Jodi Matz

Health Coach at Spira Care Olathe and Spira Care Overland Park

Jodi Matz grew up in the small northeastern Kansas town of Morril. She received her BS in Dietetics from Kansas State University and an MS in Dietetics from Kansas University. Jodi became a certified health and wellness coach in 2012 and a part of the very first cohort of Nationally Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coaches in 2017. As a dietitian, it is her job to educate, but as a health coach, it is her job to help members implement healthy decision making into their life. Jodi learned that providing nutrition instruction was the easy part of her job and that helping people act on that instruction was where she wanted to make a true difference. Jodi discovered that many people want to do the things that make them feel healthy but often struggle with implementing those behaviors for various reasons. When presented with the opportunity to become a health coach at Spira Care, she knew it was where she could combine all the skills she learned from her previous experiences.

Jodi says about her current role as a nutrition coach at Spira Care, “I love helping people that are hesitant to get assistance at first but then realize how much they are benefitted by our help.”Jodi has a passion for assisting members through education and providing resources. She describes Spira Care as a home-like environment. “It doesn’t feel clinical,” she says, “People know names, everyone is engaged and supported on multiple fronts. Everyone is invested in overall well being. I would hope that anyone who walks in here agrees that it is a different atmosphere.”

Throughout her career, Jodi has been able to help many patients develop healthy habits. One of Jodi’s patients was pre-diabetic and was able to lose 100 pounds and bring their A1C to a normal range resulting in them not needing to start medication through her support and guidance. Jodi reflected on the impressive accomplishment saying, “It’s ultimately the patient that does the hard work. I just get to help them!”

Another patient that Jodi was working with found that movement was a very essential form of self-care whichhelped her through a very difficult season of her life. After a session, Jodi received a message saying, “I’m so proud of myself! Wanted you to know and thank you for everything. Your help and encouragement really does help me!” Jodi’s patient, through her coaching and support, became a certified yoga instructor.

Another aspect of Jodi’s role is harnessing the power of Spira Care’s resources. In one instance, Jodi was able to direct a patient of hers to a Behavioral Health Consultant at Spira Care. That patient took the time to reach out to Jodi and thanked her by saying, “I have been struggling to find professional help for my mental health issues for a quite a while, I was so overwhelmed and felt like I had no way out. But I felt encouraged yesterday, thank you so much.”

Jodi is a wife and mother of two. When she isn’t running her children to sports or events, her family enjoys spending time in the outdoors, vacationing to the mountains, and playing games. Jodi loves martial arts, hiking, ballroom dancing, and was a member of the crew team in college.