News: Meet the EVOLVE: Weight Management Program Registered Nurse, Kristie Faller

Kristie left the inpatient hospital arena in 2005 to work for a company that provided patient education and disease management for the insurers for corporations such as ComEd and Toyota. It was a terrific change to be able to connect with her patients and fill in the gaps by providing coaching to help reduce the effects of their chronic medical conditions. A side benefit was to observe where communication breakdowns and misunderstandings occurred in the medical diagnosis and care process. She was able to take that experience to the teaching level as she taught Medical Assisting and later was a mentor for health professions students at Rosalind Franklin University. She was one of the founding advisors (known as The Den Mother) for the country’s first student run free clinic, helped the students create a successful Diabetic education program, and mentored them in coaching their patients so that they could be successful at managing their conditions through lifestyle changes at home. Health care has changed at the speed of light since she graduated from nursing school in 1995 and she is proud of her contributions to the next generation of health professionals.

More recently, she has worked with families of aging individuals, providing education about health needs and cognitive changes as well as consulting services for home safety assessments and resources for safe living environments. In 2020, she stepped back from teaching and management to focus on direct patient care. One of the many things that Kristie loves about working in a concierge practice is that she can connect with her patients to help them address health concerns. Since she started in June of last year, weight management has been an ongoing conversation and she is thrilled that Evolve is going to be such a robust program offering.  

When Kristie is not in the office, she teaches group and private yoga classes and private home movement coaching for individuals with decreased mobility. She especially loves introducing students to movement and yoga and helping them move past their perceived limitations and stressors: “All that matters is what is happening on your own yoga mat and how you feel about it.” She is currently working on her second 200 hour RYT in Kundalini yoga and her 300 hour RYT in yoga and mindfulness.

Off the mat, Kristie and her husband are practicing empty nesting and find themselves watching The Great British Bake Off and Kristie is a binge watcher of the Great Courses lecture series. She also is in the process of trying to knit through her quite sizable yarn stash.