The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition

Why Health Coaches Need More Than Functional Medicine | Reed Davis Explains FDN

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.

Don't Wait Until You Graduate: Build Your FDN Client Waitlist Now

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

Joint Pain, Psoriasis & Hormones Healed as ER Nurse Practitioner Moves Toward Functional Nursing | Connie Wade

Michele Scarlet sits down with RN, Nurse Practitioner, and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner Connie Wade for an honest conversation about what 25 years inside the emergency room taught her about the limits of conventional medicine, why her own doctor told her she was not "sick enough" to treat, and how she finally healed the symptoms she had been "swiping away" for years.

In this powerful Health Detective Podcast episode, Connie shares her personal journey through psoriasis, debilitating joint pain at 48, chronic reflux, daily ibuprofen use, estrogen dominance, heavy painful periods, more than 20 years of night shift, H. pylori, an overwhelmed liver and gallbladder, food sensitivities to her favorite foods, and a depleted gut microbiome. Together, Michele and Connie unpack how functional lab testing gave Connie the vindication she had been looking for, why she healed in three months once she addressed the root causes, and why she chose to keep working in the ER while building her functional health practice on the side.

This episode dives deep into:

• Why her doctor said "she wasn't sick enough" and sent her home with ibuprofen
• The functional labs that finally explained her symptoms after years of being dismissed
• How 20 plus years of night shift flatlined her cortisol and disrupted her hormones
• H. pylori, food sensitivities, and the gut findings that changed everything
• Why psoriasis, joint pain, and heavy periods are not just "normal aging"
• The reframe that helped Connie cut gluten, sugar, and dairy without feeling deprived
• Why so many nurses are leaving bedside nursing and the third option most do not consider
• How to build a functional nursing side practice without leaving your license or your job
• Why going all in or all out of conventional medicine limits your reach as a clinician
• The four simple daily practices Connie recommends to every patient
• How to ask your family for support when you start your healing journey

Michele and Connie also discuss why the body is constantly trying to send messages, why most of us swipe them away for years, and why functional lab testing catches dysfunction long before conventional labs ever turn "abnormal."

If you are a woman struggling with joint pain, psoriasis, hormone imbalance, or symptoms your doctor keeps dismissing, or you are a nurse, NP, or clinician quietly exploring functional medicine as a career path, this episode will change how you view your body and what is possible.

🔥 JOIN THE SUMMER OPEN HOUSE Are you a nurse, NP, or clinician curious about functional health? Join the FREE Functional Health Summit, June 1 to 30. A full month of clinical and business training to help you build a thriving functional health practice. 👉http://fdntraining.com/soh26

🌐 FIND CONNIE: http://WadeWellness.org 


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

Why You're Still Tired After Doing Everything Right | Cellular Energy & Burnout w/ Sarah Ball

You've cleaned up your diet. You're taking the supplements. You've run the labs. You've done the protocols. And you're still tired, bloated, anxious, and burnt out, wondering what the heck you're missing.

If that's you, this episode is the one.

Michele Scarlet sits down with Sarah Ball, founder of Hormone Goddess and creator of the Hormone Goddess Method, for a vulnerable, story-driven conversation about burnout, cellular energy, and what's really going on for high-functioning women who feel like they're doing everything right and still not getting results.

Sarah shares her own healing journey for the first time on a podcast. From years of misdiagnoses (Hashimoto's, PCOS, IBS, fatty liver), a 4-year missing period, and a parasite protocol that landed her with a small bowel obstruction and 6 weeks without a single bowel movement, to discovering that the missing piece wasn't more supplements or another kill protocol. It was voltage.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why you can still feel exhausted even when your labs look "fine"
• What cellular energy (voltage) actually is and why mitochondria matter
• How the order of your protocols matters more than the protocols themselves
• Why kill protocols backfire when your body is in survival mode
• The drainage funnel and why opening it changes everything
• Masculine vs. feminine energy in healing & business
• Why a 20-step morning routine isn't the answer (and what actually is)
• Real client stories: reversing autoimmune diagnoses, conceiving after IVF, losing weight, getting off meds

Whether you're an FDN practitioner, health coach, or a woman who's tired of being tired despite doing all the "right things," this conversation will completely reframe how you think about healing.

