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Meet Our Founders

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Cyrus Khambatta, PhD

Cofounder, Living with Type 1 Diabetes

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 2003, then earned a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 2012. He is the co-author of many peer-reviewed scientific publications.

He is the co-founder of Mastering Diabetes and Amla Green, and is an internationally recognized nutrition and fitness coach who has been living with type 1 diabetes since 2002. He co-created the Mastering Diabetes Method to reverse insulin resistance in all forms of diabetes, and has helped more than 10,000 people improve their metabolic health using low-fat, plant-based, whole-food nutrition, intermittent fasting, and exercise.

He is the co-host of the annual Mastering Diabetes Online Summit, a featured speaker at the Plant-Based Nutrition and Healthcare Conference (PBNHC), the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Conference (ACLM), Plant Stock, the Torrance Memorial Medical Center, and has been featured on NPR, KQED, Forks Over Knives, Healthline, Fast Company, Diet Fiction, and the wildly popular podcasts Plant Proof and Nutrition Rounds. He is a co-author of the upcoming book Mastering Diabetes with Robby Barbaro, MPH.

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Robby Barbaro, MPH

Cofounder, Living with Type 1 Diabetes

Robby Barbaro, MPH graduated from the University of Florida and is the cofounder of Mastering Diabetes and Amla Green. He worked at Forks Over Knives for six years before turning his attention in 2016 to coaching people with diabetes full time.

Robby was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 12 and has been living this lifestyle since 2006. In that time, while eating pounds of fruit every day, his HbA1c value has never exceeded 6.4%, and his blood glucose has been stable and easy to manage.

He is the co-host of the annual Mastering Diabetes Online Summit, a featured speaker at Whole Foods Global Headquarters, VegFest LA, Plant-Stock, Torrance Memorial Medical Center, and has been featured on Forks Over Knives, Healthline, Medical Medium, Vice, Thrive Magazine, Diet Fiction, Thrive Global, BestLife and the wildly popular podcasts Plant Proof and Nutrition Rounds, and is the author of the upcoming book Mastering Diabetes with Cyrus Khambatta, PhD.

Robby enjoys exercising every day, spending time with friends, and sharing his lifestyle on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Meet Our Coaches

Kylie Buckner

Kylie Buckner, RN, MSN

Masters of Science in Nursing, Registered Nurse, Director of Lifestyle Change

Kylie Buckner is a registered nurse and has a master’s degree in nursing education. She has more than 18 years of experience as a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit, in labor and delivery, in OB-GYN, and in pediatrics.

She has dedicated her life to caring for people as a nurse and has an in-depth understanding of the challenges of adopting a plant-based lifestyle. She is also a certified yoga teacher and has been 100% plant-based for over 6 years.

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Adam Sud

Diabetes Coach, Compulsive Eating Specialist, Reversed Type 2 Diabetes

Adam used to weigh 320 pounds, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, was a drug addict, a fast food addict, and suffered from severe depression. Adam implemented a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle, and overcame food addiction, drug addiction, and type 2 diabetes.

Within 6 months Adam had reversed type 2 diabetes, lost 170 pounds, and has been sober for a little over 5 years. Adam is now a plant-based health coach who with Mastering Diabetes, and is a speaker for the Engine 2 Total Health Immersion Programs and Plant-Strong events.

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Marc Ramirez

Diabetes Coach, Reversed Type 2 Diabetes

Marc Ramirez is a former University of Michigan Football player who reversed type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction, psoriasis, and frequent heartburn using a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet. 

He lost 50 pounds in 3 months, and in that same time period he eliminated 5 medications that he had been taking for 10 years. He is certified through the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) as a Food For Life Instructor and conducts classes and 21-Day Kickstarts to help people improve their health. He also appears in the new documentary Eating You Alive.

Wendi Sullivan

Wendi Sulivan 

MA, RDN, CDCES

Wendi's passion for helping people with diabetes goes back to when her Dad was suddenly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 12 years old. Her whole family's diet immediately changed to help her Dad become healthy again. Wendi was later diagnosed at age 21 with type 1 diabetes. She was inspired to become a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist to work with people who have diabetes. Wendi graduated with both her bachelor's and master's degrees in nutrition from Western Michigan University. She has worked with people with diabetes for over 13 years. Wendi loves her nutritious lifestyle!

Natalie Goodwin, MS, RD

Master of Science, Registered Dietician

Natalie is a Registered Dietitian who has earned a Bachelor's degree in biochemistry and a Master's degree in Community Nutrition. Her professional background in hospital-based clinical nutrition has provided her with experience working with people with a wide range of health concerns.

She has been plant-based for over 7 years and is passionate about helping others take control of their health through diet and lifestyle. In her spare time, she can usually be found working in her garden, rock climbing, or caring for her ever-growing flock of rescue chickens.

Michelle Davis, BA Education

Diabetes Coach, Certified Health Coach & Personal Trainer

Michelle began a plant-based journey over 20 years ago in response to health challenges. She became an avid studier of evidence-based nutrition and still considers herself a lifelong learner. In the early 2000’s she co-authored the book, Never Be Fat Again, with Raymond Francis. She also worked at Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

In 2011, Michelle founded Not Diets. She spent over a decade coaching hundreds, including people living with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, in transitioning to a whole foods, plant-based lifestyle for weight loss and healing.

Michelle has done motivational speaking at events and retreats, regular radio spots, and has written health columns for various publications. Having dedicated her life to helping others thrive, she is excited to be part of the Mastering Diabetes coaching team.

Andrea Wotan MPH, RDN

MD Coach

Andrea earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Stanford University and spent the first 10 years of her professional life working as an Investment Banker to technology companies in Silicon Valley and other regions of the nation and world.

