Hi there and welcome! My name is Sonali Patel - I’m a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. It is my mission and passion to help others. It is our birthright to live a healthy, happy and fulfilling life, but our modern world presents many challenges. From a flawed healthcare system, tons of medical misinformation, environmental dangers to unhealthy/unnatural cultural habits, we are faced daily with so many obstacles to living well. It is my life’s purpose to help you transform your health, life and spirit for the better. I will support you as you learn how to become your own wellness guide, to tap into your intuition and trust it, and truly see yourself as you should - an individual with unique needs. My own health and wellness journey has enabled me to bring personal and professional life experience and a high level of empathy, respect and understanding to my clients. 

My story starts as early as 12 years old, when I suffered from unexplained pain and fatigue among other ailments. Over the following decades, I’d suffer an extensive list of symptoms that became debilitating and life altering. Earlier on, I experienced a fair amount of gaslighting from doctors and even loved ones, who treated me like a hypochondriac or just did not understand the level of pain I was in, both physically and eventually mentally/emotionally as well. Often times, chronic disease and pain is not seen on the outside so people aren’t able to understand, acknowledge or have empathy for sufferers. I tried to keep up with my peers, friends and family. But overtime, this took a toll on my body and mind, just exacerbating my issues. I found myself in the ER more and more as the years went on. At the height of my health struggles, I simultaneously suffered a few more hardships, divorce, unemployment as I had been a stay at home mom and then continued unemployment due to my health, navigating single motherhood and the untimely loss of my parents. The stress, trauma and grief sent my health spiraling and my life was in despair. 

And so began the discovery and healing part of my health and wellness journey. I began to utilize the years of experience and knowledge I had acquired dealing with the medical industry to navigate taking my health and life back into my own hands. I learned about the mind-body connection and began looking at my life holistically. 

Growing up, in our Indian household, there was a fair amount of Ayurvedic practice. It wasn’t spoken about, it just was a way of life. Cooking, meditation, yoga, spirituality were ingrained in me but I was not conscious of this until I was an adult. I am so grateful to my parents, my upbringing and culture for this base knowledge that I was able to draw and build upon. I have the utmost respect, admiration and am so proud of my Indian culture and heritage. Through its thousands of years of medical science and philosophies, I learned to listen to myself and my gut and sought answers. I spent endless hours researching and tons of trial and error. It took DECADES to build a team of medical professionals that listen and work with me to get to the root. 

I navigated unexplained injuries, being diagnosed with chronic disease, conditions and secondary immunodeficiencies (Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis, Adenomyosis, Fibromyalgia, MTHFR Genetic Mutation to name a few), which started out a very lonely and scary (and painful) road. It’s a path that is life-long, there is no cure for my disease. While I accepted these facts and knew I’d have to learn to build a life that supports managing chronic disease with lifestyle changes, I decided I wanted (needed!) to do everything in my power to help myself and if possible, help others. There are ups and downs, but learning to manage makes a tremendous difference in the outcome and I’ve dedicated my life to doing just that.

I began studying Ayurveda and Integrative Nutrition and now hold an Ayurvedic certification, Integrative Nutrition certification as well as being a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. I am passionate about Integrative Health, Ayurveda and “Lifestyle” medicine, combining eastern and western wellness practices. I continue to educate myself and share as much knowledge as possible to guide others. I have cofounded an Endometriosis Advocacy organization and am looking forward to building community and raising awareness for those who suffer as well as their loved ones who are often impacted as well.

My professional experience in corporate, the creative arts and hospitality/service industries also have equipped and provided me further outlets and resources to grow, heal and evolve in mind, body and soul. Many of my professional interests cross paths with my personal interests. I went to art school, so creativity finds its way into my life in every crevice - art, music (concerts and music festivals are my fave!), food, fashion, decor, experiences. I used to work in high end fashion for big labels and transitioned to event planning and design for world renowned event specialists. It was exciting but exhausting and it was then that I started to think about work/life balance. Some of my favorite pastimes are being in nature, hiking, exploring and grounding myself, sunbathing at the beach; visiting farms, harvesting fruits and veggies; love to be in the kitchen, cooking, baking, and hosting friends and family. Born and raised in the NYC metropolitan area, exploring the city is still one of my favorite things to do. 

I’m a mom and have a teenage daughter, I have an Australian partner and one super cute kitty cat! Never a dull moment around here!

Now I’d love to hear YOUR story! Please do reach out via the contact page and follow along @terra_veda on IG.

(For collaborations, please reach out via the contact page.)

With love,
Sonali xo