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Dawn D. Zitney 

She|Her(s)

M.Ed., NBC-HWC, RYT

My passion for health and wellness began more than two decades ago while working in college health. As a trained counselor and board-certified wellness coach, I started one of the first collegiate wellness coaching programs in the country at the University of New Hampshire. I have supported hundreds of students and employees in discovering their version of optimal wellness and happiness.

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​I am also a skilled teacher of yoga and mindfulness meditation. Whether you're struggling with stress or simply want to optimize your wellbeing, I am here to help.​

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Master's Degree, Education & Counseling

National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach 
Yoga Instructor 

Adjunct Faculty, University of New Hampshire 

Logo Blue and White National Board Certified - Health and Wellness Coach
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My Story, My Approach. 

Wellness isn’t a commodity to be bought. What you need is already inside you. What you’ve been missing is a compassionate partner to help you turn towards yourself. In wellness coaching, I metaphorically sit beside you and help you discover the power of being able to start again and again so that you can move closer to your own authenticity and wisdom.

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My life’s journey has been much like yours. There have been endless moments of transitions, grief, growth, and joy. I’m continuing to learn, through repetition and practice, to embody my life’s experiences, sit and then move through the grief, trust and feel joy, and have the courage to keep moving forward.

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My journey has made me who I am. People often describe me as someone who is authentic, compassionate, smart, trustworthy, confident, funny, and a good person. They’re right. Whether I am sitting across from someone in wellness coaching, teaching a yoga class, guiding a meditation, or leading a wellness workshop, I bring my whole self — my authentic self. To get here, I had to learn how to ease my grip on life. BTW, I am still learning. 

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I learned about starting again when I began meditating. In meditation, when (not if) the mind wanders, you notice the mind has wandered and bring it back to the anchor of your awareness. The first time I heard this instruction, it was a powerful moment of insight. Life, like my meditation, wasn’t supposed to be about perfection. I felt my body release as I recognized that it was okay to fail, to try something new, to start again. I recognized the moments I had started again and felt proud. And, I sat with compassion for all the moments I was afraid to start again. I held the totality of my experience in my heart and body.

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Living curiously and on purpose is a call to action to be willing to start again. Release thought patterns that are holding you back so that you can make room for thought patterns that help you see more clearly. Shed behaviors to make room for behaviors that help you be well. Let go of relationships to make room for real love. Move away from reacting to life so that you can skillfully respond to life — on your own terms.

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I call you to action:

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Step into your courage.

Sit with your vulnerability.

See clearly and feel fully.

Know you have the capacity to be with your whole self.

Feel that what you need is already inside you.
Cultivate your wisdom.

Move towards your version of wellness.

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We can embark on this process together. You have the capacity to be well. 

Wellness Coaching Honors the Totality of Your Well-Being. 

I use a well-being framework I co-developed at the University of New Hampshire. A well-being framework understands that context, communities, policies/laws, identities, and values play a significant role in our ability to experience well-being. Wellness is the ways in which you care for yourself via the eight dimensions: 

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Wellness Wheel with nine dimensions emotional, physical, spritual, social, environmental, sexual, occupational, intellectual

Wellness Coaching Can Help You Make Lasting Change. 

Some common reasons you may benefit from a wellness coach:   
 

  • Support your health and wellness with lasting behavior change​

  • Cope with chronic illness

  • Cope with life's stressors and transitions 

  • Enhance your emotional wellness 

  • Build social connections 

  • Enhance coping skills 

  • Communicate assertively 

  • Make decisions with confidence 

  • Enhance sexual well-being*

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* I specialize in inclusive and comprehensive sex education and sexual well-being, helping clients boost their sexual wellness to experience pleasure and connection. I do not treat sexual trauma. 

Wellness Coaching Isn't Therapy.

My goal is to create a therapeutic alliance so you can build your confidence, move closer to your authenticity, and make lasting change. 

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​As a board-certified wellness coach I...

  • recognize that you are the expert in your life;

  • don't treat or diagnosed mental illnesses (e.g., anxiety, depression); 

  • use a forward thinking process; 

  • guide you in focusing on your strengths and values; 

  • ground my approach in science, not quick fixes or trends;

  • support you in holding space for the totality of your wellness; 

  • understand that the communities where we live, work, and play impact our well-being; 

  • incorporate mindfulness and self-compassion;

  • practice cultural humility and work from a social justice framework; 

  • can collaborate with your other health care providers.

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​If during our work together I believe you would be better supported in therapy, I will let you know and offer appropriate referrals.

“I am the only one who can tell the story of my life and say what it means.” 

- Dorothy Allison, Author 

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