Self-leadership Mindset Coach
IFS Informed Practitioner
Diana Lewis
My Story
There was a moment I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize the person staring back at me.
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I had built a life filled with responsibilities, achievements, and expectations - but somewhere along the way, I lost connection to the one thing that mattered most: myself.
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Born and raised in the Philippines, I moved to Canada chasing a dream of becoming a fashion designer. I poured myself into building a life - climbing ladders, doing everything “right.” But somewhere along the way, I abandoned my own voice without even realizing it.
It took burnout, a cancer diagnosis, and a night staring at the ceiling - feeling like a stranger to myself - to finally ask the question I had been too busy, too scared to face:
“Whose life am I even living?”
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That breaking point became the doorway I didn’t know I needed.
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I chose to stop surviving and start leading. I invested in my healing - diving deep into psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), mindfulness, and coaching. Slowly, I faced the parts of me I had hidden away: the childhood wounds I thought were “normal,” the trauma I didn’t yet have words for, and the survival patterns that had once kept me safe but now kept me small.
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I stopped pushing my emotions aside and began honouring them with compassion. I learned that true strength isn’t about holding it all together - it’s about coming home to every part of you.
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And everything changed.
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I stopped making choices from fear and started choosing from clarity, trust, and self-respect.
I reclaimed my voice, my dreams, and my sense of self.
I stopped surviving my life - and started leading it.
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Today, as a Self-Leadership Mindset Coach and IFS - Informed Practitioner, I help people who feel stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, or standing at a major crossroads. Whether you’re navigating a career shift, a life transition, or the heartbreak of loss - you don’t have to do it alone.
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My clients often describe me as calm, compassionate, and curious - with what they lovingly call my “velvet hammer” approach: gentle when needed, fierce when it matters, always holding a vision of the powerful, whole person you already are beneath the fear and exhaustion.
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When I’m not coaching, you’ll find me with paint on my hands, reconnecting to my first language: art. Creativity has become more than an outlet - it’s a sacred tool for healing and transformation.
If your soul is whispering - or screaming - for a way back home to yourself, I invite you to reach out.
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Let’s map where you are, where you long to be, and what’s standing in the way.
You are not broken. You are not too late.
You are already on your way home.
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Book a free strategy call below.
You don’t have to do this alone anymore.
The Meaning Behind Pendulum One
Pendulum One is more than a name. It’s a metaphor for the journey back to yourself.
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The pendulum is you - your emotions, your identity, your experiences, your parts.
The string is life - its momentum, its chaos, its unexpected swings.
Sometimes life pulls you far in one direction - into roles, responsibilities, survival.
Sometimes it leaves you hanging, wondering if you’ll ever feel balanced again.
But no matter how far you swing…
You always return to centre.
That centre is your truth.
Your intuition.
Your wholeness.
Your home.
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Pendulum One is a reminder: even when life feels out of control - even when you feel scattered, disconnected, or unsure - you are never truly lost. There is always a thread guiding you back. The pull of your inner wisdom is steady, even when everything else feels uncertain.
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In my work, I help you reconnect to that thread.
To remember you are not broken - you are made of many beautiful parts.
To witness where life has pulled you, and honour the strength it took to survive.
To release what no longer serves you, and reclaim what’s been waiting for you.
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Pendulum One is a space for realignment. For remembering.
For coming back to yourself - one breath, one truth, one brave swing at a time.
My Approach
In my practice, I offer a supportive space where healing and transformation feel possible - and deeply personal.
My approach is trauma-informed, heart-centred, and anchored in mindfulness. It’s shaped by the transformative power of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and a deep respect for the complexity of your inner world. I don’t just witness your wounds - I honour your strength, your resilience, and your innate capacity for meaningful, lasting change.
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I believe you already hold the wisdom you need - the clarity, the answers, the path forward. My role is to help you strip away the noise, reconnect with that truth, and rise from it.
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Many of the people I work with arrive feeling like they’ve lost themselves - after years of shape-shifting to meet expectations, navigating major life transitions, shifting careers, or stepping into roles they never saw coming. When life pulls you in different directions, identity can begin to blur. The question “Who am I now?” becomes louder.
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That question isn’t a dead end - it’s a doorway. Together, we’ll gently explore what was lost, what still lives inside you, and what’s ready to emerge.
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We will engage in bold, honest dialogue and co-create strategies that are both soul-aligned and actionable. We’ll get curious about the patterns, parts, and beliefs that have shaped you - and begin to shift the ones that no longer serve you.
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This isn’t about fixing you. You’re not broken.
This is about reclaiming your power, your identity, and your voice - so you can live a life rooted in truth and integrity.
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With deep reverence, I’ll walk beside you through the resistance, the breakthroughs, and everything in between - because you deserve a life that feels fully yours.
