Ryan L. (San Francisco, CA)
Confronted with an overwhelming amount of stress at work and feeling stuck, I found myself walking into Esther’s office. I cannot be more happy with the guidance, advice, and results Esther provided. She was exceptional at listening and gave me an abundance of tools to deal with things. I really appreciated how she took the time to understand things, worked to see what would fit me, but also pushed me and held me accountable. As we explored topics, some of the questions she asked really stumped me and got me to think, which was very helpful. Once I got a bit of a better handle on work related things, Esther was also able to provide coaching on life, goals, and helping me develop as a person. I feel like I have a much better understanding of what I want and am on a solid path in that direction.
I also appreciated her prompt responses and timeliness. She was always ready at the exact time, and when I’d email or ask to reschedule received a response immediately. This was one of the small things that made the experience that much better.
I went from a bit skeptical about the whole thing initially to truly looking forward to the time as it had such positive results. Even if it’s nothing critical, I’d encourage anyone to go see her.
Whitney S. (London, UK)
When I first met Esther, I was dealing with stress, anxiety and depression that was negatively impacting my personal and work life. I was extremely unhappy and unsure of how to make a change.
Since my first session with Esther, things have completely turned around. She’s provided me with the tools needed to deal with stress and anxiety in a natural way, which include books, breathing exercises and apps for anything under the moon.
I’ve only worked with Esther for a couple months, but in that short period of time, I’ve grown so much.
Because of Esther, I feel prepared to take on anything that life has in store for me, including my upcoming move to London(!!)
Esther, thank you for all your help! I only wish I could take you with me to London.
Bradley J. (San Francisco, CA)
I didn’t have any major issues or trauma, but I had parts of myself and my quality of life that I wanted to improve. I went to see Esther, and she has been an incredible therapist and life coach to me.
She’s obviously a great listener, but also extremely thoughtful as we work through the various challenges to overcome in my life or within myself. She’s empathetic but not too easy on me – she helps me get there and at the end, gives it to me straight so I can really see some tangible improvements. She also very action oriented – we’re often doing worksheets during our sessions or I have work after to do on my own. Then, she holds me accountable by following up on it the next time!
She’s very in-tune to what I need personally, whether it’s be supportive of a tough time, help me diagnose a problem, ask the right questions, challenging my thoughts, or helping me get to the right answer on my own.
Esther is also extremely friendly – I feel very comfortable telling her every single thing in my life. Esther has made a huge impact on my life over the past 1+ years: I’ve grown a huge amount and am very proud of the person I am today.
Lastly, Esther is extremely reliable and responsive. If we need to move appointments, do remote video, jump on the phone, email, she’s there for me. I couldn’t ask for a better therapist, and I highly recommend giving Esther’s services a try!
Dana Z. (Berkeley, CA)
If I can give an infinite number of stars to Esther, I would.
Mental health is important and we shouldn’t overlook it – it impacts our emotional, psychological, social, and I’d say also physical well-being. We need to make sure we take ourselves seriously and have logical and scientific ways to work through challenges.
Real talk – Esther is amazing. I found Esther through Lyra Health via our work benefits program because I was going through some personal things, stressed at work, thinking about applying to school, and all-in-all, felt that I was running around without a clear goal, so I kept on finding myself drained and feeling unpurposeful at the end of each day. I also knew that I’ve always had challenges with confidence. When I found out about Lyra, and was becoming increasingly aware that we need to take our mental health seriously, I searched for a therapist coach and voila – found Esther!
Esther helped me learn more about myself via a series of exercises (these are the ones that really resonated with me – design your life, Ikigai, 5-min journal) and conversations that have really helped me understand myself, build a plan, and most importantly, gain confidence. She was there throughout my grad school application process, work transition, and personal transition. She saw how much I’ve changed and grew, the excitements, frustrations, and the ups & downs. At the end of our time together, she told me that she’s very proud of me and that I’ve accomplished a lot and changed a lot.
