Our Story

Our healthcare journey began long before Wolf & Willow was ever an idea. We grew up in this community, surrounded by our friends, family, and neighbors, the very people we now proudly serve. After becoming nurses, we found ourselves working side by side in the emergency room—often during the most difficult moments of people’s lives.

With more than a decade of combined experience in emergency medicine, we have cared for patients in crisis, stabilized life-threatening conditions, and witnessed incredible resilience. But we also saw something that stayed with us long after our shifts ended: far too many patients were turning to the ER not because they were experiencing true emergencies, but because they had nowhere else to go.

We've met people who have delayed care due to high costs, who couldn’t get in to their doctor's office for weeks or even months, and some have felt lost trying to navigate an insurance-driven system that has left them unheard and unsupported. Time and time again, we have found ourselves wishing we could do more—spend more time with patients, answer more questions, and help patients before their health reaches a breaking point.

These moments planted a seed...

We began asking a simple but powerful question: What would healthcare look like if it were tailored to patients' actual needs instead of being oriented around insurance billing codes and cramming in as many patients as possible? What if patients had real access to their providers with transparent costs and the time to feel heard?

That very question became the foundation of Wolf & Willow Direct Care.

By choosing this Direct Primary Care model, we have stepped away from the constraints of what has become known as "traditional" insurance-driven healthcare and stepped into a practice rooted in accessibility, trust, and genuine connection. At Wolf & Willow, care is personal. Visits are unhurried. Prevention, education on overall wellness, and mental health matters just as much as acute medical treatments. Patients are known as people—not numbers.

Wolf & Willow exists because we believe healthcare works best when it feels personal again. We are honored to bring that vision to life here in our home town and to the community that shaped us.

Bryce was born and raised in the Branson, Missouri area and has maintained a strong commitment to serving the community that shaped him. After graduating from Branson High School, he continued his education at the College of the Ozarks playing baseball and also earning a Bachelor’s degree in Human and Molecular Biology. He went on to complete his nursing education at Cox College and later earned his Doctorate as a Nurse Practitioner from Missouri State University, positioning himself to deliver advanced, evidence-based care.

Bryce spent his entire nursing career in the emergency room, where he saw many patients referred to the ER simply because their primary providers lacked the time, resources, or availability to meet their needs. These encounters highlighted significant gaps in the traditional healthcare system—particularly around access, continuity, and timely care. This insight ultimately fueled his dedication to the Direct Primary Care model. Since 2018, Bryce has worked within the healthcare system in various capacities, including as both a phlebotomist and a nurse.

These roles provided him with a broad understanding of how fragmented and difficult to navigate healthcare can be for many individuals. He has witnessed how barriers such as long wait times, rushed visits, and limited provider availability negatively impact patient outcomes. Motivated by these experiences, Bryce is committed to delivering high-quality, accessible, and relationship-centered care to the people of his hometown.

Kyle has called Hollister home since the age of twelve and has always felt a deep connection to the people and community here in the Ozarks. A proud Hollister High School graduate from the class of 2012, he began his college journey and football career at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. After retiring his cleats, he continued his education at the University of Missouri alongside his future wife, Lexie, ultimately returning to Central Methodist University to complete his Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Following graduation, Kyle returned home to Hollister, married his high school sweetheart, and began laying down roots of his own with a mission to serve the community that shaped him.

He began his career in the Intensive Care Unit at Cox Branson Medical Center, eventually migrating to the Emergency Department with his wife. It was there that he felt privileged to care for friends, neighbors, and families visiting Branson from across the country. In that fast-paced ER, he witnessed many of the challenges our patients continue to face — long waits for appointments, limited primary care access, and care that often feels rushed or impersonal.

Driven by a belief that healthcare should be personal, transparent, and rooted in true partnership, Kyle set out to build something better. His vision is to create a place where patients are heard, supported, and treated like family — a model that brings trust, time, and compassion back into medicine. With deep roots in Hollister and a sincere commitment to improving the health and well-being of the region, Kyle is honored to provide care that gives back to his community. A community that has given him so much in life.

