Episode 112 | Jan 9, 2025

Why Every Patient Needs A Health Coach, With Dr. Emily Roedersheimer

What if everyone had access to a health coach? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes Dr. Emily Roedersheimer, a functional medicine pioneer with a vision for a healthier planet. Dr. Emily shares her journey from traditional family practice to founding a thriving functional medicine clinic built on the transformative power of health coaching. She believes that health coaches are essential to creating sustainable lifestyle changes and improving health outcomes—and her innovative practice model proves it.

“I would love if every person on the planet could have a coach. I know it’s not possible, but I think that we would have such a healthy planet. America really needs some help these days, and coaches are really where it’s at.”

Dr. Emily Roedersheimer

Dr. Emily’s journey began with her own health struggles. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 10, she endured years of medications and injections with limited results. A chance encounter with an article by Dr. Mark Hyman changed her life, introducing her to the concept of food as medicine. Through dietary changes and addressing lifestyle factors like stress and gut health, Dr. Emily reversed her condition and eliminated the need for medication. Today, she dedicates her career to helping others experience similar transformations through functional medicine.

In her conversation with Dr. Sandi, Dr. Emily reflects on the challenges and rewards of leaving a conventional group practice to start her own functional medicine clinic. She shares how she integrates health coaching into her practice, requiring clients to spend three months working with a coach before they even meet with her. By focusing on lifestyle changes first, her clients often see remarkable improvements—reducing symptoms by 50% on average—before any testing or supplements are introduced.

For health coaches, Dr. Emily’s story highlights the profound impact of collaboration in functional medicine. By working alongside health coaches, she creates a model where coaches can leverage their motivational interviewing skills and personalized support to prepare clients for medical interventions. Dr. Emily’s insights offer valuable lessons for coaches looking to partner with practitioners or start their own practices.

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Transcript

Dr. Sandi: Dr. Emily Roedersheimer, I am so pleased to have you on “Health Coach Talk.” First and foremost, you are somebody who is in the trenches, you are seeing patients, and you made that shift from a family practice to somebody who is focusing on functional medicine. So, I’d love to start our conversation by having you describe that transition. You were working for many years as a family practitioner, but what attracted you to functional medicine?

Dr. Emily: Sure. I honestly knew nothing about it. I went through all my medical training and didn’t learn anything about functional medicine or nutrition really, the lifestyle piece, all of that. Somehow, I think by the grace of God, I stumbled upon an article written by Dr. Hyman. And the article was discussing how certain foods can trigger inflammation. And at the time, I had been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis since I was 10, and I had been on medication after medication. So, this article really piqued my interest because I was like, “I don’t know what he’s talking about. I’ve never heard this before.” So, I went on a dietary change that he was recommending in the article, and it was mind-blowing. I was able to stop one of two medications I was injecting myself with weekly just by changing my diet. And then, quickly was like, okay, I need to learn more here.

So, I dove into functional medicine and listening to every podcast I could get my hands on, really taking it all in and becoming my own patient. And I figured out how to reverse my rheumatoid arthritis, so I don’t take any medications anymore. And I was dumbfounded that there was this tool out there that I knew nothing about as a traditional doctor and my patients didn’t know about. So, quickly became apparent that my goal in life, my mission here, what I was put on this planet to do is to practice functional medicine, and to spread it to the masses, and teach as many people as humanly possible that there’s another way and there is hope.

So, that’s really been my journey. It was a big transition, I will say that, to leave a very lucrative, consistent practice. I didn’t have to do any of the business aspects. I was just seeing clients in and out. But it’s so much more gratifying to be practicing functional medicine the way I want to practice, that it is worth all the learning I had to do from a business aspect. I started my own practice, and it’s really just grown and grown, which is, I think, the trajectory of functional medicine.

Dr. Sandi: What a powerful story, and your story, like so many who come to us as patients in functional medicine and then they decide that they are going to serve others now because they know the power of functional medicine personally. That’s what so many of our students and graduates tell us. So, you were in a traditional large group practice. Was this practice part of a hospital system or was it independent?

