Kylie Buckner, RN, MSN

Director of Lifestyle Change.

Masters of Science in Nursing, Registered Nurse

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.

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 MA, RDN, CDCES

Diabetes Coach, Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, Living with Type 1 Diabetes

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!

Michelle King 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. She spent over a decade coaching hundreds, including people living with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, in transitioning to a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle having dedicated her life to helping others thrive, she is excited to be part of the Mastering Diabetes coaching team.

Andrea Wotan MPH, RDN

Diabetes Coach, Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Masters in Public Health

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 profoundly 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. 

Amy Leahy, BA Health Sciences in Nutritional & Dietetic Medicine

Diabetes Coach, Nutritionist

Amy Leahy is a degree certified Nutritionist, holding a Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) in Nutritional and Dietetic Medicine. It was through studying the overwhelming evidence about how a plant-based lifestyle can truly change a person’s health that moved Amy from a vegetarian to a fully plant-based lifestyle.

Her passion and drive are to educate & empower others with the knowledge to make the best health choices for themselves. Amy is a passionate keynote speaker and educator on plant-based nutrition in her home country of Australia.

Linda Rukavina, NBC-HWC, INHC

Diabetes Coach, National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, living with insulin-dependent Monogenic Diabetes

Linda is certified through the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaches and holds a Lifestyle Medicine Coach (LMC) certificate from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She completed her health coach training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She also has a BBA and MBA in Finance. Prior to health coaching, she worked in corporate finance and consulting.

She has been living with diabetes since the age of 30 but didn’t get serious about her health until 2012 when she transitioned to a plant-based diet and watched her A1C fall from 6.7% to 5.8%. She worked for many years to reverse her diabetes with diet and exercise but eventually learned she had low insulin production and started taking insulin. To help with the transition, she did private coaching Mastering Diabetes. The accountability, competence, and confidence she gained were key to her success and the inspiration for her to pursue health coaching. Now she loves empowering others with the life-changing power of whole food plant-based eating and lifestyle change!

Marco Ranzi, MS

Diabetes Coach, MS in Nutrition

Marco, MS holds a Master’s Degree in Nutrition with an emphasis in Human Performance from Logan University to go along with a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell. He is also certified as a National Academy of Sports Medicine Personal Trainer and Sleep Expert and is a Permaculture Design Course graduate. Marco strongly believes in a holistic approach to health and utilizing food as medicine. He has the unique experience of being raised plant-based and has been following this lifestyle for over 20 years.

In 2017 Marco hiked the entire 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail powered completely by plants.

He now lives in Costa Rica with his wife Maria where they tend to their gardens and fruit forest with regenerative practices. They enjoy the local beaches and waterfalls in their free time.

Deb Scott, RN

Diabetes Coach, Registered Nurse, National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach

Deb is passionate about helping people make important lifestyle changes and is certified as a Lifestyle Medicine Coach by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). She originally became interested in the science of behavior change while helping a family member struggling to change their habits after a diagnosis of diabetes and heart failure. Her professional medical training includes a B.S in nursing and experience as a Registered Nurse with a background in cardiac and primary care.

After becoming vegetarian as a teen, Deb adopted a plant-based diet in 2008 for ethical reasons. She advocates using whole food plant-based nutrition for the numerous health benefits and has followed evidence-based science on the subject for years. Utilizing Lifestyle Medicine and its tenets personally helps Deb to thrive and allows her to instill these values in her interactions with clients. She loves to share her passion for using food as medicine and is committed to empowering and educating people on how lifestyle changes can prevent and reverse the chronic diseases taking a huge toll on Americans today.

Jessica Stidham, NBC-HWC, INHC

Diabetes Coach, National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, living with Type 1 Diabetes

Jessica is certified through the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaches and she completed her health coach training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1996 when she was 3 years old. She was also diagnosed with celiac disease at a young age.

Jessica began her plant-based journey in 2016 by becoming a client of Cyrus Khambatta when he was running his company, Mangoman Nutrition. She was able to achieve all of her goals such as achieving a 5.4% A1c, losing 50 lbs, and cutting her insulin needs by more than half while eating 300x more carbohydrates. She has the unique experience of being one of the first hires on the Mastering Diabetes team and even helped decide the name of the company. Now she loves empowering others to achieve their goals!

Amanda Pyne

Diabetes Coach, National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Living with Type 1 Diabetes.

Amanda was diagnosed with Type 1 when she was 12 years old. As the only member of her extended family with the disease, she often felt like an outsider. Over the years, she tried every therapy available, but it wasn’t until someone recommended the Mastering Diabetes book that she felt she had found a place to belong. For the first time, she felt like she was in control, not her diabetes. Her A1c is never above 5, and she now has the energy to keep up with her young family.

Amanda has degrees in Dietetic Technology and Health and Wellness Promotion. In November 2022, she passed the board certification to become a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach to help others. She also holds certificates in Plant Based Nutrition, Health & Wellness Coaching, Meditation & Mindfulness Teaching, and specialized training as a Lifestyle Coach for the National Diabetes Prevention Program.

John Massengale, RDN, LDN, CDCES

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

John has been a practicing dietitian for over 4 years. After seeing a close family member struggle with their health and wanting to improve his own health, he decided to change careers and become a registered dietitian. After becoming a registered dietitian in 2019, he’s has practiced in a variety of settings. He has worked as a Clinical Dietitian at a hospital, a dialysis clinic, and in a outpatient primary care provider clinic. John graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics at Metropolitan State University in Denver Colorado and completed his Dietetic Internship. He later went on to become a Diabetes Educator and Education Specialist.

