By: Alexandra Perez
Growing up in Southern California, surrounded by family, sports, and strong-willed personalities, Emily Nader—a high-energy girl raised in a loud, entrepreneurial family—was never afraid to stand out. Whether she was the only girl on the boys’ sports team or the student confidently running for vice president year after year, leadership came naturally. “I’ve always wanted to be different,” she says. “Even in a world that wants people to fit in a box, I knew standing out was okay.”
That early confidence served her well—but it also masked what would become a long, winding battle with emotional lows, burnout, and the pressure to be everything for everyone. Today, as a Nationally Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and business owner, Nader is using her lived experience and professional training to help others reconnect with themselves, overcome burnout, and live fully and freely—with purpose.
“I’ve always been self-aware,” she says, “but it wasn’t until I hit a low point that I realized just how disconnected I was.” That moment came during a routine check-up, when a general practitioner reviewed her intake form and gently told her what she hadn’t yet admitted to herself: she was depressed. “It was a wake-up call,” she remembers. “I had this vivid mental image of a medicine cabinet filled with orange pill bottles. And I just thought, ‘That’s not me.’”
Rather than follow a path of prescription antidepressants, Nader chose to explore a different route—one that would demand more curiosity, resilience, and self-responsibility than anything she’d ever attempted. She quit her stimulant medication. She examined her nutrition. She took a deep dive into her mindset. She studied her thoughts, observed her emotional patterns, and began to rewire what wasn’t serving her. “With everything I’ve been through—addictive tendencies, escapism, burnout—what I’ve learned is that perspective and patterns shape so much of our experience.”
Her journey toward healing was also a journey toward her life’s work.
Initially pre-med in college, Nader pivoted to explore business, marketing, PR, and sports performance, eventually landing a job as a headhunter on Wall Street. She was successful—but unfulfilled. “I remember cold calling, feeling completely disconnected. One day I hung up the phone, walked out of the office, and sat by the Hudson River. I knew I needed to quit.”
And so she did.
She moved back to L.A., started from scratch, and slowly rebuilt her professional life around her passions—strength training, holistic health, and personal growth. From internships with pro athletes to coaching volleyball performance, from selling liquor to managing business development, she wore many hats to stay afloat. And none of it was random. “Even the jobs that seemed unrelated helped me grow,” she says. “Everything I’ve done has contributed to who I am today.”
Nader eventually trained with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and completed advanced certification with the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching, developing a refined, research-backed approach that merges evidence-based tools with deep empathy and intuition. Her goal? To help others reconnect with their true selves—not through quick fixes or trendy advice, but through observation, reflection, and aligned action.
“People already know how to take care of themselves,” she says. “They just need support removing the noise and reconnecting with the part of them they can trust.”
Her work today spans performance training, health coaching, and wellness consulting. Whether she’s guiding someone through a mindset shift or helping a client optimize their nutrition, her approach is rooted in values: trust, authenticity, connection, and truth. “I live these values daily. My clients can feel that, and I think it creates a ripple effect.”
And the ripple is growing. One client limited her caffeine and unexpectedly found greater love and patience for her family. Another broke free from decades of people-pleasing and began pouring into herself instead. “When one person heals, it impacts their community,” she says. “That’s the kind of change I want to be part of.”
Now, Nader is focused on expanding her reach—impacting 17,000 lives through her programs and launching a book before her 30th birthday. Her work is informed not just by training, but by lived wisdom. She’s overcome stimulant withdrawal, corporate burnout, and deep self-doubt. She’s moved through cycles of coping and into cycles of clarity. Her journey is not just a comeback story—it’s a blueprint.
“My goal is to help people feel energized, clear, and in love with life again,” she says. “Because when we feel amazing, we create amazing things – including a healthier life for ourselves and those around us – leaving the world a better place than we found it.”
Whether she’s training beach volleyball players or guiding someone through a life-changing mindset shift, Emily Nader‘s impact is rooted in one truth: healing is possible. Real change doesn’t come from fixing what’s broken—it comes from remembering what was whole all along.
Disclaimer: The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical or psychological advice. Readers are encouraged to seek professional guidance before making any changes to their health, wellness, or lifestyle practices.