Why I Became a Functional Medicine and ReCODE Health Coach

Janine Garcia, PharmD — prescribing joyful motion and smiles, no prior authorization required. 💊 + 🏃‍♂️ = 😁

For much of my career, my focus was medications—and rightly so. Medications save lives, and as a pharmacist, I was trained to understand them deeply: how they work, how they interact, and how to use them safely and effectively.

 

But over time, I began to see that medications were often only one part of a much bigger picture.

 

Even when medications were well managed, people could still struggle with energy, metabolic health, cardiovascular health, cognition, and the everyday habits that influence all of them.

 

Patients were doing what had been asked of them, while care partners were often trying to make sense of multiple recommendations and competing priorities.

I wanted to better understand what else could help.

That curiosity led me to expand my training beyond traditional pharmacy into functional medicine, health and wellness coaching, lifestyle approaches, and ultimately brain health.

 

Then this work became personal.

Why Brain Health Became Personal

From my first steps to pharmacy school graduation—and through so many steps in between—she was always there. 🌳

 

Thank you, Mom. 🫶✨

I began noticing changes in my own mother’s cognition. As my family worked to put the Bredesen Protocol into practice, I experienced firsthand something I now carry into my work with others:

 

Knowing what to do is one thing. Making it work in everyday life is another.

 

Over the past two years, we’ve worked together to incorporate recommendations in ways that are meaningful and sustainable. Some changes fit naturally. Others needed to be adapted to my mother’s abilities, preferences, and everyday life.

 

That experience taught me that there is no perfect plan that works for everyone. 

 

The best plan isn’t simply the one that looks good on paper. It’s the one you can actually live.

What is My Coaching Style?

Begin by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” — attributed to St. Francis of Assisi ❤️🙏😇

My coaching style is shaped as much by who I strive to be as by what I have studied. Five values guide how I show up: 

 

Faith — grounds me in hope, humility, discernment, and service while honoring each person’s own beliefs and values

 

Love — reminds me to lead with patience, kindness, and genuine care.

 

Forgiveness — makes room for imperfect days, fresh starts, and grace along the way.

 

Honesty — calls me to be straightforward, transparent, and trustworthy.

 

Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence — keeps me attentive to what is good: character, growth, creativity, nature, and the small moments that make life meaningful.

 

 

 

Health is part of a much bigger life. There will be good days, difficult days, unexpected turns, and reasons to begin again.

 

My hope is that our time together leaves room for all of it—purpose in the journey, grace in the setbacks, gratitude for the good, and hope for what comes next.

How Can My Training & Experience Serve You?

More than 15 years in clinical pharmacy has taught me to look carefully at the details—while never losing sight of the person behind them. My additional training in brain health and health coaching allows me to bring those perspectives together in one place.

Board-Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist (BCACP)

Helping you better understand your medications and supplements, with personalized medication reviews available to New York residents.

ReCODE 2.0 Certified Practitioner & Coach | Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach (FMCHC)

Guidance in understanding your ReCODE or PreCODE recommendations and applying them at home.

Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)–Certified

Standardized cognitive screening, when appropriate, by secure video or telephone.

Different Lenses. One Person.

A medication list tells me one part of your story.

A ReCODE report tells me another.

A cognitive screening provides another piece.

And your own experience—what you're noticing, what matters to you, and what feels possible—adds something no report can provide.

 

My role is to help bring those pieces into focus, recognize where questions may need to go back to your healthcare team, and support you in deciding where to put your energy next.

 

Because your health is more than any one number, prescription, test, or recommendation.

Are We a Good Fit?

Walking with a shared vision for health and a commitment to longevity.  Small steps. Steady Progress. Love life!👣🌱🤝

We may be a good match if you:

 

  • Are facing memory or cognitive changes and want support putting your ReCODE recommendations into everyday life.
  • Care for a parent, spouse, friend, or loved one and want to support their health while caring for your own wellbeing, too.
  • Want to be proactive about healthy aging and build habits that support your brain, independence, and quality of life for years to come.

 

 

Meaningful change rarely happens all at once. It grows through small, intentional steps that fit your life and build upon one another.

 

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s steady progress toward a healthier life that allows you to keep doing what matters most—with the people who matter most.

 

Ready to get started? Let’s find your next step together.