Integrative Health Studies Students and Alumni

The intensive was more than I could have imagined or expected. It was an opportunity to come together with like-minded people to discuss and learn from pioneers in the integrative health field. It was amazing, inspiring and a little overwhelming! It really helped me understand who I am, and why I am drawn to this field. And I can see that the answers will trickle into the rest of my time at CIIS and into my life. What a wonderful, life-altering experience. ~Angela Keller

I am a thankful participant of wellness coaching sessions with a student in the program and thanks to our work together and to her compassionate insight, I am embracing my leaderful qualities in key areas of my life and am finding that unhealthy stress is less present for me. I have recentered my focus on supporting my needs, rather than on circumstances beyond my control. These healthful changes, wonderful at any stage in life, are huge gifts for me as I anticipate several major life transitions. I believe the benefit of these sessions will serve me well in future and ripple out for the good of all beings. ~Elise Y.

My work as a mentor coach in the program has been both inspiring and heart opening. I have learned invaluable lessons from listening to the student coaches' experiences and hearing about their challenges and successes. Being able to offer them support for their journey, to remind them to be gentle and compassionate with themselves, has been incredibly fulfilling. I can see how important it is anyone entering into any profession, especially one where you are working with vulnerable populations and topics, to have a relationship with a mentor. ~Drew Anne Wolfson

The rich coursework has opened my heart to greater self-respect and a greater respect for others--I feel friendlier, more alive, and more resilient. I have also learned, thanks to the positivity and respect modeled by each instructor and mirrored by every one of the students, that it truly is okay to make mistakes: they provide for unique and rich lessons. This program is an education in living as a whole and integrated individual in a whole and integrated community. That sense of wholeness has become my new normal--a compass of remembered, embodied experience that informs my conversations and actions, and has already given me so much more confidence in who I am and what I'm up to in life. ~Sara Clerk

The academic intensive was a great opportunity to build the sense of community that is much needed in a hybrid online program. I feel much more confident in embarking on this path knowing that I have a stellar support system. ~Julia Baschiera

I was hired to create the wellness program at Alameda Health System, and manage all aspects of programming for 4,700 employees at nine sites. It's been an exciting adventure to bring a holistic wellness model to an allopathic setting, and test my skills and ingenuity. I'm also working on an independent business venture where I focus on how wellness relates to personal fulfillment, food, and activity. The faculty in the Integrative Health program represented both the academic and professional sides of various health and wellness disciplines, and gave me strong professional mentors to pursue my goals. ~Toni Sicola

After three years in academia, I recently became a corporate writer for MedAmerica in Emeryville, CA. I write and compile proposals, selling our parent company's services to hospital administrators. I call on my degree to understand current health trends, analyze performance metrics, and write about hospital integration. Nonetheless, I would never have found this position if it wasn't for the recommendation of program graduate Sarah O'Sullivan. ~Molly Hartle

I work as a health coach manager at Hinge Health, a San Francisco-based company where have been working to create an internal training program. I want the coaches to have a high standard of excellence, and to be able to offer scalable, next-level health services to our growing online clients. We have had the pleasure of hiring graduates of Integrative Health Studies, as well as NBC-HWC certified health coaches. I'm glad to know that these coaches are well prepared to support the people who need them. ~Christine Imfeld

I work in Mexico City as a bilingual integrative health coach and consultant, with an emphasis on chronic illness: type 2 diabetes, obesity, etc. I also teach yoga and practice Traditional Thai Massage. Although the need for this type of work is expanding at an alarming rate here, therapeutic resources are still quite limited. Every day I'm excited, delighted, and honored to be a part of this nascent healing community. ~Kelly Guevara

After completing the Integrative Health program, I began working as a health coach in the corporate wellness field. After a few years of experience both as a coach and as a manager, I set off with the confidence to start my own business which I have successfully run now for over a year. The health coaching program, combined with the entire Integrative Health Studies curriculum, is both comprehensive and extremely progressive. Motivated students will happily find themselves better prepared than they realized for a fruitful career in this emerging field. ~Sarah Showalter-Feuillette

The Integrative Health program taught me the undeniable power of community in facilitating personal growth and healing. In my work for a large, integrative primary care practice, I develop and manage group wellness programs where individuals feel empowered to be active agents in their health. I learned essential skills in my coaching classes that I use every day as I teach people practical skills and provide them a safe space where they feel a sense of belonging, acceptance, and community. ~Kareen Patterson