Nurture your food and body relationship.
Establish tools to help navigate unwanted behaviours.
Cultivate awareness and empower yourself.
Hi! I am Kirsten Hunneyball, Peer Recovery and Life Coach based in Ballito, KZN. Having lived experience with an eating disorder, ADHD, and trauma, I am passionate about helping people reconnect with their empowered selves and navigate life's challenges.
I understand that self-improvement and recovery from disordered food and body behaviours is a complicated process and that you will need support every step of the way. It is important for you to have a professional who understands the physical, mental, emotional and even spiritual elements that underlie disordered food and body behaviours and who can help you establish a life that better reflects who you are without limiting beliefs and unhelpful coping mechanisms for life’s stressors.
Coaching can be a very effective tool in your process, however it is important to note that I am not a therapist or medical professional. My approach is within a coaching framework. I use methodologies such as mindfulness, meditation, nervous system regulation, accountability, somatic embodiment techniques, and spiritual development to help you deal with triggers and challenges. I will also help to equip you with empowering practical tools to utilize on a day-to-day basis so that you can show up to life as your most authentic and best self. Philosophies that align with my value system include that of Intuitive Eating, All Foods Fit, Anti-Diet, HAES, and Bottom-Up approaches to healing.
Because recovery from disordered food and body behaviours is complex, and needs to be met on a biopsychosocial level, you might find the need for external support as well. The process of recovery might include dieticians, therapists, medical doctors, support groups, and more depending on your individual needs. If needs be, I will consult and collaborate with any other medical and psychological support systems you have in order to help address you as a whole rather than to isolate any one form of treatment for recovery so that you can move into a culture of lasting recovery. Coaching is not seen as the "be all and end all" of the healing process and your journey may require a multidisciplinary approach. I am happy to refer you out to professionals within my network if you need it.
Certifications: Basic Addiction Counsellor Certificate. (BACC - ACCSA) Please note I am not practising as a counsellor, this is a CPD training.
Polyvagal Informed Felt-Sense Model (FSPM) for Trauma and Addiction Certficate. (Jan Winhall, Polyvagal Institute)
Peer Addictions Recovery Coach. (U-ACT)
"Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy" Coaching (EDIT) Bronze Level. (Dr. Dorie EDIT)
Life and Wellness Coach. (TriFocus Academy)
Trauma Sensitive Yoga Return to Presence Facilitator. (Candice Clark )
Yoga 200hr YTT Yoga Teacher. (Yoga Renew)
Advanced Special Populations Group Personal Trainer. (TriFocus Academy)
Working toward:
SACC - Specialist Addictions Counselling Certification (ACCSA)
Clinical Somatic Exercise Practitioner. (Somatic Movement Center)
I am a BAPSA member which means that I commit to upholding ethical standards in my field of work. I also maintain my own professional development through 1:1 personal therapy, 1:1 counselling supervision with a registered counsellor, and continued education.
I am not saying that the journey will be easy, but it will be worth it. If you are willing to put in the work, and are open-minded as to how we do that, I believe you are well on your way to a happier, healthier you.
Recovery and Life Coaching *recommended method
Speaking Events | Weekend Live-in Intensives
Breathwork and Meditation | WhatsApp Accountability Coaching
Family/Carer Support | Trauma Sensitive Yoga
I work primarily with people 16+ years old who struggle with disordered food and body relationships. I do not work with people who are in need of primary in-patient care, but am able to direct you to the necessary facilities/professionals to assist you at this stage. You should be willing and committed to the process in order for our work together to be beneficial.
A coach acts as an adjunct to conventional therapeutic methods and medical professionals. I am here to help encourage and support you through real life day-to-day living. I help you with a solutions based mindset and aim to act as a role model for the kind of life you want to cultivate. I am able to connect by sharing my experience as well as help you navigate goals that will support your healing journey. I am your Thinking Partner, Motivator, Truth-Teller, Problem Navigator, Resource Broker, Lifestyle Consultant and Loyal Ally. I help you learn how to empower yourself in order to navigate your way through the external elements of life, as well as integrating your internal environment tso that you can deal with things in the here and now.
Recovery is three-fold. Nutritional Rehabilitation, Neural Re-wiring and Soul Re-nourishing. The nutrtition part will be handled by dieticians, nutritionists etc. Where I step in is challenging mindsets, helping you connect with your values and authentic self, and set goals toward creating a life that feels more aligned to your Healthy Self where you can become free from agonizing obsession with food and your body, can learn how to cope with things that once seemed impossible, gain empowerment through taking personal responsibility for your life and feel a greater sense of overall peace. It is a place of self-acceptance, where you no longer turn to destructive behaviour to manage emotions and situations. This is done through 1:1 coaching sessions, practical goal setting, accountability, and connection between sessions for futher encouragement and support.
Anyone who claims to be able to "cure" disordered eating, is likely not telling the truth. Recovery is a complex and non-linear process which requires perseverance, committment, and compassion. I cannot guarentee an outcome that is based on such a large variety of factors. However, what I can guarantee is that the degree of your efforts to show up for yourself every step of the way in this process will be directly proportional to your ability to transform your current state. I believe that my personal experience helps me understand how to guide you step by step toward a more peaceful and fulfilling life, but it is up to you to do the work.
