Dawn D. Zitney
M.Ed., NBC-HWC, RYT
I'd be honored to offer my knowledge and support as you actively move towards a greater sense of vibrancy and well-being.
Knowing for myself just how difficult life can be, I welcome clients with an approach that draws on my own strengths of compassion, authenticity, curiosity, and wit.
My passion for health and wellness began more than two decades ago while working in college health. I developed one of the first collegiate wellness coaching programs in the country. I am an accomplished board-certified health and wellness coach, educator, and leader in the well-being field. Despite all of my expertise, I believe individuals are the truest “experts” of their own well-being.
My work is grounded in well-being and public health frameworks. I understand how people and communities need access to opportunities to engage in self-inquiry, knowledge attainment, skill development, and community care to be healthy and well.
In addition to my work at Begin Again Wellness, I work at the University of New Hampshire's Health & Wellness center as a Well-Being Educator/Counselor. I am an adjunct faculty member in the College of Health & Human Services where I develop and teach courses on well-being, yoga, and meditation. Additionally, I teach yoga and mindfulness meditation in the local community.
I look forward to helping you and your employees move towards a life that is meaningful and energizing.
EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS
Master's Degree, Education & Counseling
National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach
Yoga Teacher (RYT 500), Vinyasa, Restorative, Yin
Peace & Conflict Studies, School for International Training
YOGA TRAINING
Yoga styles taught include vinyasa, yin, and restorative. I have trained with renowned yoga instructors, Jason Crandell, Bernie Clark, and Jillian Pransky. My personal meditation practice that I bring to my offerings is informed by Buddhist psychology.
AWARDS
American Civil Liberties Union - New Hampshire (ACLU-NH)
Reproductive Justice Award for my work providing comprehensive sex education and increasing sexual health care access for young adults in New Hampshire.
University of New Hampshire, Presidential Awards
Commission on the Status of Women and Commission on the Status of the LGBT Community for my work providing access to well-being to the campus community through policy change and educational programming.
Nominated, President's Award for Staff Excellence, University of New Hampshire
Nominated by colleagues and students for my efforts to advance individual and collective well-being.
My Story, My Approach.
Wellness isn't a commodity you can buy; everything you need is already within you. What you might have been missing is a compassionate partner to help you understand and trust yourself as you navigate life's challenges and triumphs. I'll be there, metaphorically sitting beside you and holding space, as you embark on a journey of returning to yourself.
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My Experience with Beginning Again
The concept of beginning again landed in my body, in a way that I finally understood, during my meditation practice. In meditation, your mind will wander; it’s a matter of when, not if. When you notice the wandering mind, it's an opportunity to bring your awareness back an anchor of the present moment (e.g., body sensations, breathing, sounds). You give yourself permission to begin again, remembering that is the practice.
Permission to begin again was a powerful moment of insight for me. My body relaxed as I realized it was okay to falter, to try something new, to try again. Life, like my meditation, isn't about perfection; it's a process of being curious with the totality of experience — surrendering, trusting, letting go, and trying again. Inherent in this process is the cultivation of curiosity, awareness, and compassion: both for the times I've begun again and felt proud, and for the moments I was afraid to try something new.
Teaching and Coaching You to Begin Again
The insight to beginning again alongside research, science, and philosophical frameworks ground my work in the wellness field. Specifically, I draw on the following:
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Public health framework
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Well-being framework
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Wellness coaching framework
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Behavioral science
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Positive psychology
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Buddhist psychology
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Self-determination theory
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Liberation theory
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Feminist theory, relational cultural theory
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An explicit understanding of how systems and culture impact access to well-being
Call of Action
The goal in all my work is to guide and help you...
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Remember that you are the expert in your own life
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Trust your wisdom and intuition
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Listen to your body when it sends signals of what it needs to be well
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Utilize your personal strengths
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See more clearly what you value
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Gain ownership of your well-being, knowing you deserve to live a life of meaning, purpose, and well-being
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Embark on a process of growing
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Small steps matter, make space for patience
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Growth is hard and at time messy work, that's the process
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Return to safety until you're ready to try again
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Challenges can be an opportunity to regroup and decide how to move forward
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Celebrate, feel, and honor your successes
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Be in communities of care that support your growth
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Utilize systems to support your growth
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Live with curiosity and non-judgement
I look forward to embarking on this collaborative and affirming process together!
These are intentions of loving kindness that I hold for myself and extend warmly to you.
May you be safe.
May you feel cared for.
May you be at ease.
- Dawn
"Working with Dawn has been a pleasure. I feel heard, respected, and supported to continue my growth. I feel validated for my experience while also being encouraged to push myself in a positive direction."
— Wellness Coaching Client
Wellness Coaching Honors the Totality of Your Well-Being.
I use a well-being framework I co-developed at the University of New Hampshire. A well-being framework understands that context, communities, policies/laws, identities, and values play a significant role in our ability to experience well-being. This framework informs all of my services from wellness coaching to yoga.
Wellness is the ways in which you care for yourself via the eight dimensions:
Wellness Coach vs.
Health Coach
Does being a board certified wellness coach matter?
YES! Especially in today's culture with wellness influencers who call themselves experts as they promote quick fixes. The national board wellness coach credential provides independent verification that the I have met nationally recognized standards, demonstrated competency through examination, and I maintain professional development and ethical obligations.
Board Certified Wellness Coach
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Board-certified through the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching
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Has met nationally recognized eligibility requirements and passed a national board certification examination
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Demonstrates competency in established health and wellness coaching standards
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Trained to work across healthcare, corporate wellness, community health, academic, & private practice settings
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Adheres to nationally recognized standards and a Code of Ethics
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Maintains certification through ongoing continuing education and recertification
Health Coach
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Training and competencies may vary significantly by program
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No independent verification of coaching competencies
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May or may not have formal coach-specific training
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Continuing education requirements vary
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Ethical standards depend on individual training or organization
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Employers must independently evaluate qualifications
Wellness Coaching Honors the Totality of Your Well-Being.
I use a well-being framework I co-developed at the University of New Hampshire. A well-being framework understands that context, communities, policies/laws, identities, and values play a significant role in our ability to experience well-being. This framework informs all of my services from wellness coaching to yoga.
Wellness is the ways in which you care for yourself via the eight dimensions:
Well-Being Framework
An ongoing practice of caring for yourself and being cared for by your communities
The Wellness Wheel
The Wellness Wheel is a simple yet powerful visual tool that can help us learn more about ourselves and regularly check in on our well-being.
It encourages us to:
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Reflect on areas of our lives that are thriving.
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Identify areas that may be challenging.
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Ask for help and support when we need it.
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Take small steps that help us move toward our goals and well-being.
The Wellness Wheel reminds us that being well is not about achieving perfect balance. Rather, it is about continually balancing as our needs, circumstances, and priorities evolve over time. Together, self-care and community care create the conditions for well-being—a sense of thriving, connection, growth, and liberation.
A well-being framework informs my work.
This framework recognizes that our ability to experience well-being is shaped by the contexts in which we live, including our identities and values, our capacity for self-care, the care we receive from our communities, and the policies and systems that affect our lives.
We often use the words wellness and well-being interchangeably, but they are not the same.
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Wellness is the way we care for ourselves.
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Well-being is the combination of caring for ourselves and being cared for by our communities
“I am the only one who can tell the story of my life and say what it means.”
— Dorothy Allison, Author