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Functional Nurse Academy Success Stories: Michele Kostedt and Helping Women Thrive in Midlife Through Functional Wellness

Sep 8 / Melissa Schreibfeder, BSN, RN, BC-FMP

🎧 Listen to my podcast with Michele below!

Women in midlife are often told the same things over and over again.

The hot flashes are normal.
The weight gain is normal.
The sleep issues are normal.
The brain fog, mood changes, rising cholesterol, and low energy are just part of getting older.

But what if your body is not randomly falling apart?

What if these symptoms are actually communication from the body that something needs support?

On today’s episode, I had the opportunity to interview Michele Kostedt, BSN, RN, HWBC-BC, a Functional Nurse Academy graduate, registered nurse, board-certified holistic wellness nurse coach, and founder of Holistic Wellness and Coaching.

Michele helps women over 40 thrive in perimenopause and beyond by looking at what may be driving their symptoms and how the body can be supported through functional wellness, lab testing, hormone education, foundational lifestyle practices, and personalized coaching.

Michele’s Story: From Conventional Nursing to Functional Wellness

Michele knew she wanted to be a nurse from when she was a little girl. She loved science, went straight into nursing school after high school, and spent more than 25 years in conventional nursing.

Early in her career, she specialized in oncology and administered chemotherapy. What she loved most about that setting was the patient connection. She could build relationships, see patients consistently, and spend time educating them.

After her husband unexpectedly passed away, Michele took time away from that role and later moved into colonoscopy work, where she shifted into cancer prevention. For many years, Michele was deeply immersed in conventional medicine. But over time, several experiences began to open her eyes.

She noticed the power of natural tools like essential oils. She also began questioning the healthcare system more deeply after her son experienced a reaction to a vaccine as a teenager and missed many days of school without clear answers.

Then, during COVID, her perspective shifted even more.

At the time, Michele was doing a lot of chart review. She read report after report of patients going to primary care with symptoms and leaving with:

  • A new prescription

  • A new referral

  • A new diagnosis

  • Very little education

  • Minimal discussion of root causes or lifestyle changes


That was the pattern she could not ignore anymore. People were coming in with symptoms, but they were not being taught why those symptoms were happening or what they could do to support their bodies.


Michele first pursued nurse coaching, but realized she still wanted the science, the root-cause investigation, and the ability to help women understand what was happening in their bodies. That search eventually led her to the Functional Nurse Academy.

What Michele Loved About Functional Nurse Academy

Michele shared that Functional Nurse Academy opened her eyes to what was possible as a nurse.


Before FNA, she did not realize she could have her own business as a functional practitioner, connect with a doctor to order labs, evaluate those labs, identify patterns, and educate clients from a root-cause perspective.


Some of the things Michele loved most included:

  • A new vision for nursing: FNA showed her that nurses can build businesses and serve clients through functional wellness.

  • Root-cause education: She loved learning how to look at the body as interconnected systems and identify patterns.

  • Lab education: Michele appreciated learning how to review labs functionally and use them to educate clients.

  • Foundational wellness principles: FNA helped her see how supporting one system in the body can often positively affect other systems.

  • Business tools and support: She received practical business resources such as sample contracts, questionnaires, mentorship, and referrals for attorneys.

  • Confidence to leave the sick care model: FNA gave Michele the desire, knowledge, and tools to establish her business.


It gave me not only the desire and the knowledge, but the tools to really get my business established.
Michele has now been completely free from the sick care model for the last couple of months after gradually transitioning out of conventional nursing.

Helping Women Over 40 Get Real Answers

Michele’s practice focuses on women over 40 who want to thrive in perimenopause and beyond.

One of the major problems she sees is that midlife women are often given quick symptom management without a deeper conversation.

If they are having mood changes, they may be offered an antidepressant.
If they are struggling with sleep, they may be offered a sleep aid.
If their cholesterol is rising, they may be offered a statin.
If they are having hot flashes, they may be told it is just part of aging.

Michele’s approach is different.

She wants women to understand what is actually happening in their bodies and what can be done to support them well. That means looking at the foundations that influence hormone health, metabolic health, inflammation, sleep, energy, and long-term wellness. Some of the foundational areas she focuses on include:

  • Sleep patterns

  • Resistance training

  • Protein intake

  • Sunlight exposure

  • Daily movement

  • Stress management

  • Circadian rhythm support

  • Mineral balance

  • Gut health

  • Anti-inflammatory nutrition


Michele also emphasized something that is so important and often overlooked: women should be asked what their goals are.

