praise
"Tessa has a gift in guiding transformatinal processes. She brings depth through her reflections and questions, and guided me with great sensitivity to my inner feelings"
- Maria L., Canada
"Her mentorship has shifted the way I preceive the world around me completely and how I care for my body with awareness to my sensatins and emotions despite my condition "
- Emily,the UK
"Dear Tessa, thank you for your guidance and inviting me to look so deep at my most vulnerable inner workings with such love, presence, neutrality, encouragement and humor. I never felt seen in these parts of my life"
- Lana, The Netherlands
"Before working with Tessa I was not able to connect with my surroundings as much as I'd liked to. She understood my need for overall awareness in daily life in a way I could not describe it myself. I loved the sessions a lot, There was a perfect mix of structure and unpredictable flow. I also felt really comfortable opening up to her, which is not obvious in a Zoom-call for me! But her energy was calm and warm.
Tessa's in-between session support was great. She replied in a timely manner when I needed it and she had elaborate notes to reflect on after each session. The whole of the trajectory was a powerful experience. It has transformed the way I connect to my environment. I feel that now I have the tools for it. I really appreciate My biggest take-away is that my body is here to help me, and that I'm happier when I listen to my body and nurture the physical aspects of my life (breathing, awareness). Before working with Tessa, I felt more like a walking brain. Now I'm more connected to my body. I'm more aware of what I do, of what I feel. I'm more connected to my senses and the world around me.Tessa is a perfect coach for everyone willing to learn about him/herself through the connection to their body"
- Lara J., Spain
"I don't know anybody with the embodied perspective on uniqueness, emotional wellbeing and on life like Tessa has"
- Nadia, Sydney
"Tessa offered practices and insights that I will take with me for the rest of my life"
- Christine P., Belgium
"I found Tessa through Instagram. Before working with Tessa my greatest challenge was how to trust my body, and how to set healthy boundaries for myself. I decided to reach out to Tessa because of her approach to life because of her knowledge and wisdom, her femininity and lovely way of being I saw online. She touched my heart with what she writes so beautifully and truthfully and I felt she was the one that could help me with my own personal growth.
I look back on our sessions with a grateful heart, thankful for every single session with her. This I will treasure for the rest of my life. She was always available for questions popping up in-between sessions, giving thorough replies for me to work on.
My overall experience of the mentorship journey is that the journey in a way felt sacred. It was a journey from outward stress of everything I ‘should’ do to be better, to finding my way into my inner self; trusting my body and all it does, learning how to listen to it, and embracing myself. I have found my inner being more, trusting and treasuring my body, mind and soul. She has taught me ways to find embodiment in daily rituals for me to be less stressed, surrounding myself and others with a calm presence. I see things differently through coaching with Tessa and separate others’ behaviors towards me from my own worthiness and belief of myself. And now as I have been confronted with a severe untreatable diagnosis, I find my self in peace, knowing that I will be alright no matter what will happen to my body. That is a true gift! Tessa has so much to offer to the world. Her kind and loving heart and desire to help others find what lies within themself, is a great gift to anyone seeking coaching with her. She has an in-depth knowledge on so many levels which will help her clients with their personal growth. I could not recommend her greatly enough, with all that she is and has to offer. "
- Inger Anne, Norway
"What I have learned through coaching with Tessa is to stay close to myself and less with others’ needs. To connect with both myself and the other through my power and ability to emphasize. Not from the fear of ‘not being good enough’. First this fear was anchored in my head, and obstructed me to live more from my heart. Through beautiful techniques and methods, Tessa guided me to uncover layers within me. By feeling my body, breathing, meditations and visualizations. Powerful tools. I can just BE more. Thank you so much, Tessa."
- Iris van D., The Netherlands
“Tessa works with very interesting views on the body. She constantly focussed on what was going on in my body while we talked. The techniques and tools she used were mind-blowing sometimes, and I forgot time completely. She had a loving way of questioning me directly with the harder questions and I think she dares to ask through the uncomfortable really well. I liked that she shared her own experiences as well, it gave me insight into how to approach physical symptoms in a whole new way. I learned so much about myself and got to a new morning routine that actually feels feasible. Thanks Tessa!!!"
