amber michal
Sensory/Somatic Holistic Health + Wellness Specialist
I help powerful women sustain personal, social, and spiritual wellbeing to support graceful transitions through the cycles and stages of life.
With specialties in somatic practice and sensory care, my offerings center mindfulness and movement, tailored to changing bodies.
I offer coaching and consulting services that initiate and integrate lasting transformation for individuals and institutions.
You are your own greatest work of Art.
About You
Identities
I walk alongside high-performing women who are secretly depleted by the responsibilities that they carry unsupported, having lost connection to the infinite reserves of Sacred Source. My service offers refuge for those who perpetually hold space for others, inviting remembrance that an empty vessel can fill no cups.
I support:
Visionary Leaders in public service, who understand that their own liberation becomes the groundwater from which others drink.Expressive Professionals who recognise that the futures they imagine through art and design are beacons of hope for humanity.Change Architects in DEI and HR, whose courage to face their own inner revolution ripples outward to transform systems.Hospitality Stewards who know that authentic care can only flow through healing hands that themselves are well nourished.Conscious Innovators in tech and finance, who seek brilliance that sustains, rather than depletes, the sources of inspiration.Sacred Caregivers who have heard the whispered truth that service disconnected from self-reverence becomes yet another form of bondage.
Needs
We may be a fit if you:
❥ have a Persistent Drive for Autonomy❥ have great advice for others that you want to try for yourself❥ are more comfortable offering support than receiving support❥ are more professionally driven than personally dedicated❥ have Sensory Processing Differences❥ have unpredictable energy levels❥ are a social caterpillar❥ are ready for change
Benefits
For Individuals
✓ Emotional Coherence
Navigate high-stakes conversations and decisions from a place of centered awareness rather than reactivated patterns.✓ Clarity in Complexity
Access deeper wisdom beyond analytical thinking, allowing solutions to emerge that honor both data and intuition.✓ Expanded Capacity
Hold challenging dynamics without becoming depleted, creating sustainable impact that doesn’t come at personal cost.✓ Adaptive Resilience
Flow with change rather than resist it, returning to balance more swiftly after inevitable disruptions.
For Institutions
✓ Relational Harmony
Witness how regulated nervous systems naturally create the conditions for authentic connection and collaboration.✓ Workforce Wellbeing
Support the subtle foundation of engagement through reduced absenteeism and turnover as teams experience true belonging.✓ Creative Emergence
Discover how innovation flows naturally when minds are freed from constant vigilance and defensive posturing.✓ Responsive Leadership
Develop teams capable of making clear decisions under pressure, reducing costly mistakes born of reactivity.
About Me
Specialties
Experience
I have truly dedicated my entire life to my personal wellness journey, and very early on I heard the call to support the healing of others. Born into caregiving for my grandmother, I held my mother’s hand as she gracefully accepted her assignment and navigated early induction into sandwich generation status. I hold certifications as a Health Coach and Yoga Teacher, but my truest credential is having stumbled through the terrain you now traverse, knowing in my bones both the crushing weight of seemingly insurmountable responsibility and the relief of liberation that arises from defiantly prioritising wholeness in spaces that do not give permission to do so. For over three decades, I have served as a witness, and a testament, to the rebellious burgeoning that unapologetically takes root when souls reclaim their birthright of wellbeing.Since I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the human body and how breathtakingly beautiful it is, in both its fortitude and in its fragility. My curiosity led me to explore all things that allowed me to experience and celebrate the body in all of its wonder, including dance, fitness, and figure drawing. As I blossomed, I turned towards Biological and Behavioural Sciences, majoring in Molecular Genetics and studying Cognitive Neuroscience. These disciplines gave context to my experiential movement practices and helped me to understand the even more intricately interwoven systems beneath our physical and emotional states. I looked to Science for answers, and for the great mysteries of existence that Science couldn’t explain, I reached to Spirituality. At the center of the spectrum, between the procedure of Science and the philosophy of Spirituality, emerged the experience of transformation through the practice of Somatics.Guided by the intuition to nourish my flesh and cleanse my spirit, I have dedicated myself to studying the benefits of culinary and medicinal plants. With my mother’s blessing, I became a vegetarian of my own volition before my tenth birthday, learning to adapt many nutritious recipes throughout my life. As an adult, the universe called me to the Amazon Jungle where I sat with Indigenous healers who shared the medicine of sacred plant teachers. Hungry for healing, I continued my search, and Yoga became my haven. As the meaning of the word Yoga expresses, the tradition weaves together a union of scientific procedure, spiritual philosophy, and somatic practice. This rich system provides a framework for a holistic approach to health that covers everything from nutrition to movement to ethics to divinity. Yoga, informed by Indigenous healing technologies from Africa and the Americas, provides the foundation of my healing practice.My work is rooted in a deep sense of service. As a caregiver to caregivers, I am honoured to help those who support others in their personal and professional jobs to regain balance in their own lives. My approach to healing expands beyond a solely physical focus, offering a personalised holistic method that nurtures body, mind, and soul in perfect harmony. As a trauma-informed somatic practitioner, my coaching helps to illuminate pathways to embodied wisdom, sparking the wild journey of awakening to wellness and actualising lasting transformation.Life has been a great teacher, leading me through many initiations and (re)connecting me with the wisdom of my ancestors. My mission is to make ancient philosophies accessible and immediately applicable through direct experience. Our work together is always deeply individualised, meeting you where you are and helping you to return to your innate knowing to realise your hidden potential. Rather than imposing a pre-scripted regimen, we co-create together, designing dynamic solutions that are responsive to your unique needs and evolving aspirations.