Dr. Emily: It was an independent practice. It was a physician-owned group where there were lots of satellite offices, and it was nice that the physicians owned it but still very much traditional in that sense.

Dr. Sandi: And you saw the value of functional medicine for your own health concern for rheumatoid arthritis. Was there a particular strategy or a particular lifestyle change that you felt really made a difference for you?

Dr. Emily: Sure. I speak so highly of the power of an elimination diet. That really changed my life. I tell my clients, now this is going to change your life. It’s really like so many light bulbs go off. We can learn about what our body wants, what it doesn’t want, and just really learn so much about the power of food. That would have been my biggest place that I really got the most benefit, but then I would say also I had to do a lot of gut cleanup.

We know with autoimmunity that there’s a leaky gut component, and so taking that on and learning how to do that was probably the second phase that really helped move me in the right direction, and stress management, I will say.

Dr. Sandi: Yes, it’s a combination of those lifestyle factors. And, yeah, the elimination diet is so powerful. And for those listeners who may not understand what that is, it is where a period of time, usually three or four weeks, where you eliminate those foods or food groups that are known to cause reaction. And it’s tough to follow, and that’s why we’ve had a project going with IFM, the Institute for Functional Medicine, now.

For a few years, we did a randomized controlled trial last year where their trainees, and I know you went through IFM. And so these medical doctors who are coming in to start learning functional medicine are asked to go on the elimination diet voluntarily as part of their training. And so we match our graduate health coaches with those doctors, and the results showed increased compliance because it is tough to go on that elimination diet.

I would love to now turn to how your practice is organized. So, you left the group medical practice, which was conventional, and you went out on your own to start functional medicine practice. Can you describe what that’s like?

Dr. Emily: Yes. Well, I’m very grateful because from the beginning, I had a friend who was a health coach, and she really encouraged me to start with the coach-first method. And at the time, I was like, really? And so it started as the coach would help me do an intake. The first visit was with the coach. It was a lot of the intake, a little bit of, “Here’s some changes to start making,” and then I would work with the client, hoping that they saw the value of the coach and would continue to purchase coaching after that.

Over the years, it has really morphed very gradually into once I see the patients that really stick with the coaching and the amount of change that they can get, it’s just phenomenal. So, now, I have it set up that every patient that works with me starts with three months with my health coach before they see me. And I get a lot of kickback. I have to do a lot of explaining because the patients, they tend to come…they want the doctor, they want the tests, they want the fancy supplements and all of that.

So, I spend the time teaching them how important the lifestyle really is and that I was chasing down symptoms with tests and supplements that honestly are generally mostly gone if we do the lifestyle piece first. What we’ve seen, in my practice, we’ve run the numbers and there is on average a 50% reduction in the MSQ score, the medical symptom questionnaire score, within three months of working with one of my health coaches. That’s without a supplement, without a test, without the doctor, and that’s what I really lean on.

I think it’s in the patient’s best interest to have that piece in place and then step into the testing. We end up ordering much fewer tests using much fewer supplements because they’ve really gotten that foundation of a healthy lifestyle and a whole lot of education along the way.

Dr. Sandi: This is phenomenal. How do you share that? So, let’s say I’m a new patient. I want to see Dr. Emily, and I’m adamant about that. In what format are you using to help them? Is this a call with them? Do you have printed information? Is this a conversation in the office, virtual? So, letting them know the success and the value of seeing the coach on the front end?

Dr. Emily: Yeah, I do discovery calls. They’re virtual. So, I’m on Zoom. That’s how I explain the process. I do have some follow-up, a flyer-type thing that I’ll email them after the call if they want to think about it. But that’s where I really try to hit it home. Most of the time, the clients can understand my passion around it, how important I feel that it is. And it’s not just blowing smoke at them. This is really the way I think it needs to be and how I see the best outcome for my patients.

So, most of the time, I can change that conversation. I don’t want to say convince but have somebody see my side of the story. Sometimes not. And that’s okay. That person can go find… There’s plenty of other functional doctors out there. This is just the way I feel it needs to be done.