Some women simply want fewer hot flashes or better sleep. Others are thinking long term and want to support their brain, bones, heart, metabolism, and ability to stay active for decades to come.

Prefer to watch? Watch my interview with Michele below!

A Functional Approach to Hormones

During the episode, Michele discussed how she thinks about hormone support in midlife.

She explained that estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are not just sex hormones. They are whole-body hormones with receptors throughout the body. Michele is passionate about helping women understand that hormone therapy, when appropriate, should be considered in the context of the whole body.

In other words, you can't just throw hormones at a body that is not supported.

Before layering in hormones, Michele believes the foundations need to be addressed first. That includes nutrition, sleep, movement, stress, metabolic health, mineral balance, and circadian rhythm support.

She also discussed the importance of rhythm.

The female body was designed to have hormonal rise and fall throughout the cycle, not a flat, static line. Michele advocates for a more physiologic and rhythmic conversation around hormone support while recognizing that every woman’s plan needs to be individualized.

A Client Success Story: Better Gut Health and 30 Years of Back Pain Gone

Michele also shared a powerful client story from her practice.

She worked with a woman who was already fairly healthy and had many good lifestyle habits in place. This client was concerned about cardiovascular health and dementia risk because her mother had Alzheimer’s.

Michele ran comprehensive blood testing and stool testing, then created a wellness plan with targeted support.

When Michele checked in a couple of months later, the client shared that her bowel habits had become more regular.

But there was another result that surprised them both.

Her back pain was gone.

This client had struggled with back pain for over 30 years and had tried everything. After supporting her body more foundationally with gut health and anti-inflammatory strategies, she was able to exercise without pain.

This is the what our functional nurses see all the time: when you support the body at the root, improvements can show up in places the client did not even expect.

Frequency-Specific Microcurrent and Sound Therapy

One of the unique tools Michele offers is frequency-specific microcurrent, also called FSM.

FSM uses very low-dose electrical current with electrodes and wet towels as conduits. Michele shared that she has used FSM protocols to support inflammation, shingles, and the stress response.

Interestingly, Michele first learned about FSM after reading Toxic by Neil Nathan, a book I recommended in the Functional Nurse Academy.

At first, Michele was skeptical. Frequency medicine sounded a little “woo-woo” to her.

But as she learned more, her perspective began to shift. Conventional medicine already uses tools that measure or apply frequency and electrical activity, including EEGs, EKGs, MRIs, ultrasounds, and magnetic stimulation.

That helped Michele see frequency medicine a bit differently.

She eventually tried FSM herself and saw meaningful changes with her own insulin resistance. That experience led her to become certified and begin offering it in her own practice.

Michele also offers sound therapy through the AO Scan, including a free sound therapy session for those who want to experience it.

Designed 2 Thrive and Michele’s Wellness Membership

Michele’s course, Designed 2 Thrive, helps women understand how to prepare the body for hormones and support wellness in midlife. The course covers:

  • Myths surrounding hormones

  • The WHI study

  • Foundational health support

  • Sleep

  • Sunlight

  • Nutrition

  • Physiologic hormone replacement therapy

  • Why following the body’s rhythms matters


From there, women can move into Michele’s one-to-one wellness membership, where she provides individualized lab review, accountability, support, hormone education, and deeper guidance. Michele coaches women virtually in all 50 states through her course and membership.

About Michele Kostedt, BSN, RN, HWBC-BC

Michele Kostedt is a registered nurse, board-certified holistic wellness nurse coach, Functional Nurse Academy graduate, and founder of Holistic Wellness and Coaching.

After more than 25 years in conventional nursing, Michele now helps women over 40 thrive in perimenopause and beyond through functional wellness, hormone education, foundational lifestyle support, lab testing, frequency-specific microcurrent therapy, sound therapy, and personalized coaching.

Her work is grounded in the belief that the body was intelligently designed by God with remarkable wisdom, and that it’s capable of remarkable things when it’s supported well.

Michele’s Website: https://holisticwellnessandcoaching.com


Free Sound Therapy Session: https://innervoice.holisticwellnessandcoaching.com


Designed to Thrive Course: https://holisticwellnessandcoaching.com/designed2thrive/

Frequently Asked Questions About Becoming a Functional Nurse

What is a functional nurse?

