Raves

“Tonya is a joyful, powerful, intuitive coach who specializes in helping women drop extra weight–and the obsessive, negative body obsession that goes with it. She covers the whole spectrum of issues related to this difficult subject, using a blend of Western science, Eastern philosophy, and battle-tested coaching techniques. If you’re ready to find joy in every aspect of life–including food, eating, exercise, and simply living in your skin–Tonya is a wonderful coach for you. ”

–Martha Beck
Life Coach, Columnist, and Author

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“I decided to begin my work with Tonya because I knew I needed a little hand holding. Being a weight loss coach and personal trainer I was in a position of spending a lot of time helping other people and not enough time helping myself. After working with Tonya for three months I found a lot more clarity as to who I am, I gained confidence in myself and my business and I uncovered underlying fears that were creating a life that was not my absolute truth. Now that I know my thoughts are simply my choice to believe I can move forward and help transform lives while truly living my own. I would definitely recommend Tonya as a coach for anyone who is ready to stop letting their untrue thoughts rule their worlds and really allow their deep desires to shine through. This is how we live with power. This is how we live with confidence and vitality. This is how we truly should be living.

Thank you, thank you!!”

–Michelle Hastie

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When I first started working with Tonya, I was skeptical. I had tried everything – diets, programs, you name it – but nothing seemed to work. However, in just a few sessions, I knew that her approach was different. Her approach was about something SO much bigger than my weight. It was about my life.

Tonya has empowered me to take back control of my life, which also means loving myself and creating the life I want today, not when I get to a certain number on the scale.

Since working with Tonya, my clothes are looser, and I am confident that I am on my way to my best body ever, but, unlike the times in the past when I’ve lost weight, I will arrive at my best body ever as a woman who LOVES and ACCEPTS herself completely.

Tonya’s encouragement, advice and determination to help me succeed has changed my future. I don’t even want to know where I would have headed had God not brought her into my life. I truly believe I came across her Online for a reason and now I am confident that I have a solid foundation of self-love and acceptance to create the body I deserve.

Kelly Bollinger

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“It is so amazing to see the number of people Tonya has helped.  I read the testimonials and the common theme appears.  I came to Tonya to lose weight…but the words that follow always allude to the much deeper changes that have taken place in these women’s lives—and of course mine too—since working with Tonya.  I feel as if I have a bond with these other women, whom I have never met, their stories are so familiar and their results so extraordinary—just like mine.  Their positive energy lights up the page and it is clear that something really special has happened to each of us.

Tonya has a unique gift and I feel very blessed that she came into my life—somehow when I seemed to need it most.  I had lost my joy, and for someone named Joy it seemed as if I had truly lost myself.  In guiding me on my journey Tonya was patient and gentle but at the same time direct and to the point!  Before I knew it our conversations were no longer about losing weight (which, by the way, the weight magically seemed to be melting away) but rather getting to the core issues—that really needed to be addressed.  In just weeks my mood was light, my smile and energy returned and most importantly I was living my life doing all the things I had so foolishly put off waiting until that day when I was at my perfect weight.

It feels so wonderful to love and except myself, eat and enjoy food, make time for things that are really important to me, laugh with friends again, to be truly joyful—and to feel relaxed.

As Tonya says:

It is so simple—just be living.”

–Joy Ilem

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The thought of being obese has been a constant fear for me as long as I can remember. Obsessed?  Maybe, maybe not, yet always concerned that age was undeniably bringing me extra hormonal pounds, I was in constant alert or guilt mode about enjoying my favorite ice cream or sharing a glass of wine at dinner with my spouse.  I didn’t always deny myself those pleasures, rather after a delicious dessert or fabulous chocolate truffle, my inner self would pipe up and remind me that I didn’t really want to be slim and that now I’d done it!  Self-sabotaging language – I was great at that! I was also great at observing what I considered overweight women and thinking to myself that they were out of control and didn’t care about what they looked like; through determination, I would not let myself go to that place!

