Health Coach Talk: Conversations About Wellness Through Functional Medicine Coaching

The DNA Company uses genetics to help people understand why they are sick and how to address the problems. This is an extremely helpful tool for practicing Fundemental Medicine health coaches. The DNA Company works with health coaches by identifying the rood cause of a client's problem, offering solutions, and having the health coach create a program for their client. Coaching is key to helping clients achieve results.  Kashif Khan is Chief  Executive Officer and Founder of The DNA Company, where personalized medicine is being pioneered through unique insights into the human genome. Growing up in  Vancouver, Canada in an immigrant household, Kashif developed an  industrious entrepreneurial spirit from a young age. Prior to his tenure  at the DNA Company, Kashif advised a number of high-growth start-ups in  a variety of industries. As Kashif dove into  the field of functional genomics as the CEO of The DNA Company, it was  revealed that his neural wiring was actually genetically designed to be  entrepreneurial. Now seeing his  health from a new lens Kashif dove further and started to see the  genetic pathways that led to his own family’s challenges, and the  opportunities to reverse chronic disease. His measure of success is not  in dollars earned, but in lives improved.

Thought leader and and founding member of the Institute for Functional Medicine Laurie Hofmann offers her insights into the future of Functional Medicine. She discusses how health coaches are a critical part of collaborative care teams and how Functional Medicine fits into healthcare. Laurie Hofmann, MPH, has devoted more than 20 years of her life to the advancement of The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and Functional Medicine. She was a founding member of the IFM Board of Directors, then served as Vice-Chair, was subsequently Executive Director, then served as CEO, and finally as Board Chair. Laurie skillfully managed the rapid growth of the organization with incredible commitment, laser focus, and sustained compassion. The evolution and expansion of the functional medicine ecosystem and IFM are a direct result of Laurie’s leadership, vision, and perseverance.

Innocent Clement is the Founder & CEO of Ciba Health, a personalized digital therapeutics and virtual care platform utilizing a precision health approach to treat and reverse chronic conditions while optimizing the physical and mental well-being of our patients. Learn more about how Ciba Health is utilizing Functional Medicine health coaches to help patients achieve their goals.  Innocent is a trained physician from both Columbia and Harvard University.

When dieticians and Functional Medicine health coaches come together, they make magic happen for their clients. This is what Ashley Koff believes has helped make The Better Nutrition Program so successful, not only in business, but for it's clients. Learn more about The Better Nutrition Program and how they are integrating health coaches into their business.  A 20+ year personalized nutrition and marketing expert, Ashley helps people, practitioners and businesses identify and make better nutrition choices more often for better health outcomes. As a practitioner, Koff created a proven system for continuous, root cause assessment to identify, show and help patients make their better choices more often. Today, as founder of The Better Nutrition Program, she leads a team bringing this system of tools and programs to practitioners globally to empower them to deliver personalized nutrition & lifestyle solutions to their patients more efficiently and effectively.

While remaining virtual, AndHealth still focuses on human to human communication to help people reverse their chronic illness. Functional Medicine health coaches are the linchpin of success for AndHealth and their patients. Health coaches at AndHealth work closely with physicians and nurse practitoners to create programs to help their clients in disease reversal. Learn more about how AndHealth is growing and it's future opportunities for practicing certified health coaches. Dr. Tim Raderstorf is thrilled to be the Talent Partner for AndHealth, a healthcare startup focused on helping people reverse their chronic illness. He holds volunteer positions as the Head of Academic Entrepreneurship at the  Erdős Institute, the Chief Operating Officer of the non-profit Nurses Everywhere, and is a member of the American Nurses Association’s  Innovation Advisory Board. In his previous role, Tim was the Chief Innovation Officer at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. From TED talks to textbooks, Tim uses every platform he can find to empower those at the front lines to change healthcare.

