25 Years and 100K Health Coaches Trained: IIN's Incredible Legacy

It might be hard to believe, but Integrative Nutrition began with small, in-person classes held in a rented kitchen.

Check out this picture from the Class of 1996!

Back then, our founder, Joshua Rosenthal, had a big dream of changing the world, but very few material resources to make it happen.

The one resource he knew would never run out was perseverance in his vision of creating a healthier and happier future.

That was 25 years ago!

Since then, IIN has grown into the world’s largest nutrition school, with over 100,000 Health Coaches in over 100 countries. It has positively impacted thousands of individuals and families and continues to advocate for changes in public policy, create more public awareness about wellness practices, and even educate the next generation on why the health of our bodies and our planet are so important.

Today, we’re grateful to be able to celebrate some of the highlights of our first 25 years, and look forward to the next 25. With the support and strength of passionate individuals like you and our global community, the future is incredibly bright! 

Here are just a few of our favorite milestones…

• After 18 years of Integrative Nutrition being a mostly in-person program in New York, we launched our comprehensive online platform in 2010, greatly expanding our accessibility and the potential for the worldwide health coaching movement to blossom into the health revolution it is today.

• Our curriculum now features over 100 highly respected guest speakers in the realm of health and wellness, as well as business. These thought leaders include Dr. Mark Hyman, Marion Nestle, Gabrielle Bernstein, Dr. David Katz, Deepak Chopra, Gary Taubes, Mark Bittman, Kate Northrup, and many others.

• The National College Credit Recommendation Service has evaluated an Integrative Nutrition certificate as the equivalent of 40 college credits, which can be applied towards a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree if you choose to pursue further learning.

• We have academic and professional affiliations with several of the nation’s largest organizations and universities, including the Maryland University of Integrative Health, Goddard College, the California Institute of Integral Studies, and Purchase College, among others.

• In 2015, the Health and Wellness Coach Resolution (H. Res. 552) was introduced in Congress, acknowledging the importance of health coaching, and Health Coaches made an impact on Capitol Hill when several Integrative Nutrition graduates met with members of Congress and their staff to educate them on the work Health Coaches do to promote health and wellness across the country.

• We have launched National Health and Wellness Coach Week, now celebrated annually in January!

• Our founder, Joshua Rosenthal, has published several books including Integrative Nutrition: Feed Your Hunger for Health and Happiness, The Power of Primary Food, and the Integrative Nutrition Cookbook.

• We have donated over $2 million through the years to non-profit organizations focused on a variety of global wellness efforts, including City Harvest, MercyCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Wellness in the Schools, Get America Fit, the Non-GMO project, Organic Consumers Association, Earth Day Network, and many more!

• We have created countless opportunities for potential students in need to obtain tuition coverage to attend Integrative Nutrition, including our most recent partnership with the Sampson Foundation, which awarded full tuition coverage to 10 new Health Coaches to be!

• Graduates of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and members of the International Association for Health Coaches are now eligible to take the International Health Coach Certification Exam and become Certified International Health Coaches!

• We have played a role in supporting many wellness initiatives, including banning trans fats in New York, labeling GMO’s, fighting childhood obesity, International Women’s Day, and ensuring that Health Coaches have a legal right to provide wellness and nutrition information to the public.

• In addition to the Health Coach Training Program, we have launched what we call IIN 2.0! It’s a new, extended program just for Integrative Nutrition alumni to support them in reaching their personal and professional goals with continued training opportunities like the Launch Your Dream Book Course and the IIN Advanced Business Course.

And this isn’t even counting some of the incredible accomplishments of our students and graduates, which could easily fill a book!

Despite how far we’ve come as an organization and wellness community, we still have a long way to go before we can all live in a truly healthy, happy, and sustainable world, and we are definitely IIN it for the long run!

Join us in taking the next step forward, because we are stronger together.

Join us for upcoming 25th anniversary virtual celebration [register here], or get our Curriculum Guide today!

What’s your favorite memory from Integrative Nutrition? Share with us in the comments below!

Here’s to the next 25 years!