"I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity
to learn from you." M.C.
Mia Angela Barbera has passionately and skillfully guided individuals toward a healthier and more joyful existence for decades. She coaches, speaks, writes, teaches and consults on sustaining aliveness and well-being, emotionally, physically, cognitively and socially. Clients embody pro-active life coping skills that create confidence and clarity, determination and dignity, self-compassion and ease.
Credentials
Certified Ontological Coach
International Coach Federation Certified Coach
M.S Exercise Physiology
B.S. Applied Behavioral Science
Competitive Ballroom Dancer
American College of Sportsmedicine Certified
Author and Speaker
Mindfulness practitioner and Applied Mindfulness Trainer
Photography, Art Institute of Chicago and Miksang
Cerificate in Non-Fiction Writing
I partner with clients to walk away from a life built on habit,
And live each moment skillfully and authentically, and as if it really matters.
When you intellectualize life, it will eventually come to a dead end.
Suzuki Roshi
Mia's Background and Approach
Mia works with individuals, employee wellness programs, and medical, corporate and community organizations to move through obstacles, and move gracefully toward their goals. Mia started her first Wellness Resource Center in 1980.
As manager, coach and trainer, Mia ran the Overlake Hospital Fitness Center and Senior Fitness programs for 15 years, while training personal trainers in local colleges. She coached, trained and consulted with individual and group clients to move toward a variety of goals. Clients were referred by physicians and her team of allied health professionals. Her balance and agility program was documented in the Seattle Times as was her ski school. In business, she developed a cross country ski area, named one of 10 best in the country, and a nationally recognized ski school, while serving as education chairman for Professional Ski Instructors of America. In wellness, she has taught, and followed research in stress management and the field of "wellness" since the 1980s. In artistry, skill and achievement, her passion for ballroom dance competition took her to the east coast, Canada, and to Italy where she studied with the world champion and where she enjoys time with family in the land of La Dolce Vita. Her book, Moments of Sanity, displays her photography. She wrote the Rails To Trails guidebook and was a member of the North American Snowsport Journalist Association.
Mia loves to laugh, dance, meditate, write, savor asthetics and great food and to be creative in the interest of life-changing service to others. Her most prestigious dance trophy was acheived through what she calls practices of mindful passion.
Aliveness can be found at the junction of passion and clarity.
Clients are saying -
"This is by far the most beneficial coaching I have ever had" W.F.
“It is always nice to hear you speak because you know your field so well.” Carol
“I have experienced changes to my life; new thoughts and approaches to
how I do things. applicability to all facets of life, personal and professional.
Please keep offering this class – it was very helpful!” I.P.
“Dear Mia, after one session, I was able to have the necessary communications,
and boy is that a weight off! I felt more at ease than I had previously
expected to. You are a great asset to our hospital!” M.C.
"...I greatly appreciate the way you taught class. The enthusiasm you displayed and the way you were willing to work with individuals (especially me) on their particular needs and desires." Larry