🎤 JOIN SARAH AT SUMMER OPEN HOUSE 2026: Sarah is the keynote speaker for SOH 2026, presenting The Nervous System of Success live on June 30th. She'll walk you through the psychology of scaling to 6 figures without sacrificing your health, how she built her brand without depending on social media, and the most underrated profit growth strategy every FDN needs to know.

👉 Register free: http://fdntraining.com/soh26

Connect with Sarah Ball: 🌐 hormonegoddess.com 📷 Instagram: @thehormonegoddess 

⚠️ MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The information shared in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health regimen, starting any new protocol, or addressing a medical condition. The opinions expressed by the host and guest are their own and do not constitute professional medical recommendations.

Gut Health, IBS & Anxiety to Building Freedom | How healing her gut led her to building a thriving functional medicine practice

If you have been struggling with IBS, anxiety, burnout, or unexplained symptoms and feel like conventional medicine keeps letting you down, this episode is for you. And if you are a health coach or aspiring functional medicine practitioner who wants to build a practice with real time freedom and financial freedom, keep reading because this one covers both.

This week on the Health Detective Podcast, how one woman went from burnt out corporate executive to running a thriving functional medicine practice helping over 500 women around the world.

In this episode you will learn:

→ How healing your gut can directly impact your anxiety, immune system, and hormone health AND business.
→ The connection between leaky gut and leaky boundaries and why fixing one can help fix the other
→ Why antibiotics, chronic stress, and a poor diet create a cycle of illness that conventional medicine rarely addresses
→ How genetics affect your ability to detox, convert vitamin D, and manage estrogen and what you can do about it
→ What functional diagnostic nutrition is and why it gets results when nothing else has worked
→ How to build a health coaching practice with automated workflows, multiple revenue streams, and clients who are ready to invest
→ Why you do not need a perfect program to take your first client and how to start before you feel ready

Whether you are searching for answers to your own gut health journey or looking for a clear path to building a functional medicine business that supports the life you actually want, this conversation will show you what is possible when you stop managing symptoms and start addressing root causes.

 

✦ Ready to build a functional medicine practice with time freedom and financial freedom built in?

 

FDN's BIGGEST event of the year, Summer Open House is officially open for registration.

 

See exactly how practitioners around the world are creating thriving practices with the tools, automation, and community to make it sustainable.

🔗 Save your free spot: http://fdntraining.com/soh26

 

Connect with our Raewyn:
🌐 gutsyexecutivecoach.com
📲 instagram.com/raewyn.gutsynutrition

 

⚕ Medical Disclaimer: The content shared on the Health Detective Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet, supplement routine, or health plan. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not constitute a diagnosis, treatment, or cure for any health condition.

Bloating, Rosacea, Eczema & Food Sensitivities: What’s Actually Causing It?

Women don’t randomly develop bloating, food sensitivities, rosacea, eczema, hormone issues, and chronic inflammation overnight.

But most are never told how connected these symptoms actually are.

In this episode, Michele Scarlet sits down with Elizabeth Aylor to unpack her personal health transformation after years of severe gut dysfunction, histamine intolerance, hormone imbalance, skin flare-ups, food reactions, and losing her cycle for over seven years.

After trying nearly every diet imaginable; including keto, carnivore, vegan, raw vegan, and strict gut-healing protocols. Nothing truly worked until she stopped chasing symptoms and started addressing the deeper stressors driving them.

This episode dives into:

• histamine intolerance
• bloating and food sensitivities
• eczema and rosacea
• gut dysfunction and detox pathways
• hormone imbalance and missing periods
• mold toxicity and chronic inflammation
• why extreme diets often backfire

If you feel like your body is reacting to everything, this episode will help you understand why.

Want to learn how practitioners investigate cases like THIS using advanced functional lab testing? Join us for Clinical Summit Week, May 11–15:

https://www.functionaldiagnosticnutrition.com/op/sm/?utm_source=organicsocial&utm_medium=HDP&utm_campaign=May2026

Connect with Elizabeth:

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@elizabethaylorfitness
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/elizabethaylorfitness
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.aylor.1

Tiktok
https://www.tiktok.com/@elizabethaylorfitness?
lang=en



Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or replace medical advice. Always consult your qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, supplements, medications, or healthcare plan.

