About Monique

Rooted in Healing

I’m a practitioner, a systems - thinker, and a fierce advocate for upstream healing -both at the level of the individual and the planetary ecosystem. I bring both science and soul to this work - and most importantly, I bring time, and deep collaboration.

I believe true healing means first slowing down, listening deeply and going upstream - in order to understand what shaped our health in the first place. We can then attend to the root cause  -  honouring the intricate connections within our body, and between our body, our communities, and our earth.

If you’ve landed here, chances are you are looking for answers.

Are you exhausted, physically, emotionally, spiritually?

Maybe you’re navigating chronic illness, stuck in cycles of symptoms with no clear answers. I know this place. I’ve walked it myself. You need someone in your corner who is trained to help!

Or are you working in public health, striving to support communities but feeling stuck in a silo?

Maybe the ground beneath your feet keeps shifting as the communities you serve face strained systems, resource constraints, ecological disasters, and climate change. To stay effective, you need support to integrate an eco-health dimension into your work - using unique methodologies that respond to the wider contexts that communities are navigating.

Image of Monique Oliff, founder of Wellsense

How I work

I’ve worked across Africa and beyond - from hospital wards to remote villages, from busy clinics to boardrooms. I’ve also faced significant personal illness and walked the long winding road of healing. I’ve seen and felt what happens when we treat one disease or symptom in isolation, without accounting for the story or the context.

  • Functional Upstream Medicine (Individuals, Schools & Workplaces)

I listen deeply, take time, and look at the whole picture - the body, life history, the environment. Together we trace any health issues back to the root-cause, do any necessary lab testing and work forward using a functional systems medical approach. I support individuals, students and employees with tailored plans grounded in food as medicine, breath, movement and nutraceuticals.

  • Population Health (NGO’s, Government, Donors)

Using bespoke One Health approaches, I support organisations to reframe health programming in light of today’s ecological realities. I help design or adapt public health interventions that integrate ecological thinking, honour interconnectedness, and value indigenous knowledge - so they deliver meaningful results for both people and planet. This is about enabling communities to reconnect their health with the health of the wider ecosystem - because public health is now planetary health.

Clinical & Lived Experience

I bring over 25 years of experience and a deep foundation in both clinical, and public health practice.

This blend of rigorous science and systems thinking is what grounds my work - connecting individual healing with planetary health.

Beyond my formal credentials, I have tried to live my values. I've chosen to raise my family off the grid, source local food, support organic farming, and commit to meditation and grounding in my values of ecological awareness and mindful consumption.

This lived experience underpins the trust I have built with my community and clients, as I bring both knowledge and lived experience, deep compassion, and the gift of time into everything I do.

My life work has been a quiet commitment to supporting the health and healing of those I’ve had the privilege to work with - guided by the wisdom of nature and the power of interconnection.

Functional Medicine 

Taming symptoms doesn’t restore health. When we understand your story and get to the root cause, we can support real healing - restoring your energy and vitality so you can show up fully in your life. Your body is built to heal. Healing takes time, commitment, love, and skill - but I’ve got you!

Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions?

  • I bring over 25 years of experience and a deep foundation in both clinical and public health practice.

    • Nurse Practitioner (Family Practice) – University of Washington, USA

    • Registered Nurse, BSc – Johns Hopkins University

    • Doctorate in International Health – London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

    • Diploma in Public Health Consultancy – LSHTM

    • Functional Medicine Practitioner – Institute for Functional Medicine (AFMCP + advanced modules in Bioenergetics, Cardiometabolic, Environmental Health, GI, Hormone, Immune)

    • Integrative Nutrition Coach – Institute for Integrative Nutrition

  • I work with people experiencing chronic or complex health issues—autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances, gut and skin issues, fatigue, pain, thyroid conditions, and more. Many of my clients have seen multiple providers without answers before they begin working with me. I look beyond symptoms to uncover and address the root causes.

  • No. I work with individuals and organizations across Kenya, Sub-Saharan Africa, the UK, and beyond. Appointments are available virtually, and in-person options (including retreats or intensives) can be arranged depending on location and need.

  • Conventional medicine is extraordinary in many ways, particularly for acute illness and emergencies and I am trained in conventional western medicine. However, in the case of chronic illness, conventional medicine often ‘names - blames - tames’ the dis-ease and does not readily look at the interconnectedness between all of our bodily systems. Functional medicine is systems medicine, we work upstream—tracing the source of imbalance, and then carefully working with food as medicine, targeted supplements, epigenetics and lifestyle medicine to restore balance. Functional medicine is a team effort - between you and I!

  • Think of your health like a river. Sometimes the symptoms downstream are caused by something much further upstream—stress, early life experiences, toxins, poor nutrition, trauma, or even disconnection from nature. I help you trace your story to the source and begin healing from there.

  • You are not broken—and you are not alone. Many of the people I work with have been dismissed or told “there’s nothing more we can do” But there is more. My approach is patient, thorough, and compassionate. I listen deeply, look at the big picture, and walk with you step by step.

  • Yes. I consult with NGOs and public health teams working at the intersection of community and planetary health—especially across Sub-Saharan Africa. I help design interventions, training, and tools rooted in systems thinking, ecology, and upstream public health.

  • Planetary health recognizes that human health depends on the health of our environment—air, water, food systems, biodiversity, and climate. I support individuals and organizations to reframe health in this broader context, where people, animals, and ecosystems are interconnected.

  • Yes. I believe everyone deserves access to root-cause healing. I offer flexible options depending on your context and needs—especially for people living and working in low-resource settings. This work should be inclusive, not exclusive.

  • Reach out through the [contact page/form] to book a free Discovery Call. Whether you’re an individual seeking healing or an organization, company or school ready to rethink your approach to health, we’ll start by listening—together.

Healing, of people and planet, begins at the root.

Get in touch to schedule a complementary conversation -no obligation. Whether you're seeking a compassionate, skilled practitioner to help you heal your chronic symptoms and reconnect with your vitality — or you are part of an organisation designing or funding programmes that respond to the planetary health crisis —you’re in the right place.