ABOUT US

Dr. Alisun Bonville | Naturopathic Doctor

“The birth of the Ignite Life Project was born out of my own desperation to find more balance in my life.”

Before its inception, I was functioning as a busy mom, wife, doctor, business owner, educator, and entrepreneur—way too many hats and hustle! One day I turned around and realized two things:

Being so busy all of the time, I was not happy or thriving in any way. 

 

I realized I was burned out, miserable trying to please everyone but myself.

While I loved all of my individual roles, my life felt like a series of tasks and stressors. My capacity to accomplish goals was high, but my health, relationships, and sanity were suffering. Whom was I trying to impress, anyway?

Thus, I began the process of a-deep-dive into what excited and inspired me and who I wanted to be, on my terms. I began to review all the skills and knowledge I learned in my education and various trainings and then reapply them to my own life. I developed a devotional practice to myself, with two main tenants as the driving philosophy:

1) If I take care of myself first, the rest of my life flows and I can better care for others.

2) I have to trust my body, the messages it is sending me, and its ability to heal.

“In my years as a naturopathic doctor, I have learned you can’t just treat the symptoms. You have to treat the person as a whole.”

With the help of some friends, healers, guides and my own intuition, I began to thrive instead of survive. My background in naturopathic medicine,  functional medicine, Ayurvedic healing, yoga, qigong, chronic illness and cancer, medical laboratory science, and counseling lead me down a path of finding myself in balance and joy.

I started sharing my findings with my good friend, Emily, and we realized the self-work I was doing could benefit every busy woman. She could relate from her own life experience and we realized that between the two of us we had a mountain of knowledge to create balance in many area of life: health, lifestyle, mood, relationship, genetics, environment and diet/nutrition. Hence, the Ignite Life Project was born; a project that brings me great joy and allows me to practice my skills on my terms. We hope it will do the same for you!

My primary goal when assisting others is to remain loyal to the fundamental naturopathic tenant of treat the root-cause of all symptoms. If these tools can help someone like me have more sleep, energy, self-confidence, and physical fitness, they can help almost anyone. For me it is about feeling VITAL, not just another “wellness” plan.

I am committed to helping women with their health and empowering them to feel great in their lives! Using science combined with traditional wisdom to influence the biochemistry of an individual’s health is my passion and I am honored to aid people on their journey to vital health.

In my free time I am busy being a present and caring mother, wife and friend and supporting a healthy and sustainable global enviornment.

Dr. Alisun Bonville’s Credentials and Timeline

  • Board Certified Endocrinologist and Fellow to the American Board of Naturopathic Endocrinology
  • Licensed as Naturopathic Physician in Montana, California, and Oregon
  • Board of Alternative Health Care State of Montana: Appointed board member 2019- current
  • Co-Facilitator MUSE Wellness retreats 2018-current
  • Certified Kundalini Yoga instructor KRI 
  • Spring Integrative Health – Naturopathic Physician and Owner 2012-current
  • National University of Natural Medicine – Affiliate Site Residency Director 2016-present
  • Institute of Functional Medicine Certification Program — Currently undertaking
  • Grain Integrative Health – Associate ND 2009-2012
  • Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine – NUNM 2009
  • Northwest Cancer Specialist – Medical Technologist 2000-2007
  • Medical Technology Internship – Sacred Heart Medical Center 2000
  • BS in Microbiology/Medical Technology – MSU 1998

Emily Potter | Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner 

“I believe you have to tune into your body and your intuition to become your best self. To me, that comes through balance, mindfulness, and conscious living.” 

 I have been working in the field of wellness and nutrition for over ten years. One of my greatest joys is connecting with women, hear their goals and struggles alike, and supporting the implementation of lifelong change.

What continues to inspire me are the conversations around burnout, stress, the challenges and juggles of life. Over ten years I have learned that by gently adding  nutritional upgrades,  strategic self- care and lifestyle upgrades, I could  create sustainable changes. The weight I felt physically and the weight of the world began to be more manageable. By identifying my true purpose and goals, my busy life schedule became more spacious and priorities became more balanced.

Learning to live well and live balanced was inspired by my grandparents who were Idaho ranchers and farmers. My grandmother planted a garden each summer and made everything from scratch. She lived to be 99 years old. She taught me the  80/20 rule of balance:  80% of the time eat smart and healthy, and 20% of the time enjoy the homemade candy, apple pie and the fun things in life. I draw on this wisdom, it helps me prioritize the relationship with food over the current dietary trends. 

“Your body speaks your mind, and I believe if you are willing to listen to your body, you can heal. I combine nutrition, yoga, breathing, meditation and movement in my wellness protocols to heal from the root cause.”

I graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S in Psychology. The same summer I graduated, I tragically lost three of my immediate family members in an airplane crash in the mountains of Idaho.

This grief and paralyzing loss broke me to my core.

It wasn’t until my first ever yoga class when the teacher asked the class to simply sit, and breathe that I realized I still had a heartbeat… and that I still had my life to live. Yoga became my lifeline and I dove in headfirst into the world of yoga, meditation, and wellness.

I’m a believer in silver linings, and something this tragic event in my life taught me is keeping a clear perspective. Everything in my life changed in an instant, and I was forced to take the lens of life and ‘zoom out.’ I have learned how to see in my own life what is ‘life-enhancing, or life-detracting.’ 

I take this perspective into every single client session. I have refined the way I can teach others this concept, and it invokes more balance, mindfulness, and purpose in their lives.

I am the owner of NourishMint Wellness, a clinical nutrition consulting business, and I have been a co-founder in two additional wellness endeavors. These include the DIYcleanse which is 7-day cleanse (for people who hate cleansing) as well as Muse Wellness Retreats which brings together groups of women for deeper connection, collaboration and wellness.

I live in Bozeman, Montana, with my husband Gregg, and my sweet kiddos Daniel and Scarlett. I’m addicted to cacao nibs and acai bowls, I love skiing, camping, traveling and spending time with my incredible friends. And… I’m beyond passionate and grateful for the work I get to do with Dr. Ali in supporting women to IGNITE their life!

Emily Potters’s Credentials and Timeline

  • 2005 graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S in Psychology
  • 2006 Began my training as a 200RYT yoga instructor
  • 2008 Married the man of my dreams from South Africa
  • 2011 Graduated as a Clinical and Holistic Health Counselor through The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners.) And Clinical Nutrition Consultant through the Natural Healing Institute.
  • 2013 Founded NourishMint Wellness in Encinitas, CA
  • 2014 Graduated as a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDN-P)
  • 2015 Moved to Idaho and co-founded DIYcleanse with my business partner Tenley Molzahn
  • 2015-2019 Co-led the Idaho Yoga Coop Yoga Teacher Training for Registered Yoga Instructors
  • 2016 Created my first online group wellness program ‘Food Freedom’
  • 2017 Created ‘40 weeks of pregnancy’ an online wellness program for expectant moms.
  • 2019 Co-hosted two MUSE Wellness Retreats in Bozeman Montana
  • 2019-2020 Created ‘The Ignite Life Project’ with Dr. Alisun Bonville