Philosophy
I wholeheartedly believe that we all have access to the deep inner wisdom to realise wellbeing if we have the proper space and support to find our way to it. Once we are able to remove the barriers and illusions, we can come to know our healthiest states of being.
Style
I use a sensory-aware and trauma-informed approach that focuses on creating calming containers that are pleasant and predictable. I promote the use of physical and practical tools, such as stress toys and stimming, that help to foster a sense of comfort and safety through self-regulation.
Techniques
Interests
Certifications
Health Coach
Open Source WellnessExperienced Registered Yoga Teacher
Yoga Alliance
Training
Yoga TherapyTrauma-Informed YogaThai Yoga MassageChinese Meridian YogaCircus Arts Therapy®GYROTONIC® Exercise Method
About Us
Together we collaborate to realise the highest vision of wellbeing for you, creating a ripple that reaches those who rely on your leadership.
Modalities
Holistic Coaching
Intuitive listening that aligns your leadership presence with your deepest wisdom, encouraging harmony between mind, body, and spirit.Yoga + Meditation
Ancient practices reimagined for modern leaders, offering pathways to steadiness amidst the storm of demands and decisions.Breath Work
Precise respiratory techniques that speak directly to your nervous system, forging islands of clarity when the stakes are highest.Sound Healing
Vibrational journeys that penetrate and dissolve accumulated tension where words cannot reach, restoring your energetic alignment.Therapeutic Creativity
Gentle explorations of guided art and play that reconnect leaders and changemakers with the wellspring of joy beneath their purpose.Embodied Strength
Movement practices that build not just resilience in the body, but a cellular knowing of your capacity to navigate and recover from challenges.
Engagements
Leadership Sanctuary
One-to-one sessions where your unique patterns receive the attentive individualised care they’ve been silently requesting.Collective Renewal
Group experiences where teams discover the subtle art of co-regulation, finding rhythm together beyond mere cooperation.Immersive Journeys
Extended supported containers where transformation has the spaciousness it requires, allowing integration at the deepest level.Sustained Practice
Progressive experiences that build upon each other, weaving new patterns into the fabric of how you and your team operate.
Deliverables
Wellness Architecture
Collaborative design of practices and principles that become the invisible foundation supporting your culture of excellence.Sensory Environments
Creation of spaces within conferences, festivals, and retreats where the senses receive exactly what they need to restore balance.
Outcomes
✓ Precision in Pressure
Fewer errors when decisions emerge from regulated systems rather than reactivity, protecting your most valuable resources.✓ Team Embodiment
Groups that communicate through presence, strengthening the subtle connections that encourage cohesion and enhance function.✓ Cultural Vitality
Reduced healthcare costs and increased retention when wellbeing becomes woven into how work happens, not just what you offer.✓ Sustainable Excellence
Performance that doesn’t deplete but regenerates, creating results that continue to unfold long after our work together concludes.
