About

Heidi Stimpson MS, CFLE

Nutritionist

A few fun facts about me: 1. I live in northern Utah with my hubby of 24 years. 2. We have three kids and a dog. 3. I don’t cook. Yes, I’m a nutritionist, but cooking is not my passion; it's more of a family chore that we all participate in. Growing up, my mother's influence shaped my perspective on health and healing. She embraced natural healing methods, viewing fevers and colds as opportunities for our immune systems to grow stronger, not reasons to panic. This upbringing instilled in me a deep interest in the body's innate ability to heal itself with the right nutrients and tools, fueling my desire to understand the human body. As I ventured into coaching people in nutrition, I came across a surprising truth: most individuals already had a good understanding of what foods were beneficial for their health. During this journey, I made a personal discovery; through my own experience with anxiety and working with others, it became evident that thoughts and psychological well-being played a significant role in influencing overall health. This intriguing connection between the mind and body compelled me to delve deeper into the fields of psychology and family science. I realized that addressing the psyche was crucial for achieving true holistic well-being. By understanding the impact of thoughts, emotions, and relationships on one's health, I sought to integrate this knowledge with nutrition coaching, offering a comprehensive approach to supporting my clients in their transformative journey towards optimal health. During my studies, I came across an enlightening concept: functional medicine. This approach treats individuals as unique beings, considering their circumstances and the impact of relationships on their health. It stood apart from the conventional medical model, which often addressed symptoms rather than underlying causes. Functional medicine embraces the understanding that a person's entire environment plays a vital role in shaping well-being. Motivated by these revelations, I decided to pursue a master's degree in nutrition and functional medicine. This choice allowed me to bridge the gap between conventional medicine, which focused on the physical body, and psychology, which addressed the mind. Functional medicine empowered me to treat the whole person, acknowledging that organ systems do not exist in isolation but are deeply interconnected, influenced by both internal and external factors, including the environment. In my journey towards becoming a practitioner of functional medicine, my goal is to empower individuals with a comprehensive understanding of their health. By considering their unique circumstances, relationships, and environment, I aim to guide clients towards achieving true well-being. After all, each person is more than just a sum of their parts – they are intricate beings deserving of holistic care that addresses the complexities of their lives. Combining my passion for understanding human behavior, my background in nutrition, and my commitment to functional medicine, I am on a mission to help others find meaning in their lives. I firmly believe that wholeness comes from integrating all parts of us – mind, body, and spirit – and I'm dedicated to supporting my clients on their transformative journey towards optimal health and vitality.

Michelle Richman MSN, APRN, NP-C

In Loving Memory (February 29, 1980 - September 17, 2021)

Michelle and I are cousins, born just two weeks apart. We were life-long best friends with unique differences. We always joked about being yin and yang. Michelle was a force to be reckoned with, while I was very timid. From childhood, we talked about our dreams of one day being in business together, but life had different plans for each of us. I was pregnant at 19, got married, and began a family-focused life. Around that same time, Michelle moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she lived life in the fast lane. We stayed in touch and just picked up where we left off each time we reconnected.If you ever interacted with Michelle, I guarantee you have not forgotten that experience. She always said,“ when you walk into a room, everyone should know you’re there.” And that’s Michelle in a nutshell; unforgettable. She wanted nothing more than to be understood in this world, but perhaps she was one of the most misunderstood in the culture she grew up in.She had her struggles, but only a few people knew the depth of the experiences that led to those struggles. I have experienced the darkness addiction can bring, but I have not experienced it to the degree that Michelle or others have experienced. If only it were as simple as choice and willpower. Addiction is a symptom of something deeper, a solution to our pain, and we could all do better at trying to understand it. If we did, we would understand our own behaviors a little bit better. Underneath, it’s all about the same old human needs: to feel valued and important, to belong, to be accepted, and to be loved.Michelle was always interested in astrology and deeply understood the underlying nature of what makes us who we are. She was also a Pisces, who are tuned into a higher purpose. She always believed that she experienced the things she did so she could help others. In one of her sketchbooks she wrote, “Just because I’ve struggled doesn’t mean I’m broken… I’ve been remodeled for a higher purpose.” It’s why she became a nurse. She deeply loved humanity and was so touched by human suffering. She was very, very thoughtful and very compassionate.Our life path brought us back together in 2016 when Michelle was tired of battling her addictions.She reached out to me for help. She worked so hard to learn what it means to surrender. We studied Carl Jung’s shadow work and archetypes together through the works of Caroline Myss and other teachers. She was able to live free from the eating disorder and substance abuse for several years. Her need to always be the warrior made her want to avoid vulnerability and her shadow. She told me how she feared her own darkness because she believed at the core of her was a dark and wretched soul, which I knew was not true. She was all fight, which is very admirable. However, as our 40th birthdays approached, some lifelong fears she did not want to face began to take over her psyche, and her addictions began to sneak up on her again. She fought hard to learn to surrender. In the times that she did, powerful things took place in her life, and I witnessed healing miracles. After she transitioned from this life, I found a notebook on her kitchen counter that said, “early signs of emotional relapse and how to be aware sooner that I am going down a destructive path.”If anyone knew what she experienced in this life and what a fighter she was, you would ask the same question I have always asked. What Soul would sign up for that? What being of power and light would have chosen that journey? Maybe we think we were there to support her, to ease some of her sufferings, but I believe she was here to teach us. And I remain here to carry her story on and to continue building our dream. Our goal was to bring the worlds of eastern and western medicine together, as well as nutrition, to fill a gap in helping with any addiction because we all have them to some extent. We all numb and seek pleasure from sources outside of us. She recognized the struggle in others no matter the addiction because she could relate on such a deep level. Our goal was to help others find the source within themselves to heal, to treat addiction from a place of love and understanding. We planned to start in 2023 after I completed my master’s degree and she was patiently waiting for me. We planned to eventually have a “detox” center, not only focused on substance abuse but a place anyone could go to detox from food or environment as well. We dreamed of a place of serenity where anyone could find the strength to surrender that leads to wholeness, the integration of the light and shadow parts of us that make us human, to bring yin and yang together. Since her passing, I have found that I can call on her “yang” energy that knows what I am capable of and that each of us is worth the fight. I seek that balance each day; to have both the yin and yang in balance, to be whole because of what she taught me in this life. Others who bring this energy have stepped up, and we continue her story and dream together. -Heidi

Heidi Stimpson MS, CFLE

Michelle Richman MSN, APRN, NP-C

March 23, 2017: