We are the Institute for
Functional Health Coaching®

Our mission is to equip health and wellness leaders with the blueprint for building sustainable, low-risk and wildly successful functional health coaching businesses so that they can positively impact as many lives as possible.
Hi, and welcome to the Institute for Functional Health Coaching®! We’re thrilled you’re here and want to learn more about our company and team.
We’re a close-knit team of entrepreneurial changemakers who are on a mission to do our part to help reverse the chronic disease epidemic and guide more people towards optimal physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
We share a passion for wellness, an obsession with helping the world live better, a strong desire to be a part of mending a broken system that has left 40% of the population sick, overweight, inflamed, and in pain, and a core belief that aspiring health coaches like you are the answer to our healthcare crisis and are the future of healthcare.
Since the Institute was officially founded in 2017, our team has diligently set out to lift up and cultivate the health coaching industry and equip more aspiring health leaders with the blueprint for building sustainable, low-risk and wildly successful functional health coaching businesses so that they can positively impact as many lives as possible.
And because of our unwavering dedication to our mission, our commitment to the success of our students, the performance and passion of our high-caliber team, and the guidance and leadership of our founder, the Institute for Functional Health Coaching® is quickly becoming a leader in health coach education.
To date, our students have helped thousands of clients overhaul their health, make significant lifestyle changes, improve their eating habits, lose weight, alleviate pain, reduce or eliminate inflammation, overcome chronic conditions and so much more.
The best part? We’re just getting started.
Meet us below and when you’re ready to join the movement and become a functional health coach, schedule your call with us here.
The Institute for Functional Health Coaching™ Team

Carmen Hunter
Founder
Carmen Hunter is the founder of The Institute for Functional Health Coaching™ and the creator of the proven functional method of coaching Education, Preparation & Action ©. She has OVER a decade of coaching experience to include hundreds of one-on-one clients, group training, live and online talks and teaching with clients. She has been mentoring and educating coaches and wellness practitioners for over 7 years and has collaborated her teachings on low-risk health coaching with top wellness professionals from around the world. She loves to collaborate and bring experts to her audience so they have reliable resources and can stay safe in their health coach lane.
She believes that diagnoses are symptoms from a larger health condition and approaching a client from a whole mind-body perspective is the only way to reach optimal health. She does this teaching a seven foundations for humans model that can be used with any client no matter their symptoms or conditions. Her number one focus in the health coaching profession is to educate and inspire coaches to build a successful business with integrity and service that surpasses all others. “No question goes unanswered” is her motto. She is known as the tough love mentor who loves to help people overcome obstacles and barriers to success in her Podcast The Successful Health Coach.

Julienne
Marketing and Project Coordinator
Marketing strategist Julienne DesJardins is passionate about bringing order to chaos and inspiring women to lean into their talents as they grow their businesses. And that’s exactly what she does as events manager for IFHC™.
In her own business, Julienne partners with other small business owners to craft and implement marketing automation plans to broaden their reach and grow their audiences. She owns a boutique marketing agency with team members based in the U.S. and Canada. Empowering and enabling female business owners to redefine freedom for themselves and create lives and businesses they love is a driving force of their mission.
Julienne studied Digital Marketing at NYU and has a Master’s degree in Public Administration. She’s an Keap Certified Partner (formerly Infusionsoft) and a ConvertKit Certified Expert. Empowering and enabling female business owners to redefine freedom for themselves and create lives and businesses they love is a driving force of their mission. In 2018, her team served clients in 17 U.S. States and 4 countries.
Julienne is a proud work-at-home mom, spending her days with her three-year-old, Luke and their two little goldfish. You can find her on Instagram @julmasdes or visit her website juliennedesjardins.com.

Shannon
Student Specialist and Customer Support
Shannon Spears is a Certified Functional Health Coach, graduated from IFHC, as well as a Certified Nutritional Therapist and is currently working her way towards her Masters in Herbal Medicine. She is the owner of Shannon Spears Wellness where she strives to educate, empower her clients and her community to take back control of their health.
Shannon has experience working with others through many types of health issues, but because of her personal experience both with her own health and with her children’s, she specializes in working with adults & families with children struggling with food allergies, food sensitivities, learning and/or behavioral issues, anxiety, depression or trauma related challenges.
She is passionate about helping her clients find the root cause of their health symptoms by focusing on Gut Health. She enjoys teaching about whole foods, traditional food preparation methods, fermentation, essential oils & herbs for overall health, stress perception, sleep, safe movement & addressing traumas for improved emotional health.
When she’s not busy working with clients, she’s busy being a wife to her husband who is a Marine Veteran, a mom to 2 teenagers that she homeschools, volunteering at her church or in her community. She loves reading & learning, being out in nature, working out in the gym and being creative in many ways.

Taysia
Website Developer
Taysia Peterson is a true believer of looking at all things in life holistically; including business and design. She works to help empower those who empower others by bringing their brand to life online with a web presence that speaks true to who they are and attracts their ideal clients.
Taysia has a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Graphic Design with experience in web design and branding both in the agency setting and with private companies. Today she specializes in custom WordPress Website Design & Development for wellness-driven entrepreneurs and businesses.
In her free time, she cherishes every moment with family, hanging out with her pup, or working on a fine art piece. You can find her on Instagram @digialityco or visit her website digiality.co.