Sharon Walt

I’ve always been interested in how things work, so I suppose that it was inevitable that I began studying System Design Engineering. Due to a chance course in biophysics I discovered that the human body was much more fascinating to me than a robot. That set me on a path to completing my doctorate in Applied Health Science/Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo (Canada). As a Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor for many years, I taught university students and conducted research on aspects of human health and movement. I was fortunate to work with many talented health professionals. I have authored/co-authored 17 research papers and over 35 conference papers.
A few years ago, I had a very personal experience with workplace stress and needed to make some changes. I consider myself lucky because that option was open to me; many people are not that fortunate. It took me a while to understand that it wasn’t stress alone that was the problem as we all have stress in our lives and some stress is necessary. It was my stress resilience – or lack of – that was the problem. Over that time, I realized that our medical and health system, while very good at dealing with acute medical conditions and trauma, doesn’t work well in dealing with chronic health conditions. Chronic disease is generally the result of behavioural and lifestyle choices over a long period of time and, unfortunately, there is no magic pill to cure it. I discovered health coaching – helping people make the behavioural and lifestyle changes required to achieve good health. As a Certified International Functional Medicine Health Coach, I now use my experience and expertise to review and summarize some of the current health research in nutrition, fitness, wellness, and weight-management. But, more importantly, I’m working with clients to help them achieve their visions for a healthy life.
I specialize in working with women who have autoimmune disorders such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis – it effects almost 10% of the population. As an autoimmune condition, it can be triggered by many factors such as stress, food sensitivities, toxins, infections, etc.
I work in an interactive and creative way to inspire clients to maximize their personal potential. Coaching is about looking at where a client is, where they’d like to be, what’s in the way, and how to remove those obstacles. Everyone is unique in their individual circumstances such as lifestyle (including family, friends, work, stress levels), or physiology (food sensitivities, metabolism, gut health, etc). One size does not fit all, so progress towards goals depends on finding the right strategies for each person.