Student Spotlight: Melanie Mambo

Earlier this year, we celebrated the Community Impact Scholarship recipients, individuals dedicated to transforming health and wellness in their communities. Through the partnership between the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, the Institute for Functional Medicine, and a generous grant from VoLo Foundation, these scholarships provide full tuition for our March 2025 Health Coach Certification Program class. Today, we’re honored to spotlight Melanie Mambo, a passionate health entrepreneur from Kenya.

Melanie’s journey into functional medicine health coaching stems from her personal experience navigating chronic health challenges. While attending university in the UK, she struggled with depression and a diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Faced with conventional treatment options that didn’t align with her intuition, she sought alternative solutions. Through years of research, she discovered the power of functional medicine—embracing nutritional, spiritual, and behavioral healing approaches to reclaim her health.

“I know what it’s like to be in that deep, dark hole, feeling alone and discouraged. It took years of learning and fighting to get out of that cycle and to be where I am now.”

Melanie Mambo, incoming FMCA student

Inspired by her own transformation, Melanie has dedicated her career to empowering others. She has spent the past seven years pioneering wellness ventures in Kenya, from launching a holistic health and beauty platform to developing an indigenous foods brand. Her vision extends beyond business—she aspires to become a thought leader in wellness across Africa, advocating for culturally competent healthcare and educating communities on holistic healing.

For Melanie, FMCA represents the next step in her mission to bridge the gap between conventional and functional medicine. She envisions creating advocacy programs and courses that equip women across Africa with the tools to take control of their health. With a passion for serving communities of color both in Africa and the UK, she is determined to shed light on the disparities in chronic disease and expand access to functional medicine.

We’re thrilled to welcome Melanie to FMCA and can’t wait to see the impact she makes. Her story is a testament to the power of resilience, education, and the belief that true healing starts from within.

Watch the Interview

Watch Melanie’s Student Spotlight interview with Dr. Sandi here.

About VoLo Foundation

VoLo Foundation is a private nonprofit organization with a mission “to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health” and a vision for a “planet where all beings are ensured access to a sustainable and clean environment, health services, and education.”

Transcript

Dr. Sandi: It is just such an honor. And I want to congratulate you on being a scholarship recipient. And I thought we just take some time to chat…

Melanie: Thank you.

Dr. Sandi: …and you could tell about yourself and what inspired you to train to become a health coach.

Melanie: Okay. So, I have quite an interesting story. I was born in Kenya in Nairobi in Kenya, the capital city. And I moved to the UK when i was around five years old. So, I have spent about half of my life in the UK and then I moved back to Kenya in between. And I did my high school here in Kenya. Then I moved back to the UK for university. And then after a few years in the UK, I decided that it would suit me to move back to Nairobi and try out some businesses and that type of thing, because it just seemed like there was a lot more opportunity here in Kenya for me.

Dr. Sandi: Wow, that is just a beautiful, beautiful story. And, yeah, what attracted you to FMCA?

Melanie: Right. So, whilst I was in the UK, I joined university after doing… Between high school and university in the UK, we do college, which is what in the U.S. is referred to as university. So, during my college years, I started to struggle with depression and hormonal imbalance. And I started working with a GP in the UK, and he wanted me to take antidepressants and start on the hormonal pill as well, the birth control pill essentially is what it was.

And I just didn’t quite feel comfortable with that. I was concerned that it would somehow make things worse and not better. Something inside me just didn’t… It just didn’t feel right for me. And I decided just not to do it. So, I did go against the doctor’s recommendation to be on those pharmaceutical prescriptions.

And then I decided to dig a bit deeper and see if there were other options for me. I was struggling with weight. I was struggling with my sleep. My diet wasn’t good at all. I didn’t have the necessary education as far as nutrition was concerned. So, I was just eating whatever it is I wanted, sleeping whenever I wanted. I wasn’t as active as I was in high school. So, the lack of activity, the terrible diet, the sleeping patterns, it was, sort of, like a perfect storm, which led to the diagnosis that I got, which was polycystic ovary syndrome and depression, which was quite severe. So, I was unable to function. It was really bad. It was really tough. It was a tough time. So, I am really grateful that I was able to find it within myself to find an alternative solution that didn’t involve depending on something for the rest of my life to make it better.

So, as I started to do my research, as I started to learn about alternatives, as I started to learn about nutrition, exercise, even just your mindset… You can have all the knowledge. You can have the perfect diet. You can have the best workout regime. But if you’re missing the understanding behind how powerful your mind is and your thinking, your thought being more positive, I was trapped in cycles of negative thinking and negative emotions. And it was so tough to climb out of it. So, I know what it’s like to be in that deep, dark hole, feeling alone. I was so lonely and feeling lost and so discouraged. So, I really did have to work hard. It took years of learning and fighting to get out of that cycle and to be where I am now.

