We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gabriela Maldonado a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Gabriela, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

It was 2007 when I was diagnosed with Lupus. At that time, I worked in corporate and my job required for me to travel abroad. It was stressful sometimes.

When the doctor gave me my diagnosis, I was shocked. As far as I new, I had a good healthy life, maybe I needed a little more exercise but nothing that bad to justify having an autoimmune condition. I started taking medications and I got better before getting worse. After a while, I started getting new symptoms and feeling strange in my own body. Inside of me I had it clear that I didn’t want to live my life taking medication. I knew there was something I could do to feel better but I wasn’t sure where to find the answers I had or where to start.

I learned about Leaky Gut as a cause for my autoimmune condition and started working on fixing my gut. The changes that I experienced in my body were amazing! More energy, less brain fog, no headaches, no acne, no rosacea, no bloating, etc. I learned that food is important but there are other aspects of life that are as important or more than just eating the right things. Beside fixing my gut, I also changed my lifestyle and found a functional medicine doctor.

I was so excited about how I was feeling that I wanted to tell the world about the possibility of feeling better if we only pay attention and change what doesn’t work. Soon I realized that people don’t want to be told what to do. But inside of me I still felt the need to help others and the only way I could find at that moment was to become a health coach. By becoming a health coach, I would be able to help others who wanted to be helped.

I was still working at corporate when I started my Health Coaching certification that lasted 1 year. I got certified in 2019 and started working with clients right away. I knew I had to dedicate more time to it so in 2021 I decided to quit corporate and dedicate my time and energy entirely to my health coaching business. I opened an office in Cypress, TX where I see clients. I also see clients via Zoom or Facetime in both English and Spanish.

Every client I work with reminds me of my mission. My mission is to guide others, specially those with a compromised autoimmune system and empower them to create new healthy habits that can help them live a healthier and happier life. I think everything in life has a reason, I was shocked when I got diagnosed with Lupus back in 2007, today, I am thankful for that diagnosed because it has allowed me grow, learn, and to find my purpose and help others.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

Hello, my name is Gabriela and I am a Health Coach. I love learning new things, spending time in nature, helping others, spending time with family and friends, reading, eating, and I am a big advocate of healthy living. I believe we all have the power to improve our lives.

My career as a health coach started as a need to help others live a better life and as a result of my own health journey. In my journey, I realized that we can all be free of pain, discomfort, sickness, disease if we pay attention to our body and give the body a chance to heal.

My mission as a health coach is to mentor and guide individuals, especially those with a compromised immune system to set and achieve their own health goals. I make them accountable for all the actionable steps they take and share strategies to create new healthy habits so they can improve their overall health. I help my clients to improve their health in a holistic and organic way. We touch on things that are not always obvious but that can affect our overall wellbeing like relationships, home environment, spirituality, finances, career, creativity, home cooking, and many more. I strongly believe that we can all live a healthy and happy life but something we don’t stop to think what we really need, or what we really want. Our body is an amazing machine and gift that we poses that needs attention. Our mind and spirit are also important to maintain a healthy balance.

I offer my clients a loving and non-judgmental environment. My 6 month program is enough time to stablish new habits and practice them. I offer in person sessions or on-line in both English or Spanish. To encourage potential clients to give it a try, I offer a free 50-minute consultation where I review their health history and explain in which way I will be able to help without any obligation. I want to work with people who are committed to improving their health and that is why I don’t push people to sign up.

I also offer group coaching where we have specific topics to cover. Being part of a group is also helpful because there is even more support from the group members and we can learn from each other’s experiences.

For both type of programs (one-on-one and group) I provide information in form of flyers, a folder to keep the information and a notebook to make it easier for people to make notes and go back to them when needed. I provide some support outside of the session in form of text messages.

I think learning to cook is very important and I encourage clients to cook by including a cooking class in their program. I also offer cooking classes for people who are not my clients but want to learn how to cook delicious and nutritious food. All the food I prepare is gluten free, dairy free and processed sugar free.

To avoid eating food that can cause inflammation in our bodies, we first need to avoid having that food at home. This is a good reason for also offering pantry makeups, and grocery store tours.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Definitely having compassion and learning not to judge others. Understanding that we are all different and unique. That what works for me may not work for others. We all have different needs. It has been crucial not to impose things on my clients but rather help them find what works for them. Learning to listen.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have made three big changes in my life. One year after I graduated from College with a Bachelor in Computer Science in Mexico, I decided to come to the US as a bilingual teacher. I taught kids in elementary school until I decided 8 years later that I wanted to switch careers and travel. I started as a bilingual instructor in a software company and years later I was promoted to supervisor. I enjoyed my job but I knew that it was not something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I didn’t know what was my purpose in life but I knew I didn’t want to work in corporate until my retirement. It wasn’t until I got diagnosed with Lupus and started my health journey that I understood what my purpose was.

I found a functional medicine doctor who helped me get my vitamins and mineral deficiencies leveled. I didn’t know I could have so many deficiencies! I started feeling better with the lifestyle changes I was making. I started eating better and taking care of myself. I was feeling so good that I decided to make a life change and become a health coach. I worked two jobs for little over a year and then I took a leap of faith and left corporate after 18 years of a career in software education. Now, I continue to be an educator but with a different focus. I am dedicating my life to help others which I knew that was something I always enjoyed.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wellnessbloomcoaching.com
• Instagram: gabriela_wellnessbloom
• Facebook: Wellness Bloom Health Coaching
• Linkedin: Gabriela Maldonado
• Youtube: wellness bloom health coaching