Katerina Vujić: Helping Eliminate Roadblocks to Healthy Living

Katerina Vujić’s story is one of a metamorphosis - moving on from an intensely challenging chronic illness to becoming a healthier, happier, and increasingly thriving being. It was not easy for her, with little to no guidance or sense of direction, to reasonably pursue answers to the cause of her health issues when conventional medicine failed her. Not interested in the temporary medical band-aids offered to her, Katerina took matters into her own hands, which led her to discover functional medicine, health coaching, and ultimately, a better and healthier life.

Katerina received a comprehensive education at Skidmore College and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where she earned her bachelor’s in International Affairs and her Integrative Nutrition Health Coach Certificate, respectively. Her personal experience with long-term ill health, and the consequent desire to help others feel and live better lives while lending her strongest abilities as an empath, active listener, and truly objective guide, is what persuaded Katerina to become a health coach . She wanted to help others feel capable, energized, and alive, and experience for themselves what it is like to make significant, positive, and holistic health changes, faster and more easily than she did. 

Feeling Alive and Thriving

Katerina improved her health issues, which included vertigo, dizziness and lack of balance, neck and shoulder pain, poor sleep quality, fatigue, low energy, brain fog, and abdominal pain, among others, with the help of functional medicine. Functional medicine considers the body and its various systems working both individually, and as a whole, along with other aspects comprising one’s health either not touched upon, or given nearly enough attention in the conventional doctor’s office, including nutrition, relationships, career, social life, home environment, etc. Functional medicine also aims to address the root cause of a health issue, to help reverse the otherwise, conventionally viewed, “chronic” symptoms, and help bring the body back into a sustainable balance, sans the life-long drugs with side effects and the additional health complications they frequently create. Health coaches work solo, or alongside doctors or other healthcare providers, to assist people in making and sustaining the complex health, behavioral, and lifestyle changes necessary to meet their health goals.    

Katerina founded “Thrive Health Coaching” to help people make such real, positive, and sustainable progress in their health and lives, so they can pursue their dreams, without limitations. Her personal ill-health experience and evolution over the span of seven years, ongoing commitment to health education and self-growth, and sincere investment in her clients' growth, well-being, and a highly personalized level of care are what set her apart from other health coaches in the industry. Katerina understands that client knows their body better than anybody else, and with proper attention, accountability, tailored tools, and thoughtful guidance, they can grow into anything they desire. Her goal is to make people feel well-supported, clearly guided, and continually motivated, by being a caring and trustworthy resource for healthy habit development and self-sustaining growth.      

Holistically Healthier Living

For holistic health to be created, there first needs to be an adequate opportunity to achieve and maintain one’s well-being. For example, there needs to be enough time, energy, and desire, to care for the elements of your life which require it, such as exercise, fulfillment, relationships, joy, career , etc. Most people lack these conditions due to work-life imbalance, and adjustments need to be made to allow for the pursuit of a healthier state of being. A health coach will help you learn how to prioritize, implement, and maximize healthier changes for yourself, teach you strategies, and give you tools to sustain them long-term, so you not only feel as “balanced” as possible but can use your skills to sustain the life you desire.

With work pressure and the responsibilities of family life, women tend to experience this work-life imbalance the most. Katerina advises them to prioritize their health, first - not perfectly- but as much as is necessary to remain truly well, as without a state of sustainable, good health, doing everything else for yourself and for others will eventually become challenging or impossible. An open, positive, genuinely excited mindset is equally crucial to fuel your growth because it’s only about you, your body, and your health, and ultimately, feeling great and achieving your health and life goals will make you feel healthier, happier, and empowered to live your life as you deserve and need.     

Own Your Experience

Making long-term sustainable changes can bring excitement, hope, and inspiration. Seeking the help of a health coach may just be the right choice to take the next step forward toward your health transformation. It is important to find joy in the growing experience; not just in achieving transformation, or any end goal. The challenge of building your business is no exception, as neither is a cakewalk. “Appreciate all aspects of growth – fun and challenging – as valuable parts of the whole experience. It’s how you learn, feel, think, grow and change, that truly makes any endeavor of your choosing worthwhile. Make sure that the endeavor is what you truly want; release yourself from the expectations and values of others and be true to your own. These choices are what allow one to feel alive and thrive,” said Katerina .