Brain Mapping: A New Language for Mental Health

Dr. Steven Rondeau has conducted over 50,000 qEEG (quantitative EEG) brain scans, building one of the largest pattern recognition datasets in mental health.

In this episode, we break down how brain patterns show up in anxiety, ADHD, trauma, mood instability, cognitive issues, and why some clients do not respond to standard protocols.

This conversation shifts the lens from symptoms to patterns and what those patterns reveal about the brain.

We cover:
• Brain map patterns linked to anxiety, ADHD, and trauma
• How nervous system dysregulation shows up in qEEG data
• Why clients stay stuck despite doing everything right
• How pattern recognition improves assessment and outcomes

Connect with Dr Steven Rondeau:
Website: https://axoneegsolutions.com/learn-more/
Book: https://www.thinklikeabrain.com/

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If this conversation got you thinking about brain patterns, the next step is understanding what is driving them.

At Clinical Summit Week (May 11–15), Pam Helmly breaks down the M2 NeuroFocus lab and how neurotransmitter patterns connect to stress, metabolism, and why clients feel wired, anxious, or burned out.

Join us for the free training:
http://www.fdntraining.com/clinicalsummit26

Dr. Steven Rondeau is not a speaker at this event.

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Medical Disclaimer
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your health or treatment.

Parasites Aren’t the Root Cause: What Practitioners Are Missing

Parasites, bacterial overgrowth, and gut infections are often treated as the starting point of dysfunction, but what if they're not?

In this episode, Michele breaks down a clinical perspective on gut health that goes beyond identifying pathogens and focuses on the environment that allows them to exist.

You’ll hear how practitioners can get pulled into marker-based thinking, why validation matters without over-identifying the problem, and how poor sequencing can lead to stalled progress or recurring symptoms.

This episode also explores the concept of capacity through the lens of the Vital Reserve, and why antimicrobial protocols require more from the body than we often consider.

If you’ve had cases that improve but don’t hold, or clients who react poorly to the “right” protocol, this will help you think more clearly about timing, readiness, and the bigger picture.

Join us for Clinical Summit Week | May 11–12, 2026
A free clinical event for practitioners and coaches ready to deepen their knowledge of Advanced Lab interpretation.

👉 Click here to register:
http://www.fdntraining.com/clinicalsummit26



This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health protocol.

Why Injuries Keep Coming Back | A Root Cause Approach to Chronic Pain

Chronic pain that keeps coming back isn’t random, and it’s rarely just about the injury itself.

 

In this episode, Michele sits down with movement specialist Helen Hall to break down why so many people stay stuck in cycles of chronic pain, recurring injuries, and failed rehab.

 

From an FDN perspective, we talk about hidden stressors in the body; the things most practitioners aren’t measuring, including movement inefficiencies, compensation patterns, and how the body adapts under stress.

 

Helen shares how posture, gait, and movement patterns can quietly drive inflammation, overload the system, and prevent true healing, especially in clients who feel like they’ve already tried everything.

 

If you’re a practitioner, or someone dealing with chronic pain, tightness, or recurring injuries, this episode will completely shift how you look at the body.

Connect with Helen Hall:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helenhallpfm/

Website: https://www.helen-hall.co.uk/

She Had to Buy Thyroid Medication on the Black Market…

What happens when even the best doctors in Los Angeles can’t help you?

In this episode, I sit down with Elle Russ to share her raw, unfiltered thyroid story, from years of debilitating symptoms… to being dismissed and gaslit by top-tier doctors.

At her lowest point, Elle took matters into her own hands, sourcing thyroid medication on the black market just to feel human again.

 

This conversation isn’t just about thyroid health…
it’s about advocacy, confidence, and what happens when no one is listening.

If this resonates and you’re ready to understand the clinical patterns behind thyroid dysfunction and Hashimoto’s, we’re going deeper inside the Clinical Edge Workshop.

⚠️ Note: Elle Russ is not the presenter for this session, but her story highlights exactly why this level of understanding matters.

Join us HERE: http://fdntraining.com/clinical

Use coupon code 'freeticket26'

 

🌐 Connect with Elle Russ

Website: https://www.elleruss.com/

 

 

 

 

 

⚠️ Medical Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose, treat, or replace individualized care from a qualified healthcare professional. Always consult your Doctor or health care practitioner before making changes to your health protocol.