How a Holistic Health Coach Found a Natural Treatment for Fibromyalgia Through Food and Diet.
Fibromyalgia diagnoses are quietly rising, especially among women in their 30s and 40s. Shari Emami never thought she’d be one of them.
Her health declined seemingly overnight. Chronic pain. Exhaustion. Brain fog. By 2013, Shari Emami was desperate for answers that conventional medicine couldn’t provide. What began as a personal health crisis quickly became a deeper calling, one that would lead her to become a board-certified holistic health practitioner.
She didn’t start as a coach; she became one because she had to heal herself first.
Shari’s journey through fibromyalgia, an often misunderstood condition, led her to explore food sensitivities, inflammation triggers, and the emotional roots of pain. Along the way, she became certified in lifestyle and weight management (through Nesta), pursued holistic health credentials, and later advanced her training with coursework from Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Medical School.
She’s not alone. A 2025 study from England found fibromyalgia prevalence among people with inflammatory arthritis increased from 2–3% in 2004 to nearly 4–6% by 2019, with the highest rates in females aged 35–54.
But rather than accept a life of limitations, Shari rebuilt her body cell by cell. Through diet, mindset, aromatherapy, and mineral-balancing research inspired by Dr. Paul Eck, she forged a new model of healing. Her main goal is to reduce inflammation through a healthy diet and lifestyle.
This is her story and a path of possibility for anyone ready to turn pain into purpose.
When the Pain Becomes the Path
In 2013, Shari Emami’s life was quietly unraveling.
She had just begun her certification as a lifestyle and weight management specialist, focused on helping others live healthier lives. But her own body was telling a different story, one of chronic aches, extreme fatigue, and a storm of symptoms that no doctor could seem to name.
“I was doing everything right,” she recalls. “And yet, I could barely get out of bed.”
The frustration grew. Visit after visit, no real answers were found. Eventually, a compassionate primary care physician suggested fibromyalgia but left the choice to Shari: medication or try a more natural route first.
She chose the latter.
That decision marked a quiet but powerful rebellion against the traditional care model. Shari began deep self-research, diving into IgA and gluten testing, food allergies, and mineral deficiencies. She partnered with Analytical Research Labs and studied the pioneering work of Dr. Paul Eck, learning how cellular imbalances could be driving systemic pain.
By 2014, she earned her board certification in holistic health, not because she was already healed, but because she was determined to become her own best advocate.
It was the beginning of a deeper mission: to reclaim her health and one day guide others through the same fog of pain she was learning to navigate.
The Healing Method She Built From the Inside Out
Shari Emami didn’t create her coaching method from textbooks. She built it from lived experience, trial by fire, and tested by pain.
After her fibromyalgia diagnosis and years of self-directed healing, Shari realized that proper recovery requires far more than a generic wellness plan. It takes personalized support, inflammation reduction through diet, emotional regulation, and a mindset that honors the full human experience, not just the physical symptoms.
“This isn’t about counting calories or fixing one piece of your life,” she says. “It’s about healing every cell of your body, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”
That vision became the foundation for her pain relief coaching practice:
Each client begins with a health assessment and questionnaire to understand their lifestyle, symptoms, and goals.
Coaching sessions are customized, offering dietary shifts, gentle workouts, and interactive tools.
Clients actively participate, choosing meal plans that fit their reality, not someone else’s ideal.
Motivation and emotional awareness are core pillars, drawn from her certification in psychological first aid and her integrative coaching style.
What sets her method apart is that it's never prescriptive; it's participatory. Each session feels less like a lecture and more like a dialogue.
And at the heart of it all is the belief that healing should feel real.
Relatable. Compassionate. Empowering. Because Shari knows what it’s like to sit on the other side of the table, aching for someone to truly listen.
The Breakdown That Built Her
Shari Emami didn’t just face a diagnosis; she faced an identity crisis.
Just as she was stepping into the world of wellness, earning her certifications and preparing to guide others, her own body became the barrier. The chronic pain, fatigue, and cognitive fog were so intense that some mornings, she couldn’t even get out of bed.
“I remember thinking, how can I help anyone when I can’t even help myself? ” she says.
The frustration ran deep. As a practitioner, she had been trained to assess, guide, and support others. But now she was forced to become the patient. The shift was humbling and painful. She had to surrender her role as the expert and begin listening, learning, and asking for help.
Worse still, there was no clear root cause. Blood work was inconclusive. Scans were normal. Fibromyalgia, she was told. But even that label carried weight. “It was still seen by many as a psychosomatic illness,” she explains. “And that meant I, like so many women, often felt unheard and misunderstood.”
She saw doctor after doctor. Naturopaths. Specialists. She ran IgA tests, gluten sensitivity panels, food allergy screenings, and eventually a hair mineral analysis, searching for a pattern, a trigger, a reason. But the answers didn’t come easily.
And as the physical symptoms continued, the emotional toll deepened. Doubt crept in. Had she chosen the wrong path? Could she still be taken seriously as a health coach if she couldn’t solve her own puzzle?