A functional nurse is a licensed nurse who applies the principles of functional medicine to educate and empower clients by helping them identify and address potential root causes of health concerns. Functional nurses focus on nutrition, lifestyle, sleep, stress management, environmental influences, and other evidence-informed approaches while practicing within their nursing scope of practice.

What is the difference between a functional practice owned by a NP and RN or LPN?

Nurse practitioners may operate a medical practice where permitted by state law. Depending on their state's regulations, NPs may diagnose medical conditions, order and interpret laboratory testing, prescribe medications, and provide medical treatment.

RNs and LPNs can own and operate independent wellness-focused functional nursing practices. Rather than diagnosing or treating medical conditions, they educate and empower clients through personalized wellness plans, nutrition and lifestyle education, health coaching, specialty laboratory education and on going support.

How Do Non-Advanced Practice Functional Nurses Utilize Laboratory Testing?

RNs and LPNs can access both conventional and specialty laboratory testing through partnerships with functional medicine laboratories. These partnerships allow nurses to order testing through a physician network at affordable wholesale pricing, while practicing within their professional scope.

While nurse practitioners (NPs) may have the authority to diagnose medical conditions and independently order laboratory testing depending on their state laws, non-advanced practice nurses use laboratory data to educate clients about potential patterns of dysfunction. Laboratory findings can also help guide personalized wellness recommendations and support collaboration with the client's healthcare team to optimize health outcomes.

Please note: Certain states, including New Jersey (NJ) and Rhode Island (RI), have restrictions on laboratory ordering through some functional medicine laboratory networks.

Does Functional Nurse Academy provide continuing education for nurses?

Functional Nurse Academy is an approved provider of continuing nursing education. Graduates receive 90 nursing contact hours, approved for LPNs, RNs, and NPs.

The program combines comprehensive functional medicine education with practical application, case studies, and business mentorship, giving nurses the knowledge, tools, and confidence to launch and grow their own functional wellness businesses.

Can I become board certified after completing Functional Nurse Academy?

Yes! Functional Nurse Academy graduates are eligible for the following practitioner level board certifications through American Association of Natural Wellness Practitioners (AANWP)

  • Functional Medicine Nurse Specialist | BC-FMNS
  • Functional Medicine Practitioner | BC-FMP
  • Functional Wellness Professional | BC-FWP
  • Christian Wellness Practitioner | BC-CWP (for students completing our optional Christian content)

Below are the coaching credentials that our graduates qualify for through the American Association of Natural Wellness Coaches (AANWC)

  • Functional Nurse Health Coach | BC-FNHC
  • Functional Health Coach | BC-FHC

This program has been peer-reviewed and is endorsed by The American Holistic Nurses Association

CEs earned from the Functional Nurse Academy meet CE eligibility requirements for the following American Holistic Nurses Association board certification titles:

  • HN-BC® (Holistic Nurse Board Certified)
  • HNB-BC® (Holistic Nurse Baccalaureate Board Certified)
  • AHN-BC® (Advanced Holistic Nurse Board Certified)
  • APHN-BC® (Advanced Practice Holistic Nurse Board Certified)
  • NC-BC® (Nurse Coach Board Certified)

What is included in enrollment?

Functional Nurse Academy is the leading and most comprehensive functional nursing program on the market for LPN, RN and NP. Enrollment includes the following:

  1. 90 Nursing Contact Hours of functional nursing education
  2. Multiple Board Certification Pathways in functional medicine and holistic nursing
  3. Functional Nurse Toolkit with business resources and practice-building tools
  4. Social Media & Marketing Kit with 9 months of content, brochures, and business card templates
  5. 40+ Advanced Trainings covering functional medicine and business strategy (available in FNA monthly mentorship library)
  6. Six Months of FNA’s Monthly Mentorship Program FREE, including live educational trainings and 60 minutes of live Q&A each month, all hosted by FNA Founder Melissa Schreibfeder, BSN, RN, BC-FMP, plus case studies and full access to the mentorship library.
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Ready to take the next step?

I’m so happy you’re interested in functional nursing! I’d love to connect with you at my next live informational + Q&A webinar, where you’ll learn all about functional nursing, how nurses across the country are launching their own functional wellness businesses, and how you can get started.

You’ll also have the opportunity to meet me live and get all of your questions answered!

Just click below to save your seat! I hope to see you there!

-Melissa Schreibfeder, BSN, RN, BC-FMP Founder & CEO, Functional Nurse Academy