The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition

What if one unexpected event, a partnership ending, a pandemic, a health crisis, or losing a major client could completely disrupt your business? More importantly, how do you build a health coaching business that can survive every setback?

In this episode of the Health Detective Podcast, Michele Scarlet shares the real business journey behind building a resilient Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practice. From launching a personal training studio at age 22 to navigating failed partnerships, COVID shutdowns, personal health struggles, pregnancy, and unexpected client loss, Michele explains how every challenge became an opportunity to build a stronger business.

She reveals why relying on a single income source leaves many health professionals vulnerable and how creating multiple streams of income transformed her career. Michele discusses premium one-on-one coaching, scalable group programs, recurring memberships, digital products, affiliate partnerships, corporate wellness contracts, and practitioner supplement dispensaries as sustainable ways to create long-term business stability.

The conversation also explores how Functional Diagnostic Nutrition, Functional Lab Testing, Health Coaching, and a Root Cause Healing approach not only restored Michele's own health but also expanded her ability to help women struggling with Hormone Imbalance, Burnout, Bloating, anxiety, weight gain, and other chronic health challenges through Functional Health.

Designed for aspiring FDN Practitioners, Functional Health Practitioners, wellness entrepreneurs, and health coaches, this episode provides practical insights into building a business that supports both financial growth and personal freedom. Michele explains why boundaries, recurring revenue, diversified income, and scalable offers allow practitioners to serve more people without sacrificing their own health or family life.

Whether you're starting your first Health Coaching practice or looking to scale an established business, this episode delivers actionable strategies for creating a resilient, profitable, and purpose-driven business built to thrive through life's inevitable challenges.

Join the Business Builder Challenge Starting July 13-30 (for FDN Trainees & Grads Only) ⤵️

http://fdntraining.com/bbc

⚠️ DISCLAIMER This content is for education only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes.

How do you help someone whose chronic bloating, abdominal distension, digestive issues, hormone imbalance, and fatigue keep returning, even after working with multiple practitioners? In this episode of the Health Detective Podcast, Michele Scarlet sits down with FDN Practitioner Becca Chilczenkowski, co-owner of FitMom Functional Health, to break down one of her most complex Functional Diagnostic Nutrition case studies.

Together, they explore how a woman struggling with severe bloating, recurring H. pylori, parasites, reflux, constipation, dermatitis, fibroids, weight gain, exhaustion, and hormone challenges finally experienced lasting Health Transformation through a layered, whole-body approach. Rather than chasing symptoms or relying on aggressive protocols, Becca explains why supporting Functional Health begins with restoring digestive capacity, improving stomach acid, bile flow, nutrient absorption, and immune resilience before introducing targeted Healing Protocols.

She shares how Functional Lab Testing, blood work, and GI-MAP testing helped uncover hidden stressors driving chronic inflammation and why rebuilding the body's foundations produced long-term results.

The conversation also explores Gut Health, Hormone Health, Functional Medicine, Root Cause Healing, digestive enzymes, HCl, ox bile, immune support, fasting strategies, metabolic flexibility, and the importance of nervous system regulation. Michele and Becca discuss why many women dealing with Chronic Illness, Burnout, bloating, and hormone issues often need less stress, not more exercise, and why personalized care consistently outperforms one-size-fits-all protocols.

They also discuss collaborating with medical teams for hormone therapy and peptides while staying within the FDN scope of practice, highlighting how Health Coaching, Practitioner Education, and teamwork create better client outcomes.

Whether you're a Functional Health Practitioner, Health Coach, FDN Practitioner, or someone searching for answers to chronic digestive and hormone challenges, this episode delivers practical insights into Root Cause Medicine, Functional Nutrition, and sustainable healing that lasts

REGISTER NOW FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER CHALLENGE⤵️

http://fdntraining.com/bbc

📲CONNECT WITH BECCA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehormonequeen/

 

⚠️ DISCLAIMER This content is for education only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes.

If you have lived with acid reflux, heartburn, bloating, or stomach pain that will not go away, even after PPIs, elimination diets, and round after round of doctor visits, this conversation is for you.

For over five years, Jessica Washington cycled through the ER, a PPI, a SIBO label, and increasingly restrictive diets, with no real answers. Her H. pylori test even came back negative, something that happens far more often than most people are told. Everything changed when she ran functional labs with a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner and finally saw what was driving her symptoms.

