Dr. Tyler’s path began with inpatient clinical care, supporting adults with special needs. Those early years revealed how deeply people rely on structure, clarity, and thoughtful support to participate fully in their environments — a foundation that shaped her understanding of inclusion in action.

She later transitioned into academia, serving as a researcher and the director of a children and youth disabilities lab which focused on early detection, assessment, and motor‑skill development for kids with special needs. Working at the intersection of science, human behavior, and lived experience, she saw how evidence‑based intervention could meaningfully shape a child’s daily life.

In the lab, one insight stood out.

Beyond developmental profiles and motor patterns, these children valued connection. They valued celebration. They wanted to feel accepted, included, and loved. And while she could create that environment inside her research facility — a space intentionally designed for belonging — she didn’t always see the same level of inclusion in schools, community programs, or public spaces.

To help close that gap, Dr. Tyler expanded her academic work by building community–academic partnerships, mentoring graduate students and school professionals, and shaping inclusive school‑based programs through teacher education and grant funding. Across every setting, one truth remained constant: children thrive when they feel connected, included, and celebrated.

At home, she encountered the same barrier from a different angle. Her own children lived with multiple food allergies — soy‑free, dairy‑free, gluten‑free — and she watched how celebrations, school events, and simple shared moments could quickly become complicated. The joy of food was often replaced by caution, separation, or substitution.

This gap — between what children need and what environments provide — became the spark for her commitment to inclusive wellness.

Across both her academic work and her home life, the truth was unmistakable:

ALL PEOPLE thrive when they feel connected, included, and celebrated.

Food should support that — not stand in the way.

This is where Functional Goods began.

Functional Goods was built on a simple but powerful insight: Food is one of the most universal ways we celebrate — and one of the quickest ways people can feel excluded.

Dr. Tyler saw that children didn’t want a separate celebration or a substitute treat. They wanted to be part of the same moment, the same table, the same joy.

Inclusivity isn’t about replacing- it’s about complementing the celebration so everyone can participate without compromise.

This became the guiding principle of Functional Goods.

Functional Goods begins with a gluten‑free foundation, shaped by real‑life necessity and academic insight. But true inclusivity requires more. Families need options that respect dairy‑free, nut‑free, and other dietary needs — not as secondary accommodations, but as intentional, functional expansions.

Every product is designed to:

• taste great,

• feel good to eat,

• fit seamlessly into diverse dietary needs

• support real‑life celebration without exclusion.

This is modern food built for real families, real communities, and real moments.

Functional Goods exists to answer one question: How do we make everyone feel celebrated and loved in a functional, real‑life way?

The answer is simple and profound: One baked good at a time.

Every cookie, every loaf, every dessert is created to bring people together — children with allergies, children without, families navigating complex needs, and communities striving for wellness.

This is dessert that doesn’t divide. It connects.