Jodi is a board-certified family nurse practitioner with over 17 years of experience. She has practiced in a traditional setting where she saw the frustration of long wait times, short visits, and band-aid medicine along with her patients. After turbulent changes in 2021, the Lord put a new plan on her heart and closed the door to her position in corporate healthcare. She opened Southern Direct Primary Care in February 2022 where she has been able to offer the type of care that she has always dreamed of. Without the interference of insurance companies, she has been able to give time and attention to her patients and in turn provide a much higher level of care. She has discovered her passion for integrative medicine and is pleased to be able to combine that with her special interest in women’s health to provide a unique membership model alongside traditional primary care. 

Prior to becoming a family nurse practitioner in 2006, Jodi worked for over nine years as a labor and delivery RN with a specialty certification in Inpatient Obstetrics and Childbirth Education and has served in Bastrop County since 2001. 

Jodi graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas Pan American with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in 1996 and summa cum laude from Ball State University with a Master of Science degree in 2006. 

Jodi lives outside of Smithville, Texas with her husband. She is mother to three amazing children and has one beautiful granddaughter. She enjoys spending time at her country home with her family learning new homesteading skills, reading, and vacationing at the beach. 

Kaila is a board-certified family nurse practitioner with 10 years experience. Most of her career focus has been in women’s healthcare while working in a busy OB/GYN setting.  She is passionate about combining medical care with a wellness approach to provide personalized health plans and bring awareness to the underlying causes of health issues. Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, Kaila worked as a registered nurse in a hospital setting caring for all ages of patients which included newborn nursery and pediatric care to a wide variety of adult medical/surgical cases. Her vast career experiences all combine to create the well-rounded and passionate practitioner she is today. She is a strong patient advocate and strives to treat every patient like they’re her family.

Kaila spent most of her childhood in Smithville and graduated from Smithville High school in 2006. She attended Angelo State University for her Associate’s, Bachelor’s, and Master’s degrees in nursing.

Kaila is married to her high school sweetheart, Derek, and they have two beautiful little girls. She enjoys spending time outdoors, loves to go hunting and fishing with her family, attending Texas A&M sporting events, coaches softball for her daughters, and serves as the local Little League vice president. Kaila is excited to provide an excellent healthcare option to the community that she lives in and loves so much!