries, and chronic pain.  She strives to help her patients understand their pain, condition, or injury with the end-goal of empowering them to improve their overall health and get back to doing the things they love to do.

In the early stages of treatment, Dr. Geer focuses on the use of manual therapy, dry needling, and therapeutic exercise to restore and normalize movement.  Then she progresses to training techniques that encompass integration of full body stabilization to help her patients learn the biomechanics of movement specific to their daily activities, sports, or hobbies.

In her free time, Dr. Geer loves spending time with her husband and two teenage children.  They have an active lifestyle filled with sports and scouts, and they love getting outdoors for hiking, backpacking, and canoeing adventures whenever possible.  Her favorite activities for regular exercise are tennis, CrossFit, Pilates, and Olympic Weightlifting.

Dr. Geer has always had a love of exercise, the study of human movement, and working with people.  In her college studies, she earned degrees in Exercise Science and Kinesiology, which led to her working as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) for 11 years.  She had the desire to delve deeper into understanding injury and chronic pain, which led to her complete her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Northern Arizona University in 2017.  She’s been working as a Physical Therapist since then and continues to pursue continuing education in her field so that she can provide comprehensive, wholistic care for her patients.

Pricing:

Free Consultation Visit (30 min)

Sozo Members – $110

Non-Sozo Members $135

Heather Hicks

Heather is an educator, trainer and coach at heart.  She loves people and the outdoors (particularly hiking, biking, and kayaking) and always enjoys a good adventure. Heather grew up in the great Northwest, has travelled and worked abroad extensively and is now enjoying living in Arizona where the sun always shines. 

Heather has been working with US and international non-profits for the past 35 years. In addition to her work with Sozo, Heather is the Associate Director for Venture 1:9 serving non-profits locally and globally. She earned a Master of Biblical Counseling and has done graduate work in non-profit leadership and organizational development. Heather has completed certifications in leadership coaching, member care, crisis response, psychological and spiritual first aid, grief, trauma and stress management. 

A few decades ago 😊, she finished her bachelor’s degree with a focus on fitness and health and she still believes that a wholistic approach to health is a key foundation for a full-filling life. Because of this, she was immediately drawn to the lifestyle medicine approach and the dream of creating the supportive, informed and healthy community that the Youngs envision.  She will be helping develop the Sozo community, and coordinate educational workshops. 

Heather loves to partner with courageous people to help them fulfill their God-given callings, all for the glory of God!

 

Rhonda Zonoozi

Rhonda Zonoozi is an exercise physiologist and certified health and wellness coach. She currently works for Banner Thunderbird Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehab focusing on providing excellent patient care in a safe environment. She is responsible for monitoring heart and lung patients, providing exercise prescriptions, and educating patients on healthy lifestyle changes.

In her varied career she has designed and promoted employee wellness programs, performed fitness testing and training in a physical therapy clinic, and taught community health education classes. As a certified health and wellness coach, Rhonda uses her coaching experience and positive attitude to encourage others to concentrate on changes they can make towards achieving optimal health and wellbeing. Rhonda is inspired by patients who overcome their challenges and are successful in meeting their goals. In her free time, she likes to hike, watch and play sports, read, and try new recipes.

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Lifestyle Medicine is an evidence-based approach to prevent, treat and reverse chronic disease by replacing unhealthy behaviors with healthy ones. At Sozo Lifestyle Medicine, patients take ownership of their health and work to develop healthy habits as a central part of their daily lives. My goal is to build relationships with my patients in order to educate, equip, and empower them to take charge of their own health.  I understand that medications are often necessary to help control disease, however, my ultimate goal is to help you change your life in such a way that we can reverse disease and minimize the need for medications. I am excited to develop a community of health-seekers to encourage each other and learn together.

If you are interested in or have questions about this approach to medical care and would like to hear more about being a part of our community let us know by filling out the form below!

Mary “Maryrose” Young, D.O.

Dr. Young is an Arizona native who grew up in Cave Creek and now lives in north Scottsdale with her husband, Jon, and four kids. She is a currently practicing, board-certified, Emergency Medicine physician working and is certified as a diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. She graduated medical school from Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in Glendale, AZ in 2006 and completed Emergency Medicine residency at Maricopa Medical Center in 2009. She has been practicing for 18 years.

As an Emergency Medicine physician, Dr. Young sees patients at their most critical points, frequently on the worst day of their lives.  Her job is to stabilize, rule out life-threatening conditions and treat any acute illnesses. Often what brings patients to the emergency department are things that could have been avoided with lifestyle changes. Heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes are among the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States. Through lifestyle changes, patients are able to significantly reduce their risk for all of these!

Dr. Young loves working in the emergency department but found herself wishing she had more time to spend with patients. When she sees patients in the ED, she can touch briefly on simple things they can do to take charge of their health, but her interactions are limited by time. She opened Sozo Lifestyle Medicine so that she can develop relationships with her patients and help support them as they take charge of their health. Through lifestyle interventions that reverse chronic disease as well as her skillset as an Emergency Medicine physician, she does her best to help her patients stay healthy and out of the emergency department.

Over the past few years she has loved watching Sozo transform into a place of community, health, service, life and joy.

Jon Young

Jon is the Co-Owner and Operations Manager at Sozo Lifestyle Medicine.  In a less formal title, he is the Doer of Things.  He is an Arizona native and grew up in the Phoenix area.  Maryrose and Jon have three amazing boys and one incredible daughter.  Both Maryrose and Jon have planted their roots in north Scottsdale where they plan to continue to raise their family.  Prior to having children, Jon was an avid rock climber, hiker, and enthusiasts of everything outdoors.  He has made it a point to expose his children to the same activities that he enjoyed before they were born and loves sharing adventures with them.

 

When Jon is not working at Sozo, he is a fire Captain paramedic with a local fire department.  His career as a fire fighter has been a perfect fit for his skills and passion.  When not putting out fires, he is highly involved in the development and mentorship of newly hired firefighters and those wanting a career in the fire service.  Prior to being a fire fighter, Jon was a competitive gymnastics coach in the Scottsdale area.  He was involved in coaching and training high level gymnasts from ages 5-18 years old.  He developed strength and conditioning programs and skill development drills and also trained and coached cheerleaders and other athletes in strength and conditioning to improve their athletic performance.  Needless to say, Jon has always had a passion for coaching, mentoring and helping those around him.  He loves helping the Sozo community thrive in their health goals and celebrate their accomplishments.

 

Jon’s vision is to create an environment where the members can tell stories, plan outings together and create a community of friends and family while getting active, healthy and staying motivated.

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