Written in partnership with Zachary BernardGabriella Phillips is a renowned Mindset Coach and Certified Hypnotherapist who founded Self Image Studio, a company dedicated to helping women who struggle with self-esteem and body image issues. Gabriella’s passion for empowering women resulted from her own struggles with weight and self-image.
When she was just eight years old, she began dieting and battled binge eating, isolation, and issues related to body image for the rest of her life. However, her life story turned for the worse when she had to close her Boutique Day Spa in West Hollywood, followed by a period of darkness. Gabriella used food as a coping mechanism and eventually reached her highest weight of approximately 350 pounds. A feeling of shame overtook her, and she lost touch with her family and friends during this period.
While Gabriella faced many challenges, she was determined to overcome them and create a better life for herself. With her tenacity, she lost over 160 pounds and transformed her self-image and mindset. To encourage women to abandon dieting permanently, she established Self Image Studio. Rather than focusing exclusively on food, she helps women challenge toxic patterns and beliefs regarding overeating and self-esteem. Gabriella recognizes that overeating and people-pleasing are survival tactics for many women who compensate for their lack of self-esteem. As part of her mission, she provides women with the tools they need to step into their true selves, tap into their inner wisdom, and regain their power.
A key determinant of Gabriella’s authenticity and empathy is her journey of overcoming personal challenges. Because of her first-hand experience of pain and adversity, she can deeply connect with her clients and provide a safe space for healing. Using her expertise in Mindset Coaching and Hypnotherapy, she has assisted women from all walks of life in making positive changes in their lives. Besides making a significant contribution to the lives of everyday women, her reputation has also attracted high-profile clients in the entertainment industry.
With the massive amount of women who believe they cannot devote time to self-care because of their obligations to work, family, and children – Gabriella has developed a solution to help these women regain power and prioritize their needs. Her view is that unwanted behaviors gradually shift over time as women take control of their lives, but this requires dedication, time, and effort. Through her coaching, she empowers women to shift their mindset and take control of their lives, allowing them to break free from the cycle of self-neglect and transform their lives for the better.
Gabriella has a bold vision for the future, where women can step into their strength and self-worth without being held back by societal pressures and limiting beliefs. Many women have been subjected to harmful narratives that glorify subservience and self-sacrifice, and she is determined to challenge this destructive paradigm. Utilizing her own story to inspire women and girls, she challenges old beliefs about self-worth and overeating. Continually relying on diets to feel “good enough” perpetuates self-hatred and addictive behaviors such as emotional eating, she believes. Providing her clients with long-term solutions, Gabriella assists them in letting go of toxic patterns with food and prioritizing transforming their self-image to achieve lasting benefits.
As she moves forward in her career, Gabriella hopes to share her teachings with a wider audience. With her programs, her focus is to assist women in discovering their inner power, taking control of their lives, and letting go of toxic patterns related to food and self-image. She aims to empower women to embrace who they truly are, replacing their old outdated perception of themselves and shifting their need for external validation. A testimony to the power of grit and self-assurance, her journey exemplifies how anyone can overcome hardship and thrive despite their circumstances.
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