Congratulations to our Leadership in Health Coaching Award recipients for the HCTP January 2019 class! Integrative Nutrition believes in, supports, and celebrates all our incredible graduates for spreading the ripple effect of health and happiness in the world. The Leadership in Health Coaching Award was created to recognize the amazing accomplishments of our graduates, specifically those doing outstanding work that aligns with Integrative Nutrition’s core mission. Learn more about the winners below!

Lina Maria Velez

Bogota, Columbia

What were you doing prior to enrolling at Integrative Nutrition?

I was working at a law firm in my country.

How did your life change after enrolling?

It’s all said in two words: awareness and consciousness!! My point of view in absolutely all the fields of my entire life changed! Now I understand that wellness is a journey you need to work on day by day, that your happiness in really inside you, and that you only can spread love, gratitude, and compassion when you really work ON YOU FIRST!

Each one of us is unique and, by the way, magic souls! The best way to heal your own self is starting with knowledge of your divinity, your bio-individuality, and tuning in to your inner voice.

Kasse Morris

Charlottesville, Virginia

What were you doing prior to enrolling at Integrative Nutrition?

I am currently a full-time mom, but before that, I worked at the homeless shelter in my local area, helping homeless families find homes.

How did your life change after enrolling?

Going through the course at IIN was amazing for me. I learned quickly that we are in the midst of a global crisis and we need to act now to help people improve their health. People are unaware of how sick they are and the connection it has to their food. I was surprised by how passionate I became about this. The biggest thing that has changed for me is now I have the knowledge behind my passion to really help people. I feel fully equipped to help people make the connection between what is making them sick and what they are putting into their bodies.

Nadine Ghabrial

Babylon, New York

What were you doing prior to enrolling at Integrative Nutrition?

I have been employed in corporate America as a senior technology recruitment consultant for the past 20 years in New York City with a global IT consulting firm, working 40–50 hours per week.

How did your life change after enrolling?

My life changed immensely. Not only did I gain more confidence by following my life’s purpose and mission to get healthy and educate others on how to do the same by sharing my story, but I learned so much about how important it is to integrate diet and lifestyle.

My relationships also improved, and I became more spiritual and grounded. I love the concepts of bio-individuality and primary food.

The Circle of Life is my favorite learning tool by far and very effective in providing a visual for my clients about how their life currently looks and how to achieve balance in the areas that need attention. I believe primary food is what distinguishes Integrative Nutrition Health Coaches from other practitioners. I am now living my life’s purpose and passion!

Catherine Shelton

Bournemouth, England

What were you doing prior to enrolling at Integrative Nutrition?

I was homeschooling my four children, but I knew that I only had a couple of years left of that, and so I was beginning to think about what to do next. I wanted a career that I really enjoyed but that also had flexible hours and could work around having a family.

How did your life change after enrolling?

I absolutely loved doing the course! It was great to have my own “thing” to work on, beyond the usual family duties. I loved being a student again and learning and growing. I reinforced my healthy habits, lost a few more pounds, and felt so much more excited about the future and how I could have a career I really loved and made a real difference to people’s lives.

Victoria English Martin

Denver, Colorado

What were you doing prior to enrolling at Integrative Nutrition?

I have my BS in dietetics and have taught Pilates and meal planning since 2003. During those years, I was also very busy raising four children! Three of them are now young adults, and my little one is 11. In 2018, I was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer. I knew I was meant to turn my suffering into advocacy, and I decided to begin my IIN class while in the middle of my yearlong cancer treatment. The path ahead was unclear, but my heart told me that IIN was the first step.

How did your life change after enrolling?

IIN helped me piece together the ideas I had to create change and also educated me in areas I'd never thought to explore! Some of the modules pushed me out of my comfort zone, which of course led to growth! I have always worked with people, but I never dreamed I'd launch my own podcast – but I did! It is connecting me with individuals from all walks of life and helping others feel less alone. Also, I'm SO much better at being present, not worrying, understanding others, and asking high-mileage questions in every conversation. Finally, I've found a self-compassion I always wanted but had trouble embracing.

Fadhela Zeynab Alshimmari

Minneapolis, Minnesota

What were you doing prior to enrolling at Integrative Nutrition?

Prior to enrolling at IIN, I was working in healthcare and often found myself perplexed at our current healthcare system. Doctors today are so busy and typically see patients for five minutes, making it easier to prescribe medication than teach patients how to eat whole, nutritious foods to improve their health. This is where I felt that I needed to be the change.

How did your life change after enrolling?

IIN increased the value of my life. I truly believe that I have become a healthier version of myself. It has helped me cultivate positive habits, such as self-care, meditation, and cooking healthy, nutritious meals at home more often. I also learned the very important concept of bio-individuality – one person’s food is another person’s poison. What works for one person might not work for another. Learning this drastically changed the way I look at food and how I coach clients. We’re all different and unique, and each of us requires different needs when it comes to diet and lifestyle; it’s all about finding what nourishes YOU.

Jordan Rossow

Pacific Grove, California

What were you doing prior to enrolling at Integrative Nutrition?

Prior to my IIN enrollment, I was teaching barre at a few local studios in town as well as waitressing. I decided to change my college degree from business to dietetics. This change in my degree was discouraging because the time it would take to reach this degree would be years, and I wanted to start helping people with their current health as soon as I could. So I decided to take a year off school to travel more and find my true calling. I traveled through different areas of the United States as well as South America and spent a month in Europe. All of this was leading up to my enrollment in IIN.

How did your life change after enrolling?

After my enrollment, my fitness career was also growing quite a bit with teaching more classes and filling up my classes. I also found myself extra motivated on my own health and lifestyle choices because of the module assignments. The biggest change after my enrollment I would say would have been moving to Bali for the summer to do my yoga teacher training and staying after to continue to grow on the island spiritually. I found that while I was in Bali diving into my yoga practice and the IIN curriculum, I had a lot of spiritual awakenings and realizations that I needed. I have also shifted to become a much better listener and nonjudgmental being.