My Story
I want to share a little more about me – what led me to become an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and the health and wellness challenges I’ve personally had to overcome.
When I sat down to jot down some points, I realised there’s quite a lot to cover. So here’s part one of my story – the part about what led me to become a coach – and then in posts to follow I’d love to share my experience with migraines and my journey with infertility. Both seemed to warrant their own space and if what I share helps just one person, then I consider my story worthwhile.
For as long as I remember, I have been a healthy eater and had an interest in health in general. It all started with my mom who, when we moved overseas from Denmark, was the first to embrace new cuisines with excitement and contagious curiosity. My childhood was primarily spent in Mediterranean countries, where we were lucky to have an endless supply of fresh produce. I will never forget the joy of sitting with my sister and eating a kilo of cherries in the summer.
The start of university life in the UK came as a bit of a shock to the system but I stuck to what I knew and made the healthiest choices available to me.
Sports and time outdoors have always played a big role in my life. Being educated at international schools brought wonderful sporting opportunities and summers back in Denmark were spent cycling, messing around in the garden, swimming at the beach and helping my dad or brother work on our summer house. At university, I participated in all sorts of sports and post-university, I regularly took part in or organised sporting events for the companies I worked for. It was one of the UK’s toughest outdoor events, the Three Peaks Challenge, which nurtured my love for mountains and lead me to summit a 6,000m unnamed peak in the Himalayas.
Self-improvement and personal development have also been great life-long passions. As cliched as it may sound, I really do strive to live each day to the fullest – sometimes even to my detriment as I pack so much in. Looking back, this was perhaps the root of my burning the candle at both ends.
When it came to my career, whilst I certainly aspired to do something in the wellness sector, I wasn’t quite sure what sort of career path this would offer so I chose the next best thing, which was Environmental Management. Working in the field post university gave me some fulfilment but not enough. I just didn’t feel I was making enough of an impact, in a short enough time. Years later, I found a wonderful opportunity with a start-up in Dubai, where I would be able to create and grow my own department. Growing a department from 50 people to 3,500 people stretched me beyond what I had ever imagined. I worked hard and my career was thriving but behind the scenes, my life was one of high stress and my lifestyle involved too much alcohol, too many late nights and too little sleep.
In 2009, aged 34, I found myself getting severe headaches, which I later learned were migraines. As I mentioned at the start, my next post will cover the ins and outs of my years of experience with this horrid and debilitating disease, but what followed were many frustrating years, trying to get to the root cause and cure – or at least manage – them.
I tried a number of alternative routes and in a quest to divert my sorrows, threw myself into training for an Ironman. A year into training and I felt fitter, stronger, healthier and my migraines had subsided. I felt cured! Life seemed to back on track and some serious soul searching pushed me into following my heart and directing my career towards making a difference to the wellbeing of others. I longed to make a real, tangible difference in peoples’ lives and accepted a role managing a Sports Medical Centre.
Towards the end of 2018, my now husband, Paulo, and I made a decision to leave the UAE and return to Europe. Before leaving Dubai, I had read an article about wellness coaching, which struck a chord with me. I moved to Germany in December 2018 and had the opportunity to reflect on my next steps and tune in to what I wanted the next chapter of my life to look like. I came across the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and their philosophy really resonated, in particular the importance they placed on nurturing all aspects of your life to achieve true wellbeing. I had also come to the realisation, when working at the Sports Medical Centre, that I believe more in prevention than cure and more in identifying the root cause of an illness or injury, rather than simply addressing the symptoms. These realisations were totally in line with the approach taken at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. It felt like all I had come to believe over the years, was being presented as a structured, science-backed course. Needless to say, I enrolled!
I graduated from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in July 2020 and set up my business, Your Optimal Health. Today, I really feel I have found my purpose but it’s certainly taken many years to get there. It seems fitting that I’m now supporting others to find optimal health after so long, figuring it out for myself. It’s perhaps also no coincidence that my impact on the environmental front has continued, as I encourage my clients to become more conscious about sustaining themselves and their food choices and advocate plant-based living. I’ve even supported some clients in their quest to make their own mark in the environmental and conservation space. Full circle, I guess. It’s taken time, practice, trial and error to discover the rewards that come from quality sleep, daily walks, regular exercise, a 95% plant-based lifestyle, detoxes, cooking, cutting out gluten and embracing rest when required. I should also add how fortunate I was in finding a partner (through triathlon training!)– my now husband, Paulo - who has been so willing to walk this journey with me. Together we have embraced plant-based eating and his support has been immeasurable.
The more I go through life the more I appreciate that life really is a journey and not a destination. It’s all about appreciating that every step we take is shaping us as individuals and leading us towards the chapters that follow. Finding our true purpose is more a lifelong quest than an item to be ticked off a list. Only when we look back in retrospect, do all the pieces fit together. The great puzzle of life!
My hopes going forward? To leave a legacy of having made a real difference to the lives of others. To help as many people as I can to feel alive, empowered and fulfilled. To be open about my journey, my knowledge and my story. To age gracefully with a zest for life that never diminishes.
My motto for life is anything is possible. Say that out loud to yourself right now:
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
It really is…
Please feel free to connect with me. I love meeting new people.
Call: +49 176 43403836
Facebook: Your Optimal Health with Anne-Petersen Costa
Email: anne@petersen-costa.com
Visit: www.annepetersencosta.com