My journey to Health & Wellness Coaching

As most young women do, I hated my body for most of my adult life. In 2011 I reached peak hate for myself, and I finally decided to do something about my weight. I tried lots of diets that never really worked. I’d lose a bit of weight only to immediately gain it all back. I never understood the meaning of a healthy diet, until I stumbled upon Kayla Itsines’ instagram, and started her Bikini Body Guide (along with her nutrition plan) in late 2014. I used the guides for months, and managed to obtain great results, physically and mentally. I lost a lot of weight and learned how to implement healthy habits into my life. 

The guides helped me begin this lifestyle, but it was Instagram that helped me stick to it. After 3 months of doing BBG, I thought “hey, maybe I should share some of my progress pictures!” so I created my instagram (previously @natsbbg, then @squatmango, now @nativalderrama) one night and uploaded three progress pictures. I woke up the next day and my instagram was flooded with love. I received so many comments and messages in my first day I almost broke down crying with tears of joy. I felt like I had entered a new world where everyone was supportive, encouraging, and said things like “YOU GO GIRL”. I discovered a community of loving, encouraging and motivational women who have kept me going ever since.

I began sharing recipes on my instagram. Lots of people asked me how I managed to eat healthy and keep it simple but fun, so I decided to make my own recipe book to share my everyday recipes with anyone who’d want them. 

But I got obsessed. Obsessed with eating healthy, obsessed about never missing a workout. Later I came to realize I had orthorexia, an obsession with eating only foods perceived to be of a certain status in terms of health, calories, or origin.

Meanwhile, I had many friends and acquaintances ask me for help with their eating habits, with their diets, with their exercise. “HOW DID YOU DO IT?”, they’d ask. I wanted to help them be healthier and happier, but truth is, I was still learning, and didn’t feel qualified enough to give out nutritional or physiological advice.

And though I looked fit and happy, the extreme workouts and the perfect eating took a toll on me. I slowly began to let myself enjoy foods that I initially considered “cheat meals”. I allowed myself to drink alcohol again. And then I took it too far. I went from eating strictly, to letting myself have anything I wanted because “I deserved it”. I went from working out 6 times a week to barely working out at all, letting the winter laziness take over me. I started feeling disgusted by my body again, as the inner self-hate began brewing again.

I struggled to find balance for years.

All the while, I was very confused about what I was doing with my life and my career.

In 2016, I came across the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. I was really interested in studying to be a Health & Wellness Coach, but I put it off for years because I didn’t feel ready, financially and career-wise. I still had a lot of soul searching to do, which is why my boyfriend and I decided to go spend a year living in Australia. It was an amazing, life changing experience (you can read some of my Australia blog posts here) that i’ll be forever grateful for.

During my time in Australia, I became friends with Stef, a Holistic Health Coach. She was living the life I dreamed of, and I suddenly saw my dreams as achievable. I had been confused about what I wanted to do about my career (I studied advertising but didn’t really see myself working for other people) for years, but deep down I knew I wanted to help people. I knew I had a lot to offer, but I didn’t have any certification that backed me up, and that was important to me. I didn’t want to give out advice from what I “thought” was right; I wanted to back up my advice with knowledge.

I looked into other nutrition schools during my time in Australia. There were plenty of options, from 4 week courses, to 2 years of studies. But none of them sparked that flame of curiosity like IIN did.

After leaving Australia and returning home to Chile, I finally became very clear on what I wanted to do. I would think of future Nati, 5 years from that moment, and I would see myself as a Coach, always. I had known I wanted to study at IIN since I first found out about it years earlier, but I kept waiting for the perfect moment in my life, where I could dedicate a whole year to studying to be a Coach and do nothing else. Well.. life doesn’t work that way. There was never going to be a perfect, non-busy moment in my life. After eyeing the course curriculum for the 10th time, something clicked in me and I decided I was ready to get started NOW. So on March, 2018 I took the plunge and registered for a one year course that has already proved to be the best decision i’ve ever made.

My Year at IIN

It was a busy year for me. At the time, I was also working a full time job and planning my wedding (which is honestly a full time job in and of itself!). Since the course is part-time & online, I studied in the afternoons and weekends, and sometimes even got a head start before work. Quickly, studying became my favorite part of the day. For the first time in my life, I was EXCITED about studying! It was a fresh and invigorating feeling.

From a wide variety of nutritional theories, to foundational skills on business and personal development, IIN has a wide curriculum that covers A LOT.

Even if I didn’t have want to make Health & Wellness Coaching my career, I feel like this course was a HUGE tool for own health and happiness. IIN taught me about lifestyle, nutrition, relationships and self-development. It opened me up to a new way of living, and in one short year I learned more about myself, who I was and what I wanted out of life, than I had in all my 27 years. It empowered me to take my own life into my own hands, and throughout the course, I used the tools they provided to improve my own health and happiness dramatically.

And now I get to help people improve their health and happiness. And honestly, I’m the happiest i’ve ever been. I wake up every morning with a purpose and a newfound gratitude for the life i’m living. It’s taken me years to get to where I am today, but not every day is full of rainbows and sunshine. Through the experiences, tools, and knowledge i’ve collected over the years, I’ve developed an unwavering self-love and contentment.

And i’ve found my purpose in helping you get there too.