Andrea Hunt’s journey into coaching and mentoring is deeply personal and transformative.
In a recent interview with MysticMag, she shared how her background in media and communications led her to seek a more meaningful career path, one that allows her to help people directly. Discovering Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) during a stressful period in her life became a pivotal moment, sparking her interest in guiding others through their emotional and personal challenges.
With a focus on emotional health and empowerment, Andrea’s practice is dedicated to helping clients overcome self-sabotage, fear, and limiting beliefs, enabling them to achieve personal growth and success.
EFT Tapping, short for Emotional Freedom Technique Tapping, is a simple method that combines Eastern medicine and modern psychology. It involves gently tapping on specific acupuncture points on the body while articulating problems and negative emotions. When we tap on them, it sends a calming signal to the brain and calms the body’s nervous system, helping to quickly and painlessly reduce stress, fears, and negative feelings, and lessen the emotional charge of past events. Tapping is able to lower the stress hormone cortisol in the body and change how the brain processes emotions. Many people find that EFT Tapping helps them feel better when they’re worried, sad, or upset. EFT Tapping is even used in clinical settings showing that it can be helpful for anxiety, depression, and even physical pain. It’s an easy-to-learn technique that anyone can try at home, making it a popular self-help tool for emotional well-being. For deeper issues such as confidence and past situations, working with a practitioner is most helpful.
What inspired you to start your coaching and mentoring practice?
I’ve always been a natural motivator and someone who enjoys being around people. As a good listener, my Myers-Briggs type is ENFP, known as “The Campaigner,” which made the transition into coaching feel quite natural. My background is in media and communications, but I reached a point where I wanted to pursue something more meaningful. While I still love writing and media work, I desired a career that allowed me to help people more directly.
My own healing journey played a significant role in this decision. I discovered EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) tapping about 12 years ago while pursuing my master’s degree in Munich, Germany. As an older student, I struggled with the stress of studying, especially during finals week when I had multiple tests. I was overwhelmed and unable to sleep or focus.
In desperation, I came across a video by Brad Yates, a renowned EFT practitioner, titled “Fear and Panic Right Now.” Although skeptical at first, I tried the tapping exercise and felt a slight improvement. I continued the practice and eventually felt grounded and in control. This experience led me to explore EFT further, applying it to various aspects of my life, such as managing stress, enhancing sleep, and boosting confidence.
In 2020, like many others, I was laid off due to the pandemic. This challenging period became an opportunity for change. I decided to pursue a coaching certification with ANIMAS, a UK program, which I completed online during the lockdown. The certification allowed me to help clients with emotional health and confidence issues. However, I realized that combining EFT with transformational coaching would be even more effective. This realization led me to become certified in EFT as well, enabling me to offer a holistic approach to my clients.
Starting my coaching business was a way to integrate these tools, helping people overcome self-sabotage, fear, and other challenges as they work toward their goals. It’s about empowering individuals to move beyond their comfort zones and achieve personal growth and success.
Can you describe the core principles of your coaching approach?
Sure. The core principles of my coaching approach focus on emotional health and empowerment and confidence.
Emotional Health: This is a foundational element that is often overlooked by business coaches. When you push yourself out of your comfort zone, it’s natural to experience stress and fear. These responses are very real for your nervous system, which aims to keep you safe. Therefore, even if you want to achieve something, internal barriers might hold you back. For instance, if you start your day feeling grounded, perhaps through meditation or other practices, and encounter a small setback, you’re more likely to handle it calmly. However, if you’re already stressed and overwhelmed, the same setback can feel catastrophic.
To manage this, I teach my clients how to use EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) tapping. This method helps them recalibrate and release stress throughout the day. Whether dealing with a difficult email from a boss or a rude interaction, EFT can help you maintain emotional stability and resilience, allowing you to respond rather than react.
Empowerment and Confidence: The second principle is about building empowerment and confidence. Many people carry insecurities from past experiences, often tied to childhood. For example, a negative experience in school, such as being criticized in front of peers, can create a lasting fear of public speaking. This fear might resurface years later when faced with a similar situation, like presenting at work.
Through EFT tapping, clients can articulate and release these fears, allowing them to build new, positive experiences. For instance, starting with a small step, like speaking up in a meeting, can help break the cycle of fear and build confidence. Over time, these small wins accumulate, creating a new narrative of self-efficacy and confidence.
Together, these principles help address common challenges like Imposter Syndrome, fear of failure, and even fear of success. Many people fear that achieving success will bring new challenges they can’t handle, potentially leading to loss and criticism. My approach helps clients navigate these fears, empowering them to take positive steps forward. The results I’ve seen in my clients are incredibly inspiring and gratifying, demonstrating the power of combining emotional health with empowerment and confidence.
How do you help clients achieve personal and professional growth?
First, when I work with clients in a coaching and EFT tapping package, we begin with a life audit. This involves assessing different areas of their lives, such as health and wellness, finances, personal relationships, and professional goals and intentions. I ask them to rate their satisfaction in these areas and identify which three aspects are most important for their professional aspirations and personal goals.
Next, we explore what actions are needed to improve these areas. This process often reveals that clients have many intentions and goals but are holding themselves back in some way. For example, someone might express a desire to start a side business, like an Etsy shop or publishing a book, but then cite reasons like lack of time or family responsibilities for not progressing.
