It’s always an interesting experience when I meet new people and they ask what I do because of the variety of responses I get when I say that I’m a Holistic Health Coach. Of course, when I’m in my West LA wellness scene bubble, people usually don’t bat an eye, but when I step outside of that world, I am, more often than not, asked, “What is a Holistic Health Coach?” So, I thought I’d share a little bit about what being a Holistic Health Coach means to me, for anyone out there that’s been following along and enjoying my content, but isn’t exactly sure what it is that I do...
I really can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated with the body’s ability to heal and the ways in which we can support that healing process. I grew up with a father who was a doctor and a mother who was a nurse, and both of my parents taught me about my body whenever there was an opportunity, whether that was through the process of watching a scratch stop bleeding, scab over, and eventually heal completely or through talking about how my immune system was at work whenever I had a fever. Because of these experiences during my upbringing, I always felt particularly connected to my body and considered myself to be an active player in my own healing processes, but as I got older, I noticed that this wasn’t true for everyone.
During college, I was surprised by the fact that, when my friends would get sick, they would often have no idea how to care for themselves and placed the full responsibility for their health in the hands of doctors and nurses. I also noticed that many of the people around me didn’t connect with their bodies in the way that I had learned to as a child. They didn’t have much of an awareness of what their baselines were or what the signs were that something might be off.
My experiences with my own doctors and nurses further confounded me. As someone who had grown up with medical terminology and lots of education around health, I was often frustrated when medical practitioners would treat me as though I wouldn’t be capable of understanding anything about what was going on inside my body and as if it was information that I didn't really need anyway. Over time, I found myself gravitating more and more towards practitioners with a more holistic approach who not only treated me less like a body and more like a unique and complex person, but also tended to encourage my involvement in my own healing processes. Rather than simply handing me a medication and sending me on my way, they would often recommend that I support my body through shifts in diet, physical activity, and lifestyle. And you know what? I not only saw results, but I felt more empowered along the way as well.
I began to wonder why our medical system was set up the way it was and started having conversations with people about their experiences with their health issues and their health care providers. I realized that, despite our many technological advances in the world of medicine, our health care system is not set up in ways that truly support the optimal health of its patients and that there’s a great need for widespread shift in the way individuals and communities approach their health.
As a Holistic Health Coach, I’m an active advocate for that shift. I work with individuals and groups of people who are ready to take a proactive approach to creating vibrant health, not just physically, but in all areas of their lives. I help people learn how to connect with their bodies and to really explore the various elements of their lifestyles to determine what is serving them, what isn’t, and what shifts would need to take place in order for them to create deeper wellness in body, mind, and spirit.
What I love most about this process is that it is collaborative. I firmly believe that you are the highest authority on what’s right for you. Our work together will be guided by your personal wellness goals, instead of someone else’s standards of health, and my ultimate desire is to empower you to create a life that you truly love. I will never tell you that you must eat, move, think, or live in a certain way, but will instead support you in the process of uncovering what is best for you through insight-oriented conversations, by sharing information that I’ve learned through my studies of holistic health and wellness, and providing recommendations on simple shifts that can support you on your journey towards embodying your unique vision of radiant health and happiness.
If you’re living a life that doesn’t feel like a right fit, are struggling to break through the blocks that stand in the way of your ability to create the life you envision, or know that something needs to change but don’t even know where to start AND you’re ready to connect with your own power to shift your life in incredible ways, then I would be absolutely honored to meet you where you’re at while encouraging you to dig into powerful self-discovery, to offer compassionate accountability, and to support you through the process of engaged transformation. Because when we heal ourselves, we heal the world. And, one conversation, connection, and person at a time, I plan to do my very best to make the world a much happier, healthier place.
