Today I get to write about a very inspiring story… Suyin and I used to be neighbors when I lived in San Mateo. We reconnected after a few years because she needed photographs to promote her new business and brand new self.. I was taken away by her transformation and I can’t wait to share her story with all of you: Suyin Nichols is a Weight Loss and Body Image Coach who began her coaching career as a weight loss success story.  After suffering through 25 years of Diet Mentality hell, Suyin successfully reached her natural weight in 2005 with the help of coaching and has been free of the weight struggle ever since.  Her greatest passion now is teaching this method to others and believes that anyone can reach their health goals and create the happy life they know they are meant to be living – by changing the way they think.  Suyin’s method is a permanent solution because she addresses the emotional component of why one struggles with their weight or body image in the first place. In her one-on-one and group coaching sessions, Suyin uses her gift of intuitive coaching to see beyond her client’s words, which provides quick access to the limiting beliefs blocking their success.  She coaches clients all over the globe with compassion, truth, and a sense of humor, always encouraging her clients to treat themselves with kindness and to have fun while on their weight loss journey.  Suyin can also be seen as a featured expert in The Inner Weigh™, a groundbreaking film about healing the weight struggle from within.

And here some interesting thoughts on “beauty” from Suyin own words:  “In our culture, we are bombarded with lots of images of what we “should” look like in order to be attractive, desirable, valuable, and worthy.  In my opinion, this narrow view of beauty was designed to make us feel bad, so that companies will make money off of our fear, as we buy their products & services to avoid feeling “inadequate.”  This manufactured inadequacy often leads to mean-self talk, which then leads to disconnection from our bodies.  In my practice as a Weight Loss and Body Image Coach, I teach my clients how to unwind negative thinking and mean self-talk and learn to appreciate their bodies – the only vehicle they will ever get to experience their life in. Personally, I enjoy a much wider range of what I consider beautiful and I see many examples around me every day.  Beauty is more of an energy that one gives off and not simply how one “looks.”  It’s a feeling that the person likes themselves – they smile and radiate an inner glow, which is very attractive.  This energy can be captured in photographs, as anyone can see in Daniela Degrassi’s portfolio.  Daniela has a gift of making her subject(s) feel comfortable, which allows them to relax during a photo shoot.  This encourages their unique brand of beauty to shine through. Beauty begins in the mind.  If you think you’re beautiful, you will create your version of beautiful.  Just remember though, this also works the same if you think you’re not beautiful, so be mindful of the thoughts you choose to think.  Our thoughts are powerful and it is our thoughts that create our outcomes.  Whatever we think about and focus on, we get more of.  Since what we think is our choice, why not choose to focus on the positive?  Why not focus on what is beautiful about us?  Why not attract more good into our lives?”

More from Suyin: “The more you choose positive thoughts, the more amazing your life becomes.  You end up creating happy times with loved ones, achieving important goals, and living your dreams.  You may decide to have some or all of these precious, memorable moments captured on film.  If so, what is the story you want to tell through your photographs?   Remember, your inner energy comes through in the images and that energy is created by your thoughts.  During the photo shoot, it is helpful to think about why you wanted to have your photograph taken in the first place.  Examples: Is it a gift for your future bride or groom?  Think about how much you love him or her and how delighted they will be when they see the face of their beloved. Is it a family portrait?  Think about what your family means to you and how each member of your family is valuable and loved. Is it to promote your business?  Think about how you want to come across to future clients and connect with them through your eyes, so that they will be inspired to contact you.  If you are not quite there yet or would like to learn the art of positive thinking, I offer a coaching program called Return to Yourself.  I market myself as a Weight Loss and Body Image coach, but the techniques I teach work in any area of your life that you may be experiencing a limitation in: relationships, career, finances, etc.”

Thank you Suyin for kindly sharing your thoughts and precious advice with our audience! For more information about Suyin Nichols and Weight Loss and Body Image Coaching, please visit her website

Also, learn more on Suyin Return to Yourself coaching program and  sign up for the next round of Group Coaching, it’s just around the corner on April 12th 2011.