Graduate Success

I’m a former professional BMX athlete, motivational speaker, and holistic health coach who’s fought four brain tumors. My passion and motivation for living the best life stems from the discovery of a genetic predisposition to accumulating tumors, a realization that sparked an investigative journey into researching the health, performance, and longevity of the human brain. As a result, I follow a ketogenic diet, and since adopting this lifestyle paradigm, the growth of my tumors has ceased leaving me feeling better and more fulfilled than ever before!

I launched a health coaching business to inspire and help others to improve their brain health so they can transform into the most successful versions of themselves. I’ve also teamed up with the Athlete Recovery Fund to raise awareness and funds for a nonprofit BMX/wellness event called the Brainy BMX Stunt Shows, which focuses on raising direct funds for direct patient care through education, sport, and inspiration.

Chris is an author, athlete, activist, photographer, model, teacher, motivational speaker, holistic Health Coach, natural foods chef, and the founder and CEO of Miami Wellness Club (MWC), south Florida’s premier guide to healthy living.™ Born and raised in Miami, Florida, he travels the world educating, inspiring, and empowering people to become rich in mind, body, and spirit, forever. His personal journey of loss and overcoming adversity serves as the foundation for his life’s work. Prior to founding MWC, Chris worked in the accounting and wealth management industries serving the needs of affluent clientele. Feeling inspired to flip the script from simply accumulating monetary riches in favor of uncovering the true and everlasting wealth within – our health – he left to pursue a new and revolutionary path. Sharing his unique and integrated perspective, Chris currently writes, speaks, and coaches on the topics of health, wellness, spirituality, and personal transformation, in both English and Spanish. His passion for elevating the lives of others is truly next-level. Chris has lived internationally in the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Peru, Spain, and Cuba, and values spending time with loved ones, connecting with god, and experiencing his healthiest life each day.

In 2005, I lost my 47-year-old mother to a rare form of liver cancer. My family and I were devastated and disheartened about the limited options we’d been given for her “healing,” and the dead-end road we were forced to travel in trying to achieve it. This unexpected and life-altering event planted the seed for what is now my life’s work. I became committed to finding true answers to her illness. Doing something positive with this new reality awakened to the alternative solutions that existed all along and inspired by the power of the human body, MWC was created for you to experience optimal wellness while becoming rich in mind, body, and spirit. We’ve spent the last fifteen years exploring the globe compiling the most effective information to solve our society’s biggest challenges. In turn, we uncovered a burning desire to get to the bottom of our perennial birthright, our health. Through this process, our pain became our purpose, and now we’re here to share the most profound gift we’ve learned thus far: the truth. Health is truly our greatest wealth because it enables us to experience life with more joy and longevity. In adopting a conscious and active lifestyle, everything changes! We’re here to make this knowledge more accessible than ever by empowering you with the necessary tools to unleash your best self. MWC is a community rooted in love, where all are welcome and connected, no matter the circumstances. Our tribe in south Florida and beyond is completely committed to your transformation because we truly want to see you thrive in every aspect of your life. We’re thankful and grateful to be on this adventure with you and are here to guide you every step of the way. The life of your dreams starts now: Join the club!

My life changed overnight 10 years ago. I was an athlete pursuing a career in professional golf but was suddenly struck down with an illness that left me bed-bound for two years and housebound for the next four years. I discovered a passion for food and nutrition throughout my housebound stage and decided to start my blog, Healthy Living James. I also decided to study with IIN to further my knowledge and use that to better my recipes and health. Now I am a full-time food blogger working with incredible brands and doing a job I absolutely love.

Creating quick and easy gluten-, dairy-, egg- and refined sugar–free recipes, most of which are plant-based, and sharing them online to a worldwide audience. My passion is inspiring others to cook more from home with simple ingredients.

I reached a point of exhaustion and burnout in my career. I knew there had to be a bigger purpose for my career and I was obsessed with health and wellness, but I didn’t know how to make the career change nor what job I could do.

