Kim Gensler FMCHC, NBC-HWC

I learned at a young age that life is precious and that it is entirely up to us to determine what kind of life we choose to live. We can choose to let our obstacles consume us or we can look at them as life experiences and opportunities for growth. I decided to do the latter….I've always been a passionately curious and creative individual and wanted a life that was unique and 'out of the ordinary'. And it was this desire and eagerness to experience life that took me around the world from a young age. And back in 2009, I decided to follow my heart back to South Africa where I've been living for the past 14 years.It was the "wild-ness" and adventure that brought me to this beautiful country plus I had my heart set on becoming a safari guide and taking people from around the world on unique, once in a lifetime experiences in the African bushveld.After several years in the bush, my curiosity, creativity and love of learning took me on a new journey.... a journey to develop my photography skills. And back in 2013, I opened Kim Gensler Photography, then Untamed Boudoir Photography and also The Roam Collection (my African home decor photography range) several years later. I have always been an artistic person and opening up my photography businesses certainly allowed me to express that artistic freedom I've always considered a gift.However, back in 2021, I was at a crossroads and needed to make new decisions about my life. Covid wasn't nice to the photography industry and it was time for a change. When I looked back at my life and all of my adventures and life experiences, I realised that one thing was constant throughout and that was functional medicine.I was fortunate enough to start learning about functional medicine at the age of 25 (2005) and really started honing in on my lifestyle. After my car accident back in 1997 that left me with a broken back, I developed some bowel/skin issues most certainly due to all the medications, etc. and consider myself fortunate in a lot of ways but mostly in having an open mind to the functional medicine "way”.It wasn't always easy to follow while I was in the bush but it still remained the foundation of my core values. I was the only person making green smoothies and hauling jugs of RO water from town to the lodge! But pretty soon, others followed. :-)Over the past 15+ years my love of learning about functional medicine principles has really developed and my passion for helping and teaching others about it is what led me to join the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy through IFM in September 2021.I have a particular interest and knowledge about gut health, skin issues, IBS, epigenetics and anyone looking to restore & rebuild their lives as a whole.  It starts with one step....My Signature Strengths:CreativityCuriosityLove of LearningJudgementHonesty