Health Coach Talk: Conversations About Wellness Through Functional Medicine Coaching

What if the symptoms you’ve been told to “push through” are actually your hormones asking for attention? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes women’s health leader Dr. Carrie Jones and Mira Clinical Manager Rose MacKenzie for a conversation about hormone tracking and how real-time data is changing the way women understand their bodies. Together, they explore how daily hormone monitor...

Is there really a future in health coaching, and what does that future look like as healthcare continues to evolve? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes Kasia Smith, founder of Pillar, to explore how health coaching careers are expanding within today’s healthcare system. As chronic disease rates rise and providers search for more sustainable care models, health coaches are increasing...

What if the symptoms many people chalk up to “normal aging” were actually signals of chronic inflammation brewing beneath the surface? This week on Health Coach Talk , Dr. Sandi welcomes Ayurvedic practitioner, inflammation researcher, and author Dr. Shivani Gupta for a powerful conversation about inflammation, individuality, and the wisdom that emerges when ancient traditions and modern science w...

What role do health coaches really play in today’s healthcare system, and why is that role becoming more essential than ever? On this episode of Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi sits down with Amanda Grabot, a leader in functional medicine coaching and business development, to explore how health coaches are helping bridge the gap between clinical care and real-life behavior change in an evolving integ...

Have you ever walked out of a medical visit feeling more dismissed and afraid than informed and supported? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes physician, author, and patient advocate Dr. Erika Schwartz to talk about what really goes wrong in our healthcare system and how patients can protect themselves. Dr. Erika, founder of Evolved Science and faculty at A4M, has spent decades pion...

What will it take to reverse the rising tide of chronic illness and mental health struggles facing today’s teens? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi sits down with 17-year-old national speaker, podcaster, and upcoming author Abdullah Ansari to unpack why young people are struggling like never before. Abdullah brings the perspective of a teen who has lived this reality firsthand and is calli...

How do we take charge of our health in a world where information, technology, and healthcare options are expanding faster than ever? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes entrepreneur, author, and AI innovator Robin Farmanfarmaian to explore what it means for patients to become the CEOs of their own healthcare. Robin’s work sits at the intersection of patient empowerment and fast adva...

How can we care for our skin in a way that reflects how we want to feel as we age? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi is joined by Cynthia Garcia, founder of Rewritten and a leader in identity-based transformation. Together, they explore the science behind skin aging, the emerging role of senolytics, and how daily skincare can become a meaningful ritual that supports both confidence and wel...

Where are the blind spots in our current standard of care, and what happens when a physician decides to search beyond them? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes family physician, clinical researcher, and author Dr. Aaron Hartman to explore how truly personalized medicine takes shape when curiosity, compassion, and evidence align. Dr. Hartman shares how his daughter’s early challenges...

What if recovery didn’t stop at sobriety? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes Dr. Amy de la Garza and Linnea Offerman from Nosis Health to discuss how functional medicine and health coaching are transforming addiction treatment. Together, they share a groundbreaking model of care that integrates medical treatment, therapy, and coaching to support lasting recovery and whole-person he...

Can what you eat shape how you feel and think? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes licensed clinical psychologist and FMCA-certified health coach Dr. Andrea Cook to explore nutritional psychology, the bi-directional relationship between food and mental health. Dr. Cook shares how this lens is reshaping psychotherapy training, clinical practice, and even college psychology curricula....

What if the secret to aging well isn’t found in a pill or a protocol, but in your mindset and your community? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes Sally Duplantier, gerontologist, public health educator, and founder of Zing. At 70, she’s pursuing her doctorate in public health while helping older adults around the world embrace vitality, connection, and lifelong learning through her...

What if trauma isn’t just in your mind, but in your cells? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes double board-certified physician and trauma expert Dr. Amy to explore the biology of trauma and how it impacts both mental and physical health. Dr. Amy shares groundbreaking insights from her new book The Biology of Trauma, which reveals how the body stores fear, pain, and overwhelm, and h...

What does it really mean when food is “grass-fed” or “regenerative”? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes regenerative farmer Joe Wanda, founder of Wanda Farms in Harvard, Illinois. Together they explore how farming practices impact the nutrient density of food, the health of our soil, and ultimately, the well-being of our families and communities. Full show notes: https://functional...

What if the path to healing and growth started not with reinvention, but with radical self-acceptance? In this episode of Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi sits down with motivational speaker, author, and emotional fitness advocate Hakeem Bourne McFarlane to explore the power of choosing yourself: embracing your story, owning your identity, and doing the internal work that leads to external impact. Ful...

What happens to healthcare when artificial intelligence gets faster, smarter, and more accessible? In this episode of Health Coach Talk , Dr. Sandi speaks with Stanford professor and AI pioneer Dr. Ronjon Nag about the future of AI in medicine, why human connection still matters, and how coaches can embrace technology without losing their impact. With decades of experience building AI systems and...

What if treating heart disease meant going beyond prescriptions and procedures to ask what truly matters? In this episode of Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj, a board-certified interventional cardiologist who found new purpose through functional medicine and personalized, lifestyle-based care. Show notes: https://functionalmedicinecoaching.org/podcast/sanjay-bhojraj-147/

What role can health coaches play in addressing today’s mental health crisis? On this episode of Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes FMCA graduate Shelby Garay, Senior Manager of Coaching at the Headspace Training Institute, to talk about her journey from FMCA’s inaugural class to shaping the future of mental health coaching. Shelby shares her passion for dismantling health inequities, training...

What does it really mean to “stay in your lane” as a health coach? In this week’s episode of Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes attorney and certified health coach Lisa Fraley to shed light on the legal side of coaching. Lisa blends her experience as a former healthcare lawyer with her background as a coach to help professionals understand scope of practice, protect their businesses, and feel c...

What does it take to be at the forefront of a profession that is transforming healthcare? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes Karen Malkin, one of the first National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coaches in the United States. Karen has spent years weaving together nutrition, environmental health, and brain health into her coaching practice, helping clients create sustainable l...

Can cognitive decline be prevented or even reversed with the right approach? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi speaks with FMCA graduate and ReCODE 2.0 health coach Julie Luby and Apollo Health’s VP of Coaching Services, Chris Coward, about the groundbreaking work being done in brain health coaching. Together, they explore the ReCODE program developed from Dr. Dale Bredesen’s research, sha...

What would it mean to truly explore your limits, physically, emotionally, and spiritually? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi sits down with Akshay Nanavati, a speaker, author, and former Marine whose journey through trauma, addiction, and war led him to a life of intentional suffering, deep self-exploration, and global impact. From ultramarathons to solitude in Antarctica, Akshay shares wh...

What if your best years weren’t behind you but ahead? In this episode of Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi is joined by midlife fat loss expert and bestselling author Natalie Jill to challenge cultural narratives around aging, strength, and what is truly possible for women over 40. With an empowering message rooted in resilience, mindset, and science-backed strategies, Natalie shares how women can feel...

We often think of skin in terms of appearance, but what if it also reflects our internal health and serves as a predictor of chronic disease? In this fascinating episode of Health Coach Talk , Dr. Sandi is joined by Kiran Krishnan, a research microbiologist and co-founder of Microbiome Labs, to uncover what most people are missing about the skin microbiome, joint health, and how artificial intelli...

What makes a health coaching relationship truly transformative? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes board-certified functional health coach and author Anu Simh to explore how coaching that centers the client’s voice and lived experience can lead to powerful, lasting change. Anu is the founder of 9 Arms of Wellness, where she helps busy women heal their gut, reclaim their health, and...