Kalona

 Most people know of and have seen a documentary at least once in their lifetime.

Whether it was crime-centered; one that documents a segment of nature untouched by man; or one that follows the foibles of a famous person, a documentary can be far-reaching, even within the health and wellness bubble.

The health and wellness genre of documentaries garners a much closer connection to Kalona than you may initially think.

That is because Elaine Welch – Nutritionist and Wellness Coach – and Kay Boyer – self-proclaimed health enthusiast and owner of Kalona’s The Shop – are working on a documentary of their own, titled “Alive and Well – Healing from Within.”

 This Verite film will document and follow up to four people who have been diagnosed with differing chronic conditions.

Their goal is to challenge the typical American lifestyle by modifying behavior, diet, mentality, rest and movement to enrich the subject’s life, with hopes of curing the chronic condition or prolonging life more than conventional medicine would.

“Genetics play 1% truly in everything. It's all lifestyle, and it's all something we can change. It's simple, right? Not necessarily, but it's simple to [map out] those changes,” Welch said in regard to the documentary’s approach to changing one’s lifestyle.

Welch then listed some examples of what she believes to be the American lifestyle and why people are more stressed today than ever before.

“It's a sedentary lifestyle: many people aren't moving their bodies the way that we evolved to move our bodies. [We are eating] ultra processed foods. We're not eating locally. We're not eating whole foods. [We’re] not taking care of our mental health. We're on screens all day,” Welch said, noting that their documentary will challenge these norms.

Alongside numerous experts from various fields, Welch will develop a specific protocol for their subject to follow while being helped/guided along the way.

This is how the documentary crew hopes to implement the most change.

 And their documentary is off to a hot start.

Before “Alive and Well – Healing from Within” even began production, it received the “Hot Film in the Making” award by From the Heart Productions, a non-profit that provides funds for up and coming films. From the Heart Productions even pledged financial support in the future with their Roy W. Dean Film grant.

 The duo was more than ecstatic to receive this praise, hoping to showcase their film everywhere they can once it is completed.                 

“Alive and Well – Healing from Within”: The start

 The road to “Alive and Well – Healing from Within” was a long, rewarding road.

 Welch met Boyer by chance while shopping at Boyer’s shop in Kalona. Boyer overheard Welch was a nutritionist and took the opportunity to ask questions.

“I just remember as a kid [thinking], ‘I want to be an old person that feels good.’ I was very aware and asked questions,” Boyer said. “So, when Elaine came in, I'm like, ‘Tell me everything! I'm going to ask all the questions and get all your nutritional advice for free!’”

 The two initiated a friendship immediately. As it blossomed, Welch thought of starting a podcast since many of Boyer’s questions were interesting and frequently asked by others.

Thus, the Renegade Nutrition Podcast was born, and the duo has released a new show every Monday since March  2022. The Renegade Nutrition Podcast can be found on most podcast networks like Spotify and Apple Podcasts – a video version of the podcast is available on Spotify and YouTube as well.

“I'm a nutritionist, and in Iowa, it's really difficult to practice nutrition. Legally, I'm not allowed to practice on my own. I've been working on a larger level of influence to help change policy in Iowa, but that takes forever,” Welch said. “The podcast was a way for me to help people with their health and their nutrition in the scope of my practice [and] wasn't limited by the laws in Iowa.

“Seeing one person at a time is awesome, I love those opportunities, but it's not going to affect change on a large level,” Welch added.

 As the podcast’s popularity grew over the years, the team wanted to do more to help spark change.

This led to the conception of their documentary. After planning things out and finding their ideal videographer in Pecos Springs Photography – a husband and wife photography team behind “Mediapolis: Abigail and Sean Costanza” – they were ready to open enrollment for potential documentary subjects.

Not long after their questionnaire opened for all to apply, they received an application from an ideal candidate, Dennis Mount, a Canadian resident of Edmonton, Alberta, who was recently diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s at age 49.

“I was blown away by their story,” Welch said. “This was one of those things that really felt like it was divine intervention.”

Mount and his partner, Terri Razor, have two young children and were worried his diagnosis would prevent their children from truly getting to know their father. Thus, they were willing to do anything to help him through the Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

“They heard a call-out on our podcast that you could apply to be on this [documentary], and they were like, ‘We really want to make a change, and we really want to document his healing and who he is, for the kids to watch,’” Boyer said.

 Mount’s path to the documentary was just one of many serendipitous events within this story.

Mount’s partner, Razor, started listening to podcasts instead of music on her way to work. Eventually, she discovered the Renegade Nutrition Podcast and was a listener for a few weeks before the documentary was announced.

They applied almost immediately and were the first family selected to participate.

Filming has begun

 The Renegade Nutrition team began the filming process at the beginning of June. They traveled to Edmonton to meet the Mount family to begin the preliminary filming process. The team also provided the Mount household with a way to document his day-to-day progression, giving the film much needed b-roll while also showing what each day is like in the shoes of Dennis Mount.

The Renegade Nutrition team is excited about their progress and are even more excited to share these stories in the future.

“Having a Verite film, you can actually show the transformation happening as it's happening. Who can dispute that, right? Nobody can [say], ‘Well, that didn't really happen.’ You're literally watching this guy. We have all their medical records. We have their doctor saying they've got three to five years,” Welch said. “If things turn around for him and he lives another 15 to 20 years with full capacity, we have the evidence that they told him that wasn't possible, and now it is possible, and the only changes he made were through his lifestyle.”

How you can help:

 The Renegade Nutrition team made their way to Canada using personal funds alongside some preliminary donations to start the filming process. They have selected a second subject who resides in Oregon, meaning their travel expenses will skyrocket as they continue to make their dream a reality.

The Renegade Nutrition team is asking for support from the community and afar to help fund this monumental project.

One way you can help immediately is by visiting therenegadenutritionist.com. Here, the Renegade Nutrition team has a link to their Venmo account where they are accepting donations – their Venmo tag is @renegadenutrition. The team will accept checks sent to PO Box 29, Kalona, IA, 52247, written out to Renegade Nutrition.

 Additionally, listening to the team’s podcast will further help spread their message and goal of raising money to continue working on “Alive and Well – Healing from Within.”

 The filming process should take around three years to complete but the team plans to share gradual updates via their podcast. They also plan to release teaser trailers in the future. Either way, the documentary’s progress will be shared throughout the entire process.