Well, that was all before I came across Tonya’s website and had that first trial conversation with her on the phone!  I felt in those first few shared minutes that she was a woman who could and would ask me the hard questions about what this “food fight” with myself was all about!  “Why did I need two scales and who weighed themselves twice a day anyway?!”  She wasn’t afraid of hurting my feelings or interested in my vague explanations.  She asked me for truth and decision-making. She suggested I reflect on the habit of judging others’ weight issues with the thought that their business was their business, not mine and comparing their lives to mine was totally irrelevant to their well being or to mine.

Within 48 hours of our first session, I put the scales into the back of a closet. Since then with Tonya’s counsel, I’ve found a new way to view my body and the feared real and hypothetical pounds. Judging others by their size and weight….I’m concentrating on my own tremendous life now without wasting time judging someone else’s!  Negative worry, time devoted to calorie counting and to the latest new diet have been replaced by Tonya’s mantras of “building a better body” and remembering that “life is NOT about losing, it’s about making everything, and I mean everything, more enjoyable.” Those little phrases have changed my outlook about food (about chocolate truffles) about exercising, about even walking up a flight of stairs into that which is to be enjoyed, not dreaded or fought.

I’d like to tell you how much weight I’ve lost but the scales are too tough to dig out of the closet.  Suffice it to say that I’ve tried on a couple of existing skirts and pants that had also been pushed to the back of the closet due to “size issues” that now just slip onto my “better body.”

Tonya’s methods are positive and effective.  She won’t be telling you how many calories to ingest, or how many sit-ups you should do everyday.  She’ll be asking you about the records you play in your own head, perhaps examining negative thoughts or ways in which you sabotage your own life. I feel better about my body and my efforts at living life to the fullest every day than I perhaps ever would have had I not decided to sign up for conversations with Tonya.

Weight problem, diet problem, exercise deficient, pleasure restricted – Tonya’s weight loss methods will feel so simple and fun, you’ll wonder how or why you couldn’t have done it on your own!  But if you’ve just experienced too much time trying to live a better life in a better body with no success, I highly recommend you give this energetic young woman named Tonya a call right away – just decide – what are you waiting for?!

Dianna Woolley
http://dwmindsieve.blogspot.com

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I had been consumed with a negative body image and weight issues my whole life, until I met Tonya.  I found her blog one afternoon and the more I read, the more I felt that I identified with her past and was inspired by the woman she has become.  I have tried every diet on the planet without long term, and sometimes not even short term, success but now realize that it wasn’t about food at all.

I had hit a wall and was tired of feeling stuck when I reached out to Tonya.  She had written an article about why she uses a coach and it is all about accountability.  It occurred to me that maybe that is where I had gone wrong in the past and reached out to her.

Upon our first conversation I had the feeling that she is like a warm, safe place to go to discuss what is really going on with me.  Because she holds no judgment, I have been able to be completely honest which has led to real success.  She asks me what I want for myself and holds me accountable.

I now live a life where I enjoy the pleasures that Tonya has helped me discover.   I love myself and my body and my days are no longer ruled by a number on the scale.  No longer do I waste days in front of the television eating mindlessly, but instead am out running, taking leisurely walks with my dog or enjoying a bubble bath.  I am happy and excited for life and let me tell you, it is contagious to everyone else around me.

I would recommend Tonya to anyone who is looking to really have a good time (seriously we laugh a lot) while learning valuable tools to help you become the woman that “rules your own little world” in a hot little black dress!

Jenny Pike

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“If you are stuck and struggling in life, Tonya is the coach for you. She is not only an amazing listener, but also gives you practical advice and hand on strategies. Her advice and guidance enables you to take control of your life and fulfill your true destiny!“

– Anna H., Amsterdam
Artist, Life Coach, Teacher

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“I have quickly become a huge fan of the personal coaching concept, and in particularly of Tonya’s. She has helped me recognize many of my ingrained thinking patterns and beliefs that hold me back from being the person I choose to be. With warmth and intelligence, she challenges me – often with things that often fly in the face of my own conventional wisdom. Each week I receive through the coaching relationship practical tools and specific steps to take. Equally as important, Tonya continues to believe in me, even when I don’t believe in myself. I think most women instinctively know that trying to ‘fix’ ourselves one piece at a time doesn’t work. Tonya’s holistic approach to coaching is respectful of me as a unique individual with unique issues. The coaching experience is incredibly valuable to me in that it helps me ‘do myself,’ what I had been unable to do ‘by myself’.“