Results
Collaborators report experiencing:
★ Stress Reduction★ Emotional Regulation★ Sustainable Habit Change★ Nervous System Resilience
Activations
Southwest Business Improvement District (2024–2025) | Washington, DC
I consulted with the Director of Public Spaces to design and install an outdoor sensory space and assemble 250 sensory sacs for a public event, and I offered coaching and education about sensory care to the leadership and operational teams of 25 people. Our gatherings became shorelines where community members laid down their burdens and remembered their shared humanity.DC Startup and Tech Week, Magnetic Mosaic (2024) | Washington, DC
I designed and installed an interactive play space at the conference expo, inviting 500 attendees to enjoy a moment of sensory-friendly free play. These brief breaks offered restoration for entrepreneurs listening to lectures and navigating networking, where whimsical connection replenished the toll that seriousness had taken.Consensys, The Zen Zone (2018) | Albufeira, Portugal
I led a team of wellness specialists and technologists who collaborated to build a sensory space for 100 attendees of the company's annual retreat. Each morning I lead yoga sessions, creating quiet spaces where executives could breathe between decisions, allowing mindfulness to become the silent foundation for their clearest thinking.Lotus Vine Journeys (2016) | Tarapoto, Peru
I collaborated with community leaders and Indigenous healers to support 10 international retreat participants through plant medicine explorations. Interwoven between ceremonies and integration circles, I guided intimate trauma-informed restorative yoga and sound healing sessions, allowing for the embodiment of the wisdom transferred from sacred plant teachers.
Reflections
Every session with Amber felt powerful in a way that’s hard to explain. Her calm strength makes you feel supported, and she has this intuitive way of helping everything fall into place during a session. She’s deeply gifted and a real asset to the coaching world!
– Sarah C.
Quiero reconocer el gran profesionalismo y dedicación de Amber, mi coach de salud. Durante todo el proceso demostró excelentes habilidades de escucha, empatía y comunicación, creando un espacio cálido, de confianza y motivación. Su capacidad para orientar de manera clara, respetuosa y personalizada me ayudó a sentirme acompañada en cada paso de mi cambio de hábitos; siempre mostró paciencia, compromiso y una actitud positiva que inspira confianza. Su orientación contribuyó significativamente al logro de mis objetivos de bienestar y desarrollo de hábitos saludables.
– Dolores S.
Questions
Which offering(s) do I need?
You know best what you need. It may be more than one thing, and it will be different things at different times. Bring your curiosity to our consultation and we'll find the best place to start together.What does a health coach do?
Mostly, we listen. A health coach's role is not to diagnose, treat, prescribe, or even to give advice. We use very powerful conversation techniques that are guided by principles of Positive Psychology to help people uncover intrinsic motivation and make lasting lifestyle changes. I will help you to turn fleeting wishes of wellbeing into actionable steps and walk beside you while you move towards transformation.Isn't coaching the same as therapy?
While there are many similarities between coaching and therapy, and both sometimes use some of the same techniques, they are not the same. Therapy focuses on processing experiences of the past, and coaching focuses on planning experiences for the future. Therapy helps us to figure out why we behave the way we do, and coaching helps us to figure out how to change our behaviour.Can I stop going to therapy once I start going to coaching?
Coaching can be a wonderful complement to mental health care, but coaching is not a substitute for mental health care. A health coach is not qualified to diagnose or treat mental health conditions, and this also means that a health coach is not qualified to determine whether or not a mental health condition needs treatment or what kind of treatment a mental health condition does or doesn’t need. It’s best to discuss decisions about changes to treatment plans with your primary health care provider.Will you tell me how to be healthy?
Not exactly. What it means to “be healthy” varies widely from person to person, and we each get to determine this for ourselves. This is one of the fundamental guiding principles of health coaching. Together, we will explore what being healthy means to you, and you will word towards goals that reflect this vision of wellness. I’ll support you in designing an action plan for reaching your health goals, and I will amplify your accountability by walking with you as you step into the power of your wellbeing.Shouldn’t I be able to do this stuff on my own?
Something really magical happens when people connect for a shared purpose and work together towards common goals. Sometimes just knowing someone is there listening makes you feel safe enough for your nervous system to quiet down so you can just hear yourself think. You certainly can —and will— do it on your own, but it helps a lot to have some support when you're getting started.
Connection
Great transformations initiate at the tiniest gestures. Your return to wholeness requires not grand upheaval, but the simple courage to remember what has always been true.Reach out for a dialogue of discovery. When you feel ready, we will explore what's possible when wellbeing is no longer reserved as luxury and is instead reclaimed as your most basic right.
© amber michal. all rights reserved.