Health Coach Talk: Conversations About Wellness Through Functional Medicine Coaching

GLP-1 medications may quiet food noise, but lasting health requires more than weight loss. This conversation explores how health coaches support nutrition, strength, movement, emotional well-being, body image, and maintenance planning. It also examines proactive outreach, behavior-change prompts, medication bias, and the power of a collaborative care team.

What does being prepared have to do with living a healthy life? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes holistic nutrition professional, author, and “Ingredient Guru” Mira Dessy for a conversation about holistic emergency preparedness. From food and water to power outages and unexpected disruptions, Mira explains why preparedness can be approached as another part of supporting health, resilience, and peace of mind.Full show notes: https://functionalmedicinecoaching.org/podcast/mira-dessy-199/

What if the traditional medical approach to menopause is completely missing the underlying root causes of hormonal imbalance? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes triple board-certified physician and bestselling author Dr. Anna Cabeca to discuss the true cardiometabolic foundations of perimenopause and menopause. Known affectionately as The Girlfriend Doctor, Dr. Anna sheds light on how addressing cellular health, insulin sensitivity, and the powerful "mother hormone" oxytocin can dramatically transform the menopausal transition from a clinical hurdle into a vibrant growth opportunity.Full show notes: https://functionalmedicinecoaching.org/podcast/anna-cabeca-198/

Dr. Heather McKee, a behavioral scientist and health behavior change expert, explores why motivation fluctuates and how action can spark momentum. She discusses tiny habits, habit stacking, intrinsic motivation, and replacing “shoulds” with joy. The conversation also covers using wearable data wisely, designing technology that rewards effort, and coaching real people through imperfect lives.

Dr. Ken Sharlin, a board-certified neurologist and functional medicine practitioner, explores what fatigue may reveal about the brain. He discusses his Predictive Energy Allocation Model, neurodegeneration as a possible adaptive response, and the interconnected roles of inflammation, toxins, mitochondria, hormones, gut health, genes, and lifestyle. He also introduces his personalized Brain Tune-Up framework for supporting brain health.

Andrea Corleto, entrepreneur and founder/CEO of Altro Health, builds platforms that let wellness practitioners scale clinician-supervised longevity care. The conversation covers virtual longevity clinics, how coaches fit with labs and prescriptions, the risks of unsupervised peptides, and new models that combine coaching with clinical workflows.

Could health and wellness coaching be approaching one of the most significant turning points in the profession’s history? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes NBHWC leaders Deanna Fournier and Nicole Pope to discuss the proposed CMS reimbursement pathway, growing recognition of board-certified health coaches, and what these developments could mean for the future of the profession.Full show notes: https://functionalmedicinecoaching.org/podcast/deanna-fournier-nicole-pope-194/

What if seeing your blood sugar change in real time could make healthy habits easier to understand and sustain? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes Functional Medicine Coaching Academy graduates Michelle Doel and Alicia Harding, co-founders of the Metabolism Mastery Method, to explore how continuous glucose monitors, or CGMs, can support greater awareness of metabolic health and meaningful behavior change.Full show notes: https://functionalmedicinecoaching.org/podcast/michelle-doel-alicia-harding-193/

What if some of the most powerful forms of medicine are already available all around us? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes integrative and functional medicine physician Dr. Geeta Maker-Clark to explore how nature, sunlight, movement, belonging, and community can support physical and emotional well-being. Their conversation draws from Dr. Geeta’s book, Medicine for All People: Science and Ancient Wisdom for Revolutionary Healing, which invites readers to expand their understanding of what medicine can be.Full show notes: https://functionalmedicinecoaching.org/podcast/geeta-maker-clark-192/

What happens when fatigue, brain fog, hair loss, weight gain, and mood changes are dismissed because a standard lab result falls within the “normal” range? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes Dr. Amie Hornaman, known as The Thyroid Fixer, for a wide-ranging conversation about thyroid dysfunction, hormonal changes, personalized testing, and the importance of listening when the body signals that something is wrong.Full show notes: https://functionalmedicinecoaching.org/podcast/amie-hornaman-191/