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If you’re ready to take the lead in your own healing, ignite your purpose, and move forward with clarity and courage -
Let’s begin - powerfully and on purpose.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
In my coaching practice, I utilize the Internal Family Systems (IFS) approach developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz - an empowering and transformative model of healing that views the mind not as broken or disordered, but as beautifully complex and capable.
YOU ARE MADE OF MANY BEAUTIFUL PARTS
For a long time, the natural complexity of our mind and inner world was misunderstood or pathologized. But today, we recognize that it’s completely normal to have many different parts within us - each with its own story, emotion, and role. These parts make up your inner system, often shaped by your life experiences and the ways you’ve learned to protect yourself.
And here’s what’s most important: You are not your parts.
THE SELF WITHIN YOU
At your core - beneath the roles, fears, and coping mechanisms - lives your authentic Self. Some call it the Core Self, Higher Self, Soul, or God Image. In IFS, we call it simply Self.
No matter your background, the family you came from, or the life experiences that shaped you, your Self is always within you. Your Self is your grounded, compassionate leader - naturally embodying calm, curiosity, courage, and clarity.
Your Self is always there, even if it feels hidden. When you feel lost or fragmented, it hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s simply been obscured by protective parts doing their best to help you survive.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR PROTECTIVE SYSTEM
Many of our symptoms - burnout, anxiety, perfectionism, emotional shutdown, people-pleasing - are actually strategies created by inner parts trying to protect us from pain. These parts are not bad. In fact, they’ve often helped you survive what once felt unbearable.
You might recognize parts such as:
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A people-pleaser that avoids conflict at all costs
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A self-critic that pushes you toward perfection
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A shutdown part that numbs emotions when things get overwhelming
These protectors stepped in to help - but now, they may be stuck in outdated roles, leaving you feeling fragmented, exhausted, or disconnected from your true Self.
HEALING THE SYSTEM, NOT JUST THE SYMPTOMS
IFS is not about “fixing” you. It’s about healing the internal system so that all your parts feel safe enough to soften - and trust the leadership of your Self. Together we will:
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Listen to each part with curiosity
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Help your system unblend from reactivity
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Invite your Self to step forward as the compassionate leader
This shift - from being ruled by protectors to being led by Self - is the heart of healing.
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The wisdom you seek is already within you. Let’s rediscover it together - I’d be honoured to walk beside you.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness, for me, is not a technique - it’s a way of being.
It’s the ongoing practice of meeting yourself exactly where you are, without judgment, and with full permission to feel what’s real.
In our sessions, mindfulness becomes a doorway into your inner world.
We slow things down - not to fix, but to feel.
Through gentle, somatic check-ins and present-moment awareness, we begin to notice the subtle signals of your body and the quiet voices of your inner parts.
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I can help you understand how thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations are all speaking to you - and how, together, they shape your mindset and daily choices.
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We will also explore how your nervous system plays a key role in this process. When your system is in a heightened state of stress, you may find yourself moving into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses.
These reactions can shape your emotional world and influence patterns of reactivity, self-abandonment, or staying stuck in survival mode.
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You’ll learn to recognize these shifts and how they affect your inner world. With this awareness, you can begin to move from automatic reactions to more grounded, conscious responses.
This isn’t about forcing positive thinking - it’s about cultivating clarity, compassion, and a deeper connection to your body’s wisdom.
I’ll support you in creating a path toward greater emotional resilience and self-trust.
Mindfulness helps you move from internal chaos to coherence.
It allows you to rebuild trust with your body, your intuition, and your truth - one breath, one moment at a time.
Life Coaching & Psychotherapy
This is a space where healing and growth are not separate journeys - but one integrated path.
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I combine the therapeutic depth of psychotherapy with the momentum of coaching to help you navigate life’s complexities with clarity and confidence. Whether you're working through emotional pain, facing a major transition, or seeking a deeper relationship with yourself -we’ll meet all of it with compassion and purpose.
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You don’t need to be “fixed.” You need to be met - fully, respectfully, and without judgment.
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Together we will explore the experiences and beliefs that have shaped your inner world. We’ll identify what’s asking for attention and co-create strategies rooted in your values, helping you move forward in ways that feel meaningful and sustainable.
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A key part of our work is mapping where you are now and where you want to go. We’ll examine the internal landscape - your parts, your protectors, and the patterns that helped you survive but may no longer serve you. When we understand the “why” beneath your reactions, we can loosen their hold and create space for something new to emerge.
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With my training in both psychotherapy and coaching, I hold space for the tenderness of your past and the boldness of your future. This dual lens allows us to tend to the pain while also stepping into possibility - one grounded step at a time.
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This is your time to reconnect with your truth, reclaim your agency, and create a life that reflects who you really are - not who you’ve had to be.
Credentials
IFS Therapy Informed
(Internal Family System) from IFSCA
Psychotherapy
Gestalt Psychotherapy
Institute of Toronto
Mindfulness & Meditation
University of Toronto & Mindfulness Centre
Life & Success Life Coach
Certified from Jay Shetty Certification School