Dr. Sandi: And how are those sessions with a coach conducted? Are they one-on-one? Group? Are they live or in-person? Are they remote? Can you talk about that?

Dr. Emily: Very good question. Yeah, it’s all one-on-one. My practice is one-on-one. Once a month, we have a webinar that’s open to all of my clients that can come, but the coaching is one-on-one. And it’s on Zoom. And each month, my clients get 90 minutes with their coach, which is generally broken into an hour visit, followed two weeks later by a half-an-hour visit and then it goes on like that.

But we really want to make it very individualized. There’s quite a relationship built in those one-on-one sessions where the coach is getting to know the ins and outs of that person’s life—what’s going to work for them, what’s not going to work. Sometimes the elimination diet is too big of an assignment at first. And so if we can see there’s a lot of overwhelm, then the coach is going to dial it back a little bit, “Okay, let’s just start with gluten or dairy.” So, it’s very much I lay out the way I like things done, but the coach is the one that’s tweaking it and individualizing it to that client.

Dr. Sandi: That’s fabulous. And what are some of the conditions that the coaches are encountering?

Dr. Emily: I tend to, I think, attract the clients that are similar to myself. So, I have a lot of high-performing women who have a lot of stress. They wear a lot of hats. They take on a lot in their life, and they tend to forget about their own health. That was me back in the day. And so we certainly deal with a lot of adrenal dysfunction, high-stress levels, autoimmunity. My story draws a lot of others with autoimmunity to see me. Any kind of gut problems, fatigue, mood disorders, skin issues, you name it really, hormonal imbalance. But it tends to be usually a 35 to 60-year-old woman.

Dr. Sandi: Yeah, that’s a very motivated population, and the coaches are often… We see amongst our students and graduates, that’s a population that many want to serve because they are that demographic as well. So, tell me what you look for in a coach. And I am really so honored that you have come to FMCA to find your health coaches.

Dr. Emily: Well, I would say that I am onboarding two health coaches currently, so we’re in the training process. And I only looked at FMCA. I love to have a coach who speaks the same language and who was trained by the same practitioners that I was trained by. I think that’s super special. And then I also look for the certification. I really want them to be certified by the national board. And that’s where I start. And then I get a lot of resumes coming my way, and it really then becomes more about what stands out about that person, how do we interact. It just gets to be more of a personal fit at that point.

Dr. Sandi: We hear many doctors say that they love the idea of having a coach that can speak the same language. And, also, this model you have created allows you to come in and be the true medical detective and do what you do best. Perhaps can you share some ways that your life is better now that you have health coaches?

Dr. Emily: Yeah, I really feel like before I was mandating this structure upfront, I was repeating myself so much with the same content, same information. I was acting as the coach in a lot of ways, and that’s outside of my zone of genius. I don’t have any coaching training. So, for me to try to help someone implement, and I still have to do that to some degree, but a big lifestyle change, I don’t know all the motivational interviewing skills and all of that stuff that the coaches know so well.

So, it really has taken a huge burden off of my plate. I feel like the clients, by the time they come to me, they’re served up on a silver platter like, “Here you go. We’ve handled most of it. There’s a little bit left, and now it’s your turn.”

Dr. Sandi: That is wonderful. And what the research shows is that coaching leads to an increase in self-efficacy, but it also is so important for the providers as well to relieve some of that burden and making your job easier. Can you share a little bit about how it works in terms of, are these people hired by you? So, [crosstalk 00:13:52.210].

Dr. Emily: Great question. Yeah, sure. All of my coaches are independent contractors, and most of them have their own private practice but love the collaborative model of working with a doctor as well. And honestly, they often will take a pay cut to work with me, the rate that I’m paying, because they don’t have to do the marketing to get my client, but they find it very valuable to have a team. We meet monthly. We review their cases. They have open communication. They can email me or text if there was some sort of emergency. So, I think that’s really valuable both ways, but yes, they are independent contractors. So, they can still do their own practice, and then they part-time work for me as well.

Dr. Sandi: Yeah, that’s a great model, one that I advocate. And can you share what would be your ultimate goal, your dream practice in the future?