So, along that journey, again, with functional medicine, and alternative wellness, and holistic living, I realized that the traditional way is to go to a doctor, and the doctor just gives you medicine, and it’s a fix-all type of situation. And the reality is that’s not going to work for most people. Taking a pill and thinking that everything’s just going to go away, that’s not really how it works. And once I realized that, I started to look at what other spheres, what other spaces there were for healing, and functional medicine was one of those spaces. It was a space where you could go and actually get to the bottom of what your problem is. And no one else was… I couldn’t find any other space that was really trying to dig deeper. It was more so just surface-level solutions, and it just wasn’t good enough.

So, as I got more passionate, as I learned and grew and continued to sort of work in the space of holistic healing and trying to get people off of toxic body care and toxic food and just the whole approach to healing, I realized that I really wanted to be a health coach. And I really do want to be able to walk people through what their challenges might be and really helping them find solutions that work.

Dr. Sandi: What a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing it. And this is a story that I think so many people who are listening to this now will relate to have a condition yourself. And it sounds like you worked so hard, and you took charge of your health. And what you said is really impactful because it’s not just the physical healing, but you changed your thoughts. You recognized that your thoughts were not serving you. They were catastrophic. They were negative. They were all-or-nothing kinds of thinking, and that is coming from a discipline called cognitive behavior therapy. And we teach elements of those principles because that’s what I was trained in. And so it is remarkably effective when you put that together with the principles of functional medicine. But what is your dream for the future? When you graduate… Let’s say you’re starting the class in March of 2025. Ten years, five years down the road, what would be a dream come true for you in terms of using your certification?

Melanie: Wow, that’s an excellent question. Thank you for asking that. One of my dreams is to really assist women across the continent of Africa and really work towards creating spaces and understanding when it comes to our wellness. It’s so multifaceted, really, because it’s not just what you eat. It’s not just exercising. Because I interact with a lot of people who you would consider healthy, you know? They eat healthy, they go to the gym every day, but there’s just something missing. There’s still something missing.

And again, it goes back to the mindset. And I feel that mental health and nutrition is really overlooked across Africa. I think people assume that because it’s not as developed as the Western world, but people are not facing certain issues but there are real issues with obesity as well in Africa. It’s quite interesting. You will find that a lot of people are also struggling with malnutrition whilst being obese because they’re missing out on certain micronutrients in their diet. They don’t have the understanding, the education is lacking.

So, for me, I think as an educator and a thought leader across the country in Kenya but then again, continentally as well across Africa, because that’s something I really dream of being able to do. I do want to have certain courses and advocacy across the continent of Africa. So, I do want to work specifically within Kenya but also further afield in Africa as well, really trying to open up people’s minds to the idea that conventional medicine isn’t the only way. There’s other options.

So, my dream is to be able to advocate and spread the good news that there are alternatives for wellness for us in Africa as well as in the UK, having spent half of my life there as well. We do have huge communities of color in the UK as well. So, I am passionate about advocacy there as well because, again, in Black and Indigenous communities, we find that chronic disease is affecting those communities at a higher rate. So, it is a concern. It is something that I personally feel that we do need to talk about more, our health.

Dr. Sandi: What a beautiful goal and intention to set, to serve these communities. And I will personally help you to make that dream a reality and so will our entire community. Again, on behalf of everybody at FMCA, I want to welcome you. And as it gets closer, you’ll get a lot more information about joining the class. There will be meet-and-greets where you’ll meet your fellow students. So, it is really beautiful. When we read your application, it really, really touched us and we really want to do all we can to make sure that you have a wonderful experience, that you graduate as a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach to make a real difference in the world.

Melanie: Thank you, Sandi. I appreciate that so much. Honestly, this is a dream come true. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for over a year, specifically this course as a health coach and just working in this space. This is something that I’ve been really wanting to do for years, but this course is something that I… To have the honor of receiving this scholarship, it means so much to me. It really does. And I’m so excited. And I guess it’s just such a blessing truly.

Dr. Sandi: Well, we are excited to welcome you to the March class. And again, congratulations on being a scholarship recipient. And this is just the beginning. You will get to know me. And I have office hours, and you will be welcome to attend those and become a part of our community. So, any questions, anything along the way, don’t hesitate to reach out. That’s what we’re all here for, to support you.

Melanie: Okay.

Dr. Sandi: Yeah, we can’t wait for you to begin your journey with us. So many lives are going to be saved as a result of your joining our community.

Melanie: Thank you so much, Sandi. And it’s such an honor. Once again, what you do is phenomenal. So, thank you so much.