What I do...
I started studying yoga when I was 16, though I didn't really love it until I was 21 and in a lot of pain. I had chronic pain in my lower back, so intense that I woke up many mornings crying. I started doing yoga more regularly, and the pain went away. I quickly found a local yoga school and went through a life-changing Teacher Training Course.
Part of our Teacher Training Course included trying and learning about vegetarianism. I had always loved red meat, chicken and fish, but very quickly I felt (and saw) an amazing change in my body. I learned all about conscious eating, animal welfare, nutrition, alternative therapies, raw food and a whole lot more during that time. As I dove deeper into all of it, people around me wanted to try it, too. I started making food for other people, and as more and more people joined in, I started a catering company and then, as it continued to grow, restaurants. I was moderately obsessed with nutrition and I taught classes, coached people trying to lose weight or overcome physical obstacles and created recipe books.
While all that was going on, I decided to go to Life Coaching school. One of my yoga students was a Life Coach and she introduced me to the field and encouraged me to pursue it. I loved the idea of helping people make changes in their lives that weren't just about diet and exercise - helping them to find their own passions, drive and solutions.
Seven years later, I was read to continue my yogic studies in a more formal way. I went to India, where I studied with the most fascinating man. He was uneducated and could give impromptu lectures on physics or philosophy. He looked like a regular guy, with a giant, bushy grey beard, but could do a handstand on one hand with his legs in lotus pose, seemingly without effort. He knew my past and future upon meeting me, based on his intuition and life practice. With his guidance, I deepened my yoga practice and learned Reiki, which I had always waved off as ridiculous. I trusted his judgement, and decided to try it. I didn't find it easy or intuitive, and I felt almost nothing as my classmates were nearly catatonic from the experience. I practiced for two full years before I started having breakthroughs. I have no idea what pushed me forward, except that I saw how it effected those around me, and wanted to experience what they felt. I believe I have found something even more meaningful and effective for me and my clients.
This is what a few of my clients say about me and the work we did together:
Part of our Teacher Training Course included trying and learning about vegetarianism. I had always loved red meat, chicken and fish, but very quickly I felt (and saw) an amazing change in my body. I learned all about conscious eating, animal welfare, nutrition, alternative therapies, raw food and a whole lot more during that time. As I dove deeper into all of it, people around me wanted to try it, too. I started making food for other people, and as more and more people joined in, I started a catering company and then, as it continued to grow, restaurants. I was moderately obsessed with nutrition and I taught classes, coached people trying to lose weight or overcome physical obstacles and created recipe books.
While all that was going on, I decided to go to Life Coaching school. One of my yoga students was a Life Coach and she introduced me to the field and encouraged me to pursue it. I loved the idea of helping people make changes in their lives that weren't just about diet and exercise - helping them to find their own passions, drive and solutions.
Seven years later, I was read to continue my yogic studies in a more formal way. I went to India, where I studied with the most fascinating man. He was uneducated and could give impromptu lectures on physics or philosophy. He looked like a regular guy, with a giant, bushy grey beard, but could do a handstand on one hand with his legs in lotus pose, seemingly without effort. He knew my past and future upon meeting me, based on his intuition and life practice. With his guidance, I deepened my yoga practice and learned Reiki, which I had always waved off as ridiculous. I trusted his judgement, and decided to try it. I didn't find it easy or intuitive, and I felt almost nothing as my classmates were nearly catatonic from the experience. I practiced for two full years before I started having breakthroughs. I have no idea what pushed me forward, except that I saw how it effected those around me, and wanted to experience what they felt. I believe I have found something even more meaningful and effective for me and my clients.
This is what a few of my clients say about me and the work we did together:
"Amanda has a truly special gift - to be an instrument of change in someone's life. She is a godsend to me; she forced me to re-evaluate my life decisions and realize that that is what they are - decisions, having a choice and making those choices every day. She will create change in this world...and that is something that very few get to accomplish."
-Shawn, 23, Boynton Beach, FL
"When I met Amanda, I knew that I needed some changes in my life. About to turn sixty, all my kids were finally out of the house and I was looking toward retirement with my husband - and still trying to find out what my "ideal life" might be like. I had been a wife, mother and teacher for almost my entire life, and had lost "me" along the way. Amanda helped me to reconnect to myself, my passion and my joy. She was so insightful, showing an old lady that she's not so old after all! I feel like I am really living for the first time in thirty years."
-Mary, 60, El Paso, TX
"In the first eight months with Amanda I lost nearly 70 pounds. She made everything I ate, taught me yoga and helped me through some hard changes in my life. I was never, ever hungry - she gave me so much good food to eat - and I never felt like I was missing anything. I didn't think it could ever be so easy, but in just the first few months I felt like I was back to my old self again - energetic, adventurous and happy."
-Johnathan, 53, Jupiter, FL
"Finding Amanda was like winning the lottery, in modern day parlance, striking gold in times of yore.
Fundamentally, connecting with Amanda was extremely lucky beyond imagination for me because I found her while on a search looking for 'groups' to maybe join - during a time of a complete lack of insight on how to proceed with situations then.
Let's hear it for LIFE COACHES! Although intuition tells me the likelihood that all are alike would be a misnomer of the highest order. Amanda is fresh and so at the top of her game with ideas and perspectives. Take notice that a 50-something female who thought she knew how to perceive it all... AND what with Amanda telling me to "give it some thought" has made my new world of 'aging' now one to EMBRACE."
-Carol, 50-something, Denver, CO
"When I first started with Amanda, I felt like an old man - my back hurt, I was overweight and I could hardly get my shoes on, I was so stiff. I could hardly reach my shoes to put them on. I was 65 but I felt like I was 85. I was starting my retirement and I wanted to enjoy it, but I was a hunched, broken old man!
Amanda was so patient and encouraging. She showed me how to stretch and build back the muscles I lost sitting while I was sitting behind a desk for so many years. She taught me how to relax and breathe. After about a month, my back felt better. After a few months, my range of motion had improved dramatically and I had lost the extra weight. In a year, I felt like a totally new man. I started golfing and swimming and finally had enough energy to play with my grandchildren. I couldn't have done it without Amanda's expertise in rejuvenating aging bodies."
-Sam, 67, Lake Worth, FL
"I think that Amanda is one of the easiest people to talk to. I was having some trouble with some other kids at school, and I had a lot of questions about god and stuff. I wanted Amanda to tell me what to do, but she wouldn't! She helped me find out what I thought and what I wanted, and how to figure that stuff out for myself next time. I'm so happy I got to work with her."
-Alexa, 11, West Palm Beach, FL
"I recently had the pleasure of attending one of Amanda's retreats. Her light and warmth made my trip. I loved our morning yoga and meditation classes, and every meal she made was better than the last. She taught me a lot about acceptance and non-judgement, and I know I will be on one of her retreats again soon!"
-Jessica, 45, Carmel, CA
"Before I started working with Amanda I felt like I couldn't keep up with my own life. I was always tired, my relationship with my children was suffering, and I had no social or romantic life at all! I was always wishing for just a few more hours. After just a month I saw a huge difference, and by the end of our work together - just three months - I felt like a new person! I was enjoying my time at home with my girls, finding time to treat myself and recharge, and even started dating again. I feel like a new woman."
-Alicia, 38, West Palm Beach, FL