Dr. Emily: I love that question. I have three coaches now. And what will happen is occasionally, not terribly infrequently, sometimes the client will come in, go through the coaching, and really have resolved just about everything they needed, and then they graduate, and they don’t even see me. And that’s okay, because they’re in my system. I do make a profit from them coming in and working with the coach. And they’ll get what they needed and move on. So, I can handle having multiple coaches under me, but as I grow, what I envision is just taking this to the next level, maybe having another provider working with me, whether that’s a nurse practitioner or another physician and having more and more coaches to even someday maybe doing more group coaching or programs along those lines.

I would love if every person on the planet could have a coach. I know it’s not possible, but I think that we would have such a healthy planet. America really needs some help these days, and coaches are really where it’s at.

Dr. Sandi: Well, music to my ears. That is just what I’ve been saying for years. Every person needs a health coach, and every medical practice needs a health coach. I have a new book that will be coming out shortly, and it is advocating for coaches as the new primary care—not to replace you, but to set the model that you have been a trailblazer in establishing, where it’s lifestyle first, and then the doctor comes in because we’re facing a critical shortage, especially in primary care. And for many people, it will take months and months to get an appointment with a new doctor.

And they don’t have that relationship that we had many years ago. They go to urgent care or a large practice where the doctor doesn’t know you, you don’t know who you’re seeing, they don’t know your name, they don’t make eye contact.

Dr. Emily: Yes. I think that’s a really powerful model to not even just a new primary care office. It’s not even functionally related, I think. If we started with lifestyle with a coach, we could really do away with the number of prescription medications and hospital stays and all of that. It would really change the way we do medicine. It would be very powerful.

Dr. Sandi: Absolutely. So, can you talk about your community? So, you are in Ohio. Are you seeing people then from other areas as well? Would that be a goal of yours to expand your range of services?

Dr. Emily: Yeah. Right now, my medical license is in Ohio, so I can only see clients in Ohio. We will take other clients outside of Ohio into the coaching program. They can work with my coaches, and it is a whole real program. There’s a back end of educational content and other bonuses that come along with working with my coach.

So, I think that’s a phenomenal option for someone who lives outside of Ohio. I’m not sure if I’ll get further licensure or expand beyond Ohio, but for right now, there’s plenty of people here who need my help. So, this is where I am right now.

Dr. Sandi: Well, it’s a beautiful model because you’re licensed, there’s people in Ohio, but the idea that your coaches, who are not bound by state lines, they are not licensed, they’re certified, and so they can serve a wider group, because functional medicine services are critically needed, and most people have wait lists. It’s very hard to get in, but what you’re saying is that people can come see your health coaches virtually. And in so many cases, their issues will be resolved because lifestyle first.

Dr. Emily: Exactly. If not, at least 50% improved, which is often a big win for people.

Dr. Sandi: Absolutely. Dr. Emily, this has been just such a wonderful, enlightening conversation. Where can people find you?

Dr. Emily: My website is probably the place to start, which is balancedlivingfm.com. And you can sign up for my newsletters. I generally have an email going out once a week. So, I have a favorites newsletter that people love with different products and things. I have a monthly newsletter with a blog, educational content. We have a health hints newsletter. So, if you want more information from a functional medicine standpoint, that’s the best place.

I am on social media as well, and that’s a great place for those that really like social media. I try to not stay on there too long myself, but we do put out content there as well, trying to educate the masses and really spread the word of functional medicine.

Dr. Sandi: Well, you are an inspiration to health coaches, and you are an inspiration to doctors to have a model that has coaches at the front end. This is what we’ve advocated, and it is a very effective model, and you are walking proof of that. So, I want to thank you for everything that you are doing to support the mission to help people become healthier. And this is just a fascinating conversation. Thank you so much for being with us.

Dr. Emily: Thank you, Sandi, for educating such amazing coaches that can really do so much of my job for me and make it that much easier. So, it’s a win for everyone.

Dr. Sandi: Thank you so much.

Dr. Emily: You’re welcome.