How long have you been doing what you do and how did you get to be a Nutrition, Health, and Life Coach?
I started coaching full time in 2014 and I have been coaching endurance sports with a heavy focus on triathlon. I chose ‘Beyond The Line’ as the name for my coaching company because I aimed at not only helping my athletes reach the finish line but also wanted to ingrain in them a lifestyle that remains way after the finishing chute is crossed. I also wanted to provide them with health and balance during the journey. However, very soon, I realised that endurance sports, especially triathlon with its extreme demands, was sometimes, in fact, damaging health.
I myself suffered a meltdown. It was insidious and slow, but it was not pretty. I used to be a very competitive triathlete, being the first Ironman athlete in Hong Kong to break the 9h30 barriers, in 2010. While I was a full time international banker at the time, with two very young children, I managed to juggle with all my responsibilities for years. Around 2012-2013, things started to change. I started to feel bloated every day. My training intensity, duration and frequency, started to slow down inexorably. I left the stressful banking world in late 2013 and created Beyond The Line but things got progressively worse. In 2016 I had to stop training early mornings. I started to suffer from chronic fatigue. I had to nap every day after lunch. Then I had to have a second nap most days. My ideas became blurry, brain fog became my new norm, I couldn’t learn anything new. At that time anxiety skyrocketed as I couldn’t recognise myself anymore. Where was the athlete, where was the perennial student, where was the optimistic young mind? In 2018 I was diagnosed with depression, which was another blow to my ego.
Meanwhile I kept fighting, even in the midst of the worst moments. Because it all started with digestion, I focused my efforts on nutrition. I tried every diet recommendations under the sun. Nothing changed. I spent thousands in expensive supplements, doctors appointments, gut tests. I saw all kinds of practitioners. In the process, I passed a Nutrition Degree from Precision Nutrition, first to help myself, then for my clients.
It took me years to realise that nutrition was just one part of the equation. Indeed, my digestion was impaired because my level of anxiety was so high that it was affecting all my bodily functions, and the digestive system happens to be the weak link in my body. Now, my life was not excessively stressful in itself, it was my poor management of stress that was the issue. So I resumed meditation and yoga that I had stopped years ago, and started a Health and Life coach programme, first for myself once again, then for the others. While it is impossible to know for sure what extracted me first out of my hole of suffering, receiving Health and Life coaching sessions from fellow student coaches was of great help.
From then on the story got better, I finished my Health and Life coaching degree, enjoying every single day of the process. I also learnt Neuro Linguistic Programming right after this, and discovered the amazing effect of hypnotherapy, as a patient and as a coach.
My first Nutrition, Health and Life coaching clients were either current or past coached athletes. I realised while working with them the amazing impact I was having. I also realised that my expertise in Nutrition, Health and Life coaching, my own life journey, and my spiritual discoveries while working on myself were extremely useful to become a full-time holistic coach, instead of a sport coach using Health, Life and Nutrition coaching as a side gig.
What kind of clients do you work with?
My clients are usually middle-aged men and women who feel stuck in their life, in their job, in their work and/or in their sport. I work with people who are self-motivated, open-minded and are looking for self-empowerment. I expect my clients to do their homework without me having to remind them (self-motivated), to agree to try new approach without me having to convince through lengthy discussions (open-minded) and to like the fact that we work as a partnering team and that in the end, the result is in their hands, not mine (self-empowerment).
I work best with athletes, or with people with an athlete mindset, meaning people who like to overcome challenges and are not afraid to put the necessary work to improve. If they expect short-cuts, health and mental ‘hacks’ and easy ways, I am not the right coach for them. If they do have an athlete mindset, though, what they will get with me is as a transformational experience where they are consistently taking action. No more worrying whether they will ever find something that works for them: they will open up to a different way of thinking that will open up new doors.
One word of caution, though: I am not equipped to deal with clinical illnesses, and I will invite clients to consult a specialised practitioner instead of me if I identify that there is a necessity for it.
How are you different from other Health Coaches?
Many health coaches give a checklist of what to do and what not to do. That, in fact, rarely ever works, as most issues are not about the lack of knowledge, it is about the implementation part, the resistance to change -conscious or unconscious. It is also about the inability to cope with the stress of day-to-day life.
Thus, first and foremost, my coaching is about transforming beliefs and mindsets so that my clients can be present with themselves and their lives in a whole new way and take back control of their life. Tackling all the above is a lot on their own and often overwhelming to the point that it is easier to stay where they are. Coaching is a process that is facilitated in a specific way so they can be different, without having to think about being different. The first step is raising their awareness about what they really desire for themselves and their lives.
What also defines my coaching style is to be open-minded to different techniques and practices. I use what works for my client, not some kind of ‘proven recipe’. For some, I use ‘pure coaching’ methods, for others, I add Neuro Linguistic Programming techniques, and for others, hypnotherapy. The client and his issues dictate what I do.
How do I get started?
First, you need to book a (free) call with me through this site. Our initial conversation will give you a firsthand experience of what it feels to have a coach and mentor supporting you and I will make sure to cover all your questions. I then send you a “Welcome Email” that includes a Coaching Programme Agreement (you will need to sign this agreement before our first session). Payment are securely made through our website. We agree on the start date, and we start.