Host Michele Scarlet and Jessica, now an FDN practitioner and founder of The Gut Healing Ninja, get into:

Why upper-gut symptoms like reflux and gastritis often start outside the stomach

Why a negative H. pylori test does not always mean you are in the clear

What a GI Map reveals that standard testing misses

The gut-brain connection and the invisible weight of managing symptoms daily

How addressing root causes gave Jessica her health, energy, and family back

Find Jessica, The Gut Healing Ninja:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theguthealingninja
Website: https://theguthealingninja.com

FDN grads and trainees, this one is for you. Ready to turn your certification into a practice that actually fills up? Our Business Builder Challenge kicks off July 13th, built to give you the structure, accountability, and momentum to start landing clients. Want in? Registration Opens Soon!

This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.

Is Functional Medicine truly addressing the root causes of Chronic Illness or has it started falling into the same symptom-focused patterns as conventional healthcare?

In this episode of the Health Detective Podcast, Michele Scarlet sits down with Reed Davis, founder of Functional Diagnostic Nutrition (FDN), to explore the philosophy, principles, and clinical framework that have helped thousands of practitioners and clients uncover the hidden stressors behind chronic health challenges.

Drawing on nearly three decades of experience, Reed shares how FDN was created to focus on Root Cause Healing rather than diagnoses, symptoms, or condition-specific protocols. He explains why so many people continue to struggle with Gut Health issues, Hormone Imbalance, Burnout, Brain Fog, Anxiety, fatigue, and other chronic symptoms despite being told their labs are “normal.”

Together, Michele and Reed discuss the concept of Metabolic Chaos, the limitations of both conventional and Functional Medicine models, and why lasting Health Transformation requires looking at the whole person rather than isolated symptoms.

You’ll learn:

What Metabolic Chaos really means and why it matters

Why hidden stressors are often the true drivers of chronic symptoms

How Functional Lab Testing helps identify healing opportunities

The FDN D.R.E.S.S. framework: Diet, Rest, Exercise, Stress Reduction, and Supplementation

Why supplements should support not replace the foundations of health

Reed’s perspective on peptides, biohacking, detox protocols, and wellness trends

The role of Natural Healing, Functional Wellness, and Holistic Health in long-term outcomes

Why practitioners must focus on healing principles rather than chasing symptoms

Reed also shares how FDN evolved into a global Practitioner Training program and why Health Coaches, Functional Health Practitioners, alternative medicine practitioners, and wellness professionals are increasingly seeking a more comprehensive approach to helping clients achieve better outcomes.

Whether you're working to improve your own health or exploring a future as an FDN Practitioner, this episode offers a powerful look at the framework, mindset, and healing principles that continue to define Functional Diagnostic Nutrition.

If you're passionate about Functional Health, Root Cause Health, Practitioner Education, Functional Diagnostics, and helping people create lasting change, this conversation is one you won’t want to miss.

Most FDN trainees believe they need to wait until they graduate before they can start getting clients. According to Jenn Malecha, that's one of the biggest mistakes new practitioners make.

In this episode of the Health Detective Podcast, Michele Scarlet sits down with Jenn Malecha to reveal how FDN Practitioners, Health Coaches, and Functional Health Practitioners can begin building a client waitlist long before certification is complete.

One of the most common fears among new practitioners is not knowing where their first clients will come from. Jenn breaks down a practical, step-by-step approach to building visibility, creating trust, and generating interest while you're still working through your Practitioner Training. Rather than waiting until graduation, she explains how your own health journey, Functional Lab Testing experience, and personal transformation can become powerful tools for connection and client acquisition.

Together, Michele and Jenn discuss how to naturally attract future clients through authentic conversations, referral relationships, community connections, and genuine enthusiasm for the work. They also explain why sales doesn't have to feel pushy or uncomfortable, and how discovery calls can help turn curiosity into committed clients.

In this episode, you'll discover:

How to build a client waitlist before certification

Why most new practitioners wait too long to start marketing themselves

How FDN Practitioners can use their own transformation story to build trust

The difference between a client waitlist and an email list

Simple ways to track potential clients without complicated software

How referral partners can help grow your practice

Why visibility and connection matter more than perfection

The role of discovery calls, enrollment conversations, and client acquisition

How to confidently transition from certification into practice

Whether you're an FDN Practitioner, Health Coach, wellness entrepreneur, or someone preparing to launch a Functional Health practice, this episode offers actionable business strategies to help you gain momentum, attract your first clients, and build a thriving practice before you even graduate.

Join Jenn at FDN's Summer Open House Event June 1-30

👉Learn Business Framework to get clients on repeat
👉Learn Clinical Framework to get client RESULTS
👉Get $1750 off the course PLUS $1800 in bonuses like business coaching!

Click the link below for more info!

http://fdntraining.com/soh26