- Nora F., The UK
"Tessa is a warm person who listens really well. She had a loving way of questioning me directly with the harder questions and I think she dares to ask through the uncomfortable really well. I got so many insights into my own trauma and beliefs about it in the coaching trajectory that I did with her. We worked on the beliefs around how I look at my body and she gave me practices to do in daily life that help. I look at my body with more love even on the harder days.”
- Nathalie C., USA
“I found Tessa through IG as she has the same condition as I have. I decided to work with Tessa as I want to increase my body confidence. I wanted to stop feeling like I hid my appearance. I wanted to learn how to more openly express my emotions to relate to myself (my skin) and people around me (especially my parents) in a better way. The sessions gave me much insight. I felt safe to express my emotionsand my tears - releasing my feelings. I am much more interested in myself and my selfcare, and excited to explore more. I liked Tessa's holistic approach and structure to the sessions. Tessa created next session based on what I wrote (my most recent situation) which was great. I appreciate the most I was able to express my emotion. At the same time what I learned in the sessions are practices that are not too difficult or too easy, and easy to apply for me."
- Risako, The UK
"Tessa taught me a beautiful way of looking at my skin as the portal between my inner and my other world, and how to utilize my skin metaphorically to set boundaries for my inner and outer world"
- Eliana, USA
"Tessa's expertise on visibility is worth so much, especially becausse of the embodied way she teaches to embrace my visibility"
- Sophie, The Netherlands
"I felt like Tessa's work is a balance of everything I longed for; gentle, inviting, profoundly philosophical, poetic at times, and with a sort of soft structured directionality, and also, humor"
- Jason, Canada
"After a 3-month journey with Tessa, I continue to come back with sessions every now and then. It helps me stay with what I intend to embody in this world, and to stay comfortable within my own skin. She always attunes to the moment in my life"
- Kristen, USA
""Tessa's knowledge of wisdom tradtions seems endless and her guidance nourishes me and has me feel presence in life"
- Jo-Anne, USA
Given my own lived experience with a physical difference and multicultural background, I chose to work with Tessa because I deeply resonated with her transparency about her life story, academic expertise, and use of somatic methodology.
Now that my 3-month journey has come to a close, I look back on our sessions with fondness and immense gratitude. What I deeply appreciate about her coaching style is that she doesn’t view every symptom or thought that you have as a problem that needs to be ‘fixed’. Her no-shame approach really allowed me to open up and not become demotivated when I was experiencing intense sensations. During our first container, we went on a deeply healing exploration of the inner child and walked through an incredibly transformative grieving process. This served as a great primer for the second container that followed, where I leaned into the relationship between my body and the outside world, as well as learned how to cultivate intimacy with others.
The growth that I’ve experienced in these three short months has been nothing short of remarkable 一 worth more than any other therapy I have done so far. I can still remember our very first session together, where I felt panicked, numb and frustrated because I could barely articulate any of my feelings. Now, I can confidently say that I know how to unabashedly advocate for my own self-care and assert pleasure as my birthright. I feel more embodied than I’ve ever been, and in fact, it would actually be dishonest for me to say that Tessa helped bring me back to my body...because Tessa brought me home to my body for the first time in my life.
Working with Tessa has absolutely been one of the most pivotal moments in my personal growth journey, and whether you have a physical difference or not, I would highly recommend working with her for heartfelt insights (pun intended) and free-flowing transformation."
- Erin, USA
"I came to Tessa as I felt stuck in my journey to better accept myself and my facial difference. I wanted to get to know myself better and get tools to support my own acceptance and my full potential. I found Tessa and To Face The World by searching for others with a visible difference. Her work immediately interested me. There are not many people who have an expertise in working with people the way Tessa has. I attented some of her masterclasses and I could see her mastery of the subject, her sensitivity and professionalism. which quickly earned my trust
The mentorship was such a rewarding experience. I felt understood, respected, and confident to address sensitive topics.
For me the biggest change is that I feel that I can move forward again in acceptance and living better. I have a better knowledge of myself. And new tools to help me move forward in the pursuit of my journey."
- Nicolas, Canada