Andrea resigned from investment banking because she knew that her purpose was elsewhere. She discovered whole food plant-based diets (wfpb) out of a desire to protect animals and the earth and then learned about the extraordinary health benefits of a wfpb lifestyle. She was hooked and decided to dedicate her life to sharing the miracle of a plant-based lifestyle with others.

She went back to school and earned her Master of Public Health degree in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health (SPH). She then completed her Dietetics training through the UM SPH Dietetics Internship program to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Andrea founded a telehealth plant-based nutrition coaching practice to help individuals with chronic conditions improve their health by shifting toward wfpb diets. She is now deeply honored to be a Mastering Diabetes Health Coach.

Paula Allison RDN, LDN, CDCES

Diabetes Coach, Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist

Paula has been in the field of Dietetics for over 25 years. During this time, she has practiced in a variety of settings. She has worked as a Clinical Dietitian at a hospital covering an array of services including, Diabetes, Community Nutrition, Pediatric, Cardiac, Renal, and intensive care. She has also worked as a Public Health nutritionist for many years.  Paula graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics from Plattsburgh State University and completed her Dietetic Internship. She later went on to become a Diabetes Educator.

Her greatest passion is helping many clients achieve their health goals by empowering them through education and support using your food as medicine.

Meet Our Team

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Jose Tejero

Customer Support Specialist and Marketing Assistant

Jose is a plant-based certified health coach with a Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science. His mission is to spread the healing power of plant-based nutrition, exercise, and mindset modifications to conquer diabetes in a natural way.

Jose shares valuable information on how to adopt healthy lifestyle habits, cook delicious plant-based meals, and make exercise part of your daily routine. He is fluent in both English and Spanish.

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Mariela Arteaga

Customer Support Specialist

Mariela Arteaga has a daughter who is living with type 1 diabetes for 5 years. She said “As a parent it is not easy to manage diabetes for your child. I wanted to understand diabetes better and was looking for healthy diet to help my daughter’s A1C improve.”

Her family has adopted a low-fat, plant-based lifestyle and enjoys eating lots of fruit. She now works as a Bilingual Customer Support Specialist and has a passion to share the coaching program with others. She is very excited to welcome new members begin their journey in the Mastering Diabetes Coaching Program.

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Jessica Stidham

Community Manager and Podcast Manager

Jessica Stidham has been living with type 1 diabetes for more than 24 years. She began eating a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet to reverse insulin resistance 3 years ago, and has excellent blood glucose control. She has gained full control of diabetes and has eliminated unnecessary oral medication as well. 

While finishing school, Jessica is a part of the support staff, podcast management and she loves gathering testimonial success stories from our wonderful members.

Alondra Matute

Executive Assistant, Customer Success Manager

Alondra Matute started off in our team as an Amla Green support member and since then has grown to be our Executive Assistant as well as the Customer Success Manager for our Mastering Diabetes clients.

Alondra is passionate about women’s health issues and diabetes health. Living with PCOS and insulin resistance herself, she knows the challenges many experience as they transition to a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food lifestyle.

You can always count on her to welcome you and support you in any regard in your journey in the Mastering Diabetes Coaching Program!

Jenny Gormley, BS

Sport Nutrition Coach and Founder of the Micronutrient Movement

Her first job working in a kitchen started more than 12 years ago at the age of 15. Throughout the last decade, she has trained and worked in many different restaurants, all with different chefs and styles.

She is a self-taught chef who discovered a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle throughout her college education and hasn’t looked back since.

Jenny earned a Bachelor of Science in Fitness and Wellness from Northern Arizona University, with an emphasis in Health Education and Human Biology.

Jose Roman

Jose Roman, born in Venezuela and currently residing in Peru, is a Freelance Translator and Virtual Assistant.

As a former Civil Engineer student, Jose Roman developed a problem-solving mindset. His attention to detail and interest in constant learning have taken him to acquire skills that would help him perform better as a digital worker, including general design and editing software knowledge. He is also experienced in 3D Modeling and is currently studying programming in his spare time.

Jose Roman currently works behind the scenes on different Mastering Diabetes projects.

Jen Mendez

Customer Support Specialist 

Jennifer has been in customer service for more than a decade working with different industries from travel hospitality, logistics, eCommerce etc. As part of Mastering Diabetes, she learned how this program can help people and make a difference in this modern day of age. She is passionate about rescuing and fostering animals and has a life-long dream to have her own sanctuary someday.

Jennifer Ellison

Coach Enrollment Manager

Jen Ellison is a certified holistic health coach and has a degree in exercise science. She was diagnosed with type 1.5 diabetes in September 2020 after having gestational diabetes.  She adopted a plant-based lifestyle after being on the ketogenic diet for nearly 8 years. She dramatically dropped her A1c, has excellent blood glucose control, and reversed ulcerative colitis while overcoming the fear of carbs and enjoying a plant-based lifestyle.

She is excited about welcoming new members into the Mastering Diabetes coaching program to help improve their lifestyle dramatically.

Sacha Simmons

Coach Enrollment Manager

Sacha reversed her prediabetes using the Mastering Diabetes program. Within 3 months of being on the program, she lost 13lbs, lowered her blood glucose readings to non-diabetic levels, and became so passionate about the program that she became part of the team.

She now lives a low-fat plant-based lifestyle, is a Healthy Eating Advocate, and author of plant-based cookbooks, and is working on a certification to become a function nutrition coach.

Her over 16 years of experience ranges from coaching and development, sales, consulting and business operations. She is looking very forward to helping others become part of our Mastering Diabetes family.