About Me
Hi, I’m Alexis Bernstein, National Board Certified Functional Medicine and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach (NBC-HWC) and founder of Rootimentary Health Coaching.
My journey into health coaching began with my own healing story in 2015. As a teenager, I was diagnosed with spinal scoliosis, which over time developed into chronic pain, sciatica, arthritis, nerve compression and degenerative disc disease. Despite being active and relatively health-conscious, I was in constant pain that was negatively impacting my life — especially as a busy, stay-at-home mom of two young daughters. After exhausting nearly every medical intervention ranging from acupuncture to physical therapy, chiropractic work to steroid spinal injections, I found myself defeated and on the verge of a risky spinal fusion surgery.
Then a chance conversation with a Health Coach literally changed my life. Never having heard of a “Health Coach” before, I was skeptical, but also desperate. So I took a chance….and won. Through simple but powerful dietary and lifestyle shifts, I began to heal. Within months, I experienced the life-changing connection between what we eat, how we live, and how we ultimately feel. I experienced first-hand the profound connection between wholesome nutrition, soulful connection and our body's well-being. I fully embraced the concept that food is medicine and that by our own choices, we can truly influence our destiny.
Today, I continue to live each day pain-free, without the dreaded back surgery or any pain medication. My life was so profoundly improved by my own health transformation, that it inspired me to become a certified health coach in order to help others get their lives back too. To maintain my wellness, I stay fit playing water polo, committing to my 6am boot camp class and daily walks with my awesome dog, Ansel. My soul stays fit with yoga, hiking, forest-bathing amongst the magnificent Bay Area redwoods and my burgeoning Buddhism practice. I do it all fueled by an organic, anti-inflammatory and gluten-free lifestyle and a strong commitment to balance and moderation, not perfection.
Although it wasn’t an easy path, my health crisis led me to discover my life’s work and passion — helping you uncover what’s holding you back, to reconnect with your body’s signals, and to build habits that truly support longevity and your vision of a good life.
“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.”
Rootimentary Health Coaching was created as a culmination of my years of education, personal and professional experiences and my deeply rooted passion for integrative health.
I believe vibrant wellness is within your reach and Im fully dedicated to helping you discover your own path towards better harmony, health and sustained happiness from the inside out—where good health is rooted.
MY EXPERIENCE
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National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC).
Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach with accreditation from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (“IIN”), the world's largest nutrition school.
Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach with accreditation from the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy (“FMCA”).
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Masters of Science in Counseling Psychology, Dominican University of California (including over 2,000 clinical training hours as a Marriage and Family Therapist)
Bachelor of Arts from University of California, Santa Barbara.
Although I do not practice psychotherapy, my unique dual background in health coaching and psychology allows me to more deeply understand my client’s challenges and provides me additional perspectives.
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Decades of hands-on, front-line experience as a wife and a stay-at-home parent to two daughters, diligently working each day to strike the right home, family and life balance — not always an easy task!
Gluten-free for over 20 years due to my celiac disease, so I have learned a thing or two about the benefits of life without gluten.
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Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, Chair of Nutrition at Harvard University
Andrew Weil, MD, Founder of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, Bestselling Author and Founder of True Food Kitchen
Gabrielle Bernstein, best-selling author, motivational speaker and life coach
Susan Blum, MD, MPH, Assistant Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Mark Hyman, MD, Founder of The UltraWellness Center, Chairman of The Institute for Functional Medicine, best-selling author
Joshua Rosenthal, MS, pioneer and visionary in the holistic health and wellness field, Founder of Institute of Integrative Nutrition
Geneen Roth, Pioneer of Emotional Eating and Empowerment, best-selling author
Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies & Public Health at NYU
Joel Fuhrman, MD, family physician and leading expert on nutritional healing
Daniel Amen, MD, psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist
Susan Scheinbaum, PhD and founder of the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy
David Perlmutter, MD, Board-Certified Neurologist, best-selling author and a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition
Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D., FACN, CNS, President of Big Bold Health and Founder of Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute
Michael Arloski, Ph.D., PCC, NBC-HWC, Founder of Real Balance Global Wellness Services and founding member of National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC)
Attendee at the Institute for Functional Medicine Annual International Conference 2024, Las Vegas, NV
