About Mickey

Hey! I’m Mickey.

I’m a chef, author, health coach, and autoimmune health educator with a Master’s degree in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. My work centers on helping people navigate autoimmune disease using food, lifestyle, and evidence-informed strategies—especially through the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP).

I live with three autoimmune conditions: celiac disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and psoriatic arthritis. Like many people with autoimmune illness, my path to diagnosis and effective care was long and difficult. In my twenties, I found myself in the middle of a serious health crisis—overwhelmed by symptoms, dismissed by providers, and given little guidance beyond “wait and see.” Eventually, I realized that if I wanted to get better, I would need to take an active role in understanding how my body was responding to food, lifestyle, and stress.

That search led me to the Autoimmune Protocol in 2011. At the time, AIP was still in its infancy—more a developing framework than a clearly defined roadmap—but it offered something critical: a structured way to identify triggers, rebuild nutrient density, and support immune regulation. By carefully applying elimination and reintroduction, along with meaningful lifestyle changes, I was able to recover my health and regain a quality of life I feared I had lost.

That experience changed everything.

After stabilizing my health, I went back to school to earn my Master’s degree in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine, deepening my understanding of immune health, gut function, nutrient status, and chronic disease. In 2013, I began practicing as a health coach, working directly with individuals navigating autoimmune disease and complex chronic health challenges. At the same time, I combined my education with my background as a professional chef to begin creating practical resources that made AIP realistic, nourishing, and sustainable in everyday life.

When I couldn’t find the tools I wished I’d had as a patient, I created them.

My first book, The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook, was self-published after being turned down by traditional publishers. It became one of the very first cookbooks devoted entirely to AIP, went on to win awards, and became an international best-seller. Since then, I’ve authored and co-authored multiple books, including The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook, which expanded the conversation beyond food to include sleep, stress management, movement, connection, and patient self-advocacy. Most recently, The New Autoimmune Protocol reflects more than a decade of lived experience, practitioner feedback, and medical research—offering a refined, more accessible, and more sustainable framework for using AIP today.

From the very beginning of the Autoimmune Protocol’s development, I’ve been deeply involved in shaping, teaching, and refining its use. I am proud to be one of the earliest leaders of the AIP movement, helping guide its growth from a small patient-led experiment into a globally recognized, evidence-informed protocol used by individuals and healthcare providers alike.

A core belief has guided all of my work: people deserve accurate, practical, and accessible information about autoimmune health.

That belief led me to create Autoimmune Wellness, an educational platform devoted to sharing free, up-to-date AIP resources, including articles, recipes, and research summaries. I am also the sole host of The Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, where I share my own experiences, highlight community stories, explore practical strategies for living well with autoimmune disease, and interview experts working in autoimmune health and medicine.

As AIP grew in reach, it became clear that healthcare providers also needed structured, evidence-informed training. In 2017, I co-created AIP Certified Coach, an advanced practitioner education program that has now trained over 1,000 healthcare providers worldwide—including physicians, dietitians, naturopaths, and health coaches—on how to implement and customize AIP responsibly with their patients.

In parallel with this work, I’ve played an active role in the development, interpretation, and communication of AIP medical research. Since 2015, the Autoimmune Protocol has been studied in formal trials for conditions including inflammatory bowel disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis. I’ve collaborated closely with researchers and clinicians involved in these studies—helping translate patient experience into research questions, contextualize findings, and ensure results are shared clearly and responsibly with both the public and practitioner communities.

This long view—spanning patient experience, health coaching, practitioner education, and published research—led directly to the evolution of The New Autoimmune Protocol. Today, my work is focused less on promoting a single approach and more on stewardship: ensuring AIP continues to evolve thoughtfully, remains evidence-informed, and truly serves the people who rely on it.

I often think about how different my own healing journey might have been if these resources had existed when I was first diagnosed—and that thought continues to motivate everything I do.

When I’m not working, I live in Portland, Oregon, where I’m remodeling a home with my partner, Noah, and sharing life with our cats, Clio and Fig. I love playing pickleball, tending my garden, and—no surprise—spending time in the kitchen cooking food that’s both nourishing and joyful.

Thank you for being here and for supporting my work. This community has shaped my life in ways I never imagined, and I’m endlessly grateful to be part of it.

If you’d like to take an even deeper dive into my work, you can check out my past podcast and video interviews here!