**Functional Plant-Based Chef and Food Doctor

**Update for 2022

Avril is now pursuing her passions in a new direction and is no longer available for food or health coaching. We hope to share updates on her new project in the future.

Feel free to get in touch with us for alternative options.

Avril Amaya is a multi-passionate ‘food doctor‘, plant-based chef and educator, health and nutrition coach, lover of Nature and animals, and poet/singer/dancer.

She has been practicing and sharing food-as-medicine for over six years, working with individuals, teaching workshops to groups, and chefing/teaching at international retreats. She began her personal chef and health-consulting service in 2013 in Miami to assist people with healing, in addition to co-running a popular vegan pop-up restaurant there for a year.

After traveling the world for a decade, studying with masters in yoga, meditation, permaculture, Qi Gong, Thai massage, and Reiki, and healing herself from constant illness and a life revolving around doctor visits, she has found vibrant well-being and is passionate about spreading health and happiness, through deep connection to Self and Nature, and with the support of real foods and plant-based nutrition.
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Equipped with a Harvard degree and a high-speed blender, Avril passionately shares the benefits of a fruit-and-vegetable-based lifestyle in Austin and beyond.

Colleen Flynn is a Functional Nutritionist and the founder and owner of Nutritional Zest, LLC, a private nutrition practice based in Austin, Texas, where she was recently voted one of the top three nutritionists in the area by Austin Fit Magazine. She is also an instructor at Restorative Wellness Solutions, a program that bridges a multitude of functional nutrition approaches to elevate practitioners’ ability to solve the most challenging client symptom presentations.

She is a whole food and wellness enthusiast who is passionate about the body’s innate intelligence to respond to well-crafted holistic health practices. She excels in helping women and men reconnect with their bodies while empowering them to nourish themselves in an enjoyable, sustainable way, and to thrive through implementing wellness routines that suit their unique needs. Specializing in gut health, digestive disorders, energy regulation, and the mindset necessary for lasting health and habit change, Colleen utilizes the principles of functional nutrition to dig deeper into her clients’ chronic health complaints to discover the root cause and to create detailed protocols to bring them back into balance.

Colleen’s interest in holistic nutrition and her journey to become a Functional Nutritionist began with the reversal of her own health issues through various nutrition and wellness practices. What started as a personal calling evolved into a mission to empower others to take control of their own well-being.

Psychotherapist, Supervisor, Integrative Practitioner

& Founder @ Flourish! Mindful Psychotherapy & Nutrition

For me, the best part of being a therapist is watching clients develop a sense of ease and blossom into their most authentic and beautiful selves. I do my best to create a judgment-free space so everyone feels comfortable, heard and safe to explore memories, experiences, thoughts, stressors, and/or behaviors.

My specialty is treating clients who have symptoms of anxiety, depression, mood disorders as well as those experiencing chronic stress and challenges in their relationships. I see these clients as one whole person which means I do not buy into labels / diagnoses or that the brain is solely responsible for their suffering.

I hold a BSW and MSSW from the University of Texas at Austin and certifications as a Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider and Kundalini Yoga Teacher. I find mindfulness, interpersonal neurobiology (IPBNB), PolyVagal and Attachment theories, somatic experiencing, functional nutrition and integrative medicine endlessly fascinating and am happy to share any or all of these models and tools with you to help you feel healed and nourished. The common thread connecting all I do is the vagus nerve and I do my best to stay on the cutting edge of science and treatment for this all important multi-branched nerve that serves as the information superhighway of the Gut-Brain Axis.

I am a board approved LCSW Supervisor in Texas and also an LCSW in Colorado.

When I am not working or learning I love to cook, take long walks with my pups, hang at the beach, indulge in comedy that makes me laugh so much my cheeks hurt and practice meditation and Kundalini yoga nearly everyday.

Flourish! is open for video and phone services during COVID-19 pandemic for established and new clients.

flourish! Is a group practice offering integrative services for mental health with the goal of helping clients achieve mindful wellness. Our mindfulness-based services for psychotherapy, nutrition, and educational classes / webinars are affordable, evidence-based and all of our practitioners weave tenets of mindfulness into their practice as we believe when we are truly present with you, we can become a trusted source for empathy, compassion and guidance.

We treat all of our clients through a holistic lens which means we see you as a person experiencing challenging symptoms rather than a broken brain with diagnosis. Our integrative approach to mindful wellness offers our clients the opportunity to learn, process, and heal at their own pace while offering access to complimentary services to help them achieve optimal health without pharmaceuticals

Flourish! is open for video and phone services during COVID-19 pandemic

NTP, CFT, BS @ Wellness Changer

Food as medicine paired with physical movement to heal the body

Transforming your health is so much more than a diet. It requires a lifestyle transition with optimal digestion and bodily function. A Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) identifies possible nutrient deficiencies using functional evaluation, palpation, clinical assessment tools, inquiry, and the Nutri-Q software. A NTP develops an individualized plan for each client’s unique needs. The human body has an amazing ability to restore wellness when supported with the raw materials necessary to function at its optimal potential. A RESTART instructor will work with a group in education, sugar detox, and camaraderie to meet weight management goals. Improvements can be seen in:​

Digestion & Sugar Handling
Allergy & Immune function
Endocrine Issues
Cardiovascular Health
Inflammation
Mood
Vitality
Weight Management