Hi! I’m Danielle Meitiv, M.S, Hashimoto’s thriver, health coach, and total science geek!
I’m passionate about helping people with hypothyroidism boost their energy and metabolism so they can lose weight and get their lives back.
I love using the latest research to help people on their healing journeys. I enjoy making all kinds of complex scientific info relevant, interesting, and accessible to real people. People like you.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved reading, learning, and talking about all kinds of science, from medicine to ecology, physics to psychology. And like so many kids, I wanted to be a marine biologist when I grew up.
This passion led me to a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Buffalo and a job as a naturalist with the New York City Parks Department. Later, my childhood dream came true with Master of Science in Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island.
I put my degrees to work for government agencies and non-profits as an environmental science and policy “wonk”. I happily dug into science journals, attended conferences, and worked with researchers to understand and communicate the latest developments in climate science.
At the same time, I developed a deep fascination with medical science and the cutting edge of health and wellness. This was inspired in part by my family’s tragic history of autoimmune disease and cancer, especially among the women.
My mother’s mother died at 44 years old from breast cancer, my mother’s younger sister died at 43 from a brain tumor–after suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS)–and my mother had Grave’s disease, was diagnosed with bladder cancer at 44, and died from it at 64.
Getting diagnosed with Hashimoto’s scared the hell out of me. I want didn’t my life or premature death to become another entry in our tragic history. So I turned my love of science and skill in research to learning everything I could about this disorder–and how to heal it.
Although I loved my climate work, after 20 years I started getting itchy feet. It was time for a career change. I wanted to come out from behind the research and reports and put my passion to work in a more service-oriented way.
Was it a coincidence that I started to feel this way in my mid-forties–the age when so many women in my family were diagnosed with or died from cancer? Or did that unconsciously influence my desire to shift focus from environmental to health science? From policy to service? Probably.
Okay, definitely.
In 2019, I got certified as a Primal Health Coach through the fantastic program started by Mark Sisson, ancestral health genius and one of my personal heroes.
To dive even deeper into the practice of functional medicine, I enrolled in the School for Applied Functional Medicine (SAFM) in 2020. SAFM integrates scientific rigor, complex case practice and repetition, and systems-based thinking, to trains practitioners are to deliver better health care. (TBH it was the nerdiest, most scientific program I could find!) I expect to complete the program in 2023.
I am so excited put my science passion and experience to use by teaching and inspiring others to use the latest science to heal their bodies and improve their lives!
Here’s to your health!
Danielle
If I can help YOU in any way, please let me know! I love to answer questions, hear stories, and learn from others, so drop me a note and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can! danielle@thyroidhealingsolutions.com