Dr. Pedram Shojai is a man with many titles. He is the founder of bpossible.com, the NYT Best Selling author of The Urban Monk, Rise and Shine, The Art of Stopping Time, Focus and Inner Alchemy. He is the producer and director of the movies Vitality, Origins, and Prosperity. He's also produced several documentary series like Interconnected, Gateway to Health, Trauma, Conscious Parenting and the Exhausted series. In his spare time, he's also a Taoist Abbot, a doctor of Oriental medicine, a kung fu world traveler, a fierce global green warrior, an avid backpacker, a devout alchemist, a Qi Gong Master, and an old school Jedi bio-hacker working to preserve our natural world and wake us up to our full potential.

At his Melbourne clinic, Jabe Brown looks to chance the way healtcare is done. After realizing that simply providing his patients with information wasn't enough to implement change, he looked for that missing piece. Functional Medicine health coaches were his solution. Now his clinic hires health coaches to help his patients make sustainable changes and improve their health. See how health coaches can work hand-in-hand with medical providers in a clinic setting.  Jabe founded  Melbourne Functional Medicine after seeing gaps in current healthcare  approaches that often led to poor health outcomes. Recognizing that  healthcare could be done better, he created our collaborative model of care that unites patients with functional medicine practitioners and  health coaches. Since its inception  in 2017, Jabe's focus has been on validating this approach. Now Jabe has shifted his focus to leading a clinical team to deliver the best healthcare experience for all  patients. He is also a sought after speaker in the functional medicine space. With a Master of  Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine, and ongoing training  through The Institute for Functional Medicine, Jabe stays at the  forefront of the most recent health research.

Forum Health is a nationwide network of clinics that work one on one with clients to help them better achieve their health goals. Offering a number of different programs, Forum Health is always looking for new talent to grow their business. As they grow, expanding clinics out across the country, they are looking for Functional Medicine health coaches to join their team. Learn more about Forum Health and their goals as they grow in the field of Functional Medicine.  At Forum Health, Adam streamlines operations to drive objectives. He has more than 15 years of leadership experience in healthcare operations, nutraceuticals, and software development. Dr. Saxena served as  CEO for her SevaMed Institute practice, internationally known for  contributions to the lifestyle-based group medical appointment model.  She also founded the Center for Living Wellness and was chief of  medicine for the n1Health physician network. Saxena is a  board-certified family physician with 15-plus years of integrative  medicine experience. She serves on faculty at the Institute for  Functional Medicine. She’s also a fellow of the Arizona Center for  Integrative Medicine. Previously, Saxena was on faculty at George Washington University’s Department of Clinical Research & Leadership.

Novis Health looks to partner providers with health coaches to build and carry our programs to truly help clients reach their goals. While providers build individual programs, Novis truly relies on Functional Medicine health coaches for the therapeutic aspect. Learn more about how Novis is using innovative technology, nutritional supplements, and comprehensive testing alongside health coaching to assist their clients. Founder Dr. Ryan Valencic started Novis Health to redefine the way we perceive health in our country. That purpose has evolved into the greater mission of transforming health in America – beginning with the Novis Health member community.

Known around the country as a pharmacy, CVS has started to step into the world of Functional Medicine. Anna Sparks is part of a new project to open Chronic Care Programs in CVS stores nationwide. As part of this project, clinics will look to Functional Medicine health coaches to help clients make sustainable life changes. Learn more about this initiative and the opportunities it offers for health coaches. Anna Sparks joined CVS Health as Manager, of Chronic Care Programs in December of 2020. As CVS aspires to build an enterprise-wide nutrition platform that can function across all channels, Anna plays a critical role in CVS Health's operational success and program design. A key responsibility is the operations of CVS Health B2C Nutrition Coaching & Services mini-test and pilot which was originally launched in the Phoenix, AZ area. Anna has an M.S. in Exercise Physiology and a background in creating successful and sustainable behavior change in the areas of nutrition and exercise. Anna also has a background as an entrepreneur and business owner, and leader of wellness professionals. Anna lives in the Phoenix, AZ area.