Today we’d like to introduce you to Thalia Dorsten.
Hi Thalia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I graduated from Ohio State in 2016 and went straight into physical therapy school at OU, graduating in 2019. I worked as a physical therapist at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center for five years, and from the outside, everything looked great. But internally, I was struggling.
During grad school, I hit rock bottom. I had my first panic attack, dealt with autoimmune issues including full-body hives, and found myself in an unhealthy relationship because a voice in my head kept telling me I wasn’t good enough. I was trying to control everything – my body, my emotions, my performance – because I thought that’s how I’d finally feel safe and at peace. But I was miserable.
As a PT, I learned how to help people heal physically, but I kept seeing that it wasn’t the whole picture. People needed more to heal holistically and thrive – physically, emotionally, relationally, spiritually, and professionally. And honestly, I needed that too.
My own healing journey led me through burnout and lots of soul-searching. In my search for more, I went through a two-year advanced coach certification training that elevated how I facilitate deep healing in others. In 2023, I married my husband, who was placed in my life to show me what real love looked like – which became a catalyst for learning to love myself unconditionally.
Through all of this work, I found true freedom and long-lasting peace. This is the level of “not settling” – living in our truth, our authenticity, bravely stepping into our becoming – that I want to spread to the rest of the world. In 2024, I launched Wellness By Thalia.
The real test of my transformation came when my daughter was born in December 2024. She was rushed to the NICU and put on a ventilator, and we spent 25 days there. But because of the inner work I’d done, I could be fully present without suffering. I had peace, even in one of the hardest moments of my life. That’s when I knew this work wasn’t just changing my life – it could change others’ lives too.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not at all! The road was anything but smooth, but I’ve learned that we’re all in Earth school – life gives us our curriculum for healing and growth. The challenges are part of that. We get to choose to use our hard experiences as stepping stones.
My biggest struggle was burnout. Three years into my PT career, I hit complete compassion fatigue. I was having panic attacks, dealing with autoimmune conditions, and feeling deeply unfulfilled. I remember crying on my way to work, thinking “this is not where I’m meant to be.” I was working 40+ hours a week, going through the motions, but something inside me kept whispering that there was more.
The real struggle was realizing there was more to life than settling for the status quo – what society or our families taught us to want. I had to get brutally honest with myself about what I actually wanted, and then have the courage to go after it. That meant breaking free from my own self-imposed limitations and the belief that I had to have everything figured out and under control to be safe.
It took getting to a place where I couldn’t ignore the calling anymore. I had to choose: stay comfortable but miserable, or step into the unknown and trust that there was something better waiting for me. The struggle taught me that peace doesn’t come from controlling life or achieving more. It comes from doing the deep inner work to heal what’s keeping you stuck, and then having the courage to build a life that actually reflects who you are.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Wellness By Thalia?
My business is Wellness By Thalia. I help women stop settling and create a life that actually feels like them – moving from living on autopilot inside a life they quietly outgrew to creating a life that reflects who they actually are and the future they want.
I work with clients one-on-one virtually, serving women internationally. I also facilitate a 6-month in-person group program called The Empowered Woman Academy for local Ohio women, with the next cohort launching in February 2026.
What sets my approach apart is that we aren’t just doing surface-level mindset work or behavior change coaching. We go deep to the root of what’s keeping you stuck so you can actually heal it – which positively impacts every area of your life. And unlike therapy, we aren’t just healing internally without changing anything on the behavioral level. We’re doing the deep healing AND setting up strategies to elevate your performance, manifest your deepest desires, and move toward your most aligned life, not just away from your pain.
My background as a physical therapist gave me a deep understanding of the mind-body connection and how trauma and stress live in our bodies. I’m highly educated and trauma-informed, certified in advanced coaching methodologies that integrate the mental, emotional, somatic, and unconscious layers of transformation.
The promise of my work is this: Break the patterns that keep pulling you back into the old you and create a life that fits the person you know you’re meant to be.
One of my clients, a high achiever who struggled with constantly being “on,” shared: “Working with Thalia has been life-changing. She created a space that felt safe and free of judgment. Her guidance has helped me trust the process of life more, and I now feel more peaceful and present – something I never thought was possible for someone like me.”
Another client, a new mom, said: “I came looking for help regulating my nervous system. I had tried yoga, meditation, therapy – but nothing gave me lasting peace. Through addressing my limiting beliefs, I was able to view myself the way I view my daughter: with deep love and acceptance. Peace radiated from within instead of being another item on my to-do list. Working with Thalia has changed my life.”
What I’m most proud of is creating a space where women can finally stop performing and start being. Where they can heal what’s been holding them back and build lives that feel true to who they really are.
My vision is that every person on the planet takes up the calling to heal themselves and step into their purpose and be a positive influence to the planet – leaving it a better place when we transition out of the physical realm. Our lives MEAN something. And if I could give everyone one thing, it would be the courage to boldly step forward into the calling for their life no matter what that might be – whether it’s being a mom, being a chain breaker and healing generational trauma, making the best bread in the land, or becoming the next big CEO. We all came here for a reason, and I want to encourage people to lean into those reasons and live fulfilling lives.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
So many people deserve credit for where I am today.
First, I want to thank Alyssa Nobriga, founder of the Institute of Coaching Mastery, who gave me the tools to take what I was experiencing and healing in my own life and be able to facilitate deep transformation in other people’s lives. This approach is truly cutting-edge, and I thank her deeply for being a leader in the coaching industry.
I want to thank my husband Kyle for being my biggest expander for unconditional love. Our love story is one for the books. If it weren’t for his influence, who knows how long I would’ve stayed stuck in low self-worth. He showed me what real love looks like and helped me learn to love myself that way too.
I want to thank my almost one-year-old daughter, Lily, who completely transformed my life. The initiation into motherhood was not easy, but it is the most fulfilling journey of my life and she is the real catalyst for me refusing to settle. I want to show her what’s possible in this life.
I want to thank my parents. Society gives healers a bad rap, thinking all we do is blame parents for the way we are – and that isn’t true. I love my parents and they did the best they knew how, even though they weren’t perfect. It’s by releasing the blame, shame, and guilt – forgiving our past, forgiving the ways we may have felt wronged, forgiving ourselves – that opens the doorway to healing. I thank my entire lineage for going through their struggles so that I may have the luxury to do the work that I do now.
I want to thank everyone I’ve ever worked with. Thank you for trusting me to guide you in your healing journey. My heart is always with you.
And I want to thank Angie Ilg, co-creator of The Empowered Woman Academy, for being a wonderful business partner and helping me shape a space for local Ohio women to feel safe in community with each other – doing this work together to become better versions of themselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wellnessbythalia.cohere.live
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thalialovee/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@drthalia
- Other: https://substack.com/@sipsandsoul
