HOW I GOT HERE
From Primary Care Clinical Pharmacist to Diabetes Health Coach
Hi, I'm Nicole!
I've spent over a decade as a clinical pharmacist primarily working with patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. As those years passed, something kept gnawing at me:
The thought that there has to be a better way than continuing to add more medications, right?! (I know, I know - a pharmacist that wants to stop meds?! 100% Yes!)
There began my pursuit of the answer...
I won't bore you with all the details of that journey so let's keep it simple - where I began and how I got here, the place where I get to help people just like you create a strategy to reverse diabetes and live a life free of diet cycling, frustration, and progressing diabetes complications.
The short version
In 2014, I completed my Doctor of Pharmacy program. After finishing my residency in 2015, I began working with patients in a primary care office managing chronic conditions.
I loved my time spent with patients!
Over the years, however, I began to notice the same pattern time and time again:
People just like you are given the diagnosis of prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, handed a vague set of instructions like “cut carbs and exercise more,” and then left to figure out the rest on their own (insert confusion and overwhelm with a dash of denial - and rightly so!).
No clear plan. No real understanding of what the hell is actually happening inside their body or how to take back control. Definitely no guidance on how to reverse diabetes and heal their body.
By the time most patients landed in my care, they were frustrated, confused, and hopeless.
Their A1cs were through the roof!
They were juggling multiple medications wondering if they would have to take them forever.
They were dealing with diabetes complications that could have been prevented if someone had just given them the right guidance from day one!
So I pivoted from clinical practice to diabetes coaching.
I shifted my focus from treating to preventing - from "fixing" to empowering lasting change.
I watched it long enough to see that true lasting change doesn't come from your provider telling you what to do; it comes from you telling you what to do.
It was time to start helping people like YOU kick some diabetes ass and Reverse the Rules of the traditional medical model!
What I know to be true
You don't need to try "harder."
You don't need to cut all the foods you love out of your life.
You don't need to DIY your health alone by piecing together bits of information scattered all over the internet.
You need strategy.
You need a shift in mindset.
You need clear repeatable steps.
That's what I deliver in my Reverse the Rules program using the 4 Steps to Success process.
We build a solid foundation with self-reflection in step 1 and mindset shift in step 2.
We implement simple, sustainable and repeatable habits in step 3.
We grow confidence in step 4 by implementing those habits that lead to wins and make a clear plan to stay on track when life gets messy.
Clarity + Empowerment + Support = Healthy Future
A few more details about me, in case you are interested...
Doctor of Pharmacy from Northeast Ohio Medical University
Licensed Registered Pharmacist
PGY1 Residency Cleveland Clinic
Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist
9+ years of experience working with patients to help them gain better control of their chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc
Core tendency: QUESTIONER - give me that "why" before I take action. (Then I find a way to figure out the rest!)
Personality type: INFP-T
Wife; Mom of 2 lovely humans
Always up for an adventure!
