Holistic Strategies When Life Goes Through You: My Coaching Approach Rooted in Education, Experience, and Empowerment

By Dr. Tomi Mitchell Founder, Holistic Wellness Strategies | Certified Trauma-Informed Coach | Physician (non-clinical lens)

Life will go through you.

That’s not just a tagline at Holistic Wellness Strategies—it’s a lived truth. One I carry in my bones, not just my brand.

I know what it feels like when life doesn’t gently tap on your door—it kicks it open and storms through. I’ve endured personal trauma, professional burnout, the invisible weight of systemic injustice, and the deep, gritty inner work required to rebuild.

So when I say I coach from the inside out, I’m not speaking in metaphors. I’m speaking from miles walked in those shoes. I don't coach from a pedestal—I coach from the trenches.

This article is your invitation into the heart of my coaching practice. It’s about why my approach works. Why it matters, and why it might be the right strategy for you when life feels like it’s not just happening to you—it’s happening through you.

Education Isn’t Just Theory—It’s Strategy in Action

At Holistic Wellness Strategies, education is not about showing off credentials or collecting letters behind a name. (Though yes, I’ve earned plenty. And I honour them.) But the real education—the education that transformed me—came through lived experience.

Proper education is when theory meets the pavement of real life. It’s what happens when insights aren’t just interesting, but applicable, when knowledge becomes strategy.

Let me break this down:

What Education Is (And Isn’t):

• Education is not censorship. You have a right to learn, to question, and to evolve.

• Education is not indoctrination. You are not here to be spoon-fed someone else’s truth.

• Education is not elitism. You don’t need fancy credentials to hold profound wisdom.

• Education is empowerment. You become unstoppable when you understand your mind, patterns, and power.

  
  

In my practice, I educate my clients to be self-aware and not dependent. To be strategic, not reactionary. To become the expert of their own lives.

Because the best students? Eventually, you will outgrow the teacher. And that’s a good thing.

My Coaching Is Rooted in a Trauma-Informed, Cognitive-Behavioural, and Holistic Lens

Let me pull back the curtain on how I coach.

My method is a synthesis of science, soul, and lived truth.

1. Trauma-Informed Coaching

This is non-negotiable. Trauma—whether big or small, personal or systemic—changes how we navigate life. It shapes our choices, our self-talk, and our capacity to trust.

Trauma-informed coaching means I don’t bulldoze into your story. I enter with care, respect, and curiosity. I:

• Create an emotionally safe, judgment-free space

• Honour your pace and your boundaries

• Help you see how unhealed experiences are affecting your present

• Empower you to gently, courageously rewrite those patterns

  
  

Too many spaces that promise healing end up retraumatizing. I refuse to be part of that harm.

2. Cognitive Behavioural Insight

You’ve probably heard of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It’s a proven psychological approach that examines the link between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.

In coaching, I use CBT-inspired techniques to:

• Help you recognize negative self-talk

• Interrupt harmful thinking loops

• Identify limiting beliefs

• Replace automatic reactions with intentional responses

  
  

No fluff. Just functional rewiring that builds resilience and self-mastery.

3. Holistic Strategy

Holistic means whole-person. I coach the entirety of you:

• Your mindset

• Your body and energy

• Your emotional patterns

• Your relationships

• Your goals and habits

  
  

You can’t optimize one area while neglecting the others. That’s why I coach the system that is you. Because when even one piece is off, the whole system feels it.

I Don’t Come to You as a Physician. I Come as a Strategist.

Yes, I am a trained medical doctor. And yes, I spent years diagnosing and treating patients. But I take off the white coat when I step into a coaching relationship.

I’m not here to prescribe. I’m here to partner.

I come to you not as a fixer, but as a strategist who can:

• Spot patterns quickly

• See the big picture

• Help you reverse-engineer your goals

• Hold you accountable without shame

  
  

I’ve synthesized my decades of education and experience into a coaching model that cuts through the noise. One that honours your story without letting it define you.

I won’t sugarcoat. But I won’t abandon you either.

Who I Coach (And Who I Don’t)

Let’s get specific.

I work best with:

• High-performing professionals who feel successful on paper but are stuck in their hearts

• Women in transition—divorce, career pivots, motherhood, leadership growth

• Physicians, executives, and entrepreneurs craving purpose beyond the hustle

• Individuals who are ready to do the inner work, not just talk about it

  
  

I am not the right fit for:

• People are looking for a magic bullet or quick fix

• Those unwilling to take personal accountability

• Clients needing medical care, prescriptions, or psychiatric intervention

  
  

My coaching style is direct, strategic, and deeply compassionate. But you’ve got to be ready to do the work.

What Clients Say

I’m grateful to have coached brilliant, resilient humans through some of their toughest chapters.

Here’s what they often say:

"Dr. Mitchell saw the truth of me before I did."

"She helped me get honest with myself and create a strategy that works."

"Her approach blends science, soul, and a no-fluff attitude that changed my life."

My clients don’t just feel better. They become better. They learn to trust themselves. To make decisions based on clarity instead of fear. To live from alignment, not just ambition.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

We are in a time of global transition. The world is changing. And how we show up in this chapter will define our next one.

People are:

• Rethinking their careers

• Reprioritizing their families

• Reevaluating their health, time, and sanity

  
  

They’re waking up to the fact that resilience isn’t something you wing—it’s something you build.

That’s where I come in.

Final Thoughts: When Life Goes Through You, Strategy Saves You

Life isn’t a straight line. It rises and crashes. It tests your edges. And sometimes, it breaks things open so something new can grow.

That’s why I named this practice Holistic Wellness Strategies—wellness without strategy is wishful thinking. And a strategy without soul? That’s just another grind.

You’re not meant to go through this alone. You’re not meant to shrink in the face of change.

You’re meant to rise. And I’d be honoured to walk with you through that rise.

Let’s build a life that honours who you are now—and who you’re becoming.

With clarity, courage, and strategy,

Dr. Tomi Mitchell