– Margo M., South Carolina
Writer

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“T; is simply inspirational….and inspirationally simple. The clarity of her views on life, private and professional, really help to focus positive energies. Her calm, reasoned approach comes from a infectious inner strength. She leads by example ,combining her own life experiences with a willingness to learn; to share and to dream…and to help turn all this into positive reality. T really helps people take charge of their own destiny.“

– G.G., Belgium
International educator, coach, global manager

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“There are few people you meet in the world who encapsulate strength, vision, wisdom and compassion the way Tonya does. Her ability to zero in on what inhibits us from living our truest lives is a luscious taste of freedom. If you are ready for change, Tonya is the coach for you.“

– Cindy Willick
Leadership Coach
Baring it All™

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“Knowing I had the capabilities to be more, I simply didn’t know how. Personal circumstances just seemed to continue to stack higher and higher. Working with Tonya, I’ve gained tools including acceptance, appreciation, and the confidence to follow my passions. The coaching does not change you but helps you see more clearly your life and what you can and cannot control. The process is teaching me to become a lover of reality. By using simple tools I can better navigate through this life while remaining true and adding value to myself and those around me. What a gift!”

– L.A.F.

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“Working with Tonya has unleashed a level of energy, focus and purpose that I never knew I had. Truly an inspiration!”

– David, New York, NY

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“I came to Tonya because I wanted to lose weight, but I got so much more from our work together. Her coaching method has changed every aspect of my life. I am twenty pounds lighter, my relationships are flourishing, and I cannot remember the last time I felt so happy. And I still get to eat chocolate!!!“

– Jennifer, North Carolina
Nurse

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“Tonya gave me the support, encouragement, and wisdom that I needed to lose 30 lbs. Her approach is perfect for the person who wants to end the weight battle for good. She makes the process fun and enjoyable, something I never thought weight loss could be.“

– L.M , South Carolina
Teacher

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“I have had weight issues my whole life. I went from one diet to the next hoping each time that this would “be the one” that would work for me. I was just stuck in a cycle that I didn’t know how to get out of as it was not working. That is when I met Tonya and joined her Baggy Jeans Teleseminar. It is about losing weight and it is about so much more than that. She gives you the tools you need to truly change your life. This is not a diet plan that you hop on and follow the rules and in 6 weeks are skinny. It is about changing who you are from the inside out. It’s tough work but so worth the outcome! And Tonya is there gently guiding and asking questions along the way and always encouraging us to keep trying. If you are willing to do the work necessary then this class will change your life for the better. You will become the person you were always meant to be. Tonya’s the real deal and her coaching style is inviting and warm. So very grateful she came into my life!“

–Diana McCarthy
Senior Team Mentor

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“I’ve never before agreed to write a testimonial for any weight loss “success.” Somehow, I couldn’t trust that the weight I’d shed was gone forever—a good decision on my part, because it never was. For that reason, I didn’t want to embarrass myself by promoting a commercial diet program that really didn’t provide lasting results. But this Just B Living life coaching journey feels different. Not just “skin deep.”When I came to Tonya, I was sliding into despair yet again. I was post-surgery, hormonal, and regaining at warp speed the forty pounds it had taken me eighteen months to lose at Weight Watchers (third try was not the charm). During all those months I had careened between the hope that this time I would “keep it off” and the deep-seated fear that I wouldn’t. Couldn’t—because there was something in my body that pre-determined me to Be Fat and Food-obsessed Forever (BFFF? Not!). Certainly, everything I’d experienced in my 45 years of Diet Wars on My Body had proven that true. So, when Tonya promised me a life free of weight-and-food obsession, she had me at Hello.

