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Success Stories
Below, you’ll find a glimpse into what it’s like to work with me.
I've worked with women and men from their teens through their 80s, living across four continents.
Everyone’s health history has been different and some were bedbound while others were able to get around a bit more.
You’ll find some of their stories below. Perhaps you’ll recognize parts of your own story in theirs, and get a little hope and encouragement from reading their story.
"I had gotten COVID in December and then started to have tremors in my left hand. So I went to neurologists and was passed around. I started to have really bad muscle pains and back pain.
I was having a really bad fatigue to where if I went to a grocery store, I would need to sleep for 24 hours afterwards. I would get out of breath doing the most basic things like taking out the trash...
Even after being diagnosed with POTS, I could not get into a doctor's appointment for several months. So I was feeling very desperate for help, and I just felt really lost...I couldn't find any answers. I was in a pretty dark place mentally but also physically.
However, already 2 to 3 weeks into the program, I started to be able to do more and even more so as time went on.
It's so interesting to think back to that day when I was able to go to the grocery store all by myself without crashing afterwards. I was so excited!
I was also able to help my husband around the house, and I was able to keep working the whole time during the program. I've come a long way.
There were things that I learned in the program that not only helped my POTS but also helped my diabetes and arthritis.
I thought my life would be me having to sleep through most it, but now I don't even need to take naps during the week!
All of my symptoms decreased by half, and that is huge for me.
Hearing other people's perspectives who were also in the program with me was also very helpful and made me feel not so alone."
— Brittany, USA
"Before the program, I struggled with 26,000 skipped heart beats daily and runs of atrial tachycardia.
Now I only have only over a 1,000 skipped beats and less runs of atrial tachycardia.
It has been a real turning point for me because now I can see hope in the future. I can actually go out of the house now.
Before I could not walk anywhere at all. Now, I have built up my steps.
I can now eat more foods. Whereas before I was could only tolerate four to five foods.
I can now actually move around the house as well.
Literally, before I was stuck on the couch being unable to do very much at all."
— Sandra, UK
"When I reached out to you, I was at a point where I felt like something really needed to change in my life.
I felt stuck in the way that I was, having lots of different symptoms... so my main symptoms were frequent ectopic beats and SVT. I've been seeing a cardiologist for the last four years, which is when my symptoms started, and they just progressively got worse. I potentially have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation as well.
It got to the point where around once a week I was getting symptoms of SVT, and on one of my Holter monitors, it showed that my heart rate was 280 beats a minute, and it was like that for a minute and a half. So, I was getting these awful symptoms of racing heart rhythms and irregular heart rhythms and being able to feel them as well, quite strongly, the ectopic beats, and not really knowing what to do about it.
I was just feeling very scared about the future and unsure of how I could make changes, or even if I could, or whether I was just destined to have these symptoms progressively get worse over time. I was feeling anxious and sad and worried.
Being a mom of three young children, I was worried about what that would mean for my role as a mother...
I think it's been about four months—I've made quite significant changes in my life in many different areas...
Over the course of the last few months, I know for a fact that the way I approach myself and my well-being is different from how it was a few months ago. And that's a result of the coaching journey.
Now, I'm feeling more positive. I'm feeling excited. I have more energy. I feel more connected to the people around me. I feel more present. I feel like I'm just enjoying life more. I feel like I'm regaining more of who I used to be.
It has this ripple effect, or flow-on effect, into so many other areas. It's definitely worth striving for, and it's definitely worth taking that first step or getting the ball rolling.
I'm so glad and grateful that I made that step a few months ago and am now starting to reap the benefits of it."
— Rebecca, Australia
"I got COVID on December 22, and after that, I never really got well. I had bad flu-like symptoms, but I was not in the hospital, and I just continued feeling very very tired. I was also feeling very anxious and dizzy. I wanted to lay down a lot, and I had bad insomnia...really really bad. On some days, I was not able to sleep at all. I was very confused, and after a few weeks I found out that it might be POTS. A doctor confirmed this diagnosis very quickly, which was scary, but at least I knew what it was. So that was the beginning of my journey with POTS and Long-Covid.
After I started Googling, I was confused because the internet was saying that there was no cure even though the doctor said this was going to go away on its own.
After about a month of starting your program, the headaches really stopped, my sleep was more consistent, and I felt more and more energetic.
I really call it a success for myself because I caught the infection 10 months ago, and today I can work for six hours a day.
I'm at the gym for about 45 minutes/four times a week.
I have almost no headaches. My sleep is better. I do still take breaks, and I do still feel tired, but there are a lot of things that I can do.
