NIWH Graduate Spotlight Questionnaire
Tamara Golden
RN, HNB-BC, NBC-HWC
Whole Health Educator™

Q: What drew you to the Whole Health field and the National Institute of Whole Health?

A: I had been working as a RN Health Coach in a corporate wellness setting for 3-4 years when I came to NIWH. My patients were often asking for more information related to their health concerns, and I realized that they needed better understanding in order to be clear about the steps they could take to improve their health. I wanted to grow my skills in finding credible health information and making it understandable to my patients. I also believed that there was more to great health than just diet and exercise, and wanted to learn to integrate all aspects of health into my work.

Q: Did the Whole Health training meet your professional goals?

A: Definitely! My mantra is “Sometimes we don’t know enough, and sometimes we just don’t act on enough of what we know.” Whole health education serves the “knowing” piece of the behavior change puzzle, and coaching serves to help patients functionally implement what they learn into their own lives. I see education and coaching as two sides of the behavior change coin.

So, adding Whole Health Education® skills to my coaching skillset helped me to increase my value to my clients and they have better outcomes. Completing the NIWH program also prepared me to get board certified as a Holistic Nurse.

Q: How are you currently applying your training from NIWH?

A: I am still working in corporate wellness and love it. In my last position, where I served the same population for 7 years, I had 100% satisfaction rating among those I served. On anonymous surveys, the comments often referred to how well I listened and how cared for they felt, and how they appreciated the time I took to help them understand what was going on and what they could do about it.

Since the pandemic put my employers’ launch of virtual care services on the fast track, I am now serving in a new telehealth program and get to work with clients all over the country, helping them improve their chronic conditions and overall health.

In addition to my full-time job, I had a small private practice out of a home office until the pandemic hit, and I piloted an online group program since then. My goal for this year is to grow my online program, and the Self HEALTH Academy in on pace to launch this summer!

NB: Tamara will be speaking at the upcoming Health Coach Summit this year and also spoke at a Lifestyle Medicine Summit last October and will likely do so again this year.

Q: Has the Whole Health Education training impacted your health?

A: I am able to see the Big Picture of Health® more clearly than ever before, and can advocate for my own health on a higher level. Most memorable was that while I was taking the program at NIWH, I had an issue of tendonitis in my shoulder following a flu vaccine at a local pharmacy, which was painful and affected my arm function.

My doctor did not believe it was related to the shot and wanted to give me cortisone shots. I was able to apply what I learned about researching health information and present her with information that showed poor injection technique CAN cause the symptoms I was having. She thankfully read what I sent and changed her mind.

Also, applying what I learned about inflammation and Omega-3 fatty acids in one of my first classes, I started taking a quality fish oil supplement, and within about 2 weeks my 7-month episode of arm pain ended, no cortisone or other treatment needed!

Q: Would you recommend the Whole Health training to others?

A: Whole-heartedly! Whole Health training at NIWH is a game changer if you want to take your nursing career to a new level and be able to serve your clients in an even more impactful way.