I first met Anne in December, 2012 in a hotel in Las Vegas, when we co-taught the inaugural Nutritional Therapy Consultant (now NTP) training program for the Nutritional Therapy Association with the school’s founder, Gray Graham.
When I met Anne, I was like many of you were before you started your IRH journey: practicing nutrition and getting decent results, but often getting stuck with the clients I wanted to help the most. You know the type. The client who’s been from practitioner to practitioner, who’s doing everything “right” but still feeling wretched. These clients consumed me, keeping me up at night searching for ideas and tools to help determine what was blocking their healing.
Over dinner one night in Vegas, Anne shared with me some of the successes she was getting in her practice in an “oh it’s no big deal” kind of way. My jaw dropped as I grasped the impact she was having with the very kind of client that I was, thus far, totally unable to help. She casually mentioned she was toying with the idea of building a course of her own to share the tools she used in her practice with other practitioners. I immediately blurted out “Yes, you have to!! And I’ll be the first to sign up.”
I took that very first Institute of Restorative Health class back in May of 2014 and it’s not an exaggeration to say that it changed my life. It dramatically changed my practice and the lives of my clients as I was suddenly equipped with a vastly more powerful toolkit for facilitating my clients’ health transformations. I was hooked. I signed up for the next level of IRH training as soon as it was offered, hungry to learn more.
The rest, as they say, is history. Soon I was teaching for IRH, and shortly thereafter I formally joined the company as a partner. Throughout these years, it has been an honor to lead you – the IRH Community – alongside Anne. Even more so, it has been an absolute thrill to watch so many of you experience the same kind of transformation in their clinical skills and confidence as I did.
When Anne founded the Institute of Restorative Health in 2014, her original mission was to change the way healthcare was delivered throughout the US and the world. Together we envisioned a vibrant community of highly-trained practitioners equipped with powerful tools to create true and lasting healing in their clients’ lives, no matter how complex or challenging the clinical presentation.
When I look at how far we’ve come since that first class of 25 students in the spring of 2014, I couldn’t be more proud. The IRH core curriculum has now expanded into four comprehensive levels of training, officially completed in the fall of 2021 with the launch of our capstone course, The Art and Science of Clinical Mastery. When the current Level 1 class graduates this spring we’ll have certified over 800 Restorative Health Practitioners across 50 states and 13 countries. The team of instructors has grown from two to twelve, and the team’s commitment to realizing the Institute of Restorative Health’s mission has never been stronger.
And now, at this moment of success and celebration, the Muse is calling Anne to pursue other endeavors. As she shared last week, the time has come for her to move on and she has entrusted this incredible organization into my hands. I couldn’t be more honored to further her mission and continue to bring this vision into reality.
And so, what does the future hold?
Our future is bright, my friends.
Looking ahead, I see:
A future where a Master Restorative Health Practitioner is the go-to practitioner for complex health issues.
A future with 10,000 Restorative Health Practitioners working globally to facilitate true transformations in their clients’ and communities’ health.
A community of elite practitioners growing together, supporting one another, learning from each other, healthy and thriving, and providing the most effective and powerful tools for healing.
A time when Restorative Health Practitioners are among the most sought-after speakers, teachers and educators on all topics of health and wellness.
And, a future where each and every one of us plays a role in changing the way healthcare is delivered around the world.
As an organization, we are well-poised to carry out this mission. Our leadership team is committed to continuing to bring you superior clinical education and training. We are proactively staying current on the latest research in functional health and will continue to update our course materials regularly, so that you have access to the most current thinking in the field. We will continue to look for and implement ways to better support you in the practical application of the IRH Toolkit, and will be announcing some exciting new offerings in the coming months.
I could never do this alone, and I am confident that we’ll achieve these audacious goals thanks to the support of the incredible team of IRH instructors, our ever-loving and dedicated Operations Manager, Tiffani, and, most importantly, all of you.
May we together honor Anne for what she has created as she moves on to other adventures and celebrate what is to come for the Institute of Restorative Health community.
