Lief’s Head Coach, Nicole Foster, Shares Thoughts on the Transformative Effects of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback For Better Mental Health

Nicole is the Head Coach at Lief Therapeutics. She has a background in Psychology, holding a Master of Arts from Columbia University’s Spirituality Mind-Body Institute. She is also a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach and holds certificates in Plant-Based Nutrition and HRV Biofeedback.

Tell me about yourself

I’m a health coach, writer, dog-mom and self-proclaimed wellness enthusiast based in New Jersey. I’m always looking for ways to better myself in mind, body, and spirit, which is what led me to become a health and wellness coach. I’m a firm believer that we all have the capacity to feel better and live fuller, healthier lives and am honored to guide clients through the process.

What led you to becoming a Lief coach?

I believe that Lief’s impact on mental health and overall well-being is a game changer in our modern world. I was drawn to Lief because of the innovation behind pairing quantifiable HRV metrics with practical breathing exercises and clients’ own self-awareness. HRV helps you understand the physiological impact of stress, and HRV biofeedback empowers you to rewire your nervous system so you can self-regulate your stress response.

Pairing HRV biofeedback training with mindfulness building helps my clients harness their innate ability to feel better and do better for both their mind and body.  With the support of their dedicated Lief coach, clients can dig deeper into what’s getting in their way and receive personalized support to reach their health and wellness goals.

I’ve been using my Lief since November 2021, and since then I’ve become much more aware of my stress triggers. I’ve also integrated new and effective ways to take care of my mental and physical health, like implementing boundaries in different areas of my life and adding in more restorative movement.

What is your approach to Lief coaching?

Coaching is a collaborative partnership built on a foundation of trust between client and coach. I always encourage my clients to set the pace and share their priorities so I can help lead the way. I center my coaching sessions around this framework and provide evidence-based strategies that build towards my clients’ goals as they make manageable, sustainable changes week over week.

As much as I love text-based coaching, I always prefer to connect with my clients one-on-one through our bi-monthly Zoom calls. Twenty minutes is the perfect amount of time to dig into progress and goals, and leave the session with a clear list of strategies to improve well-being.

What are the challenges that new Lief clients typically face?

Many of our clients come into the program with stress and anxiety and feel defeated by seeing “low” HRV trends. I often observe my clients putting unrealistic pressure on themselves to raise their HRV in a short period of time. Approaching the Lief program in this way is not ideal, as you’re coming from a negative mindset. Instead, I encourage my new clients to view their data as neither good nor bad, and focus on mastering the downtime breathing technique (a.k.a HRV biofeedback) before getting caught up in the numbers.

HRV Biofeedback is a training program, which means it takes time, repetition, and consistency to see results. Accepting this will support you as you build a more resilient nervous system.

Why is HRV biofeedback and mindfulness building important for stress management?

We live in a stressful world, where we’re constantly pulled in different directions and swarmed with information by the second. For most of us, living a stress-free life isn’t attainable, but this doesn’t mean we need to suffer from stress. Through HRV biofeedback and mindfulness exercises, we can learn to self-regulate effectively. Doing so will make the weight of stress lighter and with this, our lives become fuller.

Any last words of advice for people who are looking to improve their mental and physical health using the Lief program?

 I’m so proud that you’re taking steps towards helping yourself feel better in your mind and body! Embracing yourself with compassion as you begin the Lief program is an essential part of the process. HRV biofeedback is an evidenced-based tool that will help you improve how you feel. I’m excited for you to experience the benefits yourself.

To order the Lief device plus coaching, choose the $99 plan on the order page. If you’re already subscribed to the Lief device without coaching, you can purchase monthly coaching directly in the app under “Coaching.”

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