Community Highlights: Meet Michael Bogden of FWDfuel Sports Nutrition & Physical Therapy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Bogden.

Michael, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Kylene and I have always been passionate about exercise and nutrition, both competing in college athletics. But our health took a turn when we developed extreme fatigue and gut issues, later discovering that toxic mold in our home was the culprit. Conventional medicine offered no solutions, but functional nutrition and medicine changed everything, helping us reclaim our health.

We met at the Cleveland Clinic, where Kylene became a leader in Functional Nutrition and I worked as a sports physical therapist. In 2017, we launched FWDfuel Sports Nutrition. Kylene eventually became the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first full-time performance dietitian, a position she still holds while also helping as co-founder of FWDfuel. While growing the business, I continued working at the Cleveland Clinic, primarily focusing on Cleveland State University athletics until 2024, when I left to expand FWDfuel into a full-scale sports nutrition and physical therapy practice, including concierge, cash-based on-site physical therapy treatments and recovery sessions.

Today, we help athletes and high performers optimize their health by identifying and treating the root causes of fatigue, gut issues, and performance roadblocks. From pro athletes to ambitious professionals, our work has changed lives—including UFC fighter Jessica “Evil” Eye, who struggled with debilitating fatigue for years before Kylene identified a parasite infection as the root cause, leading to a full recovery.

Our mission is simple: to help people feel and perform at their best by addressing the underlying factors holding them back.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Our journey has been anything but smooth. In 2014, when we first started experiencing extreme fatigue and gut issues, conventional doctors told Kylene nothing was wrong. Meanwhile, multiple professionals inspected our home and found no issues, even as our health continued to decline. Frustrated and desperate for answers, we decided to take matters into our own hands—literally. When we ripped open the ceiling in our master bedroom, we discovered it was covered in toxic mold. It was a turning point that led us to functional medicine, which ultimately helped us heal and fueled our passion to help others facing similar struggles.

Another major setback came in 2020 when a Google algorithm update wiped out our website traffic overnight. Suddenly, small businesses like ours were pushed out of top search rankings, replaced by large hospital systems with generic content. Years of work building our online presence vanished, forcing us to pivot and rethink our approach to reaching people. Despite these challenges, we remained committed to our mission, finding new ways to grow, educate, and serve our clients.

Each obstacle reinforced our belief that real health solutions require digging deeper—whether in a ceiling or within the body—and that persistence always pays off.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
At FWDfuel Sports Nutrition & Physical Therapy, we help athletes and ambitious professionals overcome fatigue, gut issues, and performance struggles by addressing the root cause of their symptoms. Unlike traditional approaches that focus on quick fixes, we specialize in functional sports nutrition and concierge physical therapy, creating personalized, science-backed strategies to help our clients feel and perform at their best.

What We Do & What Sets Us Apart
Functional Sports Nutrition: We go beyond basic diet plans, using advanced lab testing to identify underlying issues like food sensitivities, gut imbalances, and micronutrient deficiencies that impact energy, recovery, and performance.

Concierge Physical Therapy: Instead of rushed clinic visits, hard-to-schedule appointment times, and watered-down treatments, we offer one-on-one, cash-based care that focuses on analyzing, treating, and optimizing functional movement patterns, injury prevention, and longevity. We offer in-office and in-home visits, along with nights and weekends, to provide optimal value to our patients. Treatment-wise, we provide a variety of hands-on manual therapies, including a fascial needling technique that no other clinic in the state is certified to provide. We coach our clients to help optimize their exercise techniques and lifestyle to create changes that provide long-lasting relief.

Root-Cause Approach: Functional Sports Nutrition: Whether it’s an elite athlete struggling with fatigue or a business executive dealing with chronic pain, we identify and correct the real issues, not just treat symptoms. Too many dietitians focus only on macronutrients and have a lack of understanding of inflammation, gut health, and how less-common issues can often cause chronic problems.
Concierge Physical Therapy: Few healthcare providers understand how to combine functional analysis, hands-on treatment, lifestyle modification, and health coaching to get life-changing results. While many clinicians are skilled in one of those areas, few can combine expertise in each area, all in one visit.

What We’re Known For & What We’re Most Proud Of
We’ve worked with thousands of athletes and professionals, from weekend warriors to Olympians. One of our proudest moments was helping former UFC fighter Jessica “Evil” Eye finally resolve years of debilitating fatigue by identifying a parasite infection that went undiagnosed by countless other professionals. We boast of having one of, if not the only, dietitians in the United States who is board-certified in sports nutrition and integrative and functional nutrition and has seamlessly transitioned from a high-level clinical job to full-time professional sports.

On the physical therapy side, we’re especially proud of the many individuals with complex and chronic neck and low back pain, as well as migraines and plantar fasciitis, who were seen by countless professionals without success or told there is nothing that can be done, that we were able to achieve pain-free function with. Many of these people have written Google reviews for us, and their stories can be seen there. Many of them had debilitating long-term problems and thought they were just going to have to live with their pain until they came to us.

At the end of the day, we’re proud to provide life-changing solutions, especially for those who have been told, “There’s nothing wrong” or “Just deal with it.”

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
The key is finding good mentors, having a consistent focus on improving your skills, and investing in yourself as if you were a big business. Many people in health care, especially new grads, are afraid to take expensive courses because of their limited funds. We always say not to look at things like that strictly as
education but as a long-term investment in yourself that will provide dividends for years to come.

Pricing:

• If you’re struggling with fatigue, gut issues, or injuries, we help athletes and high performers find real solutions by addressing the root cause. At FWDfuel Sports Nutrition & Physical Therapy, we offer personalized, science-backed strategies to optimize your energy, recovery, and overall health. We offer a free strategy call to help you get started. Let’s discuss your goals and map out the best approach for you. Visit fwdfuel.com to learn more and schedule your free call today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fwdfuel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fwdfuel/ and https://www.instagram.com/fwdfuel.physical.therapy/
• Other: https://www.fwdfuel.com/dry-needling-cleveland/

Image Credits
The new ones taken in our kitchen (with the white countertop) and my treatment room with the windows are by Nichole Otey. Others were taken by us and the Cavs/Cleveland Clinic one is a screenshot from a YouTube video.