Welcome to another episode of Flip Your Script, a vodcast by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, hosted by ACLM President Dr. Padmaja Patel. In each episode, we explore five key takeaways on how lifestyle medicine is helping each guest reimagine the future of healthcare.
This episode, "Cleared for Takeoff: Navigating Lifestyle Change and Resilience," features Meryl Fury, MS, RN, and Jeff Nelson. Meryl is the president and CEO of the Plant-Based Nutrition Movement, a public health nurse with over 30 years of experience, and a Food for Life instructor. Her husband, Jeff, is a recreational pilot and entrepreneur who, after a life-altering heart attack in 2023, transformed his health through lifestyle changes and was back to flying within nine months.
The conversation explores how a personal health crisis led to a broader mission to educate the piloting community, a group that has a lot to lose—including their career—if their health fails. Jeff shares his inspiring journey from being "invincible" to embracing a plant-based diet, thanks to Meryl's guidance. Meryl discusses the moment she realized the need to bring lifestyle medicine education to pilots after a close friend passed away from a heart attack, sparking a new initiative to help prevent similar tragedies within their tight-knit community.
If you're ready to learn how lifestyle medicine can be a powerful motivator for change and how to bring this critical message to at-risk professional groups, this is an episode you won't want to miss.
Use code RESILIENCE for $50 off ACLM's "Lifestyle Medicine Board Review Course" through October 17, 2025: https://portal.lifestylemedicine.org/ACLM/Education/Education-Event-Display/Event-Display-No-Shipping.aspx?EventKey=D2LMBR4_30&WebsiteKey=5caa7854-d0e3-44fc-a359-ef6857e8d551&_gl=1*1gjucv8*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3NTY4NDU0NjkuQ2p3S0NBandxOXJGQmhBSUVpd0FHVkFaUDBQR3YxaXZURl90alBYUE1UOFNGUTBqS1dvZlhTcHY2Q09wSUVsNzdxSnJRWnFVeTlsQzF4b0MwSE1RQXZEX0J3RQ..*_gcl_au*NzAyOTcwNTY5LjE3NTM4MTM0Njg.*_ga*ODg5NzU0NjU0LjE3MzgyNTI4MTM.*_ga_PBBHNWPV2S*czE3NTY4NDU0NjkkbzU1NyRnMSR0MTc1Njg0NTQ4MiRqNDckbDAkaDA
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The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is the medical professional society for physicians and other professionals dedicated to clinical and worksite practice of lifestyle medicine as the foundation of a transformed and sustainable healthcare system.
Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
Lifestyle medicine-certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse such conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections—also provides effective prevention for these conditions.
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