25 Quotes To Inspire Functional Medicine Health Coaches

As functional medicine certified health coaches work to transform healthcare, inspiration is the fuel that keeps us motivated and connected to our purpose. Whether you’re just starting your journey as a health coach or looking to deepen your practice, the right words can spark new ideas, reinforce your mission, and guide you through challenges. In this article, we’ve curated 25 powerful quotes that reflect the core pillars of functional medicine and health coaching. Let these words of wisdom inspire and empower you as you continue to make a difference in the lives of those you serve.

Nutrition and Food As Medicine

Functional medicine certified health coaches and practitioners understand how impactful food is for health. Quotes 1-5 highlight this perfectly!

“Food is not just fuel. Food is about family, food is about community, food is about identity. And we nourish all those things when we eat well.”
Michael Pollan, Author

“We can harness the power of nutrition to heal our body, balance our energy, and thrive in life.”
Dr. Elizabeth Boham, IFM Educator

“Choosing what you eat is the most consequential act for your health and well-being.”
Dr. Mark Hyman, MD

“When we identify what those trigger foods are and pull them out of the diet, for some people, just that in and of itself can be life-changing.”
Stefanie Defiglia, CRNP

“Optimum nutrition is the medicine of tomorrow.”
Dr. Linus Pauling, Nobel Prize winner

The research is clear: The food we eat impacts our energy, mood, and long-term health. If we want to feel good and stay healthy for life, then the food we put into our bodies matters. Dive deeper: Food is Medicine: Why What You Eat Really Matters

Positive Psychology and the Coach Approach

The power of health coaching efficacy is rooted in how Functional Medicine Certified Health Coaches apply Positive Psychology and the Coach Approach to help their clients. Quotes 6-10 capture the magic that is coaching.

“Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.”
Amy Collette, Author

“When you become a health coach, you will literally be saving lives.”
Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum, FMCA Founder

“Every person on this earth is full of great possibilities that can be realized through imagination, effort, and perseverance.”
Scott Barry Kaufman, Cognitive Scientist

“It is not primarily our physical selves that limit us, but rather our mindset about our physical limits.”
Ellen J. Langer, Researcher

“The difference between misery and happiness depends on what we do with our attention.”
Sharon Salzberg, Author

Positive psychology is an approach to mental health that focuses on building resilience, finding happiness, and cultivating positivity. Dive deeper: Positive Psychology 101: What Health Coaches Should Know

Healing and Disease Management

People from all over the world find Functional Medicine and Health Coaching after having experiences with gaps in healthcare systems, chronic illness, and struggling with wellness. These experiences can be powerful motivators to find a better path to health, and to help others do the same. Quotes 11-15 are all about healing.

“The power of healing is within you. You can restore your own health by what you do… not by the pills you take, but by how you choose to live.”
Dr. Terry Wahls, MD

“The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well.”
Hippocrates, Philosopher

“We need to move beyond asking what drug will treat the symptoms, and instead ask what mechanism creates altered neurochemical or neurobiological function or systemic physiological change.”
Dr. Jeffrey Bland, MD

“I bet you can’t think of one chronic disease that doesn’t have disruption of the microbiome implicated at some level. And they’re much more of an epidemic than the plague ever was.”
Dr. Helen Messier, MD

“In addition to single-gene genetic disorders, there are just five causes of all disease: poor diet, chronic stress, microbes, toxins, and allergens, all of which wash over our DNA causing changes in our gene expression, and turning off or on different genes and messages that affect our metabolism.”
Dr. Mark Hyman, MD

Mind-Body Medicine

Knowledge about the connection between the mind and the body continues to grow. Functional Medicine Health Coaches understand this connection well, and it informs their transformative work. Quotes 16-20 offer inspiration for deeper exploration of this connection.

“As we change our mind, we change our body at the cellular level.”
David R. Hamilton, Author

“The body is a multilingual being. It speaks through its color and its temperature, the flush of recognition, the glow of love, the ash of pain, the heat of arousal, the coldness of non-conviction.”
Eduardo Galeano, Author

“The body is the instrument of the soul; the mind is its guide.”
Paramahansa Yogananda, Yogi and Guru

“So much of our lives are spent worrying about the future or the “could-haves” of the past. Meditation takes you out of that stressful state and into a state of peace, acceptance, and gratitude.”
Dr. Vincent Pedre, MD

“The body is like a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers, or you can grow weeds.”
Rita Ghatourey, Author

Mind-body medicine is a holistic healing modality that takes both physical and mental wellness into account. It seeks to treat and prevent illness using techniques like yoga, biofeedback, and meditation to manage stress and cultivate self-awareness. Dive deeper: Mind-Body Medicine 101: What Health Coaches Need To Know

Entrepreneurship and Coaching Careers

Health coaching career paths are as varied as they are impactful. Whether you’re working for a provider, a company, or building a personal coaching business, let quotes 20-25 inspire you to keep pushing forward.

“The key to entrepreneurship is fearless asking. Never be afraid to ask for help. The worst thing that can happen is somebody says no.”
Trish Thomas, Entrepreneur

“Trust your gut. If your gut is leading you towards becoming a health coach or starting a business or not starting a business and working for someone else, follow that.”
Hally Brooke, Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach

“[Health coaches,] you forget that what you know about health coaching, what to you seems common sense—the average person has no idea. They could really use your help.”
Hailey Rowe, Business Coach

“I want to see health coaches in every major healthcare system across America. I want to see health coaches on every primary care team. I want to see health coaches everywhere because I believe in them.”
Casey Hughes, Applied Behavior Scientist

“Health coaches can do a lot in this world. We’ve actually been doing it for a long time, and now the world’s catching up. It’s recognizing the power.”
Reed Davis, HHP, CNT

May these quotes serve as reminders of the powerful impact you can have as a health coach. If you’re ready for more inspiration and to expand your knowledge, check out our Essential Reading List For Health Coaches he re—your next step in becoming an even more effective guide for those you serve.