Hi there! Welcome!
First of all, if you're reading these words: thank you. Thank you for being here and taking interest in my work. This website is still in its early days but in time it will grow and I'll have more content to offer. Stick around, you won't regret it! Now, I'll introduce myself.
My name is Andreia and I was born in Portugal in 1991 (90s kid and proud!). I'm a Graphic Designer, Reiki practitioner, and Holistic Health & Integrative Nutrition Coach. I'm introverted, imaginative, open-minded, curious, empathic, insightful and perfectionist. If you're wondering I'm an INFJ-T, a Type 1 in the Enneagram of Personality and Aquarius with ascendant in Scorpio.
From an early age I felt that my purpose in life was to help others. As a child and teenager, I wanted to have several professions, from veterinary, medical, physical therapist to psychologist, teacher, Portuguese sign language interpreter, and even beauty therapist. Loads of options, right?
But also from an early age I started to struggle with my body, with my weight, with the image I saw in the mirror. Adding to this bullying situations during primary and elementary school, I had the perfect cocktail for low self-esteem and seeing myself as worthless in every sense. I tried a thousand diets, suffered from binge eating disorder and disorder eating, and saw my weight and body go through countless fluctuations and changes. The result? I accumulated a lot of frustration with my body and with myself. During those years and even after, I believed that I would only be happy, that all my problems would be solved, that I would only have value as a person and that I would only be accepted by others if I managed to reach a certain weight, a certain physical shape.
In June 2018, after going through a burnout, I changed my life. I moved country (from Portugal to England), changed jobs (from an IT company to a digital marketing agency) and started to change my eating and exercise habits. I eliminated people who were highly toxic from my life and started therapy to manage my anxiety, low self-esteem and excessive perfectionism that came from the situations I lived.
In this process I fell in love with myself again, reconnected with myself and learned to honor and listen to my body. No words can explain how liberating and how amazing it has been!
I acquired a lot of knowledge from my own experience and journey, but I felt the need to learn more, to know more! I did a certification in a nutrition program in which eating is based on portion control for weight control (loss, maintenance or gain), and I even helped some people to regulate their weight using this method. But I quickly realised that this program didn't suit everyone and that the knowledge I acquired was limited. I also began to realize that weight wasn't everything for a healthy and fulfilling life. There was much more to be worked on and explored. After all, health is made by a set of factors, on and off our plate.
It was then that I became aware of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (NY, USA) and after researching and reading more about the school I realised that the knowledge I was looking for was there! I started my training in May 2020, graduated in May 2021 and here I am today, certified to start helping you achieve the healthiest version of yourself, improve your health and make peace with your body.
Thank you for reading!
With love,
Andreia Sofia
Certifications & Transparency
Because I believe full transparency is essential for a good relationship, I want you to know that::
- I am fully Disclosure & Barring Service checked;
- I am a UK & International Health Coaching Association full member, meaning all my services are guided by their UKIHCA Code of Conduct;
- I have a Public Liability and Professional Malpractice insurance by Zurich offered through Balens;
- I am a fully Certified by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to practice as Integrative Nutrition Health Coach;
- I am certified at level III-A by Reiki Master Ana Gonçalves (member of the Portuguese Reiki Association - Associação Portuguesa de Reiki), to practice Reiki Usui Shiki Ryoho.
