Live abundantly

Become authentically and unapologetically YOU

Online Psychotherapy available in New York State (NY) and Florida (FL)

When will I be enough?

You have always done the right things, and on paper, your life looks great – even enviable.

But inside, you feel disappointed, overwhelmed, and less than.

Nighttime tends to be the worst for your anxiety. Lying awake reliving the embarrassments and failures of the past and the pressures of the future. Your stomach is in knots.

Why does life feel so hard?

You wonder if everyone else has it figured out, and somehow you didn’t get the memo.

You thought life was going to be easier when you followed the “rules” – get good grades, a good job, a partner, children while doing everything you can to be attractive, sexy, and smart (but not too attractive and smart), successful (but not too successful), blah, blah, blah.

How can anyone keep up with all these expectations?

Your head is spinning, just thinking about all the different ways you feel inadequate despite your best effort.

Always showing up for others, but they don’t return the favor.

All you want is to be liked and accepted. If you are honest with yourself, you don’t even know if you like yourself anymore.

You’ve done your homework, too.

Researched and tried everything that was supposed to help you become the best version of yourself – meditation, yoga, exercise programs, diets, self-help books, journaling, following influencers on social media, but nothing helped.

The voice inside tells you things will never change – you will always feel this way.

Confidence and self-love may sound good in theory, but they will never be your reality.

I want you to stop and listen for a second.

Just because you haven’t figured it out yet doesn’t mean you never will.

I know how debilitating perfectionism and people-pleasing can be.

I know you are doing your absolute best. But the truth is, you are not failing because of your lack of effort. You are probably doing way too much as it is.

I can help you change your life. The feeling you want so much, to be liked, accepted, and true to yourself, you can have that.

You can build a life that fulfills you and makes you proud and excited.

June, 40, is a smart, successful, attractive mom of three. She is married to a great guy, and they live in a nice house in the suburbs.

She has achieved success in her career, has many friends, and her life looks exactly like what she imagined it would as a child. But June also feels like she is a failure in all these areas of life.

June struggles with feeling overwhelmed as a mom and often questions whether she is doing enough for her kids. Her mind often spins out of control with ‘what ifs’ and ‘shoulds,’ and she feels like she is drowning.

She has terrible insomnia and frequent crying spells. But she makes sure she keeps this hidden from everyone except her husband. Her depressed mood worries her husband, but whatever he says only seems to make things worse. As a result, their marriage has become strained, which makes June feel like even more of a failure.

Rita, 26, is kind, funny, has a wonderful fiancé, and a close group of friends.

She has always been a very giving, caring person; and she treats everyone she meets with a big smile and nice words. However, when Rita looks in the mirror, all she feels is hatred. She judges and criticizes herself and her body, and thinks that everyone judges her, too.

Rita has gone on various diets for over a decade and always hoped that losing weight will finally make her like herself more. The truth is that after every weight loss attempt comes the bingeing, feeling out of control, and Rita ends up hating herself even more.

Why can’t she just lose the weight and keep it off? She tells herself she is weak and lacking willpower. She keeps reminding herself that losing the weight once and for all will give her what she wants – being liked, accepted, desired, confident, and successful.

But even when she loses some weight, her life never magically changes for the better. As her desperation and torment grow, she starts to wonder if it could be possible to live a life without self-hatred, obsession with food, and feeling out of control.

Carly, 37, is a successful lawyer, loving wife, and never has trouble achieving any goal she sets.

After delaying having children for years to get her life into the best place possible (career, marriage, financial security, house), she and her husband were finally excited to start trying two years ago.

Carly was sure that they would succeed the first month, and she would have a baby in beautiful springtime just like she had always planned. However, after trying unsuccessfully for over a year, Carly ended up seeing a fertility specialist. She did three rounds of IUIs without success and was told IVF was the next step she had to take. Her doctor cautioned her that even with fertility treatments, her chances of having a child were predicted as low.

The infertility diagnosis has sent Carly into a tailspin. She cries a lot, isolates herself from friends and family, obsessively reads success stories on online fertility forums, and feels terrified at the possibility that she may never become a mother.

It may seem like June, Rita, and Carly have
different issues and life situations.

But the common thread is that their high expectations and perfectionism keep them
stuck looking for solutions outside of themselves.

You already have everything you need to change your life. You just haven’t figured out
how to tap into your true potential and make it your reality.

That’s where I come in.

Schedule A Call

Hi there, I am Petra.

It is really nice to have you here. It means you have realized that something needs to change, which is the hardest part of the process!

I am sure you are wondering if I truly get it and would be able to help you.

I know how hard it is to muster the courage to talk to a random stranger and share your fears, worries, and problems in the hopes that your life could get better. Your mind tries to convince you that things are not that bad and that you can handle it on your own.

Recognizing we want to change and need someone to help guide us is a sign of strength, self-love, and self-respect.

You deserve a life of joy, fulfillment, and confidence. Learn how to prioritize your needs, let go of people-pleasing, and be authentically and unapologetically you.

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