We will be hosting a virtual celebration to honor Anne in the coming months. Please watch your inbox for more details! And, as always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are as committed as ever to ensuring your Institute of Restorative Health experience is a life-changing one and welcome any feedback you may have.
In health and wholeness,
Margaret
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FAQ
These frequently asked questions expand on the key themes in this announcement and provide additional context about the Institute of Restorative Health’s mission, leadership transition, practitioner training, and future direction.
Who is the Institute of Restorative Health designed to serve?
The Institute of Restorative Health is designed to educate health practitioners who want to improve their ability to help clients with complex clinical presentations. Its training focuses on expanding practitioners’ clinical skills, confidence, and practical toolkit for supporting lasting health transformations.
What is the mission of the Institute of Restorative Health?
The Institute of Restorative Health’s mission is to change the way healthcare is delivered by equipping practitioners with advanced clinical education. The organization aims to build a global community of highly trained practitioners who can effectively support clients with complex health challenges.
Why did the leadership of the Institute of Restorative Health change?
The leadership transition occurred because founder Anne chose to pursue new endeavors and entrusted the organization to Margaret Floyd Barry. The article emphasizes that the mission and vision of the Institute remain unchanged despite the leadership change.
How has the Institute of Restorative Health grown since it was founded?
The Institute has expanded significantly since its founding in 2014.
According to the article, growth includes:
- Expansion from one course to a four-level curriculum
- More than 800 certified Restorative Health Practitioners
- Practitioners located across 50 U.S. states and 13 countries
- Growth of the instructor team from two to twelve educators
What is the Restorative Health Practitioner training pathway?
The Restorative Health Practitioner pathway consists of a progressive four-level curriculum. The training culminates in the capstone course, The Art and Science of Clinical Mastery, which completed the Institute’s core curriculum in 2021.
What types of clients can Restorative Health Practitioner training help practitioners better support?
The training is intended to help practitioners work more effectively with clients who have complex or challenging clinical presentations. The article describes these as individuals who may have seen multiple practitioners, followed recommendations consistently, and still struggle to achieve meaningful improvements.
How does the Institute of Restorative Health support practitioners after training?
The Institute states that it remains committed to supporting practitioners beyond coursework through ongoing education and practical implementation resources. The organization also plans to introduce additional offerings that help practitioners apply the IRH Toolkit in clinical practice.
How does the Institute keep its clinical education current?
The Institute regularly updates its course materials to reflect the latest research in functional health. This commitment is intended to give practitioners access to current thinking while continuing to strengthen their clinical decision-making.
What is the long-term vision for Master Restorative Health Practitioners?
The long-term vision is for Master Restorative Health Practitioners to become recognized leaders in addressing complex health issues. The article also envisions practitioners serving as respected educators, speakers, and contributors to improving healthcare delivery worldwide.
What role does the practitioner community play in the Institute’s future?
The practitioner community is presented as central to the Institute’s mission. The organization envisions an international network of practitioners who learn from one another, support each other’s growth, and collectively improve client and community health.
What are the Institute of Restorative Health’s goals for future growth?
The Institute’s long-term goal is to expand its global impact by training 10,000 Restorative Health Practitioners. The broader objective is to increase access to highly trained practitioners who can contribute to meaningful improvements in healthcare delivery.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Margaret Floyd Barry, FNTP MRHP is owner and Executive Director of the Institute of Restorative Health. She’s a functional nutritionist, author, speaker, educator, and real food advocate. Through years of experience working with the most complex client cases, including reversing her own autoimmune condition, Margaret uses a powerful system for restoring health by addressing the root cause of illness.
Today, Margaret teaches fellow practitioners the same proven system she uses to get her clients life-changing results through the Institute of Restorative Health – a two-year comprehensive functional nutrition certification program for qualified health professionals. Margaret also runs Restorative Corporate Wellness, a team of Restorative Health Practitioners facilitating health transformations with corporate clients. She is the author of Eat Naked and its follow-up cookbook The Naked Foods Cookbook. She’s also the host of the Clinician’s Corner podcast, where she interviews some of the world’s top experts in the fields of functional health and nutrition.
