We know you have questions before committing to something as important as your career. Here are honest answers to the most common ones — and if yours isn't here, bring it to your discovery call.
Yes — the LAUNCH program is built specifically for new graduates. If you've just finished your nutrition, health coaching, or herbal medicine program and feel unsure how to actually start seeing clients, that's exactly the gap we close. Most of our LAUNCH graduates have zero clients when they start and a full caseload within a few months.
You don't need experience. You just need the willingness to show up and do the work.
Absolutely. The GROW program is designed for exactly this situation — practitioners who are working with clients but struggling with consistency, confidence, credentials, or growth. If you want to earn your BCHN, build a stronger professional network, and take your clinical skills to the next level, GROW is the right fit.
Many of our most impactful graduates join at this stage. Having real clients to work with during the program actually accelerates your progress significantly.
Yes. HCI serves a broad spectrum of integrative and allied health professionals, including health coaches, nurses, acupuncturists, naturopaths, chiropractors, and others who want to integrate functional nutrition or clinical herbalism into their work.
The right program for you will depend on your existing credentials and goals. Your discovery call is the best place to figure out exactly where you fit and what you'd gain from the residency.
Yes — the MASTER program. If you're a confident, credentialed practitioner ready to specialize, differentiate, and lead, MASTER takes you into clinical herbalism, functional testing, expert positioning, and case study publication. Many BCHN holders join specifically for the clinical herbalism training, which is one of the most comprehensive practitioner-level programs available.
Most people don't know which stage is the right fit before talking with us — and that's okay. We ask the right questions, listen carefully, and give you an honest recommendation. We will never push you toward a stage that isn't the right fit. If you're not a good match for any of our programs, we'll tell you that too.
A residency is a structured, supervised training program completed after formal education — where you apply your knowledge in real-world settings under expert mentorship. Every other clinical profession (medicine, nursing, pharmacy) uses this model because it works. You don't truly learn how to practice by sitting through more lectures.
At HCI, that means supervised case work, live mentoring, real client systems, business tools, and professional network building — not just another course to add to your wall.
HCI is not a degree-granting institution, and our programs are not accredited in the traditional academic sense. What we provide is professional development training that directly supports your licensure, credentialing, and clinical practice goals.
The GROW program is specifically structured to help you accumulate the professional contact hours and clinical preparation required for the BCHN exam through NANP. Details on how HCI training maps to your specific credential requirements will be confirmed on your discovery call.
Supervision and mentoring varies by program stage. In GROW, you have access to live mentoring sessions three times per week, where you bring real case work, clinical questions, business challenges, and career goals to the table. Sessions are led by experienced practitioners and are focused on application — not theory.
You're not passively watching. You're actively working through your practice, with expert eyes on your progress every step of the way. Full details for each program stage are covered in your discovery call.
Most nutrition mentorship programs focus on one thing: clinical skills, or business, or exam prep. HCI trains the whole practitioner — clinical competence, business systems, professional credentialing, community, and career positioning — in one structured residency experience.
We also have a genuine track record. Our graduates are landing jobs in the field, earning their BCHN, building full client caseloads, and advancing into specializations. Those aren't promises — they're stories you can read on our Results page.
No. The three stages are designed as a natural progression, but you don't need to start at LAUNCH. Many practitioners join directly at GROW because they already have a practice established and are ready to deepen their clinical skills and credentials. MASTER has prerequisites — you'll need relevant experience and credentials before joining — but LAUNCH and GROW can be entered independently.
Your discovery call will identify the right entry point for you based on your background and goals.
GROW is our most comprehensive program and includes: the Functional Nutrition Training Program, systems-based clinical case work, live mentoring three times per week, career tools (resume, LinkedIn, client outreach), BCHN credential preparation, and professional network access.
An optional Foundations of Herbalism add-on is also available for practitioners who want to begin integrating plant medicine into their clinical work. Full program details and what's included at your stage will be confirmed during your discovery call.
MASTER is for confident, credentialed practitioners who are ready to specialize and lead. It includes Clinical Herbalism training, functional testing curriculum, live sessions with field experts in herbal medicine, expert positioning strategy, and the opportunity to publish clinical case studies.
MASTER is the most advanced program we offer and has prerequisites. We'll confirm your eligibility and whether it's the right fit on your discovery call.
Enrollment details, cohort structure, and start dates vary and are best confirmed during your discovery call or on the enrollment page. We recommend booking a call sooner rather than later, as space is limited and waitlists do form between cohorts.
For LAUNCH, no — the program is specifically designed to help you land your first clients. For GROW and MASTER, having an active or developing practice is beneficial because the supervised case work is most impactful when you're bringing real client scenarios. That said, you don't need to have a full caseload before enrolling in GROW.
