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A woman with long wavy brown hair wearing a brown headband and navy top, sitting at a table with a white bowl in her hand, in a cozy cafe setting with plants and decor.

I’m Staci Villa

Hello!     

Trauma-informed, functional medicine dietitian specializing in mental health and psychiatric nutrition.

I worked as a clinical dietitian at a local hospital for 7 years before stepping away to stay home full-time with my kids.

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During my time as a clinical dietitian, I covered the surgical and cardiovascular units, the outpatient heart failure clinic, and the home health clinic where I cared for patients needing tube or IV nutrition.

While I valued the work, I grew disillusioned with the conventional healthcare model—where nutrition was often seen as an afterthought. I was taught to help patients simply manage their disease with food, but deep down, I knew nutrition was never meant to be reduced to calorie counts or supplement shakes.

I’ve always believed nutrition has the power to truly heal. That belief is what ultimately led me to step away from conventional dietetics, knowing I couldn’t help people the way I felt called to within that system.

After spending a few years at home with my little ones, I pursued advanced training in integrative and functional nutrition. Alongside my own mental health journey, I’ve tasted and seen the profound ways nutrition can support true healing—mind, body, and soul.

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  • I am a wife and mother of four incredible kiddos

  • A neurodivergent pun enthusiast.

  • I’ll kale you with kindness. 

  • The highest compliment that never gets old is, “Mom, dinner tastes really good.”

  • I can write beautiful sentences at the same rate I verbally botch simple words.

  • A walking contradiction at times.

  • Humbly human and compassionately curious.

A woman sitting at a wooden table, flipping through a large open book, with a white coffee cup on a wooden coaster nearby.

I find

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A white geometric pattern of interlocking circles on a black background.

 Jesus Christ 

absolutely fascinating &

would not be a functional nor

resilient human today without Him.                             

resurrection story

Innermost was born out of a personal

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A journey of transformation from a lifetime of unprocessed trauma, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, ADHD, and irritable gut issues into a pathway for healing heart, mind, soul, and body.

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For years, I struggled with symptoms that I was never curious about much less could connect

Chronic digestive issues, hormonal shifts, mood swings, persistent anxiety, and a brain that never felt regulated. I internalized the labels—too sensitive, too scattered, too distracted, too weird—and began to believe that I was fundamentally flawed.

WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW THEN WAS THAT THESE WEREN’T ISOLATED ISSUES —

They Were Deeply Interconnected

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My mental health challenges were tied to unprocessed trauma, neurodivergence, and a dysregulated nervous system. My gut was inflamed, my nutrient status was depleted, and my brain was trying to function without the biochemical support it needed. It wasn’t a character flaw. It was physiology.

I was given a new lens.

Studying nutrition and biochemistry in college and later

     through my integrative and functional training,     

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I began to understand how neurotransmitters are built, how the gut and brain communicate, and how chronic stress and nutritional imbalances create a feedback loop that reinforces illness.

A basket of fresh vegetables including asparagus, carrots, apples, avocados, zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper, kale, and broccoli.

As I applied this to my own life—healing my gut, supporting my brain, addressing nutrient deficiencies, and unpacking my lived experiences—things began to change.

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It wasn’t quick or linear

But over time, I came to see myself not as someone broken or weird, but as someone deeply wired for sensitivity, insight, healing, and resilience—with the right support.

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At Innermost Nutrition

Your symptoms are validated, your story matters, and your care is tailored uniquely to you. We take a whole-person approach—addressing the mind, body, heart, and soul—to support lasting, meaningful healing. Grounded in the science of nutrition and guided by compassion and curiosity, Innermost is founded on a core belief:

Your brain has the innate capacity to heal when given the right support.

Wanting more information?

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Credentials

  • Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Northern Colorado


  • 1200-Hour Post-Baccalaureate Dietetic Internship Program
, University of Northern Colorado

  • Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Commission on Dietetic Registration

  • Specialty Training in Integrative and Functional Nutrition: Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy


  • Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner (IFNCP)



  • Specialty Training in Psychiatric Nutrition and Functional Medicine: Psychiatry Redefined

  • Integrative and Functional Medicine Training for OCD Certified

  • Integrative and Functional Medicine Training for ADHD Certified