I’m a small-town Jersey girl who became an entrepreneur at a young age, a lifelong health and wellness enthusiast, and a devoted animal and plant lover.

I’m the owner of both a gift shop and a wellness center—and I’m also a chronic illness and complex PTSD warrior who transformed pain into purpose by becoming a trauma-informed functional health practitioner, transformational coach, and certified functional medicine health coach.  

The clients who are drawn to my work are often highly driven adults whose lives have been derailed by stress-related disorders, complex trauma, chronic fatigue, digestive conditions, and a constellation of other chronic issues. They’re ready to take back control of their health, but after trying countless approaches with little or no success, they’re overwhelmed, discouraged, and unsure where to begin.  

I help them uncover what’s truly keeping them stuck and guide them through a trauma-informed, deeply holistic process to create a personalized, step-by-step self-healing plan. Together, we focus on restoring both physical and emotional well-being so they can reclaim their health—and their lives. My story is proof that deep healing is possible, no matter how far out of balance you may feel.

Anxiety, Depression, and Devastating Spinal issues. 

 To add fuel to the fire, I was completely unaware of the impact of living in close relationship with someone who had narcissistic personality traits. The subtle put-downs, the unpredictability of never knowing which version of them I would encounter, and the lack of support for anything I tried to pursue kept my nervous system locked in a constant fight-flight-freeze state for decades.  

The effects of this long-term emotional abuse were both surprising and profound. My posture collapsed as if I were trying to make myself smaller and less visible. My breathing became shallow. I never truly felt safe in my own environment. Over time, this led to poor sleep, relentless anxiety, and a deep, haunting question: Why am I even here?  I remember thinking, I am living in hell. What’s next? How will I ever escape this nightmare?—without fully recognizing where it was coming from or how deeply it was shaping my health.  

Despite trying countless protocols and working with practitioners across nearly every specialty, my symptoms continued to multiply and intensify. I often felt alone, unsupported, and invalidated by doctors, family members, friends, and colleagues. Hopelessness and despair began to take over.  Eventually, my body reached a breaking point. I developed serious cervical spine issues and was faced with the terrifying possibility of paralysis—and more.

Mold, Parasites, and More Oh MY!

The Nightmare Continues!

I was so scared that I would have to give up my livelihood over this event! Then what?

They often say that healers are gifted at caring for others, but struggle to care for themselves. I lived that truth for a long time. I kept giving and giving, doing and doing, without pausing to listen to what my own body and nervous system were asking of me.  It wasn’t until this experience that I truly understood something had to change.

 I realized that if I didn’t begin taking care of myself—fully and intentionally—I would no longer be able to help others, which has always been my deepest passion.

Time to Take Charge of My Own Health and Well-Being

Now it was time to take charge of my healing. I committed to deep, intentional self-care—reconnecting with my body and learning how to become my own best healer. I studied and applied functional and mind–body medicine principles to accurately identify and remove the many stressors that had kept my entire system locked in defense mode.  

I faced long-suppressed emotions and began cultivating awareness around the internal narratives that were continually hijacking my nervous system.  Healing from past trauma is an ever-evolving process. I worked toward creating healthier boundaries and consciously channeled my lived experiences into building a Functional Health and Transformational Coaching practice.  

Ultimately, I created Kim Folio Coaching, where I now teach these methods to others.  No words can fully capture the lengths I’ve gone to in unraveling the complex web of health challenges and life disruption I experienced. Through my pursuit of wellness, I’ve gained a deep understanding of the factors that prime the body for illness—and, just as importantly, what must be in place to create the right internal environment for true healing to unfold. This is an ongoing pursuit, and one I am deeply committed to for the rest of my life.

The Winds of Change, Transformation, and Deep Healing

While medical diagnoses served a useful purpose for me at one time, I’ve since gained a new perspective. I now view illness—regardless of the diagnosis—as a state of dis-ease.

When the mind–body system falls out of balance, the body loses its ability to adapt to and overcome physical, physiological, emotional, mental, and spiritual stressors.  

My mentor’s father, soil scientist David Eames Ellis, often said, “Create the correct environment, and health will follow.”  Those words of wisdom are now the foundation of how I live my life—and how I help my clients heal theirs.

- I minimized the burden on the body-mind system by identifying and eliminating as many biological, biochemical, environmental, and emotional stressors as possible.

- I prioritized the pillars of health, such as nutrition, hydration, sleep, rest, mindset, nature connection, movement, stress reduction, self-regulation, and more.  
 
- I harnessed the power of daily habit.  

- I made supporting my mitochondria and increasing cellular energy production a top priority. Fixing my broken circadian rhythm was KEY in this process.  

- I detoxed and healed my cells.  

- I engaged in self-kindness and made extreme self-care a TOP priority.  

- I learned to feel and process emotions rather than resist or stuff them, as I had done for so long.  I worked very hard to break destructive mental patterns that hijacked the present moment and triggered my stress response.  I implemented daily practices to rewire myself for wellness.  

- I faced and began addressing long-buried emotional wounds and the corresponding mindstories that were contributing to emotional fragility and repeatedly spiraled me into dysregulation.  

- And more!

Amidst my healing journey, I learned that magic bullet, “fast-fix” protocols do not exist

Lastly, I need to emphasize that while addressing biochemistry and physiological imbalances was imperative to my recovery, taking back control of my health and reclaiming life from the grips of accumulated stress, trauma, and complex chronic illness transcended physical body systems.

  It required 100% responsibility, radical acceptance, active participation, willingness, courage, patience, and loads of self-love to address ALL aspects of my being.

My Qualifications & Credentials

I am a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and went on to study at the School of Applied Functional Medicine (SAFM), where I am now certified. https://afmccertification.com/practitioner/folio-kimberly/   I later became a trauma-informed practitioner through the Wellness Code Academy, earning certifications in HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis) and parasite cleansing.  

To complement this work, I am also a certified yoga instructor and continue to expand my knowledge through ongoing seminars and advanced programs of study.  With extensive training and a deep understanding of trauma and the stress–illness–pain connection, I integrate mind–body principles with physiological rebalancing into a trauma-informed, truly holistic, multi-therapeutic approach. This allows my clients to address healing on every level—body, mind, and spirit.

Background and Prior Education