The BCHN (Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition®) is the premier professional credential for holistic nutrition practitioners, awarded by the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP). It demonstrates advanced clinical knowledge and professional standing in the field.
The GROW program includes structured BCHN exam preparation — covering the clinical knowledge tested on the exam — along with support in accumulating the required professional contact hours through NANP. Multiple HCI graduates have passed the BCHN on their first attempt.
HCI provides completion recognition for practitioners who finish their residency stage. Our programs are professional development training, not degree programs — but they are built to directly support your credentialing goals (BCHN, professional contact hours, clinical case documentation) through the relevant professional bodies.
Specific completion documentation and how it applies to your credential pathway will be confirmed during your discovery call.
Yes — working toward your BCHN is one of the core pathways within GROW. Many practitioners join specifically for the BCHN preparation alongside the clinical training and business support. If you hold or are working toward a qualifying credential (NTP, CHC, CNS, or equivalent), you're likely a strong fit.
NANP eligibility requirements apply — your discovery call will help clarify whether you meet the prerequisites and how GROW supports your specific path to the BCHN.
HCI has a strong relationship with NANP (National Association of Nutrition Professionals) and aligns its GROW program with NANP's professional development and contact hour requirements. Our faculty hold professional credentials including BCHN and clinical herbalism certifications.
Full faculty credentials and HCI affiliations are available on request and will be shared during your discovery call.
Time commitment varies by program stage and will be discussed in detail on your discovery call. GROW has the highest regular time investment due to three live mentoring sessions per week, plus case work and study time. LAUNCH is more self-paced with structured milestones.
All programs are designed to be compatible with part-time or full-time work. Many of our graduates are working jobs or building their practice simultaneously — that's the whole point.
Life happens, and we understand that. Recording policies and session access details vary by program and will be confirmed during enrollment. We do encourage as much live participation as possible — the real-time case work and peer learning that happens in those sessions is a big part of what makes the residency model work.
Program duration details are confirmed during your discovery call and at enrollment, as they can vary by cohort. We'll make sure you have a clear picture of the timeline and pacing before you commit to anything.
Many of our graduates have. The programs are designed with working practitioners in mind — not students who have eight hours a day free. You will need to carve out dedicated time each week, but the expectation is that you're also building or maintaining your practice simultaneously, not putting your career on hold.
Pricing for each program stage is shared during your discovery call. We want to make sure the program is the right fit before talking numbers — and we want you to have all the context about what's included before evaluating the cost.
What we can say: our graduates consistently describe the programs as one of the best investments they've made in their careers. We're not the cheapest option in the market, and we're not trying to be — we're the most comprehensive professional development experience available for holistic health practitioners.
Yes. Payment plans are available for all programs. Options and terms will be presented at enrollment with no pressure to decide on the spot. We want your investment to be sustainable — a practitioner who's financially stressed doesn't thrive in their practice, and we don't want that for our graduates.
Refund and cancellation policies are shared in full at enrollment. Your discovery call is a great time to ask about these specifics so you can make a fully informed decision before committing.
Results vary based on where you start, which program you're in, and how much you put in — but here's what we consistently see across our community: new graduates landing their first paying clients, practitioners earning their BCHN, professionals finding jobs in the nutrition field through the HCI network, and advanced practitioners differentiating their practice through clinical herbalism and functional testing.
We have real testimonials from real practitioners — not curated highlights, but genuine stories. You can read them on our Results page. If you want to talk to a graduate before enrolling, ask during your discovery call — we're happy to connect you.
HCI is not a formal job placement service, but job outcomes happen regularly through our community and referral network. Multiple graduates have been connected to positions directly through David and Sean's professional network. The GROW program also includes career tools — resume building, LinkedIn optimization, and client outreach strategy — specifically designed to help you land roles in the field.
As Koren Wentworth put it: "I was given a referral to a company and got the job." That's the kind of community HCI has built.
We take this seriously. That's why the discovery call exists — to make sure there's a genuine fit before anyone enrolls. We don't want practitioners in our programs who aren't the right match, and we don't want you investing in something that isn't right for your goals.
If you enroll and encounter challenges, our team is actively engaged in your progress. We're not a platform you sign up for and get left alone — the mentoring and community support is ongoing and responsive. Specific support policies and what happens if issues arise are covered in full at enrollment.
Every practitioner's situation is different. Bring your specific question to your discovery call — it's genuinely a conversation, not a pitch.
"This is not your typical testimonial. I had yet to enroll in the program when an unexpected job opportunity came up and I was potentially moving cross-country. They took the time to meet with me anyway — discussing my goals and giving me real guidance on the interview process. That level of care says everything about who they are."
Book a free, no-pressure discovery call. We'll learn about where you are, where you want to be, and guide you to the right program — honestly.
No commitment required. Discovery calls are free and confidential.