Dr. Sybil Cooper is a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor, AIP Certified Coach, Certified Primal Health Coach and a current student at School of Applied Functional Medicine. She has a PhD in Immunology. Dr. Sybil started exploring nutrition and lifestyle modifications nine years ago when her son was first diagnosed with Lyme disease. Soon after, she was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome and later myasthenia gravis and mixed connective tissue disease. AIP along with lifestyle modifications helped Dr. Sybil to reduce her fatigue, brain fog and inflammation and allowed her to train in order to competitively run Spartan Races.
When Dr. Sybil is not coaching, researching, or training, she is playing with her dog, trail running or raising Monarch and Eastern Black swallowtail butterflies. Dr. Sybil’s happy place is being out in nature. She lives in New York with her husband, children, Molly and a pet corn snake, named Amaterasu.
I caught up with Dr. Sybil and asked her a few questions that I thought you’d love to read!
Thinking about joining the next session of the AIP Certified Coach practitioner training program?
Classes fill up quickly so make sure to click here and sign up for my Healthcare Professionals e-mail list to get first dibs at enrollment for the next session!
The Autoimmune Protocol e-book
Your practical guide to jump-start your healing with the AIP today.
One of my FAVORITE books I used to start the transition to AIP!!! It’s so helpful! I printed mine out and spiral bound it. Thank you for this!
Rita Davidson
Please share a little about your personal health journey and the role that the autoimmune protocol has played.
Women are so often told that what they are feeling is from stress and busy lives and that fatigue and brain fog are just a part of aging. It was my eye doctor that asked if autoimmunity ran in my family. My maternal grandmother had Scleroderma. Based on my corneal lacerations and lack of tears, he wanted me to be tested for Sjogren’s syndrome and referred me to a rheumatologist. I began to realize the fatigue and brain fog I had been feeling in addition to the dry mouth, eyes, and GI issues may not be normal. I heard Robb Wolf talk about his mom having Sjogren’s and the autoimmune paleo diet so I began to research the connection between nutrition and health. I discovered Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, Mickey Trescott, Angie Alt and Dr. Wahls which really opened my eyes to the power of nutrition to heal the body. A few years later I was diagnosed w/ Raynaud’s and Myasthenia Gravis followed by a general diagnosis of Mixed Connective Tissue Disease. As long as I pay attention to my stress, sleep, and AIP, I manage my autoimmunity very well. I returned to training and did several Spartan Races despite my diagnoses.
What made you want to be a health coach?
After several years of helping clients with their fitness goals, I realized that the other lifestyle factors such as nutrition, sleep, stress, and community are also critical to optimal health. So many need to know that there is a path to feeling better and living their best lives and need a guide on their journey. That was my impetus to becoming a health coach.
What certifications do you have, and why did you choose that program?
I am a certified Functional Nutrition Counselor through Functional Nutrition Alliance. This program was a great introduction to functional medicine or what I like to call functional wellness. I am also a certified Primal Health Coach Institute (PHCI) Level 1 and Level 2 coach. I chose the Level 1 certification as I feel that letting our primal ancestry inform our modern day lives with respect to sun exposure, primal movements, whole, dense nutritious foods, sleep, community and play are important for restoring optimal health. The PHCI Level 2 certification really honed my coaching skills. There are many books available that will tell you what to do. People need help with implementation and behavior change. Being a great coach means being a great listener. I then became a Certified AIP Coach through AIP Certified. I felt called to help my autoimmune community and wanted to broaden my knowledge beyond my own experience with AIP and lifestyle change. I am a current first year student at the School of Applied Functional Medicine to further my knowledge of how all of the body’s systems work together. Autoimmunity is just not a breakdown in the immune system but connectedness in other systems of the body as well.
Share a little more about your practice. How can my readers contact you to work with you?
Readers can go to my website, https://sybilcooper.com and click the “Work with Sybil” button. Currently, I am taking 1:1 clients. I will be offering group programs in the near future to provide community that is so necessary for those on an AIP journey. As anecdotal data becomes clinical data, more clinicians will be recommending AIP to help those with an autoimmune diagnosis. I think 2022 more people will realize the power of nutrition and lifestyle to have a huge impact on their health.
What is your #1 tip that you give all of your clients?
If you have questions, don’t stop until you get answers. Do your own research, seek advice and knowledge from various sources. You are the driver on this journey that is your health.
Anything new for 2022 that you would like to share with our followers?
For me personally, I will have several programs available to help people on their journey in addition to my 1:1 and group coaching. I also do corporate webinars around health and wellness. For the autoimmune community, I hope 2022 brings more clinical studies illustrating the power of AIP and lifestyle change to help the body and mind function at its best so that our autoimmune community feels supported from both their medical professionals and friends and family.
Save 70% Off the AIP Lecture Series!
Learn everything you need to know about the Autoimmune Protocol to regain your health!
I am loving this AIP course and all the information I am receiving. The amount of work you have put into this is amazing and greatly, GREATLY, appreciated. Thank you so much. Taking this course gives me the knowledge I need to understand why my body is doing what it is doing and reinforces my determination to continue along this dietary path to heal it. Invaluable!
Carmen Maier
Interested in becoming an AIP Certified Coach?
If you are a healthcare professional interested in this high-value certification, join my Healthcare Professionals e-mail list by clicking here (I send an infrequent newsletter with content relevant to health & wellness providers). I will e-mail you with more information on how to become an AIP Certified Coach.
TWV Podcast Episode 489: New Year’s Resolutions and Healthy Weight