About Andrea

These are the nitty-gritty details and a little about my personal interests. Not the most lively information, but gives you some background details. To learn more about my work read my Philosophy page.

I refer to my model of coaching as Spiritual Lifestyle Alignment as it is a descriptive blend of everything I am attempting to do and incorporates all of my training and skills. Officially, I am a Certified Health Counselor (CHC - recently changed to Health Coach) and graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Columbia University's Integrative Nutrition Professional Training Program in New York City. Health coaching is a blend of working with a life-coach and a nutritionist.

I have also completed certification as a Laughter Coach through the Levity Institute and I am a candidate for Emotional Freedom Techniques Intermediate Practitioner certification (EFT-INTc) via EFT Universe. I hope to complete all of the certification requirements by the end of 2011. 

I am also a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader & Teacher (CLYT), since 2008, and founder of the Awakenings Laughter Club and Portland Laughter Yoga. Laughter Yoga combines yogic breathing exercises with our natural ability to laugh, creating better health and happiness.

You can read more about health coaching, laughter coaching, EFT and Laughter Yoga under the FAQs section.

I am also accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and I am attuned in Level II Reiki. I have a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a Minor in Women's Studies from Oregon State University. I worked in Portland, Oregon for a local utility for almost 9 years in customer service, employee training and development, and the health and safety department.

During my training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) I learned from experts in the field of health and wellness such as AnneMarie Colbin (author of Food and Healing), David Wolfe (author and world authority on raw food nutrition), Dr. Walter Willet (Harvard School of Public Health), Dr. Deepak Chopra (author and physician focused on mind-body medicine), Michio Kushi (founder of macrobiotics), Dr. John Douillard (renown international professor of Ayurvedic medicine), Paul Pictchford (author of Healing with Whole Foods), Debbie Ford (Life Coach and best-selling author), Geneen Roth (emotional eating expert), Dr. Neil Bernard (Physcians Committee for Responsible Medicine), Dr. Mark Hyman (author of The Detox Box and Ultra-Metabolism), Dr. Andrew Weil (author and physician of Integrative Medicine) and, the founder of IIN, Joshua Rosenthal.

As a Coach, I often work holistically with people suffering from stress. I also specialize in helping people in transition following a great loss (parent, spouse, child, friend, job, chronic illness diagnosis). Due to my personal experience, I also enjoy supporting people with partners or spouses suffering from chronic illness. I love helping my clients remove blocks and find the strength to live their best life by focusing on permenant lifestyle changes (whole foods, extreme self-care, discovering joy) that help them align with their spiritual journey and highest self.

I became a widow at the age of 29 and this experience has greatly shaped the person I have become. My college sweetheart had Lupus, an auto-immune disease and died of a heart attack at a young age. His experience with western allopathic medicine and my own personal experience with anxiety, fatigue, reoccurring infections and trying to cope with the stress associated with having a chronically ill spouse lead me down the road to health coaching, Laughter Yoga, EFT and healing.

Years later, I am now remarried. I prefer to spend free time with friends and family. I read mostly non-fiction books regarding self-development, politics and spirituality. I particularly enjoy books addressing the blend of science and spirituality. And I do like a good sci-fi novel from time to time. I enjoy camping, hiking, riding my bike and many other outdoor activities with my partner Dan. In January 2008 I successfully climbed Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. In September 2008 I volunteered with Cycle Oregon; a week long bicycle ride & event across a section of Oregon. This is a fabulous non-profit that gives back an immense amount of time and money each year to the local rural communities where the event takes place. I have been a volunteer with the Portland Police Bureau's free women's self-defense program, WomenStrength, since March 2006, co-teaching at least four 9-hour classes a year & giving Personal Safety Workshops for men & women. I was an active member of ToastMasters from 2008-2011.