Meredith Rusthoven Founder, Medical Director
DNP, CNM, IFMCP
Meredith has had a passion for health and medicine from an early age. After getting a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Rhodes College, she completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at The University of Colorado, graduating summa cum laude. She then went on to complete her Master of Science in Nursing, specializing in Nurse Midwifery followed by her Doctor of Nursing Practice at CU. Meredith’s doctoral work focused on decreasing non-medical formula supplementation of exclusively breastfed babies in the hospital after birth.
After catching (“delivering”) babies and providing obstetric and gynecologic care to women for several years in many settings (private practice, hospital-based practice, and public health), Meredith kept seeing the same outcomes: patients with several problems or diagnoses, none being managed optimally, that never really felt well. These same patients typically had only a few minutes with their provider and did not feel heard, only to leave with a diagnosis and corresponding prescription. Most patients weren’t feeling better and many were adding more prescriptions to their list. This couldn’t be the answer.
Meredith was very grateful to leave the broken system in 2017 when she founded Ritual Functional Medicine. She was finally able to focus on the root causes of her patients’ chronic health concerns and guide them on their path to healing. Meredith worked with her patients through a combination of lifestyle changes, functional lab testing, targeted supplements, and medications when appropriate.
In 2022, Meredith officially transitioned to the role of Medical Director at RFM. She now focuses on leading the Clinical Team to optimize patient outcomes and experiences. Even though she somehow seems to work even more now than when she was seeing patients, this is her passion. RFM continues to grow, caring for an increasing number of patients on their journeys towards wellness.
When Meredith isn’t working and geeking out about functional medicine, she can be found enjoying life with her husband, family, and friends. Her regular activities include fly fishing, Bible study, hiking, farmer’s markets, and knitting. She has a passion for nutrient dense eating and loves discovering local farmers and raw milk.
Julie Formes
RN, MSN, FNP-C
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Julie knew from a young age that she wanted a career that involved caring for people. That spark led her to serve as a nurse for 16 years in oncology, medical-surgical, and women’s health. Over time, her interest and passion for functional medicine grew as she witnessed a health care system that delivered less than optimal results to its patients, specifically in the area of chronic disease management and prevention. Julie wanted to empower her patients with the knowledge and tools necessary to make lasting lifestyle changes, and knew that functional medicine was truly the future of medicine.
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In 2019, Julie completed her Master of Science in Nursing at Simmons University and became a Family Nurse Practitioner. During her training, she decided that she wanted to work in functional medicine where she could impact her patients’ lives on a more personal level. Julie became a functional medicine patient herself while in graduate school, knowing that conventional medicine would not adequately address the root cause of her own symptoms. And as they say, the rest is history! Julie finds working in functional medicine so rewarding because she knows she is helping her patients uncover root causes for their symptoms while helping them feel better so they can live their best lives.
When she is not caring for her patients, Julie enjoys spending time with her hubby and three children. If she isn’t attending one of her kid’s many sporting events, she can be found hiking, trying new restaurants, cooking at home, and spending time with her friends.
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Carly Stagg
MSN, APRN, FNP-C, FNTP
I have my master’s degree in Family Health Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner, along with several years of experience working in functional medicine, and a lifelong passion for health and healing. My journey began earlier than most, as I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 12, Celiac Disease at 16, and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia (POTS) at 18. After feeling hopeless for many years, functional medicine saved my life – eliminating my laundry list of symptoms and taking me from housebound and sleeping 16 hours a day, to thriving, energetic, and able to pursue the career and life of my dreams.
I am incredibly passionate about the innate healing capability of the body, as it was fearfully and wonderfully made by our Creator, and especially practicing medicine in a way that supports the body in regaining balance rather than competing with its natural state. I believe in an equal partnership between patient and provider rather than a paternalistic “my way or the highway” approach. As you share your health story with me, I am here to listen, guide, and offer expertise in a caring, judgment-free way.
I am a professional member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the Institute for Functional Medicine, the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, and the Weston A Price Foundation. I am also currently finalizing my certification in Functional Medicine from IFM and am on track to complete this in November of 2022. My clinical interests center on chronic complex illness, including mold, Lyme, and chronic infections, along with hormones, minerals, and metabolism, while supporting the health of the nervous system by promoting a sense of safety and connection.
When I’m not studying new functional medicine topics or chatting with patients, you can find me running, doing yoga, taking long walks with my Cocker Spaniel - Schnauzer pup, Sadie, and leading worship at my church. I look forward to getting to know many of you as you continue your healing journey!
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Edie Carson
FNP
Edie graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bellarmine University in 2013. She then worked as a travel nurse for 8 years in high-risk obstetrics. During that time, she became aware of the brokenness of the conventional medical system. It did not seem to facilitate true healing and was focused on pill-for-ill, not root causes.
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After completing her Master of Science in Nursing at Bellarmine University and becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner, Edie immediately began working in functional medicine and hasn’t looked back. Her eyes were opened to the power of caring for the whole person including their physical, mental, and spiritual health. Edie’s love for functional medicine grew through her own health journey as she found no answers in the conventional system, but was able to heal by addressing her own root causes. Edie is passionate about maintaining a caring relationship with her patients as they work together to find answers surrounding chronic and complex illnesses.
