Happy, Healthier Clients
J.H.
Vermont
“This was worth much more than I paid!”
I loved this coaching group! When I joined, I had high levels of stress at work and needed to improve my work/life balance. I felt confused about foods, including which fruit and vegetables were good or bad to eat.
My biggest takeaways are that what's on your plate can make you feel better, and the simplicity of focusing on fruit & vegetables - just enjoying them rather than labeling them good or bad. I now focus on filling my plate with water fiber foods and view each day as a new opportunity, focusing on one day at a time. I am celebrating the small wins, because small changes add up to big results.
While the main focus was food, I applied what I learned to other areas of my life. We all have challenges, and while each challenge is unique, the approach to overcome them is similar.
Overall, I feel much better, both physically and mentally. My stress levels are less as I am learning to manage/balance my life better. I was working 16 hour days and now I work 9 hours and take a lunch break most days!
I was nervous about joining a group, however, I really connected with everyone and appreciated the support from others on a similar journey. The feedback in the group chat was very helpful, and I liked the small group size.
Kristina genuinely cares about each person she works with. She is caring, compassionate, and really listens to what is being said. I appreciated her guidance and support in making changes to what is on my plate.
This was worth much more than I paid!”
C.G.
Florida
“Even better than I thought it would be!”
“Before starting this group, my health was good, but I didn’t feel well. I felt sluggish and tired and I had a lot of digestive issues. I’d previously tried Weight Watchers and other diets, but what this group offered was different.
Coaching with Kristina increased my confidence and motivation, shifted my mindset about healthy eating, and taught me new, valuable information. I’ve lost 12 pounds, had significant improvements in my gut health and energy, I’ve improved my eating habits, and overall feel more satisfied with my life.
One of my biggest takeaways is the focus on fiber and using the word “fiber” to elicit food I really want. I’m able to make food choices I feel really good about and am more comfortable declining food offered by others. I’ve developed a satisfying relationship with food and have learned the foundational skills to be healthy.
This group was even better than I thought it would be. The group chat was unique and really great. I would recommend this group to help change your thinking, for ideas to help create the small habits that lead to big changes and to develop a new relationship with food.”
Lisa Sunshine
High Point, North Carolina
"Kristina is an amazing coach"
Before I started coaching, I was struggling with mindless eating, good nutrition, and following through with healthy changes.
Now, I eat veggies and fiber with each meal and as a result, I feel better in general, am not as hangry, and have lost at least 15 pounds.
I also had skin issues on my hands which have almost entirely cleared.
Kristina is an amazing coach - she was positive even when I was not, and created a really supportive group.
"Carol"
Arizona
"Long-term strategies vs a diet"
Carol is a 62 year old female who came to coaching with pre-diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, kidney disease, sleep apnea, obesity, and Rheumatoid Arthritis. She was frequently tired and took Ambien to get a full night of sleep. She was very hesitant about making changes and lacked confidence in her ability to make sustainable lifestyle changes.
Through coaching, Carol lost 14 pounds and lowered her A1c from 6.4 to 6, LDL cholesterol from 140 to 103, triglycerides from 255 to 186, and ESR from 73 to 36. She no longer needs Ambien to get a full night of sleep, has more energy, feels less stressed, and feels more motivated to make healthy changes.
“Coaching has given me the confidence that I can follow through with making healthy changes. I have learned long-term strategies vs a diet that is not sustainable. I’m confident that if I shift off track, I can get right back on track, whereas in the past, I would have been discouraged and given up. I no longer have an all-or-nothing mindset - instead, I now know that doing something a little bit is better than not doing it at all. Healthy choices feel more natural and I don’t have to focus on them as much.”
"Ruth"
Arizona
"...I am miles away from where I started“
Ruth is a 63 year old female who came to coaching with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, GERD, sleep apnea, and obesity. She was sedentary, slept only 4 hours a night, felt tired all the time, was short of breath while walking, and needed to sit and rest after climbing stairs.
After coaching, Ruth is sleeping 6-7 hours a night, feels energized and clear-minded, is no longer short breath while walking and can go up 3 flights of stairs without getting short of breath. She also reduced her A1c from 7.6 to 7.3 while reducing her daily insulin by 28%, completely eliminated GERD symptoms, lowered cholesterol and triglycerides, and lost inches off her waist.
