The educator behind the method
Meet Daniela
I am Daniela Hess, the founder of the Autoimmune Recovery Method. I am an Autoimmune Educator and Coach, a Functional Wellness Consultant, and a certified Autoimmune Protocol coach, and I came to this work the hard way, through my own years of being unwell and unanswered.
I live and thrive with Hashimoto’s
Years ago, I started noticing a lot more hair in my brush. I had been vegan for more than 20 years, and at the time I did not know I was dealing with leaky gut, nutrient deficiencies, and systemic inflammation that went undiagnosed for far too long. My own diagnosis took 7 years, and my story is not unusual. Research has found it takes an average of about 4 to 5 years, and several different doctors, before a woman gets an accurate autoimmune diagnosis.
I currently live and thrive with Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism. I do not tell you I recovered. I tell you the truth: there is a great deal you can do, you can work with the root causes, and you can move your autoimmune toward Remission. Once I found the right team in my corner, functional practitioners, lab testing, and a coach who helped me make sense of it all, everything changed.
It takes 3 things for an autoimmune condition to develop
So many women with autoimmune are told, ‘Your antibodies are high, there is really not much we can do, you will just have to learn to live with the flares.’ I am here to tell you that is not the whole truth.
It takes 3 things for an autoimmune condition to develop. First, a genetic predisposition, the one piece you did not choose and cannot change. Second, intestinal permeability, often called ‘leaky gut.’ Third, a trigger, which can be a virus, a major stressor, a toxic exposure, or chronic stress.
You cannot change the first one. But the second and third are deeply within your influence, and they are what switch that genetic predisposition on, or quiet it back down. Your genes are not a sentence. They are closer to a dimmer switch. That is why you truly have a choice with autoimmune, and walking that second path, toward Remission, is the entire foundation of my work.
The science and the Soul, together
My approach rests on a few clear commitments: no urgency, no bypassing, choice always. I prioritize direct experience over ideology, and integration over insight alone. There is a Science and a Soul to every healing journey, and both deserve reverence.
The Autoimmune Recovery Method is the course I wish I had been handed at the very start: the root-cause education, the daily practices, and the community to walk the in-between space with you. It is education and support, not medical advice, and it walks beside your care, never instead of it.
The live course, the AIP Companion app, and printed guides, taught by Daniela.
In their words
“One of the greatest gifts of this work has been learning to trust myself again. … Having someone knowledgeable, compassionate … walk alongside me through this journey has been invaluable.”
Private Autoimmune coaching client, Hashimoto’s, Midlife
“Daniela helped me move from overwhelmed and exhausted to clear and empowered. I had been stuck in the elimination phase for months. With her support, I found peace with food, energy in my day, and a deeper trust in my body again.”
Private Autoimmune coaching client
“I am a newly retired mental health specialist thankful to have found Great Energy. Daniela and Christopher have created a healing community with nourishing resources for living on and off the mat.”
Nita B., retired mental health specialist
Credentials
- Founder of the Autoimmune Recovery Method
- Autoimmune Educator and Coach, certified Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) coach
- Functional Wellness Consultant, Functional Nutrition Coaching
- Master of Science in Health Education (MSEd)
- Yoga and Qigong Teacher Trainer (RYT500)
- Trained Ayurvedic practitioner and Enneagram coach
- Co-founder of Great Energy, with her husband Christopher Grant
Master of Science in Health Education
Daniela Hess, MSEd
I do not position myself as a medical provider or a guru. I stand alongside people, offering tools, practices, and perspective rooted in integrity, self-trust, and choice.
Medical & Professional Endorsements
Dr. Matt Rayner · D.C. · Co-Owner, The Wellness Institute of Dallas
As a functional provider that has been serving Hashimoto’s and Autoimmune patients for over 12 years, I understand all the intricacies that come with this terrain. Daniela has been a blessing to serve and support in her journey. She has been tireless in her conviction to learn, attain knowledge and tools, and passionately serve others going through a place she has been and has successfully grown through. She is empowered through her own success and years of seeking answers and implementing, and it is inspiring to see her amazing energy serve others to write their own story.
For women navigating Hashimoto’s and Autoimmune conditions who are serious about moving toward Remission, having the right guidance between their practitioner visits is not a luxury; it is a critical part of the healing process. Daniela brings a rare combination of lived experience, deep functional medicine literacy, and genuine passion for education that makes her an exceptional guide in that space. Her Autoimmune Recovery Method coursework reflects this same depth: it is not a replacement for medical care, it is designed to walk alongside it, equipping women with the knowledge and tools to show up to their medical appointments informed, prepared, and clear on what they need, and she is skilled at supporting the lifestyle, behavior, nutritional, and nervous system attention required to thrive while living with an Autoimmune condition.
Daniela is not practicing medicine; she is empowering women to take an active and educated role in their own healing. I have seen firsthand the level of dedication and intelligence she brings to this work, and I recommend her without reservation to any woman who is ready to do that.
Melissa Vorhis, FNP-C · Owner, Finger Lakes FNP
As owner of Finger Lakes FNP, a hormone optimization clinic, and an educator of registered nursing students, I work daily at the intersection of clinical science and the realities women face in midlife. That’s why I so readily endorse Daniela Hess and her work at Great Energy.
Daniela honors both the science and the soul of the midlife transition. Her guidance through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond is grounded, evidence-informed, and free of the fear-based, quick-fix messaging that saturates this field. She understands what I see clinically every day—that too many women have been under-educated about what is actually happening in their bodies—and she frames midlife not as a problem to fix but as a meaningful passage. Her whole-person approach thoughtfully addresses the physical, emotional, and spiritual layers of a woman’s experience while staying clearly within her scope and encouraging women to partner with their licensed providers.
That combination of rigor, humility, and genuine care makes Daniela a trustworthy guide and a natural complement to medical care. I recommend her without reservation to any woman seeking a knowledgeable, compassionate advocate for this stage of life.