Heidi Stimpson MS, CNS
Nutritionist
Hi, I’m Heidi — a functional nutritionist, wellness advocate, and eternal seeker of wholeness. I live in northern Utah with my husband of 24 years. We have three wonderful children. Fun fact: despite being a nutritionist, I’m not passionate about cooking. In our home, it’s a shared effort, and I’m perfectly okay with that. My journey into nutrition and functional medicine started with the simple, yet powerful, lessons from my mother. She viewed fevers and colds as opportunities for the immune system to grow stronger, not as emergencies. This early perspective shaped my belief in the body’s innate ability to heal when given the right support. This foundational understanding of the body's natural wisdom fueled my fascination with how it works. But it wasn't just biology that shaped my journey—it was personal experience. As a child and young adult, I wrestled with perfectionist tendencies and anxious thoughts that often felt like an unrelenting undercurrent in my life. I also struggled with digestive issues and was diagnosed with IBS. It wasn’t until I began to connect the dots between my mental state and my physical well-being that I experienced a profound shift. I realized that thoughts and emotions aren't just passing moments — they shape our health in very real ways. This realization sparked my passion for understanding the mind-body connection, which led me to study psychology and family science during my undergraduate years. Discovering functional medicine was a game-changer. Unlike conventional medicine, which often treats symptoms, functional medicine takes a whole-person approach — looking at the body as an interconnected system influenced by environment, relationships, and our unique life experiences. This perspective aligned with everything I had learned personally. I pursued a master’s degree in Nutrition and Functional Medicine to bridge the gap between physical health and mental well-being. Today, I help clients see themselves as more than just their symptoms. True wellness happens when the mind, body, and spirit work in harmony. With my background in nutrition, psychology, family life education, and functional medicine, I support clients on a journey toward wholeness — a space where they feel seen, understood, and empowered. You’re more than just a collection of systems — you’re a whole, dynamic, and beautifully complex human being worthy of holistic care.
Katie Hegg, NBC-HWC, FMCHC
Board Certified Health Coach
Hi, I’m Katie Hegg, a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach and a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach. Fueled by a lifelong passion for health and wellness, I discovered Health Coaching as a way to combine my enthusiasm for nutrition and exercise with a mission to empower others on their journey to lasting wellness. I chose the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy for my training because I believe getting to the root cause of health issues is the best way to pursue lasting change. I’ve had my own health challenges over the years including a period of disordered eating, an autoimmune condition and various athletic injuries. Working through these issues with the help of others showed me that it’s much easier to make changes when you’ve got someone to guide and encourage you. As your health coach, my goal is to help you strive for what matters most to you, aligning your habits with your goals so that you can live your best life. I live in Boulder, Colorado with my husband of 30 years and have two adult children. I love spending time outside in nature, cooking, traveling, reading, being active in a variety of ways and spending quality time with family and friends.
Michelle Richman MSN, APRN, NP-C
In Loving Memory (February 29, 1980 - September 17, 2021)
Michelle and I (Heidi) are cousins, born just two weeks apart, and we were life-long best friends with beautifully contrasting differences. We often joked about being yin and yang — Michelle, a bold and unstoppable force, and me, more soft-spoken and timid. From childhood, we dreamed of one day being in business together, but life had other plans. I became a mother at 20, married young, and centered my life around my family, while Michelle moved to Las Vegas, living life in the fast lane. Despite our different paths, every time we reconnected, it felt like no time had passed.If you ever met Michelle, you’d never forget her. She lived by the motto, "When you walk into a room, everyone should know you’re there." And that was Michelle in a nutshell — unforgettable. She longed to be understood but was often misunderstood, especially within the culture we grew up in. Her struggles were visible, but only a few knew the depth of what she faced. Addiction, as I’ve learned through her, is never as simple as choice or willpower. It's a solution to pain — a way of seeking relief. Her experience taught me that addiction is not a moral failing but a reflection of our shared human need to feel loved, valued, and connected. If we all understood this, I think we’d be kinder to ourselves and to each other. Michelle had an interest in astrology and the deeper forces that shape us. She believed her own struggles were not in vain but part of a higher purpose. One of her sketchbook entries read, “Just because I’ve struggled doesn’t mean I’m broken… I’ve been remodeled for a higher purpose.” It’s one of my favorite reminders of who she was. Her compassion ran so deep that she became a nurse, drawn to serve others. She had a way of seeing people beyond their struggles, recognizing the humanity in them because she saw it in herself. Our lives intertwined again in 2016 when Michelle reached out to me, ready to confront her addictions. We leaned into shadow work, Carl Jung’s teachings, and Caroline Myss’s work on archetypes. She fought harder than most people could imagine, overcoming an eating disorder and substance abuse for several years. But her strength sometimes became her burden. She believed her inner darkness defined her and feared it might consume her, though I always knew that wasn't true. As we approached our 40th birthdays, old fears resurfaced for Michelle, and her addictions slowly crept back in. She fought them fiercely, as she always did, but surrendering to the process was her greatest struggle. I witnessed powerful moments of healing when she allowed herself to let go. After Michelle passed, I found a notebook on her kitchen counter with the words, “Early signs of emotional relapse and how to be aware sooner that I am going down a destructive path.” It was a reminder of how deeply she wanted to break free and how aware she was of her journey. Her life made me question something I still wonder to this day: What soul would sign up for that? What powerful, light-filled being would willingly take on such a path of struggle and suffering? I believe she did so to teach us. I believe she taught me. Our shared dream was to create a space where eastern and western medicine, along with nutrition, could come together to treat addiction at its root. We wanted to create a “detox” center, not just for substances but for anything that pulls people away from themselves — food, environment, or even the mental clutter we carry. It was a dream fueled by Michelle’s profound empathy for others and my own through our personal experiences. She recognized that addiction comes in many forms and that every person’s struggle, no matter how different, comes from the same human need for love and acceptance. We planned to start our center in 2023 after I finished my master’s degree. She was patiently waiting for me but passed away unexpectedly when I was in my program. Since her passing, I’ve had to reconcile the loss of that dream, but her legacy lives on in me. I often call on her "yang" energy when I need courage. She reminds me that I am capable and that each of us is worth the fight. Every day, I strive to embody both yin and yang — to find that balance she showed me. And while she may be gone from this world, others have stepped in to continue her story and our shared dream. We are still building what we started, bringing together light and shadow, yin and yang, in pursuit of something whole and lasting.
March 23, 2017:
“I’m not big on social media or broadcasting my life, ESPECIALLY when it comes to areas of personal struggle. But today I have to thank my cousin. Heidi, I hope you realize the impact and role you have courageously stepped into play in my recovery. Your passion of balanced healing through mind, body and spirit has forever changed my life. Thank you for sharing your gifts with me!”
-Michelle