When we delve deeper, it often becomes clear that the real barriers are internal. They might fear judgment from colleagues or worry about not being taken seriously. There’s usually a critical internal voice questioning their worthiness or right to pursue these goals. Once we identify these self-imposed blocks, we use EFT tapping to address the underlying fears and limiting beliefs, which often stem from past experiences or messages received during childhood.
For instance, a client might have seen a colleague face negative consequences for taking a risk, which taught them to avoid similar actions. Or they may have experienced a single event, like being insulted by a boss or being fired, which undermined their confidence and left them feeling incapable.
Through tapping, we work to release these negative emotions and beliefs, allowing the client to move forward. The process also includes setting concrete goals and creating a plan to achieve them. We focus on taking measurable steps, building new evidence of their capabilities, and fostering a more positive self-image. This approach helps clients make real progress in their personal and professional lives, breaking through the barriers that have held them back.
What types of programs and services do you offer?
Sure, I offer three main types of programs. The first is a single EFT session. This is perfect for someone who’s curious about EFT and wants to experience it with a practitioner, especially if they’ve only seen YouTube videos before. While YouTube videos can be helpful for general issues like stress or sadness, working with a practitioner provides a more personalized approach, especially for deeper or more specific issues. This one-hour session can help with anything from overcoming a block or resistance to understanding why someone might be self-sabotaging.
The second offering is a package of only EFT sessions, which is ideal for addressing specific, targeted topics. For example, someone might want to build confidence in public speaking, work on body image issues, recover from a divorce, or manage anger towards their teenagers. This package helps clients become more intentional and internally grounded.
The third program, which I’m currently offering as a special, is Transformational Coaching combined with EFT tapping. This program is particularly powerful because it combines the clarity and intentionality of coaching with the emotional release techniques of EFT. Clients can identify what they truly want, uncover why they aren’t pursuing it, and address limiting beliefs like imposter syndrome or perfectionism. This program consists of six 90-minute sessions over six weeks, providing a comprehensive transformation experience.
Additionally, I offer workshops on relatable topics like limiting beliefs, overcoming the fear of judgment, and dealing with comparison. While most of my work is currently conducted online via Zoom, I also hold some in-person workshops in Munich. Starting my business online during the pandemic has allowed me to connect with clients worldwide.
Can you share a success story or a particularly impactful client transformation?
Absolutely. There are several stories that really stand out to me. Two main examples come to mind where I felt I made the most significant impact.
The first story involves a client who had been bullied in her youth for being overweight. This bullying had left a lasting impression on her, and even though she was in her 40s and a confident businesswoman in most areas, she still felt self-conscious about going to the gym. She feared being judged and labeled as “the fat girl,” a label that had stuck with her since her teenage years.
In our sessions, we focused on releasing the negative emotions tied to those past experiences. We worked on diminishing the intensity of the shame and humiliation she felt from being bullied. It was crucial to help her realize that anyone who would criticize her for trying to improve her health was likely unhappy with themselves. People who are confident and content don’t feel the need to put others down. We also addressed her internalized judgment and fear of comparison, helping her understand that she belonged at the gym just as much as anyone else.
By the end of our work together, she reached a point where she felt empowered to go to the gym, not caring about potential judgments from others. She realized that she was doing this for herself and that no one else had the right to decide whether she belonged there. The transformation was profound; she even bought a new gym outfit and began a consistent exercise routine. The best part was that her fears of being criticized never materialized—no one judged her, and she felt more confident in herself.
The second story involves inner child work, which I find incredibly powerful. This approach helps clients address childhood experiences that continue to impact their confidence and well-being. For instance, we might revisit a memory where a client felt humiliated as a child, such as being laughed at during a school presentation. Through tapping and visualization, we work on healing that inner child, allowing them to release feelings of shame and fear.
One client, in particular, had been carrying unresolved emotions from childhood events for years. Using inner child work, they were able to significantly reduce the emotional charge associated with these memories. This process enabled them to think about their past without the accompanying anger, sadness, or embarrassment, leading to a profound sense of peace and healing.
These are just two examples of the many transformations I’ve witnessed. It’s always incredibly rewarding to see clients let go of long-held pain and begin to thrive.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start their journey of self-improvement?
The first thing I would advise is to focus on your emotional health and the habits surrounding it. It’s essential to have control over your emotional well-being because it influences every aspect of your life. Managing stress is crucial, as numerous studies show how stress can negatively impact our physical health, including issues like stomach problems, chronic pain, migraines, and disrupted sleep and eating patterns.
Next, it’s important to understand confidence and be honest with yourself about why you might lack confidence in certain areas. Reflect on where these feelings come from—are they rooted in something you were told as a child, or perhaps influenced by societal norms, academic institutions, religion, or politics? Sometimes we accept these beliefs without questioning them, like the idea that people should be married by a certain age. It’s vital to examine whether these beliefs are actually true and whether they make sense for you.
Understanding these beliefs and recognizing where you might be holding yourself back is key. This is where EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) can be particularly powerful. It helps you address and release fears, insecurities, and feelings of not being good enough, which are common even among successful people. Recognizing that everyone has moments of doubt or imposter syndrome is important.
By being honest with yourself about the areas you need to work on, you can continuously grow and learn. It’s also crucial to show yourself compassion, be empathetic towards your own journey, and stay motivated. Self-improvement is an ongoing process, and empowering yourself along the way is key.
So, in summary, work on your emotional health and confidence, and don’t be afraid to question and re-evaluate long-held beliefs. This approach will help you move forward in your journey of self-improvement.
Find more at: www.dreahunt.com