“I am miles away from where I started. How I think about food is different. Overall, I am so much more aware of food choices. Eating healthy feels like a natural and routine part of my life. I have never slept this well! I now make the effort to exercise, rather than just saying I need to exercise.
"I feel confident in my ability to sustain the healthy changes I have made and am excited to continue making more. If I have a setback, it doesn't have to negatively impact me, it's a learning experience and I will just keep going."
Kristi L.
Londonderry, Vermont
"Support, Compassion, Science-Based"
I wanted support and science-based information to help shift changes to my everyday life and lose weight - this program did exactly that and more. Kristina provided support and compassion while making changes, guided me to further implement mindfulness and to recognize and overcome my challenges.
I had previously worked with a health coach and Kristina's program offered so much more. I now have the tools and support to make real changes to better my health. I am able to see the big picture of how slow changes lead to a healthier lifestyle and that I am the one who can make the changes that I want.
Ann
Vermont
"I believe in myself now!"
Ann is a 31 year old female whole came to coaching obese and concerned about a family history of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. She was sedentary and ate minimal fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. She was interested in learning how to make healthy changes in a way that fit into her life and would be sustainable, in the long-term. She was challenged by the time commitments of having a full-time job and young children. In addition, she had a history of trauma that was closely tied to emotional eating, and had been working on this with a therapist.
After just 6 weekly coaching sessions, Ann found ways to begin incorporating movement into her busy work and home life and had made changes to her food choices, increasing fruit intake from 1 to 2 servings daily and increasing vegetables from 1 to 3 servings daily. Prior to coaching, Ann had never set goals for herself. Through coaching she learned to set achievable goals and break those down into small achievable actions steps, create backup plans for those steps and to celebrate her successes, both big and small
“My biggest takeaway is that I believe in myself now! I am confident that I can continue to make healthy changes on my own. I have the knowledge and tools to be able to achieve the outcomes I want for myself. I now know how to create a plan, set a goal and break it down into small, achievable steps. I have the confidence now that I can hold myself accountable and work towards where I want to be. I am in such a better head space, compared to before coaching. It makes such a difference to be taking positive steps forward and making progress toward my goals. Most of all, I am stronger than I thought!”
Lea
Arizona
"It doesn't need to be perfect; I just need to do it!"
Lea is a 47 year old female who came to coaching with pre-diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and obesity and a strong family history of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. She was very motivated to stay off statins and metformin as well as to reduce or eliminate her need for blood pressure medication. She was sedentary and practiced intermittent fasting, breaking fast every 24-48 hours with a meal focused on refined carbs and meat.
Through coaching, Lea reduced her A1c from 6.1 to 5.8, lowered her blood pressure to a normal range, and reduced her triglycerides by 40% (from 330 to 195), making her well on the way towards meeting her desired outcome of minimizing need for BP meds and staying off statin and metformin. She is now walking 30 minutes 5x a week and has begun to make shifts in her nutrition. She prioritizes lower sodium foods, has almost completely eliminated red meat, is eating more vegetables, has reduced her intake of refined grains, and has added a second meal of the day that is focused on whole plant foods. She is also now utilizing breath work for stress management.
“Before coaching, I thought that eating only one meal a day gave me license to eat whatever I wanted, when I did eat. Now I see that this mindset was negatively impacting my health. Before, I really didn't make the connection between food and my health. Now I see that whole plant foods can positively impact my health and that refined carbs, sugar, and meat were contributing to all of my chronic health conditions. Instead of seeing healthy change as all-or-nothing, I now see possibility. If something isn't going to work as planned, I have back-up plans I can put in place. If the backup plans don't work out, it's not the end of the world, I can still get right back on track! It doesn't have to be perfect, I just need to do it! Before, when something got me off track, I was completely derailed and gave up. Most importantly, the changes I make are seen by my kids and it impacts them. I feel like we are on track to be an active, healthy family.
Jim
Vermont
"I have boundless energy!"
Jim lost 20 pounds, fully quit smoke, went from being sedentary to walking/jogging 4 miles daily, increased daily fruits and vegetables, reduced meat and processed food, and now has the tools he needs to manage stress.
