Marissa Cooper

I met a lady at a networking event, last year in Kensington, I got dragged along with a friend – didn’t really want to go, we had to speak to somebody next to us that we didn’t know and explain why we were there that day and what we were trying to achieve. So I started talking about my weight issues and how I was struggling with stress management, and she just said; “You’ve met the right person” she recently certified as a practitioner and as part of her certification she needed a practice client, so she said, how about we meet one to one, have a general session to see if we match, I can then see if I can help you.

It worked out well and I went on this 12-week programme which was one hour a week and she just coached me and helped me to find the underlying reason as to why I was gaining weight and working around my habits and changing these. Through that process I had two holidays, I enjoyed my life, nothing stopped, I still had fun, I’m an extrovert so lots of parties! She got down to the bottom of why I was eating and what the triggers were etc. I started having these aha moments through that whole process and started to re-frame my mind with the way that I look at food which made me more alert and conscientious, being more mindful about eating.

I lost 22 pounds in 12 weeks without even really thinking about it and through the programme we discovered I was a people pleaser. When I would previously go to a restaurant and say you have five friends with you, they’re going to have olives, bread, wine, they’re going to have starters and desserts too! I really only have a main when I eat. I don’t need all the extras and what I was finding myself doing was eating all the extras and it was just too much. You have to be in tune with your body, listen to it, using your intuition and going with it. Finding comfort in other places, having self-care instead of looking at food as a source of comfort.

My coach at the time sent me a questionnaire, and on her headed paper I saw the name of the institute where she studied which gravitated me towards being curious, so I had a look at it online and the course was £6000 pounds. It was a lot of money, but I just thought, you know what – I’m going to invest in this for myself, for my momentum, I didn’t want to become a coach in my head at that time. I wanted to try and keep this going, I didn’t want to gain the weight back, I wanted to maintain it and carry on with the journey I was having. It was phenomenal, I had tried every diet, and nothing had worked until I found this. I felt free and liberated and for once happy in my body!

So, I went on and studied and It took me a year to certify and qualify but I didn’t realise at the time how much coaching would be involved and how much I actually enjoyed it.
I had to coach 50 hours of coaching and then through that I had to take two practice clients through the 12 week programmes, both of them lost weight, through lockdown! It’s such a wonderful feeling when you go through that process with a client – when they come and meet you, and even though you are on Zoom, you can see the change and how lighter they feel, and they’re focusing on the positive. It’s all about focusing on the positive and holding that belief for those clients and that they can actually be a better version of themselves, that they have that potential, and the belief and then holding that for them and taking them through that process.

I’m now in a space where I’m helping other people to feel good about themselves and I love that support that I can give people, I’m passionate about that. It doesn’t matter whether it’s weight loss, stress management or anxiety. With the experiential exercises we do, you close your eyes and you see this version of yourself and you just can’t let it go, it’s just amazing!

I now support men and women who are stuck in self-limiting beliefs, helping them discover their confidence and power to transform their habits and beliefs so that they can live unhindered, abundant and flourishing lives. On the programme I teach you how to make lasting changes, using behavioural techniques, so that you simply have the tools and the mindset to make the right choices for you.”