Esther is a superb active listener and challenges my thoughts. She asks me questions that enable me to reflect and guides me through my thought process so I can arrive at conclusions on my own. She also keeps me accountable on things and checks in with me to make sure I’m building certain habits that’ll improve my emotional and psychological well being – I really appreciate that. She pushes me to go beyond my limits and think about what really matters (or not matter).
I am beyond grateful to have met Esther this year and gotten to know her, but honestly I think she’s gotten to know me so well (in some aspects more than I know myself) – she’s helped me get to know myself better.
I highly recommend Esther to anyone who feels a bit overwhelmed (don’t we all?), a bit confused about what our purpose is, or just want a push here and there to know ourselves better so we can be more intentional about the decisions we’re making in life.
Raj A. (San Francisco, CA)
Hi Esther, I just want to take a couple of minutes to thank you. You helped me through some of the lowest times of my life, over the last year or so. But more than that, you challenged me to identify and improve problem areas and things that could be better about myself. I wouldn’t be the person I am today, on the verge of getting married, without you. I am grateful for your presence in my life, and do not take it for granted.
Nicholas A. (San Francisco, CA)
As a coach, Esther is like a fierce advocate who will confront you with the truth when you need it most. She will also offer you support and encouragement to conquer your self-imposed limitations and to grow at your own pace.
I attended her sessions for a few months with goals of self-improvement and building relationships. Esther is such a great active listener and is so empathetic that at the beginning the experience felt uncanny. But, the more I learned about her approach I found out that this was a part of her authentic nature and that I could trust her and leave my skepticism at the door. Also, her flexibility and reliability via messaging or email is second to none! It really was a total game changer for me when she was willing to go the extra step to connect with me even in difficult situations to reassure or support me, or to just make me feel at ease.
Esther is always open to feedback and tries to implement a style that works best for the individual. In my case, she recommended apps, books, worksheets, and articles as supplements in the areas I was looking to improve in. Slowly but surely, she pushed me out of my comfort zone so that I could build upon my smaller wins and tackle bigger challenges with time. Esther sped up my recovery period when things didn’t work out and offered emotional and practical guidance and can tell it to me straight, which I greatly appreciate.
Thanks Esther, you have been an indelible part of my growth and I’m so grateful for all of your support and for always having my back!
Pei J. (San Francisco, CA)
Making the choice to go to therapy is not always as easy as it sounds. That being said, I am thankful I made the choice to attend and found Esther through Lyra Health. From my very first session with Esther, I felt incredibly comfortable and therapy with her was my safe space.
I made a lot of progress in a short amount of time and I really attribute this to Esther. She is attentive, patient, kind and encouraging. She constantly provided positive reinforcement on even the smallest of wins and made me realize/remind myself my own worth. She is soft-spoken and comforting but very targeted in her approach. I appreciate this as our sessions were organized and I left every session feeling better than I did before. In our sessions we were able to cover multiple topics or areas I wanted to improve on in my life. She helped me get organized – to truly understand what my values are and how to prioritize them. I also appreciate that she levels with me whether or not she has been through similar instances or not. This made me feel at ease when talking through my emotions no matter what they were.
I truly do not know if I would have been able to move forward as quickly or even at all had I not made the choice to try out therapy. Many thanks to Esther for all that she has done! Her contribution and impact in my life is immeasurable and I am so very thankful.
Lydia L. (San Francisco, CA)
I’ve been visiting Esther for about a year now, every time after talking to her I feel relaxed and fully recharged. She helped me to realize what matters the most to me, and get closer to live the life I want.
Initially I was seeking help to recover from my broke up last year, and she is a great listener, without judging past my behaviors, and analyzed what I value from my last relationship. Esther has tons of insights about relationships and has a very enviable marriage. She taught me way more valuable lessons than my most “relationship experienced” friends. I once lived in a bubble and didn’t realize what I really want out of a romantic relationships, but she helped me to see who I am deep down, and coached me to find my Mr. right, including help me revise my online dating profile, set strategies and recap my dating events, as well as recommended lots of books so I can understand deeply about the dating market and what guys are thinking. Last December I meet my boyfriend after working on improve myself, and she is still giving advices whenever I have questions.
