Client Stories
I began working with Andrea through the lens of intuitive eating and body image challenges. I had struggled for many years with an unkind relationship with my body, leaning heavily on sugar and other substances for self-soothing. I came in hoping for a quick fix — to lose 15 pounds and finally feel okay in my skin.
By only our second session, Andrea helped me see that my relationship to food and my body was far more intertwined with my spiritual life than I had realized. She wisely looked past what I said I wanted and invited me into deeper work — addressing the roots of my insecurity rather than just the surface. This proved to be profoundly meaningful as we continued to uncover long-held patterns that are now beginning to loosen.
What I found most unique about Andrea's approach is how seamlessly it complemented the spiritual and emotional work I was already doing. She never asked me to choose one practice over another — instead, her work quietly deepened everything else.
One method she uses is somatic and body awareness — learning to sit with challenging sensations rather than immediately escape them. Andrea is extraordinarily skilled at guiding this process. When something difficult arises, she'll often ask, "Would it be okay to stay with that sensation for a little bit?" That simple invitation has been one of the most meaningful parts of our work together, because so many of my unhealthy habits were rooted in exactly that discomfort — not being able to sit with hard feelings.
I still have much of the path ahead of me. But my work with Andrea has helped me immensely, and I am deeply grateful.
— Z.R.
When I came to Andrea, I was close to rock bottom. I had left a toxic job, spent nearly a year unemployed and languishing, gained a lot of weight, and was struggling with anxiety, depression, and exhaustion so deep I could barely get through a workday. I would make plans with friends and cancel them. I couldn't even watch a movie without falling asleep. I had given up on myself physically.
I had tried everything — diets, calorie counting, punishing workouts, intermittent fasting. I even had a brief period of success in my mid-thirties, only to fall into one of the darkest depressions of my life afterward. I never connected those two things until Andrea pointed out that the research shows dieting can actually cause mental illness. That landed.
When I signed up, I told myself it was the last thing I would ever try. I wasn't expecting much. I just liked Andrea, and thought — well, I'll hang out with her for a while and see what happens.
Then everything shifted.
One of the first things she asked me to do was put weight loss on the back burner and put away my scale, my fitness tracker, all of it. I was skeptical. But I trusted her, so I did it. And something unexpected happened — without all those numbers and measurements pulling my attention outward, I finally started to hear what my body was actually telling me. That turned out to be the key to everything.
My original goal was simply to have enough energy to cook one meal a week. I far surpassed that. I go to yoga after a full day of physical work now. I cook. I stay up to watch movies. I've started bicycling and hiking again — things I had completely stopped doing. My social anxiety has eased in ways I never expected from this kind of program. I went on a three-week cruise and made friends easily, which is not something I would have done before.
This is the most happiness I've had in my life for this long a period of time. It's impacted me on every level.
If you're thinking about working with Andrea — do it. There's a reason you've met her at this point in your life.
— Russ F.
I came into this work caught in a lifelong love-hate relationship with my body — mostly hate. From the time I was a chubby kid to the times I had lost weight and was "in shape," I still couldn't find peace with how I looked. I had tried every diet — low carb, low fat, calorie counting, Noom — and every time the weight came back. I was at a place of genuine hopelessness about ever changing that.
What intrigued me about Andrea's approach was how completely different it was from anything I'd encountered. The idea of intuitive eating — actually listening to your body rather than fighting it — felt like a brand new way of looking at life. And at 67, I realized I needed one.
What I found most significant was learning that I don't have to restrict what I eat. I used to grab three cookies because I knew I'd want three — and then eat all of them without really tasting any of them. Now I check in with myself. I can have a cookie if I want one. I can come back later. That simple permission took all the pressure off.
I also started paying attention to fullness and hunger cues for the first time in my life. I was a lifelong eater in front of the television — I could finish a full plate of food and not even remember what it tasted like. Learning to be present while eating changed everything.
There is a deep intuitive wisdom in the body. It knows when it needs to eat and what it needs. I just never listened before.
It wasn't until I got involved in this work that I realized how negative my opinion of my body had been — and how much that showed up in other areas of my life. I no longer have to look at myself the way I have my whole life. That's not a small thing. I'm glad I found this, even at 67.
For anyone considering it — give it a try. You can always go back to the insanity of dieting if you want. But give this a chance first.
— Phil P.