In his spare time, he enjoys competes in triathlons and gravel bike endurance races. He completed many triathlons including one Ironman.

His greatest passion is helping many clients achieve their health goals by empowering them through education and support using the power of lifestyle medicine. 

Jenelle Longo, RN, FNP

Certified Health Coach, Registered Nurse, Master of Science Degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner

Jenelle is a certified health coach, Registered Nurse, and holds a master of science degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She is certified in Plant-Based Nutrition by eCornell and the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

In 2015, her life took a transformative turn after reading "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell. This eye-opening read introduced her to the incredible potential of Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB) nutrition in preventing and even reversing chronic diseases. Eager to delve deeper, she immersed herself in evidence-based articles, books, documentaries, and attended International
Plant-Based Conferences. Inspired by the life-changing benefits she discovered throughout her own plant based journey, Jenelle made it her mission to share the power of WFPB with others, leading her to pursue a career in health coaching.

In her free time Jenelle cherishes her time with family, running outside, practicing yoga and meditation, and listening to podcasts including "Plant Strong" with Rip Esselstyn and “On Purpose” with Jay Shetty.

Meghen De Santa, BC-HWC, MACCP

Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Master's Degree in Medical Anthropology & Cross-Cultural Practice

Meghen is a Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach and holds a Master's degree from Boston University School of Medicine in Medical Anthropology & Cross-Cultural Practice, with additional concentration in Public Health. Meghen discovered a whole foods, plant-based diet after a diagnosis of celiac disease and multiple autoimmune disorders in her late 20s. While struggling with gestational diabetes during her second pregnancy, she began working with Mastering Diabetes as a client. The thrilling outcomes she experienced during the program included a quick 30-point drop in fasting blood glucose, her lowest A1c ever (5.4% upon completion of the program), relief from several autoimmune symptoms, and a healthy baby girl.

Since then, Meghen has earned her certification in Health & Wellness Coaching and has worked to support and empower 125+ clients to reverse their metabolic disease markers and lose weight. She is passionate about gathering the stories & experiences of her clients, troubleshooting any and all challenges, fostering community and connection to support healing, and sharing the evidence-based, life-changing benefits of a plant-based diet.

In her spare time, Meghen loves doing almost anything with family, making pottery & rescuing naughty Siberian huskies.

Karin Yehling

Health Coach

Karin has watched 4 generations of family members get diagnosed with type 2 diabetes; including herself. She was diagnosed at the age of 35 while she was a competitive racquetball player. Luckily, she was able to make enough changes to get her A1C back to normal relatively quickly. However, a whole food plant based diet was NOT on her radar so her numbers started creeping back up again. Using the Mastering Diabetes method has proven itself with a diabetes reversal once again (the right way this time).

Karin spent over 20 years in the health and fitness field as a personal trainer and realized that food is the foundation of health. So, she set off to get her Nutrition Coach certification from Precision Nutrition and then her Health Coach certification from Functional Medicine Coaching Academy. Her passion is to empower people with the knowledge and skills to make diabetes a thing of their past using food as medicine in the form of a low fat whole food plant based diet. As she guides you on your journey to health, rest assured that Karin has been on this journey as well, and knows how life-changing it can be to reclaim your health.

Lauren Plunkett, RDN, LD, CDCES

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist, Indoor Cycling Instructor, Living with Type 1 Diabetes.

Described as a "plant-based powerhouse", Lauren is a force to be reckoned with as a thought-leader in upgrading nutrition education. Having professional experience in pediatric endocrinology, performance nutrition, and virtual primary care, she has provided plant predominant nutrition education to thousands of people.

The essence of her practice focuses on whole-person healing that connects emotions to the physical body. Reaching below the surface to examine our relationship with food is the key to establishing long-term, body-positive, stigma-smashing, nutrition habits. Her philosophy focuses on well-being and empowers individuals, allowing plant-based nutrition to become an inclusive standard of nourishment for people across cultures and throughout the life-cycle.

She is an avid public speaker and author of the award-winning book, Type One Determination. Lauren has lived with type 1 diabetes for 30 years. She credits physical activity and her vegan lifestyle of over 13 years for thriving health and boundless energy.

Jacinda Shapiro RN, BSN, CDCES, DipACLM, PN1, WellStart Coach

Diabetes Coach, Registered Nurse, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist

Jacinda Shapiro is a certified diabetes care and education specialist and a diabetes health coach who has practiced as a registered nurse for over 27 years. She is board certified and a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She uses evidence-based, whole-person therapeutic approaches to prevent, treat and reverse diabetes and other chronic diseases using six pillars of health which include a whole-food plant-predominant eating pattern, daily movement, restorative sleep, stress management, positive social connectedness, and tobacco cessation.

As a diabetes health coach, she empowers clients with the knowledge and tools to optimize health and keep it. Lifestyle coaching involves action plans specific to an individual needs designed to help someone reach their highest goals by focusing on their strengths. Her ultimate goal is for every client to have developed skills to be independent to achieve long-lasting healthy.

If you are ready to make lifestyle changes to prevent or reverse disease you have found the right coach to help you succeed. Simple lifestyle changes can help you transform your health. Schedule your appointment now to begin the journey!