I went to a party two weeks ago, and I was playing on the piano for 4 hours! And for me, this is just great!
I'm traveling again, and I can see my friends. So a lot of things are possible again."
— Nina, Germany
"I am a retired nurse. I live in Texas... Unfortunately, mold illness is poorly understood....I've had a traumatic brain injury. I've had a cerebellar stroke..... I got a Holter monitor placed and found out that I had such serious heart rate variability, from the 50s up to the 140s, and my blood pressure was all over the place....
Dysautonomia is something I knew nothing about, being from mainstream medicine, and so I'm getting a better idea about that now.
Now, I can say that the palpitations are far fewer than they were.
The interventions have helped me to be more mobile and to be stronger than I was...
But the work that we've done, the education that I've received, and the materials that I've gone over have really helped me to cope with it and to move forward instead of staying stuck and scared like I was to begin with. Overwhelmed is what I was....
Now I walk with neighbors. I've been to some social events that I never would have attended otherwise. I'm driving again.
So, I think without a health coach, I don't think I would have been able to move forward as quickly as I have.
I did not know, even as a nurse, how to manage these symptoms and how to manage the challenges. But now I have more information.
And then, just to have the support and the encouragement, that's huge because I felt very isolated and I felt very confused.
I couldn't have done this by myself."
— Diana, USA
"I'm a mom of two. I had contracted COVID in March this year and was in and out of hospital with all sorts of symptoms and not knowing what was happening to my body. I was diagnosed with long COVID, secondary POTS. I was quite ill with a lot of symptoms and not knowing what was going on in my body.
I was having palpitations, a tight chest, shortness of breath, at times feeling like I was almost collapsing, which found me in hospital two or three weeks at a time and having all sorts of tests done on my heart, blood tests, and really they sort of didn't know what was happening at the time.... I was bedridden, really, for quite some time.
It's taken three months, but I can now say I'm feeling a lot more confident, a lot more clear about my future, just being more grateful. I've really learned to listen to my body and just really stop and be present.
I'm now at the point where I'm not bedridden. I'm up and about a bit more, going for drives with my family, attending family meals with my brothers and dad. ...just being able to do these activities that I thought I would never be able to do because I didn't know what was happening.
I think we all need someone who understands what we're going through. You've been there, and I think that's where I felt I needed to reach out to you. Just looking forward to catching up with you every fortnight made me feel like I was being looked after and like someone I could reach out to, to ask questions and just let you know what I was feeling at the time. So I think that has really helped me.
— Rita, Australia
"When I reached out to Ioana, I was struggling with my health and with doing day-to-day things that help us feel better in our bodies. After working with Ioana, I have developed a really good structure of my day where now all of the things that I feel make my body work better and give me more energy, they have their place in the day. And that has set me up really well for the future...I wouldn't have made all of the progress that I made without Ioana...She is just a really positive, beautiful person that is very helpful."
— Zaharia, Germany
"I must say, it was such a joyful experience. She was there for me in the ups and downs... She helped me to build a plan...and I took actions that I wasn't ready for before working with Ioana."
— Tugce, Portugal
"Ioana helped me find a new perspective...I was able to look ahead 5 years and see a better version of myself... Ioana really helped me to break my goal up into achievable steps. Her support and accountability was so helpful... She is an absolute joy to work with. I would highly recommend working with her."
— Alexandria, Canada
"You helped me find a strategy that's making my life work better, so I just wanted to say it's going well, and I look forward to our continued work, and thank you."
— Paul, USA
Now that you’ve watched/read about the results that are possible, let’s dive in to what it feels like to be in the program. Here are just a snippets of feedback about the program:
About the whole program experience
I love it and am so thankful for you and the group and the bonding it has brought. It honestly has been life changing for me.
I just love how structured the program is (probably reflects how my brain works). So much other coaching that I’ve done has seemed to go round in circles, but this program builds so well on progress made week by week. I also love the fact that the videos aren’t really long - that way they’re manageable for someone with CFS.
I particularly like having the group and hearing that other people are going through the same difficulties. I also like the way it's paced. I thought it would be too slow for me at the beginning, but it allows time to digest the material and implement things and see how they affect everything.
I like how different this is from the other programs. It’s such a different way of thinking about the body and health.
I enjoy speaking to others with the same/similar conditions and learning what's helped for them.
I really love the pace of it. I realize how much that is needed especially since my life has gotten crazy. But that’s life and will happen outside of the program. I also love the support of others the weekly check ins and the journals. It’s one thing to listen to the video but the journal entries really make sure I’m thinking about what you are coaching.