In addition to caring for her patients at RFM, Edie serves as a Lactation Consultant at a local hospital. She volunteers for multiple animal rescues and loves spending time with her pets, friends, and family. Edie has a major wanderlust bug! She enjoys scuba diving and traveling the world with the love of her life.
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Cheryl Montgomery
Functional Medicine Health Coach
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Health and fitness have been my passion for over 25 years! I believe food has a purpose and that not only what we eat, but what we choose to do every day matters. Our bodies are brilliant healers - they just need to be listened to! I am so excited to be working alongside Dr. Meredith Rusthoven to help you achieve your health and wellness goals!
For over two decades, I have led others to healthy movement practices. Originally, my certifications and interests were in group fitness instruction, but that eventually led to opportunities as a personal trainer. Currently, I hold an American College of Sports Medicine Certification.
When I moved to Colorado, I needed to find a local Functional Medicine doctor to support my continued healing. During our initial consultation, Dr. Rusthoven realized she had been a participant in my very first teaching module in Austin, Texas! We hit it off and after a year as her patient, I began scribing for her appointments. This was a wonderful way to get to know how her practice operates and allowed me to get to know patients, too. I am excited to be working with patients directly now as the Functional Medicine Health Coach for the practice. Functional Medicine has helped me reverse the pain of chronic migraines and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Now I get to pay it forward by giving people hope for and direction towards recovery from their chronic illness and pain.
When I’m not working with patients, I’m likely to be found hiking, skiing or working out. I have three grown children that live in Florida. My husband Mike and I hope they move out here some day soon!
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Candice Tabacchi
Director of Community Wellness
Certified Family Health Coach
BS, MEd, CHC
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I have always had an interest in community and education! For years, I built community within education. Little did I know, my life’s path would lead me straight to a passion for combining that with wellness and whole health!
After receiving my Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from Colorado State University, I went on to complete a K-6 teaching licensure program and ultimately earn a Master’s in Elementary Education from Regis University. My undergraduate studies provided opportunities to examine human’s physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development across the lifespan in relation to families, schools, communities, and culture. As a natural next step for me, I was anxious to fulfill my life-long dream of becoming an elementary school teacher. Upon earning my Master’s, I set out on a ten year teaching career which included teaching various primary and intermediate grade levels, serving as the instructional computer resource teacher and webmaster, creating online curriculum studies, opening a new school, mentoring student teachers, and representing the district in teacher education opportunities. After taking a break to start a family, I re-entered the education field as Elementary Coordinator at a private school. This role provided me with additional leadership experience and an understanding of private education while launching opportunities as an educational consultant. Most recently, I’ve taken on the role of full-time educator to my own children as we enjoy homeschooling!
I was fortunate enough to find Functional Medicine as a patient in 2017. After years of health challenges and dead ends in conventional medicine, I was introduced to Dr. Mark Hyman’s work and the Functional Medicine approach. Thankfully, I found Dr. Meredith Rusthoven shortly after that and began healing! Healing has required relearning, digging, questioning, researching, undoing, letting go, trusting, and courage. It hasn’t always been easy, but every bit of it has been worth it as I’ve learned to create health for myself and my family! I believe this life transformation will impact generations in my family and allow us to share what we’ve learned with others in hopes of whole health and wellness! In 2021, I completed a health coach program and officially became a Certified Family Health Coach - I am thrilled for each and every opportunity I get to work with individuals, groups, and families!
As a family, we love exploring, playing, and learning together! While we’ve got our noses in books each and every day, we can also be found traveling, hiking, biking, fishing, cooking, playing lacrosse, dancing, cheering on our lil’ gymnast, and enjoying time with friends. Caring for my family, creating a home, preparing nourishing meals, keeping things clean, teaching my kids, spending time outdoors, loving my husband, offering to help others, worshipping, praying, reading, researching, moving my body, laughing with friends, and letting the sun soak into my skin are my greatest joys, gifts, and pleasures! This is the life God created me to lead and I am so grateful!
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Dominique Patterson
Office Manager
About Functional Medicine
Unfortunately, our current healthcare system with the conventional medicine framework looks at patients as a diagnosis. That is the primary goal of the appointment: What is the diagnosis? With a diagnosis, you can then prescribe a medication and move on to the next patient.
In Functional Medicine, a conventional medicine diagnosis is just the beginning, and sometimes it may even be incorrect. We start by taking an exhaustive history and then plotting this information in a meaningful format called the Timeline. This helps tell your health story up to today. We then further synthesize this information using the Functional Medicine Matrix to explain your symptoms in terms of body systems and look for imbalances. The ongoing goal of Functional Medicine evaluation is to find the root cause of your symptoms and condition. We are then able to address the root cause instead of putting a bandaid on the symptom. Do you want to heal your symptoms or simply treat them with more medications as they continue to worsen?
We both know the answer to that question. Now we can starting working toward healing!