“Coaching has helped me to be more insightful and in tune with my needs. I now have the confidence to move forward with making healthy changes that really stick. I learned It's important to be flexible and have contingency plans - they will help keep me on track with my action steps. I know that I can avoid getting completely derailed by working on what needs to be addressed, keeping up healthy habits and getting back on track as soon as I can. I discovered that forgiveness, kindness, and compassion for myself are the most important foundational things for me. Quitting smoking has freed up hours of my day to do things I love, plus I can breathe better! It's incredible how much time I wasted by smoking! Most of all, I have reinforced my sense of self, rediscovered things about myself that I used to love, and I have BOUNDLESS energy!”
Danielle D. age 40
Danby, Vermont
(after 4 months of coaching)
"...Kristina has changed my life."
When Kristina and I started working together, I was struggling with crazy amounts of stress in my life. I was sleeping so poorly that I was driving to work and finding myself “nodding off “ most mornings. I was angry, short tempered, and feeling hopeless. I believe at our first meeting, I was in tears. My health and overall well-being was in jeopardy. I knew I could not continue the way I was going and be a productive person.
I can honestly say I was skeptical of having a health coach. To be clear, I was skeptical about the whole process, NOT my coach. Knowing Kristina was my coach, I think, was the reason I decided to try this. I think it was two weeks in with my sessions that I noticed some changes.
My sessions with Kristina have been wonderful. I never would have thought I would be making the strides I am. The level of stress in my life is manageable now. I never thought I would ever say that. I am more self aware in such a better place now. I am amazed.
My biggest take-away is that I have learned that it is ok to say “No” to people. Woohoo!! I have the ability to notice certain triggers when my stress is starting to get to a certain point and know that I need to stop, regroup, and redirect myself. It’s a cycle...stress causes so much unrest in your soul. I am forever grateful for Kristina and this process.
I would recommend to everyone to experience having a health coach. Try it! I am so thankful that I did. I can honestly say that Kristina has changed my life. I was in a horrible, ugly state of mind when I met with Kristina the first time. I left our first session thinking that this really wasn’t for me, but I went back. And thank God I did. I will forever be thankful to Kristina for “coaching” me along and guiding me to where I am now. I have the tools now to be successful at managing my stress!
Danielle D, age 41
Danby, Vermont
(after 7 months of coaching)
"Health coaching works!"
Health coaching works! Kristina is the best! She is understanding, a wonderful listener and helps you strategize solutions.
Although I was skeptical at first, when I started feeling better and realizing it was working, I was absolutely amazed.
My biggest accomplishments (on top of having less stress) are realizing that I had control over my situation, improved overall well-being, improved relationships, feeling of empowerment, and realizing that stress happens and that I have to just recognize it, deal with it, and move on.
HF, age 53
Vermont
“...it really helps to have a coach to support you!”
With my child graduating high school and going off to college, my role as "mom" is changing. I am ready to ease into this next phase and am working on building some new healthy habits. Prior to working with Kristina, I had difficulty seeing self-care as a priority item on my to-do list.
What I discovered through our work together is that when something is a challenge, it really helps to have a coach to support you! I felt that Kristina could see my steps forward when I couldn't. I appreciate her understanding of what the journey towards a healthier lifestyle looks like. She helped me reflect on achievements made - no matter what size.
Over the past two months, I have incorporated several new habits into my life. I feel that I am on the right track, but, it is nice to know that I can call her up and get support if I need it. Thanks Kristina!
Karen C.
Manchester, Vermont
"Kristina is gentle, caring and non-judgmental."
My health coaching experience with Kristina was always positive. She is a good listener, but keeps her client on track. She is organized and follows through when she has a document or person(s) to which to refer her client. I walked away from each session with renewed hope and ideas. Kristina is gentle, caring and non-judgmental. She genuinely cares about outcomes for her client.
I came to health coaching struggling with nutrition and weight loss, both in the short term, for my daughter’s wedding later this year and in the long term, to help ensure my future health. I was not striving for perfection, but rather to simply feel healthy and happy for this very important day in our lives!!
Today, I am celebrating the fact that I know how to be consistent with eating and drinking in a healthy way. For me, that means eating mindfully; really paying attention to what I am eating and why, and importantly, it also means that I don’t feel deprived. I still eat treats and holiday foods, but in healthy portions and for the joy of the experience. I have already lost a few pounds and am currently working on adding in some regular exercise, so I know I can lose a few more pounds, by June!