She is helping me in ways more than relationships. She took time and effort to understand me from a variety of angles, helped me to realize what I desire for my life, and keep notes of all the events and updates I mentioned. All the lessons I learned from her, either for meditation, exercise, health, or psychological tools, are very practical and greatly improved my mindset. There’re so many blind spots I didn’t realize I have them before, and I get to see more and more areas I need to improve after the coaching sessions.
After the sessions with her, now I moved to a better apartment after overcame my superstition, got an adorable pet, built regular contact with my parents, being with an amazing boyfriend, on my way to manage ADHD, and just got a way better job offer, all in the year I met her. Could I do all that without her help? Maybe, but definitely will take much more time and learn from more failures before reach any milestone.
Esther gave me strong support whenever I need help or making a big decision, and she connect me to the best resources I can get. Having her to discuss before I make a decision always give me more confident and certainty about what’s best for me. She gave me faith when I doubt myself, and teach me how to recover from triggers. Although she is way more knowledgable than me in lots of areas, she is still very open minded, and I can talk about any secret thoughts in my mind to her without hesitation.
I had other therapist before Esther, and I have no doubt she is better than all others. She can relate to what I love, what I hate, and talking to her is like talking to a bestie who have objective opinions for you. Others therapists may make me a powerful person, but she makes me a powerful myself.
Helen Z. (San Francisco, CA)
There are some people who come into your life and you realize you will never have enough words to describe how much they have impacted you, and Esther is one of them.
I first met her about a year ago when I had just gone through the worst things that had ever happened to me. I had truly traumatic experiences and was physically and emotionally distanced from those closest to me. All I wanted was for someone who would listen to and support me through what I was going through.
Esther was the exact person I needed. Being someone who had always been more of a listener, I didn’t really know how to talk about myself, at least extensively. But the more and more I talked to Esther in our 50 min sessions, I was floored by just how fluent I became at talking about my own thoughts and feelings.
Esther is the most empathetic and nonjudgemental listener, always closely digesting what you say and knowing the right moments to jump in with her extensive insights. With that said, Esther is a wise person who has led an incredibly rich life and knows when to call you out when you are being unfair to yourself or to others. She will support you like no other but will also challenge you when necessary.
Through being so emotionally vulnerable with her, I was able to let myself do so with other people in a new city and build very intimate connections. Esther was also an invaluable source of guidance and support through all my trials in romantic relationships and friendships.
She doesn’t just talk the talk. She very proactively provides you with the innovative tools you need to work on the issues in your life. These include numerous worksheets on topics like ikigai, perfectionism, rumination, distress tolerance, and automatic negative thoughts along with practices like meditation, affirmations, mood journaling, and visualization.
Esther will keep you accountable in applying these tools between your sessions, and you will be left with a wealth of resources to refer to and utilize after your time together. I have personally become so much more focused, energized, optimistic, and grateful after applying these tools to my life.
Esther also has been essential in helping me lead a life as fulfilling and authentic to me as possible. When I had first met her, I was someone whose worth was based on external perceptions. I had achieved a societal version of success, but I found most of what I did in an average day to be empty and meaningless. This was until Esther helped me identify what my personal values were and I began living my life in accordance with these values.
Throughout our time together, I was able to transition from a job that is mission-less aside from generating profit to one where I can actively and sustainably work towards the positive impact I wish to have on the world. Staying true to yourself is difficult, but Esther who has built a supremely fulfilling life of her own will assure you that it is the wisest thing to do and help you nurture and trust in your resilience through any challenges.
To those looking to become the best possible version of themselves that only they could be or even just a source of support during a difficult time, please, please, please get in touch with Esther.