Jennifer Belew Launched Her Functional Medicine Business and Shaved Years Off Research

I discovered functional medicine years ago. My parents were always going to health food stores to get their supplements and to buy organic groceries before that was really a thing. And then immediately out of pharmacy school, I found a functional pharmacist in Alabama who allowed me to come shadow him for a few days. And he was doing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy along with supplements. And the women who were coming in were just raving about how he had saved their marriage, saved their mental sanity, saved their relationship with their children, and I was blown away! Functional Medicine is the future of pharmacy and of healthcare to me because I have seen the incredible results of lifestyle changes and modifications, and I've also seen the impact of what our standard American diet is doing to people. And while I felt like for years I was eating really well, I was still having a whole bunch of chronic issues. And as I've gone through this Functional Medicine journey, I've been able to alleviate so many of the issues I had without any side effects. I discovered FMPhA through a Google search. I literally typed in "functional pharmacists" to see if anyone was doing anything in this realm. I didn't think I would find anyone and, lo and behold, Lauren pops up! The lifetime membership of FMPhA is important to me because this is not a short-term thing for me. This is something I plan on practicing and living for the rest of my life. I want to be connected with other like-minded pharmacists. I feel like it's a great place for networking and a great place for information. If there was anything that would have made me hesitate in joining, it would have been the cost. I obviously had not launched any sort of business and had no income from this area. So just spending my own money and making that own investment to get the ball rolling was a little scary. I totally feel like my decision was worth the investment. Lauren shaved years off of the research I would have had to do to get to the point that I am now. The inclusion of the bootcamp course was definitely a factor in my decision to go ahead and join. I probably would have hesitated, but the bootcamp intrigued me, and I really wanted to get started with this. So my biggest takeaways from the bootcamp course would have definitely been getting a business plan rolled out. I would not have held my feet to the fire to get that done. So that was really great in clarifying where I wanted to go. Where I'm getting the most value from the membership is probably from Lauren's expertise. I did end up joining IFM from this and doing AFMCP, which was phenomenal. I probably would not have tried that route had it not come up in the bootcamp. My continued involvement in the FMPhA membership is important because it maintains this network that I'm trying to grow and be a part of. It provides information for conferences that are upcoming that may not be on my radar. It keeps me in touch with other pharmacists. Since being a part of the FMPhA membership, I have pivoted a good bit in my career. I am still working as a pediatric hospital pharmacist, but my days off are spent learning, working with some of my Beta clients, and launching my own business to help other women through functional medicine practices. I think it's important to be a member of FMPhA because we want to grow this community. Pharmacists need to be seen in this area and seen for the value that we bring to patients and clients. And I think that we have strength in numbers and we need to continue to grow those numbers. And the membership will help you grow yourself. So I just want to give a shout out to Lauren that I am super grateful for her impact on my life, that she has stepped out and been a mentor to me from afar. And I don't think I'd be where I am right now if it weren't for what she's doing. My name is Jennifer Belew I am a functional pharmacist in Decatur, Georgia.