Integrative Medicine, PhD
Clinical Nutritionist, MS
Herbal Practitioner
Holistic Lifestyle Coach
FDN-P, NASM-CPT
www.briannadiorio.com
Instagram: @briannadiorio

Brianna Diorio holds a PhD in integrative medicine from the University of Natural Medicine and is a clinical nutritionist with a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport. She is also a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner (FDN), an herbal practitioner through the Herbal Academy, a family herbalist through The School of Natural Healing, a NASM certified personal trainer, and a holistic lifestyle coach from the C.H.E.K Institute.

Diorio is the host of the Brianna Approved Podcast, which is a podcast for people who like a holistic approach to real science and clinical research on all things nutrition, botanicals and balance.

She currently works as a clinician with her private practice that specializes in alternative health, functional medicine and dietary supplements. Diorio works with a vast array of clients and businesses to educate and improve their health and dietary needs.

Question: You recently earned a PhD. Congratulations! How does your diverse educational background guide your clinical practice?

Answer: Thank you so much! Earning a PhD is truly a transformative process, both academically and personally. I am a big proponent of learning as much as you can from different philosophies, modalities and theories and then adopting various aspects that align with specific clients and their individual needs. Everything isn’t going to be for everybody and just because something is healthy doesn’t necessarily mean it is healthy for you (especially when it comes to personalized medicine and holistic health), so being able to have a diverse educational background has helped me create more individualized protocols in my clinical practice. I have learned over the years that everyone doesn’t “digest” information in the same way, particularly when it comes to integrating new lifestyle changes, therefore being able to take different approaches (whether that is a more holistic approach, integrative approach, incorporating Chinese Medicine or focusing on more mind body medicine) toward educating clients has been helpful with long term client success and compliance.

Question: You also have a health podcast. What makes yours unique? What can retailers gain from listening to it?

Answer: The Brianna Approved podcast is unique in that I approach complex subject matters in the health and wellness field with a combination of directness, humor (because learning should be fun) and a balanced approach. It is a lifestyle podcast dedicated to bringing listeners real science and clinical research about all things health, nutrition, botanicals and ultimately living your best life. The goal for me is to allow listeners to understand that although adopting a healthier lifestyle can feel overwhelming at times, it really is just about making small sustainable and maintainable changes and ultimately understanding the “why” behind the science. I help the listeners bridge the gap between health care and self-care through fun and informative segments such as Knowledge Bites, Botanical Bri, Nerd Alert and Fun Fact of the Day While I Sip Café!

Question: Considering the ongoing pandemic, what health advice would you offer retailers for themselves and for helping their customers?

Answer: I would tell people to continue to be boring with their health! We live in a world where everyone wants to “bio-hack” their way to optimal health, but you simply cannot bio-hack your way out of the basics, such as sleep, movement, hydration and quality nutrition. You have to address the foundation of your “health house” before you can add in all the health “upgrades,” which means keep taking your core nutrients (such as vitamin D3, omegas, adaptogens and CoQ10), understand how you individually breakdown during times of stress and continue to listen to your body! Symptoms are the language of your body, so actually listening to what your body needs more or less of and addressing underlying root cause issues (hormone & blood sugar imbalances, mitochondrial dysfunction and addressing how “full” your stress and inflammation buckets are) are always going to result in some of the best long-term results with your health.

Question: What is next for you?

Answer: In this upcoming year I plan to offer some more e-learning opportunities in areas such as immune health, herbal education and mind-body medicine. I will be releasing my Befriending Anxiety self-paced course later this year as well, which addresses the etiology of anxiety, neural pathways and herbal protocols. My brother Kyle Diorio and I also recently started ‘withdiorio,’ a full-service communication agency that specializes in brand management & media design for the lifestyle and wellness sector. To stay up to date with course launch dates, podcast episodes and ‘withdiorio’ you can visit my website, www.briannadiorio.com, and follow me on Instagram @briannadiorio.

Question: You covered healthy aging in a recent podcast. Surprisingly, in it you didn’t focus on a single issue, such as “healthy eating,” and prescribed a more holistic approach. Briefly describe the areas you suggest people concentrate on, and how and when.

Answer: Aging is a funny concept in America, and we seem to have a strange relationship with the concept of getting older. I feel we don’t always focus on the wisdom and beauty that comes with the process of aging, but rather place more emphasis on the “anti-aging” movement. Aging is a gift that everyone isn’t privy to and it is something to be honored and grateful for! I believe people would benefit from shifting their focus on solely their chronological age (what your driver’s license says) to placing more importance on their biological age, which is a measurement of your age based on various biomarkers such as diet and lifestyle factors. Your biological age is what makes some people have that “young spring chicken” vibe well into their 80s. Focusing on other areas of healthy aging such as modulating stress and systemic inflammation, developing sleep hygiene, working on emotional wellbeing and balance in general can be great ways to optimize aging! I would give people extra credit points for removing “pro-inflammatory” people, negative self-talk and working in more Vitamin R(est) and relaxation.