Bio
Sophie Pachella
Born in Switzerland, Sophie came to the United States at the age of 18. After receiving her BA in psychology fro Hamilton College, she spent six years in the executive search industry while completing her nutrition degree. Also a licensed broker, Sophie ventured into the financial services industry for a short period of time before returning to her true passion, nutrition and fitness on a full-time basis. The years in both industries were far from wasted; they gave her insight into the frantic lives of busy executives and shed a sobering light on how often health and fitness is relegated to the wayside.
EatStrong was founded as a private practice in 1999. Sophie has been engaged by corporations and health clubs to set up fitness and nutrition programs, and currently partners with a number of physicians in Manhattan. Having experienced first-hand the demands a busy, inflexible schedule can put on an exercise and nutrition program, Sophie formulated a plan that works despite these constraints. Further, given that the most essential ingredient of any program is implementation her recommendations are both realistic and accommodating of even the most demanding lifestyles.
To a large extent, Sophie credits her healthy, balanced nutritional viewpoint to the environment in which she was raised. “I was always surrounded by natural, unprocessed foods – whole grains, real butter, fresh eggs,” she relates. “I was encouraged to eat well-rounded meals and there was never any pressure or negative association with food.” She recognizes that growing up, she was fortunate to have been sheltered from many of the fads and trends that predominate today.
With the success of her coaching practice, and the popularity of her interactive website, www.EatStrong.com, Pachella is also regularly invited to write feature articles and columns for iVillage.com, iVillage UK, American Baby, Best Body Magazine, and has been featured in Shape, Body+Soul, Women’s Health, Cosmopolitan, Family Circle, and many other widely read publications. She also writes a regular EatStrong Newsletter, which is distributed on an opt-in basis to thousands of men and women. Further, Sophie is a popular weight loss expert on the WB11 morning news, has appeared on CBS news and has been quoted in women’s, men’s and general consumer magazines on all aspects of nutrition, dieting and exercise. She is also a popular speaker at spas and corporations.
In addition to private consultations, Sophie has lectured at the State University of New York and regularly lectures at the New Age Health Spa. She was appointed as the nutritionist for the New York City chapter of the American Heart Association, and is working with the AHA on several health-related initiatives, including the “Raise the Paddle” campaign – a childhood obesity awareness project. She has worked as a fitness model for several publications and works with a team at AmericanBaby.com to create feature articles on post-natal weight loss strategies and family nutrition. Most recently she was engaged by a major international brand in delivering the message that "health starts from the inside out." She has also recently become the spokesperson for a national brand of weight control yogurt.