12/09/2025
My lore 📜
I finished my 0-6 PharmD from Ohio Northern University in 2013. I started an internship at Walmart in 2011 and fell in love with the company and set my sights on climbing the corporate ladder. I had a pharmacist job secured before graduation, so no need for residency, but I always thought about an MS.
I got promoted a couple times to different Pharmacy Manager roles in those first 3 years (Springfield, OH then Livonia MI then Flint MI) and even though I did a Business Administration minor with my PharmD, I started researching doing an MBA or MPH since they felt relevant to my role at Walmart and my dream to become a leader.
We ended up discovering functional medicine at that time through my husband’s health issues and it completely changed my viewpoint on my career. This was the future of healthcare and I knew I wanted to be in the cutting edge. So I started researching certifications but just felt they weren’t the right fit as a community pharmacist. That’s when I found my Masters in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine through University of Western States. It was the perfect fit to be able to do it virtually, I could get credits for doing IFM modules as electives, and it would give me a deeper understanding of nutrition / food as medicine (relevant when you work inside a grocery store!)
Little did I know that degree would uniquely position me as THE leader in the company in 2019 when our new VP of Health & Wellness decided to build interdisciplinary health centers (RIP Walmart Health).
I got picked for a 3 month special assignment at the Home Office in Bentonville AR, got to meet Steuart Walton, Mark Hyman, and Dr. Oz… a literal dream come true. And then *p**f*.
January 2020 came, leadership changed, and we were all sent back home. (Hindsight tells me they new Covid was coming 👀)
But I came home from that experience and immediately started my own business for Functional Medicine Pharmacists Alliance. I knew I couldn’t wait on Walmart to make my dream of seeing functional medicine integrated into pharmacy a reality. It was up to me now.
3 years later, I had slowly stepped my way back down the corporate ladder while building our membership based so that I could leave to run FMPhA full time. And that’s exactly what I do today. 😊
Looking back at Pharmacy school, the signs were all there. I was super involved with NCPA and was a national student leadership council member. I did a rotation in association management. I considered the NCPA residency program. I considered a Fellowship with the Ohio Pharmacist Association. I was the captain of our business plan team that won the very first state level competition. I did a teaching rotation in nutrition and biochemistry with one of my favorite professors who later wrote my letter of recommendation for my MS degree application.
While you’re in pharmacy school, follow your passions. The things that light you up and feel exciting. They are breadcrumbs on the trail to your destiny. What you think is you dream is just the beginning. 🏔️
Trust the process, stay curious, and enjoy life every step of the way.
