My name is Valeria Pedraza, I am an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.

I have always been interested in health and wellness since I was in high school and was pretty active and athletic. (Or at least I thought I was being healthy). 

Then in my mid twenties I went through a rough patch where I had severe anxiety, mood swings, and struggled with my purpose in life. I felt defeated and stopped taking care of myself. As as result, I gained about 15-20 lbs.

Because I turned to food and alcohol to cope with my emotions, this caused me to sink into a deeper depression and my confidence was lost. I was at a low point in my life. I had gained weight, was very unhealthy, I was drinking heavily , staying up late and working in highly toxic environment where I was constantly body shamed and was made to feel like my worth depended only on my looks.

 I was unhappy with myself, my career at the time, and lack of purpose. I literally felt stuck without direction or the tools to cope.

I was carrying the emotional wounds of my childhood traumas.

 And it wasn’t until years later, after doing deep emotional inner healing work that I understood that these traumas generated my anxiety and depression. At my low point, I didn’t know how to process all the emotions I was feeling. My pain had manifested in my mind and body, stayed within me into adulthood, and affected my relationships, happiness, and health.  

 Then one day, in my search for holistic healing, I came across a lecture from Dr. T Colin Campbell author of the China Study and founder of the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies in which he talked about all the benefits of being on Whole Food Plant-Based Diet. This new information was so fascinating to me that I decided to enroll in the Plant-Based Nutrition Course where I learned about eating Whole Foods, about superfoods, the science behind a plant-based diet, the role that nutrition plays in fighting chronic disease and how to successfully transition to a WFPB lifestyle. Once I started implementing all these new changes to my life, that is when I experienced what true health was and reaped all the benefits of eating a wide variety of colorful fruits, vegetables and other nourishing plants that I realized how amazing I felt and how much my health had improved since switching to this new lifestyle. As I started seeing my physical health improve and my mood, my mental health also improved. I had more energy, lost weight, and gained my confidence back. I felt great! 

I loved this new way of living so much that I became passionate about advocating for it. 

This made me realize that I wanted to help others do the same and feel confident in their own skin and overcome their illnesses through nutrition and the healing power of eating plants. I was inspired to continue my education and  become a Holistic Health Coach through The Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

There I found my real purpose. I realized that all I had been through had let me to this path. It IS my mission to help women overcome emotional eating, weight gain, heal past trauma, and learn to care for themselves through plant-based nourishment,  developing self-love, self care, and a spiritual practice. So as to feel whole, find themselves again and experience vibrant lasting wellness.