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Garineh is a Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach, with functional medicine and integrative nutrition experience.
She specializes in digestive and hormonal health and supports her clients struggling with low energy, brain fog or stubborn excess weight in addition to their chronic or autoimmune symptoms. She helps her client to experience a transformation and feel energetic, focused and confident in their body.
Her approach is focused on root cause resolution of symptoms, with personalized sustainable food and lifestyle changes. Garineh is tri-lingual and speaks fluent English, Arabic and Armenian.
Garineh’s in-depth knowledge of functional medicine and calming persona shines through during our coffee chat. Together we share the importance of being heard, how to have powerful conversations with your health care provider and why she takes the time to gather a full medical and personal history during her first consultation with her clients. Garineh also talks about her programs where she works with parents and children to build better health and lifestyle changes.
You can watch our Coffee Chat on YouTube, just search for Donna Burfield Coaches Supporting Coaches
Can you tell me a little bit about your coaching journey and what motivated you to become a coach?
My journey started about 9 years ago when one of my daughters had a hormonal issue and the pediatrician advised some food changes. That was a big AHA moment of how much food has impact on the body and health. And as we have amazing bodies, her symptoms completely resolved within 3 months of making the changes. We were lucky to have a wonderful pediatrician to give us the hint at that time.
Since then I dug deeper and deeper into learning, getting into several certifying programs and continuing to improve my health and my family’s health. Feeling a strong sense of passion to serve others to become healthier pushed me to setup my licensed business in January 2020.
Is there a particular moment or memory of your coach training that stands out for you?
Having to implement the training program on myself, and experience coaching was a big eye opener on what areas I needed to work on to actually thrive. The main one being the concept of self-care. What a change that made for my physical and emotional wellbeing which helped to be a better human, wife, mother, daughter and friend as I had my joy and energy reserve repleted.
How would your friends and family describe you?
Passionate about non-toxic living, kind and caring, accepts challenges and calm in the storm.
What opportunities has Dubai given you, personally and professionally?
Dubai is a marvelous place to live in, the exposure to the different cultures and learning opportunities to enrich oneself is immense. Being able to setup a small business with various licensing options is an advantage for sure.
What would you like people to know about you?
I enjoy eating food and flavor matter so much to me, which comes as a surprise to many as unfortunately people equate eating healthy to eating bland tasteless food.
Imagine yourself in three years. What do you hope will be different about you compared to now?
In three years, I want to be continuing my growth and development, and be part of a bigger network of functional and integrative medicine practitioners helping more clients and patients struggling with chronic and autoimmune conditions who are not being best served with current providers.
Tell me about a time you took an unexpected initiative
While still studying health coaching, I got the green light from my boss to make some changes around the office (in my previous role in a consultancy company). Switching the pantry supply to healthier options, creating a wellness wall with weekly themes, and encouraging my colleagues to adopt better food and lifestyle habits. So I became the go-to person to any questions they had for themselves or their families and we are still in touch even after my resignation to fully focus on my health coaching business.
What are you really good at?
Simplifying anything to deliver information in a way that is clear and easy to understand. And I find this skills helping my clients to understand their body, complex wellness/illness dynamics so they can make conscious changes that improve their health.
What would you like to get better at?
I’d like to be better at prioritizing and scheduling so I don’t overhwlem myself with too many commitments.
Tell me about your coaching practice
I am an independent coach, serving variety of clients; men, women and children. Working professionals and SAHM. And ages ranging from 16 to 60 for private coaching and from age 6 for the family healthy eating program.
How do you prepare for your coaching sessions?
Mindful grounding exercise is important for me so that I am fully present with my clients. Plus I review any notes I have from previous session.
When you started your coaching business what was the biggest challenge for you?
I was not trained in sales and marketing and how to promote myself. I was shy, reserved and clueless how to connect with potential clients. So it’s been a journey building confidence to put myself out there and allowing my light to shine to attract more people to health.
Can you describe how you were feeling when you coached your first client and what did you learn from that experience?
I was extremely nervous and the session didn’t have proper flow. I felt awful sensing my client is confused and unsatisfied. So I made sure this doesn’t happen again because I really wanted to support my client and focusing on him rather than myself was most important and that helped me to keep the focus and flow of conversation.
How did you feel when you got your first paying client?
Very rewarding feeling of gratitude to be able to serve while getting paid to start covering my educational and certification expenses.
Can you tell me of an achievement or contribution that you are most proud of?
Every time a client reports excitedly how much better they feel in their body; whether it’s less joint pains so they can play with their children, or having energy for socializing and doing what they love instead of napping and wasted time feeling tired, or when they feel confident dressing up as their waistline gets slimmer. I am so happy and proud for my client’s success in achieving their goals.
What attracted you to Coaches Supporting Coaches - Dubai?
Donna is such an amazing passionate lady who has big ideas to serve more and more people. Her energy and dedication attracted me to be part of this group.
For more information on how you can work with Garineh please visit her website
If you are interested in finding out more about Coaches Supporting Coaches – Dubai then grab a coffee and book a FREE call with me, Donna Burfield (Founder), via my Calendly link below