Meet the Coach: Faiz Khaki

Faiz Khaki is a health coach in South West London and online

What attracted you to become a coach?

After dental treatment in 2013, my health gradually started to deteriorate. I was extensively investigated by a number of medical professionals in the UK over a three-year period without getting a proper diagnosis.

In January 2016, I ended up getting diagnosed in Canada biological dentist with cavitation of the jaw also known as 'NICO' which stands for Neuralgia-inducing cavitational osteonecrosis . Not many people including medical professionals seem to be aware of this debilitating illness. It can cause varied symptoms - namely, constant pain, fatigue, muscle pain, weakness, irritability, difficulty concentrating and digestive issues.

A month later, I had surgery in Texas - Marble Falls. Surgery mainly involved the surgeon scraping my jaw bones four separate sites under IV conscious sedation in order to remove anaerobic bacteria and their toxins.

Since then, I have implemented a number of modalities in order to improve my overall health: hot yoga - vinyasa flow, restorative yin yoga, Pilates, massage - Reiki, acupuncture, ozone treatment, chiropractor sessions, physiotherapy sessions, integrative health coaching, cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness, meditation, nutrition, walking, connecting with nature and reading books on trauma and coping with chronic pain.

Whilst undergoing these various complimentary therapies, I had the opportunity to take a step back, observe my own approach to health and reflect. Thankfully, I was able to take back control of my ongoing health concerns and find the right tools to successfully navigate my way through it all.

My ill-health experience sparked a tremendous amount of interest in me to want to help people make positive and sustainable changes to their lives. I have been fortunate to discover my true passion for people and witness first-hand the benefits of how subtle and incremental changes can really make a difference.

Where did you train?

After researching ways on how best to combine my passion for supporting people with their health and existing skill set with work, I came across health coaching and, eventually, Duke's Integrative Health Coach Professional Training Program. I was particularly interested in Duke's client-centred approach and application of mindfulness.

What kind of coaching do you offer?

I offer integrative health coaching where I partner with clients and empower them to make lasting behavioural changes that are the foundations of lifelong wellbeing. As part of that partnership:

• I guide clients through a beautiful process so that they can see clearly what health means to them and what makes their health really important. This includes giving them tools to be more present in the moment and handle stressful situations better
• clients consider where they are starting from and compare that to where they would like to be in different areas of their health e.g.: mind-body connection, rest, exercise, nutrition etc
• with that as our foundation, clients pick a place to start focus and we explore whether they are ready to change in the chosen area. If ready, we then set a goal together of what they would like to achieve over the next 3-6 months
• after clients set that goal, we break it down into realistic steps that clients can take in-between each of our sessions so that they keep moving toward their goal and make sure all of those steps fit into their real, busy life
• we may need to make some adjustments along the way as clients start to take those steps and move into action because we want to be informed by what clients learn. Clients will always be the expert on their own life and what works best for them.