I love how structured it is. I find being able to journal responses very helpful, especially to solidify goals and be able to look back on them. The group coaching is very encouraging in terms of being able to chat with people in similar situations, as is the discussion forum.
I enjoy the actionable guidance. I also appreciate the focus on how to encourage implementation, and inviting me to think about the distance between what I am doing now and the actions I can take and habits I can build.
It has gotten me unstuck. I can see the path forward once again. By taking small steps every week, I will get there.
It has guided me toward considering aspects of my life that I hadn't thought as specifically relating to my health and to POTS but I can see how chronic illness can have a narrowing effect on all aspects of life and it is important to open yourself back up to life's possibilities.
About the community and the group coaching calls
I love all the different perspectives and that we are all in different places (physically and on our journey). I just feel like it’s so connecting and helpful and I don’t want them to stop.
I think the support you get from the group is really important too. Several people from the group were reaching out to me during a tough time. You get support not only hearing other people's perspectives but we've joined some bonds with several people in the group too.
It's very helpful and comforting when you know that someone is dealing with the same thing as you are, so I accepted this trainings and exercises very well. I like reading about others experiences and stories, which I have in the program also.
I love the way they're formatted, they're not too formal but also well controlled.
It’s super helpful being able to talk to people who understand what I’m going through.
I love that there's space for our issues and that we get valuable and very different perspectives on those. I also enjoy getting a glimps of all those beautiful personalities all over the world, knowing that we share this very personal yet powerful thing that shapes our lives. It makes me so happy following their progress. If I have a little flare-up, just thinking about them gives me strength.
I didn't attend any group calls so far, but I was part of discussion in discussion forum and I
am so thankful for that. I don't feel alone anymore, especially when I've found my
accountability friend.
There were many days when i didnt feel like joining the calls. After every group call though I came out feeling so much more hopeful and energized.
The connection with the others in the zoom calls is wonderful. In the beginning I was skeptical if I needed that but it’s been so helpful to see the others and what they’re implementing and they are just the loveliest persons on Earth
About the support of the coach
I really appreciate the way you talk to us. You focus on possibilities, positivity and empowerment. You not just only tell us that we've got this, you teach us that we really do so.
Talking to you feels like talking to an old friend. You support and encourage us while also gently nudging us toward our goals.
You truely are one of the first high-quality and succinct information sources for POTS out there.
I know your not a doctor but you seem to know more than them lol smh
I am so grateful to have met you Ioana and I look forward to continuing to learn from your generous educational output.
The best part of coaching for me has been talking with someone who is intelligent, sensitive, perceptive and targeted with her teaching. Ioana’s warm professionalism, generosity and sense of humor have blessed my socks off. Thank you so much!
…I say all that just to give you some perspective as to how welcome and needed your kindness and caring is to me. When I decided to work with you, I did so on the basis that you seem like a genuinely kind and caring person, and I knew I would need quite a bit of that to help me overhaul my life. Thank you again.
About the value of the program
I happily would’ve paid double the price of the program if you wouldve told me that I would be where I am now.
I can’t believe you don't charge more for this program. The amount of support that’s given and the amount of resources and information easily makes it more valuable.
About the trainings
I enjoy the science behind the videos.
It gives me concrete evidence to be able to make the changes rather than conflicting online research.
I like the learning modules and all of the linked resources.
It’s so nice to have everything one place, rather than go from program to program trying to gather all these pieces together.
The structure is very helpful in terms of identifying what needs working on and building progress week by week.
The trainings, activities, exercises, and reflections help me learn and realize all these different ways to help manage my symptoms and what could be causing them.
I learned a lot about my nervous system and I really appreciate now that I know
what exactly is happening in my body when I don't feel well. I became more calm when a
flare up comes, and I think that I'm a little less anxious about my medical condition.
I like the way that the content builds up each week and that there are so many aspects that I can work on. I feel like POTS has less and less power each day and I have more.
I've found the trainings, activities, exercises, and reflections really helpful, I appreciate the reflections after every video to fully register what was talked about.
I enjoy the module lay out and the questions after each video.
I plan on going through the modules once again after the program is done. There is so much being covered that is applicable to all areas of my life.
The trainings, activities, exercises, and reflections have helped me and guided me on life style changes already.
I think the reflections really help me make sure I’m listening and have a plan on how to execute what you are coaching.
I am surprised at how much I get out of writing reflections. It does force me to think more about the training videos.