We recently had the chance to connect with Justin Kempf and have shared our conversation below.
Justin , really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Without a doubt, integrity. To me, integrity is the foundation that everything else is built on. You can be the most intelligent or energetic person in the room, but if you lack integrity, those strengths can be misused or misdirected. Integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is watching. It builds trust, creates meaningful relationships, and ensures that my actions align with my values. Intelligence and energy are incredibly valuable, but without integrity to guide them, they can’t create lasting impact.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Justin Kempf, and I’m the founder of Executive Functional Healing, LLC, a functional healing practice dedicated to helping people get to the root of chronic symptoms like fatigue, gut issues, hormone imbalances, anxiety, brain fog, and so much more.
What makes this work unique is that I’ve lived it. After my time in the Marine Corps, I battled my own complex health challenges including leaky gut, mold toxicity, adrenal fatigue, anxiety, and benzodiazepine withdrawal. Conventional approaches offered no real solutions. That personal journey led me to functional healing, where I found real answers through root-cause care, whole foods, lifestyle shifts, and natural solutions.
Now, I work virtually with clients across the U.S., offering personalized protocols and ongoing support that help them regain energy, mental clarity, emotional balance, and a renewed connection to their body. This is done without band-aid solutions or prescription dependency.
My mission is simple: to help people heal, lead, and live fully. I’m especially passionate about working with individuals who feel dismissed or overlooked by the traditional system. Healing isn’t one-size-fits-all. I meet people where they are and walk with them every step of the way.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
What breaks the bonds between people is often unspoken pain misunderstandings, unmet needs, lack of trust, or unhealed wounds that get buried instead of addressed. When people feel unheard, judged, or dismissed, disconnection naturally follows.
What restores those bonds is honesty, vulnerability, and a willingness to really listen. Healing happens when we show up authentically, take accountability, and create space for each other’s truth. It takes humility and compassion, but when both people are open to growth and reconnection, relationships can be rebuilt even stronger than before.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
You’re not broken. You’re becoming.
You’re going to walk through some dark seasons. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You’ll face things like anxiety, gut issues, exhaustion, and withdrawal from benzodiazepines that make you question who you are. You’ll lose direction at times. And you’ll lose people you love deeply.
After you get out of the Marine Corps, you’ll lose your brother Ryan. That loss will shake your world. You’ll carry a grief that doesn’t just fade with time. And years later, you’ll lose Mikey, your dog and best friend—the one who helped you survive those quiet battles no one else saw. That kind of pain will change you.
But I want you to know, none of it is wasted. Every struggle is shaping you into someone stronger, someone softer, someone more grounded in purpose. You’ll take the weight of all that loss and turn it into healing for others. And in doing so, you’ll find peace, clarity, and connection again.
So keep going. Healing isn’t just possible. It’s your path. And the version of you on the other side is proud of how far you’ve come.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
They’d probably say I care deeply sometimes more than I let on. I value truth, loyalty, and real connection. I’m not the type to stay on the surface. Whether it’s someone I love or someone I work with, I want to understand what’s really going on underneath. What’s causing the pain. What’s being carried in silence.
They know that healing means something to me because I’ve had to walk through my own fire. Losing my brother Ryan changed me forever. And losing Mikey, my dog and best friend, left a hole I still feel. Those losses made me softer, more intentional, and more committed to never taking people or time for granted.
What really matters to me is being someone people can count on. Someone who brings peace into the chaos. Someone who tells the truth with love and stays loyal through the hard stuff. That’s what I try to show up with in friendship, in work, and in life.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What will you regret not doing?
I’d regret not fully using the pain I’ve lived through to help someone else heal.
I didn’t go through anxiety, gut breakdown, mold toxicity, benzodiazepine withdrawal, and the loss of my brother and my dog just to survive it and keep quiet. I believe we’re given our battles for a reason to walk others through theirs. If I kept that to myself, if I held back from sharing the truth or using my voice, I’d feel like I missed the point of it all.
I’d also regret not spending enough time with the people I love. After losing Ryan and Mikey, I know how short life is. It’s not about how much we do. It’s about who we do it for, and how present we are while we’re doing it.
So I live with intention. I speak the truth, I show up fully, and I make sure my life stands for something greater than me. That’s how I avoid regret.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.executivefunctionalhealing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/executivefunctionalhealingllc?igsh=MWNubmZpaTJ0N2RoZQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1C8YZ2rWFf/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Image Credits
Precious Gems Photography
