Mary Olodun

September 2025 Issue

by Lesley Kyle
Photography by Lindsay Pettinicchi Photography, LLC

Mary Olodun, ND, has led a remarkable career of service to her country and clients.

As a sickly child who missed 56 days of kindergarten, Mary became well-acquainted with the modern healthcare system throughout her childhood. With a special talent for planning her career steps, young Mary obtained her nursing degree right out of high school and her license as a practical nurse in 1989. Along the way, Mary encountered many moonlighting clinicians who educated her about the power of natural medicine. Time and again, Mary bore witness to the positive effects of holistic medicine. Through the years, her interest in a career in holistic medicine only intensified, but her career path would first take a detour in an entirely different direction.

Mary’s 30-year military career began in the Navy when she told the recruiter she wouldn’t enlist unless they promised she wouldn’t be assigned to a ship. She was instead assigned to a military intelligence post. Later, she returned to the University of Illinois in Chicago, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a fine arts degree. Mary then commissioned as an army officer and became a nurse at a Catholic hospital. The longevity of her army career afforded her to assume roles in human resources, logistics, public affairs, and recruiting. “It has been a long process,” she said. However, she always knew she would eventually pursue her true passion of becoming a full-time natural healer.

Naturopaths (NDs) complete four years of education in addition to continuing education in their specialty areas of interest. “It’s a narrow lane that people don’t always understand,” said Mary. “Education is a big part of what I do, and I love it.” Over the course of eight years, Mary completed and received her doctoral degree from the Trinity College of Natural Health in 2013. Mary shares the knowledge she has gained from her extensive training with her clients and educates them on her role in their care. “Education is my hallmark,” she said.

Holistic medicine, also known as natural, alternative, or functional medicine, focuses on preventing the root causes of illness. Holistic medicine considers the interconnectedness of the body, mind, and spirit, striving for balance between all three. “Western medicine treats symptoms and can sometimes miss those crucial connections,” said Mary. The principles of holistic medicine have been practiced for thousands of years, while Western medicine is still relatively new by comparison. “We don’t have a healthcare system in America,” said Mary, “it’s a sick care system. Western medicine is not as wholesome as it was 25 years ago.”

Mary is also passionate about finding the emotional roots of people’s pain. By uncovering a trauma that never healed, for example, Mary helps clients heal both physically and emotionally. “The spiritual part of healing becomes very important. There is always a place for emergent care in Western medicine. For clients to receive long-term wellness, they should plug into alternative medicine.” Mary recalled working with a young female client who had been diagnosed with several health conditions affecting her heart. Sadly, that client had lost two sisters to the same condition. After three months in Mary’s care, the client not only demonstrated amazing improvement, she also conceived after several years of trying and gave birth to a healthy son. Additionally, Mary’s own son was born with asthma, and thanks to natural medicine, he was relieved of his symptoms by age 10.

Married to her husband, Aderemi Olodun, DPA, for 16 years, their blended family is blessed with five children. Aderemi, a native of Nigeria and holding a Doctorate in Public Administration, is a Veteran Service Officer with the Beaufort County Office of Veterans Affairs. Visits to Hilton Head led to the couple eventually putting down roots in the Lowcountry. Now retired from the Army, Mary continues to serve as a pathfinder for former military members who need help connecting with services in South Carolina.

Mary founded Trilera Holistic Care, LLC in 2019 and plans to empower other practitioners in the near future by offering training through her website. “The military is all about training the trainer,” said Mary.

In the meantime, Mary encourages newcomers to the natural wellness movement to be open-minded about the process and to approach holistic health gradually. “Clients should lower their expectations for a quick fix. Healing naturally takes time.”

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Up Close:

Hometown: Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side

Hobbies: Mary loves to travel, sing, dance, and act!


If She Had a Magic Wand: She would heal every suffering soul with love and natural healing.

Spare Time: Mary mentors other entrepreneurs and serves as an ambassador for the Greater Bluffton Chamber of Commerce. She is also on the Board of Directors at Lowcountry Legal Volunteers.

Family Time: Mary enjoys mandatory date nights with her husband and loves spending time with her ninth-grade daughter.

Find Mary: www.trileraholisticcare.com