We had the good fortune of connecting with Miranda Meyer and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Miranda, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I started my business because I wanted to handle client care in a way that felt authentic, and also to protect my mental and emotional wellbeing. There’s such a high burnout rate in healthcare, with so many practitioners being overworked and underpaid. After years of working in high volume clinical practices, I was exhausted and considering a career change. Not because I don’t love the work I do, but because I felt unable to provide the type of care I wanted to in a typical clinical environment. I was seeing 20+ clients some days with back to back appointments, and felt like I never had enough time to devote to each individual client.
Functional medicine is a complex and comprehensive approach to healthcare, and I often work with chronic health conditions like autoimmune disease and underlying infections. Starting my practice allowed me to spend more time with each client, and provide the type of care I knew would help reach their goals!
What should our readers know about your business?
Real Functional Healing was founded with the goal of giving my clients the tools to take back control of their health! I believe there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ model for optimizing health, and nutrition and lifestyle plans should be designed to fit each individual. I combine lab testing with examining symptoms, patterns, and medical history to get to the root cause of the problem. I work with a wide variety of symptoms and health conditions, but specialize in digestive issues, autoimmune conditions, and chronic infections.
It was my own health issues that sparked my interest in nutrition and functional medicine, so I’m very passionate about the type of work that I do! I worked with Naturopaths, nutritionists, and a functional medicine doctor over the years who helped me uncover multiple food intolerances, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and MCAS (a condition where the body overproduces a chemical called histamine). Supporting these areas really turned my health around, and I think my personal experience allows me to connect with and support my clients on a deeper level.
Starting a business was far from easy. I worked several part time jobs as I built my business and the first round of shut downs with COVID provided additional challenges. Although I am able to practice virtually, many of my referral partners are in person practices. When they were forced to shut their doors, my incoming clients dropped significantly. This really forced me to shift gears and become much more proactive with building my business! I hired a business coach, joined a professional networking group, and started building up my referral partners. 2020 was a hard year, but I’m proud to say that I’ve been fully self-employed for almost a year now!
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
That’s a tough choice! Denver offers so many fun activities and the food scene has really grown over the past 10 years. You can’t beat starting the day with brunch at Root Down, one of my favorite restaurants in the Highlands! JustBe Kitchen is also a must-visit. It’s a local, woman-owned restaurant that is 100% gluten and grain free. It’s great for people with dietary restrictions or food allergies, and the food is amazing. If you’re looking for a fun spot to grab a cocktail (or mocktail) Union Station downtown has such a fun collection of bars and restaurants. And of course you can’t miss the opportunity to visit Red Rocks. Whether it’s a yoga class, hike, or concert, it’s one of the most beautiful areas I’ve been to!
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many individuals and organizations that shaped me as a practitioner! My first dive into holistic nutrition began at the Nutrition Therapy Institute here in Denver. Their 2 year program provided the foundation to work with complex GI issues and nutritional deficiencies, and was an all around wonderful experience!
As I began to work with more chronic health issues, I came across Apex Energetics. Their company offers a variety of certification programs and functional lab analysis trainings. Their Functional Blood Chemistry and Mastering The Thyroid trainings were invaluable. I also recently completed a 3 month certification through Restorative Wellness Solutions, a woman-run continuing education company with multiple certifications for healthcare practitioners. These programs have provided me with the tools and confidence required to work with more complex cases, and I’m so grateful for their guidance and expertise!
Website: www.realfunctionalhealing.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realfunctionalhealing/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miranda-meyer-38030834/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realfunctionalhealing