Meet Kristin Brien, FNP-BC, IFMCP-M — Board-Certified Functional Medicine Nurse Practitioner.
My Mission: Empowering You
to Thrive
Kristin Brien, FNP-BC, FMCP-M™, is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner with 20 years of healthcare experience and energy healing. She founded The Mend Wellness to offer something she found was missing in conventional medicine: care that looks at the full picture — not just a list of symptoms or labs that fall within "normal" range.
Kristin graduated Cum Laude from New York University with a Master's Degree in Advanced Practice Nursing in Family Medicine, with a subspecialty in Holistic Medicine. She went on to earn her certification as a Functional Medicine Practitioner from the Institute for Functional Medicine — one of the most rigorous credentialing programs in integrative health — and has completed executive education programs at Harvard Medical School in Lifestyle & Wellness Coaching and Designing a Sustainable Nutrition Plan.
Kristin is also a Certified Advanced Holistic Coach™, having completed an immersive nine-month experiential training program with Beth Miller, LCSW-R, CEC, CAHCC, the creator of Advanced Holistic Counseling & Coaching™ and Clinical Director of POSITIVE ENERGY Holistic Counseling & Institute in Bayport, New York. Through weekend intensives, live training, peer-counseling practicums, and online learning, Kristin received advanced coaching training in IFS Parts Work, EFT Tapping, somatic healing, life coaching, energy healing, brain and body reprogramming and healing, soul and spiritual counseling, meditation, the Law of Attraction, manifesting, and more.
Helping you move from exhausted, dismissed, and running on empty toward feeling energized, clear-headed, and fully alive.
Her clinical background is anything but ordinary. Kristin trained at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she worked in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Step Down Unit and Cardiothoracic ICU, and later as a Heart Transplant Coordinator alongside Dr. Sean Pinney and Dr. Anelechi Anyanwu, now Vice Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery. That high-acuity environment sharpened the instincts she brings to her work today: recognizing meaningful patterns and subtle changes, paying attention to details that might otherwise be missed, and collaborating with providers across disciplines to advocate for her patients.
Today, Kristin pairs that clinical precision with a deeply integrative philosophy of care. Drawing on two decades of Reiki practice, she recognizes that well-being extends beyond the physical body to include mental, emotional, energetic, and spiritual health. Her approach brings evidence-informed medical care together with complementary practices designed to support nervous-system regulation, self-awareness, inner balance, and a renewed sense of connection and vitality.
She is a Registered 200-Hour Yoga Teacher, a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, and is currently completing Dr. Aviva Romm's Women's Integrative & Functional Medicine Training Program, continuing to deepen her expertise in caring for women throughout every stage of life.
Certifications &
Education
What sets Kristin apart is not just her credentials — it's how she shows up for her patients. She holds space intuitively, so you feel fully seen and heard without feeling rushed or dismissed. She doesn't follow a script or push branded supplements. She listens deeply, re-evaluates constantly, and pivots your plan whenever something isn't working. Her mission is simple: to empower you to take ownership of your health and feel fully alive in your body again.
FNP-BC — Family Nurse Practitioner, Board Certified (ANCC)
FMCP-M™ — Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner
MSN, Cum Laude — NYU, Advanced Practice Nursing, Family Medicine, Subspecialty in Holistic Medicine
Harvard Medical School Executive Education — Lifestyle & Wellness Coaching
Harvard Medical School Executive Education — Designing a Sustainable Nutrition Plan
Certified Advanced Holistic Coach™
Integrative Nutrition Health Coach
Reiki Master
Registered 200-Hour Yoga Teacher
Currently completing: Dr. Aviva Romm's Women's Integrative & Functional Medicine Training Program
My Story
My curiosity about blending Western medicine with other healing modalities began long before I became a provider.
At five years old, I was hospitalized repeatedly for asthma until a caring pediatric team taught my family how to better manage my exacerbations at home. My mother also began researching ways to support my immune system, introducing me early to the idea that conventional medicine and other approaches could work alongside one another.
Years later, my father became paralyzed after an infection attacked the bones in his neck. We were told he might never move more than a thumb. My mother and I spent months by his side, helping him practice small movements and supporting his recovery however we could. Along the way, some providers looked beyond his immediate injury, including testing and restoring diminished vitamin D and testosterone levels. Over time, he regained far more function than his ICU team initially believed possible — eventually feeding and dressing himself, lifting weights, and walking short distances with assistive devices.
Those experiences shaped how I see health care today. They showed me that evidence-based herbs, nutrients, movement, and hormone balance can be easily overlooked, yet can meaningfully impact quality of life.
