Carrie Carlson

Carrie J. Carlson, DO, FAAFP, IFMCP

Hi! Welcome to our Rise To Thrive site. I am happy you found us! Allow me share a little bit about my background and my own health story.

I am a board-certified family physician since 2001, certified in Functional Medicine through IFM, since 2016, and I am currently in the Integrative Medicine Fellowship program with AIHM.

Growing up in the rural southeastern South Dakota area, I enjoyed the outdoors, sports and music. I still love hiking and biking. My passion in life is sharing a holistic approach to wellness, using mind-body-spirit tools, taught with a caring style. One concept I try to model for my kids, is “be kind” to everyone.

I understand what it feels like to be tired, sick, and frustrated by not finding the answers to health problems. Back in 1998, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, which forever changed my life. I finally knew the reasons I had so many unexplained physical and mental symptoms, like severe fatigue, joint pain, IBS, migraine headaches, neuropathy, and anxiety. All of those symptoms resolved once I started eating gluten-free and replacing my low nutrients, like vitamin B12. A few years ago, I had elevated thyroid antibodies, indicating Hashimoto’s thyroiditi which is another autoimmune disease. Again, once I improved my nutrition and replaced minerals (iron, selenium) and vitamins (vitamin C) that my body needed to heal, my thyroid antibodies resolved. I am extremely grateful to have reclaimed my health. Only through the power of functional and integrative medicine was I able to overcome these health problems. 

My daughter also has an autoimmune disorder, Type 1 Diabetes, so I know how it feels to navigate today’s health system with an autoimmune disorder. It is not easy and one can feel overwhelmed pretty fast. Learning how to cook and bake healthy, simple, budget-friendly “whole food” meals was one way I could take back control of my health and the health of my family. If it weren’t for Jodie, I would not have felt comfortable learning new recipes. I was stuck in a food rut for a long time. Jodie helped me understand that new recipes and foods don’t have to be complicated with a bunch of ingredients or time consuming. And my family loves these new recipes!

Please reach out to us if you have questions or concerns, we want to partner with you during your journey back to health, let’s thrive together.

Justin Metzger

Hi, I am Justin Metzger, co-founder of Rise To Thrive Wellness and Blue Acres Market. A Husband to the most amazing woman in the world. Her health journey has helped me see what health really means and what is missing from our standard healthcare practices. I also have five wonderful children, who already have a great understanding about health and nutrition and are eagerly joining us on this venture.

I received my healthcare training as a doctor of pharmacy and was a believer in a “pill for every ill.” I now fill my spare time taking functional medicine and nutritional classes.

Life has it twists and turns so that is how I would describe my growing understanding of health and wellness. I spent years watching my wife suffer while going from practitioner to practitioner, emergency room to emergency room, pill after pill, and test after test. She would scourge the internet for answers that she was not getting from standard western medicine. One night she came to me in tears and showed me an online article that showed a functional medicine provider that she wanted to see. The word functional medicine meant nothing to me as I had never heard of that practice before, but that specific functional medicine physician just happened to be a well-respected provider where I worked. She helped unlock the door to understanding the whole patient. From that point I helped my wife take control of her health, by understanding what creates health from conception to today and how those factors influence our outcomes.

I also have come to understand the great importance of taking care of one’s mind, body, and soul. There is nothing better than heading out to our acreage on a calm Saturday morning to see the kids bottle feeding calves, picking a few weeds from the multiple gardens, and eating a few ripe berries. We, as a family, all love working outside together and of course, playing outside together.

One thing that has hit home but far too close is that these simple moments in life cannot be enjoyed if one does not feel well. That is why we are here today. It’s our passion to help guide you to feeling the best by being a resource to you, to help manage or even prevent the diseases that are so rampant in our day and time, so you too can enjoy all of life’s simple pleasures!

Jodie Metzger

Welcome, and I am so thankful you stopped by! My name is Jodie Metzger, mother of five, busy and wonderful children, and a wife to an amazing husband. I am a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach, I own a Grain-free, low-carb bakery, and I am a member of our Rise To Thrive Team.

First off, I want to let you know that as a working mother of 5, I understand the challenges you face in taking care of your mind, body, and spirit. I also know what can happen when you don’t. In my lowest time, I spent a lot of time going from one specialist to another, only to be turned away with more prescriptions that my body could not tolerate. After finding Functional Medicine, I finally started on the path to healing my body. I am now thriving and not just surviving! Do I still have struggles? You bet! I always will, but the difference is, I have learned how to handle them.

After going through everything I did to heal my body, I knew I wanted to take everything I learned along the way to help others. On my journey, I had so much support, which was the key to my health success. That in itself is why I decided to become a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach. I feel so blessed to be here, and it is an honor to help you become the best version of yourself.

As your health coach, I am here to empower you to develop and achieve your health and wellness goals or those prescribed by your professional health care provider. I will help you find your internal strengths and equip you with resources to help you make a sustainable, healthy lifestyle using behavioral changes through education, practical tools, simple healthy recipes, and with my love and support. I want you to take control of your overall well-being; so you become the best version of yourself, not just for you but for your loved ones. Why is this important to me? Because I wholeheartedly believe that when individuals thrive, families thrive, and when families thrive – whole communities thrive.

I look forward to meeting you and together, let's be the best that we can be!

Jodie

Danielle Aba-Onu

Hello! My name is Danielle Aba-Onu, the designer, content creator, and occasional recipe developer behind the scenes of Rise To Thrive. I’m lucky to call Jodie and Justin my aunt and uncle, business partners, and friends. And call Carrie a doctor who has helped me with my own health struggles. They have each played an integral part in my wellness journey and can testify that each is uniquely created and equipped to serve and support others on their journey to healing and whole health.

My personal journey to healing holistically through nurturing the mind, body, and spirit has been filled with heartbreak but has also been a transformative, eye-opening experience. Which in part I studied to become a Holistic Yoga Teacher, with a 230 hour Yoga Alliance Certification. I look forward to share healing yoga practices with our community supporting our body, mind, and spirits.

Over the course of a few short years, my life seemed to change drastically. I had surgery to remove a softball-sized fibroid, was hospitalized for severe double pneumonia, discovered I had PCOS, leaky gut syndrome, a range of digestive issues, food sensitivities, and exposure to toxic mold in the home we just moved into. But in all reality, these symptoms had been masked and overlooked for quite some time. In the beginning, this new reality was breaking my spirit. But as I sought the guidance of functional medicine experts and found support in holistic practitioners, husband Frank, family, friends, and my Rise To Thrive Team I began to see there was hope.

Our health struggles can make us stronger. And through education and support become more empowered to create sustainable, positive change in our own lives. We can take the good with the bad and become stronger on the other side. I'm more grateful each day to be a spiritual being living in this body that desires to be well. And to be given this chance to serve others on their journey to be their best, whole selves. We are here to support you holistically and would be honored to be a part of your journey.