Meet Your Providers

Dr. Todd Baker received a Bachelor of Science degree from Ouachita Baptist University in 1998 and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 2001. He then relocated to Ft. Hood, Texas, for an emergency medicine residency, graduating in 2004.

In September 2007, he joined the 86th Combat Support Hospital for its fifteen-month tour in Iraq. Dr. Baker served as the Chief of Emergency Medicine, Ibn Sina Hospital, “Baghdad ER”. Dr. Baker served as the Consultant to the Surgeon General for Emergency Medicine in the Iraqi Theater and was awarded the Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge for his service in Iraq.

During Dr. Baker’s seven-plus years serving in the Army, he was published in multiple medical journals, including Annals of Emergency Medicine and EM Clinics of North America, in addition to being the author of Baghdad ER: Fifteen Minutes. Dr. Baker has been featured in a multitude of publications, presented many lectures, conferences, and symposiums, and even featured on television programs based on his experiences in Iraq, such as Untold Stories of the ER on TLC and the Discovery Health Networks.

Dr. Baker brings extensive leadership experience, having served as Chief of Staff at Cox Medical Center Branson. He is a founding partner and Chief Business Officer (COO) of 360 Degree Medicine and currently functions as the Taney County Ambulance Medical Director, the Chief Operating Officer of SafER Medical Products, LLC and continues to actively work in multiple Emergency Rooms surrounding the area.

Meet Our Staff

Lexie was born and raised in Hollister, Missouri, and from a young age had a natural curiosity for anatomy and medicine. As a child, she practiced naming the bones of the body as part of her bedtime routine, attending late-night dental emergencies, and hunting with her dad—not just for the experience, but to better understand anatomy as he dressed the animals. Those early moments sparked a lifelong passion for healthcare.

She graduated from Hollister High School in 2011 alongside her now husband and one of our clinic’s Founders, Kyle Sheppard, and went on to attend her dream school, the University of Missouri–Columbia. Originally a biology major, Lexie’s path shifted after experiencing a health scare of her own that resulted in ovarian surgery. During that time, she encountered poor bedside manner from the doctors and a lack of patient education from the nurses—an experience that shaped her desire to become the nurse she wished she had. A nurse who truly listens, educates, and advocates for her patients.

Lexie earned her Associate Degree in Nursing from Moberly Area Community College in 2016 and began her career on a Medical Specialties unit at Boone Hospital before returning home to Hollister to marry her high school sweetheart, Kyle, in 2017. She was able to return to Mizzou in 2018 to complete her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, becoming one of the graduating classes of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Since 2017, Lexie has worked in the Cox Branson Emergency Department, earning certifications in adult and pediatric trauma, basic and advanced life support, neonatal and stroke care, hazmat response, forensic nursing, and ultrasound-guided IV placement. Her years in the ER have allowed her to help our community members during some of their toughest times and taught her how to stay calm in high-pressure situations while also revealing the cataclysmic gaps that exist in our healthcare system.

At Wolf & Willow Direct Care, Lexie brings her emergency experience, compassion, and passion for medicine into a care model built on relationships, trust, and time—ensuring every patient feels heard, informed, and genuinely cared for.

Makenzie attended Chadwick High School before continuing her education at the College of the Ozarks, where she met her husband, Bryce - one of our clinic's Founding Fathers. Married in 2020, they now share a beautiful daughter together and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their next little one!

Through Bryce's work in the Emergency Dept., Makenzie connected with Kyle and Lexie, and it quickly became clear that they all shared a common mission: serving and strengthening the community they call home. That shared vision is what ultimately laid the foundation for building Wolf & Willow DPC.

Makenzie serves as Wolf & Willow's Community Engagement & Outreach Coordinator, where she helps build meaningful connections beyond the clinic walls. Her work includes coordinating community and philanthropic events and helping manage special projects that strengthen relationships with local families, organizations, and businesses.

Outside of the clinic, Makenzie also serves as the Kids and Youth Ministry Director at Shepherd's Heart Church, where she is passionate about mentoring children and youth in their walk of faith. She values meaningful time with her family and friends, enjoys getting lost in a good book, and loves to travel whenever the opportunity arises. Makenzie brings her heart for service, organization, and connection into everything she does, helping ensure our clinic remains deeply rooted in the community it serves.