I wanted that. Of course I did. But I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the concept or believe, really believe, that it could be possible—surely not in the space of a few short weeks (and one actual paid session!). But I’m here to tell you that something has shifted in me—a realignment of the tectonic plates in my heart and mind . I see now that my body is not my problem; my thoughts are. Not just my thoughts about food, weight, and body image, but ANY and EVERY thought that causes me to feel distressed and tense. But how could I change thoughts in a meaningful way? When you say, “Don’t think about elephants,” guess what you think about. Right. Elephants.

During our first session, Tonya gave me a process for examining, challenging, and gently reframing thoughts that either drove me to the refrigerator or created stress in my life. It’s not the circumstances, she said. It’s what you tell yourself about the circumstances. As a fiction writer, I created more than the usual number of stories in my mind that were not necessarily true. Problem was, I acted as if they were.

Bottom line: I had so much to gain by embracing a different way of thinking. I was open. I was willing. After all, what had I gotten for all the years I bought magazines and diet books, looking for the perfect cure for my “weight problem”? Failure, shame, guilt, heartache. How could I have known that I really had a thinking problem that would never be fixed by listening to any “expert” on the Outside? I had my own resident expert; I just had to honor and listen to her.

Everything in our culture screams that we are to blame for our “overweight.” (And, really, who decides what’s overweight for me or for anyone else?) The multi-million-dollar diet industry that professes to “help” would be out of business if any part of it really delivered lasting success. Think about it. These companies depend on us to fail, so they can lure us back again with free one-month memberships, dazzling new addictively manufactured “food” products or a month of free food (Caution: Be sure to read the fine print before you sign on, because there’s no free-ride in this world). As long as we listen to them and not to our own hunger—eating only when we are physically hungry and stopping when we are comfortable but not full—we will not only be alienated from our true selves, we will also be tilting at windmills in our minds, never really connecting with the true source of our suffering.

I get it now. It’s taken long enough, but that’s okay. Better late than never, right? It’s not about the number on the scale. What we resist, persists. My life experience has more than proven this true. It’s not about a lack of willpower or the failure of the latest diet craze. It’s the loser-thoughts I’ve believed without questioning that keep me in bondage to our culture’s arbitrary standards. What would I be without these constant yammering thoughts that feed an obsession with what I can eat, whether I should eat, what I better not eat—or else?

To my amazement, for the first time in my life, I feel gloriously and deliciously free. My mind is clear and my body is the best it can be today—and, oh yeah (in case you’re interested), it weighs five pounds less than when I started with Tonya two weeks ago. I never would have believed that I could eat what I wanted without weighing and measuring and agonizing and planning and white-knuckling and fighting Hungry (as Weight Watchers says). For the first time, Hunger is my friend.

I know now that tomorrow will take care of itself if I don’t abandon the Hungry Girl inside. Yes, she had to wait for a bottle because “it wasn’t time.” She had to wait for food because “Mommy was busy” with the other kids and Little Sheri wasn’t allowed to feed herself. But there’s no need anymore to act out and rebel with food. Because she’s—I’m—in charge now. And day by day, I’m building trust not only with Little Sheri but also with my adult self. It feels good to be growing up at last.

I can say unequivocally that Tonya’s life coaching, dollar for dollar, is worth more than years of talk-therapy and pricey diet programs. I’m eager to continue the exciting self-discovery journey we’ve begun together.“

–Sheri Sinykin

Author of Giving Up The Ghost (Peachtree)

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Wow, oh wow….after two sessions and I’m already experiencing BIG shifts in my life.  I’ve lost 5 pounds in 2 weeks, and I’ve had a great time doing it.  Tonya has helped me realize that this isn’t about my weight. It’s about me getting out and living my best life.  I’ve wasted a lot of money on diets, weight programs and other extreme approaches, but the investment that I made with Tonya will pay for itself ten fold.  She’s brilliant, highly intuitive, and she doesn’t mind telling you what she thinks in a very warm way.  That’s what I wanted from a coach, and that’s what I got.

-Beth W.

Fashion Designer