Each person is unique, and therefore their treatment approach needs to be as well. After an initial free 20 minute assessment, we will determine the best course of action for you and calculate your costs involved.
Unfortunately I am not contracted to any medical aid scheme.
"Kirsten is absolutely brilliant. She has this incredible gift of wisdom, which she uses to help others inside and outside the therapy room. She has the most caring and compassionate personality, which radiates from her. After seeing multiple psychologists, Kirsten was the person that's got me into recovery from my eating disorder and guided me every step of the journey. I would highly recommend her if you are struggling with anything. Kirsten gave me a whole new perspective on life and what it means to live. She has transformed my thinking and views of the world and helped make me a better person. I am truly grateful for all of Kirstens' amazing work."
Micaela (Client, South Africa)
"Kirsten is so professional yet warm and relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed my online consultation with her today and learnt so much about myself and how to practically achieve my goals. I didn’t realize how much I needed this session and how much it would change my thinking and perspective around health, food and my general well being. Thank you so much Kirst. You are just wonderful. I can highly recommend Kirst."
Jade S (Client, South Africa)
"So, I met Kirst during a very tumultuous stage of my life where I was looking to make a drastic lifestyle change mentally and physically. I was quite anxious, on edge and generally unhappy. Through sessions with Kirsten we started to explore the root of what was really making me experience these feelings, the underlying issues that needed to be addressed as well the possibility of tackling these challenges head on. My thinking processes started to change during our journey through my experiences which drastically changed how I viewed certain situations and how I tackled tough experiences. I cannot thank Kirst enough for helping me to find my calm, build a stronger inner vision of myself and become a better version of Sharon."
Sharon Visagie (Owner of Velveteen Confectionary, Durban, South Africa)
"I cannot adequately put into words how invaluable myself and Dean found your workshop. As you could tell from our discussions during sessions, we have both felt on the periphery of his daughters’ therapy and struggle. As much as we know that this is not something we can necessarily change, we knew that we had to get some form of insight (fast). This is where your sessions were an absolute saving grace. Now, we feel empowered and better equipped to deal with certain situations and to understand what she is going through.
In the first session, you taught us more about ED’s in the first 45 minutes than any other professional in the past year. Dean told his daughter that we were doing the workshop and her response to it was very positive. I believe just knowing that we have a bit more insight into what it is she’s experiencing has had a positive impact on her."
Chantal (Attended a 5 Day Eating Disorder Workshop to learn more to support her daughter’s journey.)
"Kirsten tuned into me more clearly than I was able to ever do for myself. She helped make conscious a really hidden part of myself and channelled so clearly the issue and how to solve it in a loving gentle way. I was honestly left in awe after our session from her clarity in her channelling exactly what needed to come through."
Cameron Craig (Former Co-Founder of Learning Space, Hanoi, Vietnam)
"After more than 20 years of a severe eating disorder with lots of in and outpatient experiences, I thought I knew everything about how to treat eating disorders. I hired Kirsten as a coach to implement what I already assumed to know about the "cure" to my problems. From the first appointment, Kirsten brought in her unique, holistic approach that deeply transformed my approach and understanding of healing. Kirsten is very intelligent, knowledgeable and professional and has an impressive wealth of tools from a wide range of fields. She integrates techniques that work on the mental, emotional and spiritual level and adjusts to the exact treatment of the individual's needs. She knows a lot about the essential psychology of eating disorders and the physical and nutritional rehabilitation elements as well. Her way of coaching is authentic, balanced and deeply compassionate. She knows how to challenge the eating disorder while holding and supporting the client when the triggers cause confusing emotional states. I never felt forced to change something I wasn't ready to, but the immense inner change saw me witnessing a huge behavioural change along with it as well. She has an incredible workbook that supports the healing process even further. I can highly recommend Kirsten as a Cach as she touched and transformed my life forever. I cannot thank her enough."
E. (Client, Germany)
"When I went to Kirsten, I walked in like a whirl wind with a billion questions going from left to right, up and down and back again! She is so calm and collected, listening to each and every blown up manifestation I came up with!! She gave me advice and distractions to help me process what I’ve been going through! I definitely think about what she teaches me after our sessions, and she has definitely helped me step out of my dark cloud and into the light! I found myself coming back to her many times. She has made a difficult situation so much better and helped me manage my thoughts and emotions! Best and only life coach I will be coming to! If not to just listen, to talk, to get advice, to encourage and lighten the load. She really has helped me step back and reassess myself into a better mindset. Thanks Kirsten"
Christie Hunt (Owner of Wink Lashes, Ballito)
""What a wonderful, truly life changing experience. I went in thinking I knew what I needed to change to get my life where I wanted, but boy I had no idea what Kirsten had in store with me. She is so incredibly easy to talk to and honestly she changed my life and taught me many very valuable lessons. I am so thankful for all that she has done for me!"
Elaine Mulder (PR Rep at Johnston & Partners, South Africa)