When I discovered IIN through graduates who wrote the wellness books I was reading, I felt I found my ticket to making that career change. In addition to IIN having the only program I found with really engaging TED Talk–style lessons on health, they had some of the most renowned teachers in the industry and provided training on how to start a health coaching practice so I could change careers and follow my passion.

Not long after I graduated and opened my practice, I was diagnosed with a rare tumor on my pancreas and had major surgery to remove the tumor and multiple digestive organs. The surgery came with risks of lifelong complications. I used everything I learned at IIN about bio-individuality and healing, and as a result, I not only healed myself, but I’ve had no tumor recurrence, a healthy pregnancy and baby, and I’m as healthy as I could be.

I now work as a holistic career coach, where I help women discover their gifts, fulfill their purpose, and create a joyful life. Learning about primary food at IIN helped me see how our health, happiness, and fulfilment aren’t just influenced by nutrition; they’re also influenced by our career, spirituality, and how we take care of our mind and body. This has been the biggest inspiration for my teachings, and through my YouTube videos, online courses, and public speaking, my work has reached over 1.5 million people and I feel so lucky to do what I do.

Enrolling in IIN marked a major (and unexpected) turning point in my life! I had spent years allowing myself to get so wound up in my career and day-to-day life that focusing on myself just wasn’t a priority. Though I achieved goal after goal, it somehow seemed as though I was just always trying to keep up...and my body was struggling to keep up with what I was putting it through.

That’s when my interest in wellness began, out of pure necessity, to try to break the cycle I was in. Yet, along with the exponential shifts in my health and perspective from the simple changes I was making came a true sense of empowerment unlike anything I had experienced before! There was no question in my mind that I not only had to learn more but had to find a way to help others find that same sense of empowerment; investing in IIN is what helped me make that dream a reality.

Now, years later, I’ve traded my career in finance for spending 100% of my time encouraging women to reframe the way they look at their health and prioritize their mental and physical well-being. I consult with clients across geographies to assist them in developing their own individualized brands of wellness by taking small, progressive steps to optimize their lifestyles and find their equilibrium.

I also work with women’s groups, speak in corporate settings, create healthy yet delicious recipes, write for several platforms (including my own!), and am always looking for new and interesting ways to convince more women that, no matter what your various existing roles and responsibilities, there’s always a way to make wellness accessible...and that it’s always worth making that investment!

Through much of my early-mid 20s, I struggled with IBS exacerbated by chronic stress. My doctor gave me a diagnosis while drinking directly from a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke and offered me a couple of prescriptions. Not ready to go the prescription route, I hit the New York Public Library and took classes to figure out what I could do to eliminate the need to triangulate the closest bathroom everywhere I went. Teeny change after teeny change, I got healthier and happier. Others noticed and wanted to know what I did.

I filled up my professional toolbox in a big way at IIN. I knew that we are all individuals, so what helped me turn my health around wouldn't necessarily work for others. The curriculum offers a multitude of lenses to critically think about foundational health and wellness. The training also taught me a lot about listening - deep listening - from a place of really seeking to understand and connect. It taught me how impactful that can be for clients and the successful women - from astronauts to change agents to artists - I interview on my podcast, Le vital corps Salon.

Of course, there are always challenges to being a small business owner, but this work allows me to create a vital corps of healthy, assertive go-getters in the world. What could be better than that?

Right after graduating from IIN, I created a successful health coaching practice and cooking show to teach others how to truly nourish their bodies. Almost 10 years later, I still wake up every morning energized and excited to see clients, shoot videos, and appear on national television as the go-to wellness expert.

I’m a health coach and offer a mix of online and live programs. I work with clients doing 1-on-1 coaching, have group coaching programs, and go at your own pace online health coaching courses. I work with a select number of brands and companies as a wellness expert or spokesperson. I’m also an author - my first book, Go With Your Gut, was published in 2016 and my second book, Thin From Within, came out in February 2018.

My approach looks at all areas of your life. Your body wants you to feel good, and the best way to reach your natural weight is to keep your gut flora happy while balancing the other parts of life that “weigh” you down. Together, these two forces will have you looking and feeling fabulous.