JP Pirinen
Comedy magician and coach from Kymenlaakso, Finland.
How I got here
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
My father had a health emergency in hospital, right in front of my eyes. I was led out of the room, and that same evening I was on stage entertaining an audience of hundreds. It went well, because I know how to put hard things aside for the duration of a job. On the way home, they came back.
That's when I understood two things. First: no one had ever explained to me why I eat the way I eat. Second: I'd been told I didn't need to change anything, and that felt like a relief.
Why I coach this way
I do this work because I recognise that relief. It's familiar to many people who sit in an appointment and hear that it's being taken care of.
I don't tell anyone to do anything differently. I just tell you what I myself was left wanting back then: an explanation. Understanding first, rules only much later.
The stage taught me timing, and that it pays to talk to a person like a person. Coaching support and group discussions are available in Finnish. We talk the way adults talk to each other, and we laugh when something is funny.
What the coaching is based on
The coaching is based on the international WILDFIT method. It looks at your own relationship with food and explores what influences your eating and your choices. Along the way, some foods are taken a break from for a while, but nothing is banned permanently.
Your own experience is an important part of learning. We try things and observe what happens in your body and everyday life. My role is to guide this journey in Finnish and help participants understand their own observations.
What I do and what I don't do
I am not a doctor or a nutritional therapist. I don't give medical advice or take a position on anyone's medication: decisions about medication are always made with your own doctor. Coaching is not treatment and does not replace treatment.
I don't promise kilos, a timeline or that this suits everyone. I won't make you feel guilty about your food choices. If I don't think I'm the right person to help, I'll tell you so straight.