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MY OWN PATH THROUGH HEALING SHOWED ME THE POWER OF EMBODIED PRESENCE, SAFETY, COURAGE, TRUTH & EXPRESSION.

Essena Pietragalla

ABOUT

Essena embodying feminine sensuality aliveness playfulness beside a beautiful tree

I'm devoted to awakening the vibrant life force that moves through you - creating space for your authentic self to emerge, heal, radiate, and thrive.

Waterfall

"I believe in the transformative power of self-discovery self-expression and personal growth. Each individual possesses true self energy, aliveness, strengths, experiences, and aspirations waiting to be discovered and honoured."

WHY WORK WITH ME?

1.

SAFE, SUPPORTIVE & EMPOWERING SPACE

I create a trauma-informed, non-judgmental, confidential space - where your whole self is welcomed, and you don't have to have it all figured out.

With deep attunement and care, I hold the container where your nervous system can soften, your truth can surface, and your power and self-trust can return.

I empower you to become your own embodied guide, and reconnect with embodied choice led by your true self.

Together we cultivate the kind of safety, that makes deep growth and authentic change possible and sustainable.

2.

​INTEGRATIVE
MIND
& BODY
MODALITIES

My coaching approach bridges the intelligence of the mind, with the wisdom of the body, and the expressiveness of your whole being.

My 1:1 work weaves psychology, neuroscience, somatics, somatic internal family systems, cognitive and somatic coaching modalities.

In some of my 1:1 work, group workshops and classes I fuse somatic coaching, with embodiment coaching, expressive, movement and flow arts (influenced by my experience and relationship with dance).

3.

TAILORED
&
INTUITIVE APPROACH

I believe every individual is unique. I strive to understand your specific needs, so we can support your growth. Together we honour your unique rhythm, and go at a pace you and your body are ready for.

I incorporate modalities and practices that resonate with and best serve you and your goals. For instance, movement is a part of somatic work, however, not everybody feels a connection to expressing and releasing through dance movement. I only add this as an option with those that do. 

A waterfall

MY CERTIFICATIONS

Mind-Body Coaching Certificate​

✵ The Embody Lab

Integrative Somatic Parts Work

Levels 1, 2 & 3

✵ The Embody Lab

Trauma-Informed Coach

✵ The Center for Healing

Somatic Practitioner Mentorship

✵ The Embody Lab

Healing Trauma with Peter Levine

✵ The Embody Lab

Advanced Life Coaching

✵ The School of Natural Health Sciences

MY EDUCATION & TRAINING

Bsc (hons) Psychology​

​

✵

Working with Fear of Rejection​​

​

✵ NICABM

The Neurobiology of Trauma

✵ NICABM

Relational Life Therapy

Level 1

✵ Relational Life Institute/Terry Real

Advanced Master Program on Treatment of Trauma

✵ NICABM

How to Help Reduce Chronic Pain

✵ NICABM

MY CORE VALUES

Safety

Safety is one of our most fundamental needs. It's the foundation for healing, trust, and the ability to relax into our bodies and relationships. Without a sense of safety - vulnerability, intimacy, and authentic expression remain out of reach.
Safety isn't about avoiding discomfort, it's about knowing we can stay present and resourced within it.

Authenticity

Authenticity is the courage to live from your inner truth,
even when it's messy or inconvenient. It's not about always being the same, but about being real in each moment.
It means shedding old masks and roles to stand in who you really are, no matter who's watching.
It's an embodied integrity,
that says

"this is me and it's enough".

Free from pretense, or people pleasing. 

Freedom

Freedom is the spaciousness to be who we truly are and want to be, to choose how we move, relate, and express. Without apology or explanation.
It's found not in outer conditions, but in inner permission. Freedom emerges when we are no longer bound by fear, conditioning, or self-abandonment, and begin to trust ourselves again.
It's the moment when we stop outsourcing our worth, and move to the beat of our own drums. 
True freedom is not about escaping - it's about inhabiting your life fully, with presence an power

Connection

We are wired for connection. It's how we heal, grow, and remember that we belong. Connection invites us out of isolation, into intimacy with ourselves, others and the greater web of life. It's a felt experience of being seen, met and received just as we are.
We are also connected to and supported by all the nature animals and wildlife around us, and community.

Aliveness

Aliveness is vitality. 
It's the pulse of pleasure, pain, rage and stillness. The spark of desire. The flow of passion.
When we reconnect with our full emotional and sensory range, we feel more here, more human. Aliveness doesn't always mean feeling good, it means being in contact with grief and joy, contraction and expansion. Aliveness is what makes life rich and worth living.

Courage

Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the willingness to feel deeply and act anyway - in service of what really matters. 
It's a meeting point between intention and embodied action.
Courage is the capacity to be with fear and step into the gap between. To choose from something deeper - to act in alignment with our values and deepest intentions - even when our mind doubts or our nervous system comes online. Courage lives in big acts, and small radical ones e.g. breathing through discomfort, setting a boundary, revealing a part of our self that longs to be seen.

Expression

Expression is the unfolding of our inner world into form -through voice, words, emotions, movement, breath, sound, sensation, and story.
It's how we let others feel us, and how we reclaim parts of ourselves. True expression isn't about performance, it's about being honest in real time. It's the body saying "this is what true for me now". It's a liberation of the whole soma.

Growth

Growth is the ongoing journey of becoming. It is often non-linear, uncomfortable and deeply rewarding.

Its about unfolding what's already whole.

Shedding old skins and embracing our deeper layers and truths. 
Growth asks us to meet resistance, show up for ourselves honestly and consistently, stretch beyond what's familiar, and keep choosing what aligns with who we are becoming.

Dignity

Dignity is the inherent worth that lives in every body, every being. It's a birthright, even when the world tries to diminish or deny it. 
It's the quiet, unwavering strength of knowing you matter just as you are. It's felt in how we hold ourselves, how we let ourselves be seen and heard, our boundaries. How we relate to others with mutual respect, and without shrinking or overpowering. 
True dignity allows us to rise - not from ego, but from rooted self-respect. Reclaiming dignity is an act of healing and a return to wholeness.

Man and his dog, happy

NOAH H. / Los Angeles

"I feel so grateful to have connected with Essena. From an early age, I developed the habit of closing myself off from an emotionally immature family. This strategy has affected all other relationships in my life. During my very first session with Essena, I could literally feel my body begin to soften and become much less guarded. I quickly understood at a deep level, this is someone I feel safe with. From this powerful and supportive foundation, I was able to open up and work through a variety of goals and personal challenges with her. Essena's presence and skills as a coach have had a beautiful and meaningful impact on my life. "

© Essena Pietragalla 2025 - All rights reserved

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