FMCA Community Impact Scholarship Recipients For September 2025 Announced

Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, in partnership with The Institute for Functional Medicine, is proud to introduce the recipients of our FMCA Community Impact Scholarships for September 2025.

Thanks to a generous grant from VoLo Foundation, we’re able to offer full tuition scholarships to three individuals joining our September 2025 Health Coach Certification Program.

This year, we received over 715 applications—each one reflecting a deep desire to make a difference. As we reviewed them, we were moved by the powerful stories, bold ideas, and unwavering commitment to community care. It wasn’t easy to choose, but we’re excited to introduce the three outstanding recipients who stood out for the impact they’re already making—and the even greater change they’re ready to create.

Each of these future health coaches is expanding access to wellness in underserved populations, breaking down barriers to care, and meeting people where they are with compassion and purpose. With training in coaching techniques, mind-body medicine, nutrition, and functional health, they’ll be equipped to deepen their work and transform lives.

At FMCA, we believe everyone deserves access to health and healing—not just a privileged few. These three changemakers are proof that when we widen the circle, everyone benefits. We’re honored to support their journey and welcome them to our community.

Meet our scholarship recipients below.

Günseli Saygi

Günseli graduated from Anadolu University with a degree in English Language Teaching and began her career in Germany as an English and Turkish teacher. Over the years, she has taught English at all levels, from primary school to university preparatory classes. For the past seven years, she has been working at a public village school in Turkey, teaching English to primary and secondary school students.

Teaching has always been Günseli’s dream profession. Through working with learners at various stages, she has grown both professionally and personally. With a deep passion for psychology, wellness, and education, her own journey toward healing inspired her to pursue Functional Medicine Health Coaching. Günseli aims to support disadvantaged populations in creating sustainable lifestyle changes and improving their overall well-being.

Günseli’s Community Impact:

Günseli serves as a public school teacher in a small village, where she works closely with students and their families. Her experience in education has deepened her understanding of the broader challenges rural and underserved communities face—not only in learning environments but also in accessing credible health information and support. She sees an opportunity to extend her impact beyond the classroom through free educational health programs offered via the Ministry of National Education.

With a vision of inclusivity, Günseli is committed to offering health coaching in Turkish, English, and eventually German. She believes that language should never be a barrier to wellness and aims to create multilingual spaces where individuals from diverse backgrounds feel seen, understood, and empowered.

Her mission is to support all those seeking to reconnect with their body, mind, and spirit—whether they are students, parents, educators, or individuals managing chronic conditions. Through culturally sensitive and compassionate care, Günseli hopes to guide her community toward a healthier, more fulfilling life.

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Tiago Ferreira

Tiago Ferreira is a neuroscience-informed, data-driven transformational professional and people analytics strategist with a background in cyberpsychology, mental health, and digital transformation (AI). With experience spanning federal agencies and startups, he blends behavioral science, emotional intelligence, and data-driven strategy to help individuals and organizations lead with “all-around” clarity.

A proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Tiago is passionate about creating psychologically safe, high-impact spaces where leaders, professionals, and creatives feel seen, supported, and empowered. Guided by his strengths as a Relator and Achiever, he brings both empathy and precision to his work, bridging human insight with measurable change.

Tiago’s Community Impact:

Tiago is devoted to serving the LGBTQIA+ community—a community he is proud to be part of. As a married gay man, he understands both the resilience and the emotional toll of living in a world where visibility too often comes with vulnerability. The growing climate of fear and marginalization has only strengthened his resolve to support others in reclaiming their well-being and sense of safety.

His advocacy began long before coaching. Tiago’s Master’s dissertation focused on the lack of support for LGBTQIA+ students facing cyberbullying in schools, an experience that highlighted systemic gaps in protection and care. That research lit a fire in him to be better—not only academically but personally—for those who need support.

With a foundation in functional medicine and health coaching, Tiago aims to help LGBTQIA+ individuals reconnect with their mental, physical, and emotional health. He’s especially passionate about reaching those in high-pressure roles or leadership who may feel burned out, anxious, or unseen. By blending scientific insight with lived experience, Tiago hopes to offer what he once needed: a safe, affirming space for healing, resilience, and self-kindness.

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Kasey Diffie

Kasey is an Urban Farmer in East Austin, where she and her husband grow hydroponic lettuce, microgreens, herbs, and edible flowers. She founded Cool Greens, a product line that transforms surplus microgreens into nutrient-dense superfood powders. With a diverse background that includes caregiving for developmentally disabled adults, experience as a vegan raw food chef, and a long standing passion for health & wellness.

Kasey has long been drawn to health coaching. Her experience battling Lyme disease and co-infections over the past three and a half years deepened that calling, giving her firsthand insight into chronic illness. She is now dedicated to helping others navigate these challenges, with a special focus on supporting underserved communities, including longtime East Austin residents impacted by gentrification.

Kasey’s Community Impact:

Kasey is committed to supporting individuals with Lyme disease and chronic illness—especially those who face financial obstacles in accessing care. Her personal journey through chronic illness, without the privilege of generational wealth or a financial safety net, has shaped her mission: to make healing accessible, inclusive, and compassionate.

To bridge this gap, Kasey plans to offer sliding-scale services and a “sponsor a client” donation model to reach those most in need. But her vision extends further. Having witnessed the cultural displacement caused by gentrification in East Austin, where she once belonged to a vibrant community now altered by rapid development, Kasey also hopes to serve those impacted by loss of place and identity.

Once board-certified, she plans to incorporate trauma-informed practices, somatic experiencing, therapeutic movement, and gardening therapy into her work. By honoring both the emotional and physical roots of healing, Kasey strives to create a welcoming space where everyone—regardless of background or budget—can find support. For her, wellness is not a privilege. It’s a right.

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Our Community Is Growing

We are thrilled to welcome Günseli, Tiago, and Kasey to FMCA’s growing student body. As they complete our Health Coach Certification Program and become FMCA Alumni, their impact on the health and wellness of their communities will only increase.

If you’re wondering if now’s the time to start making an impact with functional medicine and health coaching, let this be your invitation to join us. Let’s break down barriers to accessible functional medicine health coaching together. Who knows, you might even see one of our three scholarship recipients in your Live Training Sessions each week…

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.”