Meanwhile, treatment options were a maze. Medications were offered, but with side effects she didn’t want. Natural therapies were gentler but often slower. “I had to weigh every choice,” she recalls. “Every step was a risk. But I knew I wanted to heal through food, mindset, and energy, not just prescriptions.”
Over time, her desperation gave way to determination.
What pulled her through wasn’t just strategy; it was surrender. Surrendering to the process. To be seen as a patient. To give herself the same compassion she offered others.
And through that surrender, she began to rebuild, not just her health, but also her philosophy.
“We had to choose discipline over distraction,” she says. “I leaned into gratitude. I started journaling. I reminded myself that having working limbs and a functioning body is never a guarantee, it’s a gift.”
That breakdown? It didn’t destroy her practice. It became the heartbeat of it.
From Surviving to Serving: What Healing Made Possible
She didn’t just heal from fibromyalgia; she found her life’s purpose through it.
After navigating misdiagnoses, deep fatigue, and daily pain, Shari entered fibromyalgia remission using the same principles she now teaches: reduce inflammation through food, nurture emotional well-being, and trust the wisdom of your own body. But more importantly, she used her journey to create resources that meet people where they are real, relatable, and ready to heal.
Her book Breaking Free From Pain: From Suffering to Strength, isn’t just a story of survival, it’s a practical roadmap. Inside, readers will find:
An interactive journal to track symptoms, set goals, and reflect on emotional triggers
A full plant-based shopping list curated to help reduce inflammation
Weekly exercises that guide readers in healing their bodies and their beliefs about what's possible
Now featured on select Barnes & Noble shelves and Amazon, the book is reaching people who once felt invisible in their chronic illness journey.
“Healing isn’t just physical,” she says. “It’s emotional, spiritual, and deeply personal. I wanted this book to feel like a conversation, not a lecture.”
And readers have responded. Some are women with fibromyalgia. Others live with MS or autoimmune conditions.
Shari also offers clinical aromatherapy consultations, using products from her trusted affiliate partner, Mountain Rose Herbs. Her recommendations are based on the course "Aromatherapy: Clinical Uses of Essential Oils" offered by the University of Minnesota. I also took classes in essential oils at Aromahead Institute. and current certification coursework through Aroma Apothecary Healing Arts Academy. Whether someone is struggling with anxiety, sleep, or chronic inflammation, she helps them find what works, not what sells.
In addition to coaching and consulting, she’s expanding her healing work through writing. As a contributor to Aromatika magazine and other publications,
But beneath every success is something deeper.
“You know, I am 45 years old,” she says. “ I already have people from my high school who have already passed away and people that will say, did you hear so and so died? I would just be thinking , “what happened?”... Like, oh, so-and-so, you know, what happened?and being thankful to why your limbs work so you can participate in daily activities such as walking or going to the gym.”
Her greatest success isn’t just remission. It’s the ripple effect of helping others believe in healing again.
Five Lessons From a Practitioner Who's Been the Patient.
1. Lead with your story, not your perfection.
“The pain I went through made me more relatable. when the foot's on the other end because now I know what it feels like for patients to experience that kind of pain and have compassion for patients that come in because it's not easy”
2. Healing is a collaboration, not a command.
Shari tailors every session with client input. “People commit more when they’re part of the process.”
3. Tools matter. Tangibility builds trust.
Whether it’s an interactive journal, a plant-based shopping list, or an essential oil blend, giving people real resources empowers self-healing.
4. Don’t dismiss what you can’t see.
“Fibromyalgia was called psychosomatic for decades. We have to believe our clients, even when labs can’t explain everything.”
5. Gratitude is your reset button.
Even on the hardest days, Shari grounds herself in prayer and reflection. “It keeps me centered in purpose, not perfection.”
The Story Is Just Getting Started
While her fibromyalgia may be in remission, Shari Emami’s healing journey is far from over, and she’s bringing others along with her.
Her next book will continue the conversation around chronic pain, diving deeper into trauma-informed care, emotional root causes, and strategies for sustainable relief. This follow-up will build on the foundation laid in Breaking Free From Pain, offering new tools for those who feel trapped in invisible illness.
She’s also writing a children’s book aimed at ages 4–7, helping kids and families talk about chronic illness with compassion and clarity, planting seeds of health literacy early, when it matters most.
Shari continues to amplify stories that matter, especially those often overlooked in clinical circles. She is a debut writer in Aromatika for the Fall 2025 issue.
And through her ongoing training in clinical aromatherapy with Aroma Apothecary Healing Arts Academy, she’s deepening her ability to consult on natural solutions that are both science-based and soul-nourishing.
The Power of Real Healing
Shari's story is about resilience, reclamation, and the radical power of showing up. Raw, real, and ready to transform pain into purpose.
She didn’t wait to be fully healed to help others.
She chose to rise in the middle of it.
To write while still hurting.
To coach while still learning.
To lead, not because she had all the answers, but because she refused to stay silent.
That’s the kind of leadership the wellness world needs more of.
Not polished perfection. But lived the truth.
Follow Shari on Instagram for inspiration and education.
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