They also sparked my lifelong curiosity about bringing Western medicine and other healing modalities together — an approach that continues to shape the way I care for my patients today.
“Healing isn't something that happens to you — it's something you actively participate in. My job is to give you the tools, the clarity, and the confidence to take ownership of your health for good.”
—Kristin Brien, FNP-BC, IFMCP-M
Trusted Referrals
dr. Lindsay Grobman Lombardo
Dr. Lindsay holds a doctorate in physical therapy from Columbia University and is the founder of Breathe Eden Physical Therapy, Yoga & Wellness. She offers integrative care for women and mothers, blending physical therapy with yoga, breathwork, mindful movement, intentional strengthening, and holistic health coaching. She is passionate about helping women heal from pain, stress, and anxiety—from pregnancy and postpartum through motherhood.
PT
Rachelle Bojer
Rachelle is passionate about women's health and wellness. She specializes in pelvic floor dysfunction issues throughout the lifespan. These issues can result from high level athletic/sports activity, childbirth, trauma, abdominal or pelvic surgeries, and hormonal changes. All sessions with her are private and held in strict confidentiality.
Pelvic Floor PT
Rachel has focused a majority of her career on the specialty of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy. She has over a decade of experience supporting men and women with a wide range of pelvic health conditions, as well as supporting people through all phases of conception, pregnancy, post-partum and menopause.
Rachel earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2008. Prior to attending graduate school, Rachel worked as a Certified Athletic Trainer with a men’s professional hockey team. Her background in athletics gives Rachel a unique perspective in helping clients return to the sports and activities that they love.
Pelvic Floor PTRachel Parrotta
Jessica is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, EMDR clinician, trauma-informed life coach, and founder of Unleashed: Potential Life Coaching & Counseling. With a Master’s in Social Work from Stony Brook University specializing in trauma, she works with adolescents and adults navigating trauma, PTSD, anxiety, grief, abuse, and major life transitions. Drawing on evidence-based approaches including EMDR, Jessica creates a compassionate, supportive space where clients can process difficult experiences, build resilience, and move beyond survival toward meaningful, lasting change.
TherapistJessica rebelo
As a Licensed Massage Therapist, her passion is helping people feel their best through personalized, compassionate care. Whether you’re recovering, managing pain, or simply investing in your wellness, her goal is to help you move, heal, and live more comfortably.
At Don’t Be Knotty Bodywork, we believe every body deserves individualized care. Our team is dedicated to creating a welcoming space where you feel heard, supported, and cared for. Together, we’re here to help you feel your best, one treatment at a time.
Licensed Massage Therapistfernanda fuentes
debbie drury
Deborah is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Craniosacral Therapist.Her passion is assisting individuals on their unique paths to healing by providing a safe, supportive space to restore well-being. She has spent more than three decades as a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant.
This extensive experience—ranging from injury recovery and post-operative care to treating neurological disorders—allows her to bring a deeply informed, holistic skill set to every session.
Craniosacral therapist
Nicole beaudin
Nicole is an executive coach, intuitive strategist, and certified Reiki practitioner who guides high-achieving leaders back to themselves. She helps the accomplished-but-depleted quiet the noise, reconnect with their instincts, and trust their inner wisdom — pairing real-world corporate experience with body-based tools for lasting calm and clarity.
Executive Coach & Reiki Practionier
Dr. Dawn Chiricella-Besmer
Dr. Dawn Chirichella-Besemer is a New York Licensed Psychologist with over 20 years of experience specializing in trauma-informed care. In her Huntington, NY private practice, she works with youth and adults experiencing complex PTSD, developmental and relational trauma, as well as older adults navigating mental health and acute or chronic trauma. Dr. Chirichella-Besemer is trained in the Sanctuary Model®, is a certified SPARCS therapist, and is a member of the Complex Trauma Treatment Affiliates (CTTA) network. She has also been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented nationally on trauma and compassion fatigue.
www.bakerbesemerpsychologists.com/about-dr-chirichella-besemer
Licensed Psychologist
Martine Rosenberg
Martine specializes in providing individual and group therapy and life coaching for adolescents, young adults, couples and families. Her clients come to her for many different reasons, but the most common ones are for issues related to depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, relationships, special needs/learning differences, parenting, and life adjustments and transitions.
She has a special interest in working with women throughout their lives through the challenging years of adolescence to the family planning process including issues surrounding infertility, pregnancy, and the transition to parenthood.
Therapist
Patricia Barsallo
Massage Therapist
