Anting Liu: Rebuilding Life & Her Career After Burnout

For years, I was building a successful career in the corporate world, checking all the boxes and achieving the milestones that were supposed to bring fulfillment. Yet beneath the surface, I was struggling with burnout, anxiety, and a growing sense of disconnection from myself. That difficult time became an unexpected turning point—one that led me to question what wellbeing really meant and what kind of life I wanted to create.

When I discovered IIN, everything clicked. The Health Coach Training Program^™ gave me the language, tools, and structure to connect the dots between nutrition, emotional wellbeing, mindset, and purpose. It helped me transform an intuitive passion for supporting others into meaningful, impactful work. Today, I draw from my own experience and years of coaching clients across the U.S. and Asia as I support individuals and organizations in creating healthier, more balanced ways of living and working.

Q&A: Your Journey

BEFORE ENROLLING AT IIN, YOU WERE WORKING IN THE CORPORATE WORLD WHILE NAVIGATING BURNOUT AND A MAJOR LIFE TRANSITION. WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND DURING THAT SEASON OF LIFE?

A: I was completely lost—the fear and loneliness eventually spilled into week-long panic attack episodes. And paradoxically, from the outside, it looked like the peak chapter of my life. My first corporate training gig with a luxury multinational client, being the youngest trainer at my consulting firm, and a relationship that looked so good on paper made the emptiness that much harder to justify.

What was I doing wrong? What else did I need to do?

In hindsight, it was through that exact crumbling chapter that I started to question my own sense of self in a more honest way and began to hear the quiet whispers that had always been there to guide me but somehow got buried along the way. That whole experience became the uninvited catalyst that led me to my deepest truth.

TODAY, YOU SUPPORT HIGH-ACHIEVING PROFESSIONALS THROUGH CORPORATE WELLBEING COACHING. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO FOCUS ON WORKPLACE WELLNESS SPECIFICALLY?

A: It started from my own pain—the panic attacks, the burnout, and the years I spent running on empty in the corporate world. As I did the deeper work and gained a broader view of the system and the people within it, I began to see the gaps in our approach to healthcare and how so many people working within organizations are caught in a loop they don't even know they're in.

WAS THERE A SPECIFIC MOMENT WHEN YOU REALIZED THIS WORK WAS BECOMING MORE THAN JUST A PERSONAL INTEREST?

A: I actually started building an in-house coaching program for the multinational company I was working at while still going through The Health Coach Training Program. And it was in those sessions, sitting across from people and watching something shift in them, that I understood this work can touch lives far beyond my own.

Q&A: Your IIN Experience

YOU’VE SHARED THAT DISCOVERING IIN FELT LIKE A TURNING POINT FOR YOU. WHAT WAS IT ABOUT IIN’S APPROACH TO HEALTH AND COACHING THAT IMMEDIATELY RESONATED?

A: It was the first time health was explained in a language that actually made sense to my life, and the depth of the thinking behind it made me trust it.

WAS THERE A SPECIFIC MOMENT DURING THE PROGRAM WHEN YOU REALIZED THIS WORK WAS BECOMING MORE THAN JUST A PERSONAL INTEREST?

A: I love the holistic approach to health that IIN anchors its curriculum in. I remember the aha moment of coaching myself through the Circle of Life tool; the clarity that came through was immediately refreshing. I realized that as much as the food we put into our bodies matters, so do the people we surround ourselves with and the career we choose to give our time and energy to—things people so often overlook or simply were never taught.

We don't know what we don't know. IIN gave me the ability to rewrite my own blueprint for living well.

WHILE COMPLETING THE PROGRAM, YOU WERE STILL WORKING FULL-TIME IN A DEMANDING CORPORATE ROLE. HOW DID YOU STAY MOTIVATED AND MAKE SPACE FOR YOUR STUDIES?

A: First, a committed decision that this was something I genuinely wanted to devote my time and energy to. Then, getting clear on my why, because that's what sustained me when doubt crept in. And it did.

The rest is honest prioritization. I love the Eisenhower Matrix for exactly this—knowing how to allocate energy across learning, work, friendships, and personal life in a way that feels aligned with our values.

LOOKING BACK NOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK IIN GAVE YOU BEYOND HEALTH COACHING EDUCATION?

A: My experience at IIN is what planted the seed for me to shift my career trajectory. But more than the knowledge, it was the confidence and courage to follow my own heart, even when the path wasn't fully visible yet.

And the community. To this day, I still connect with fellow IIN alumni. It always feels like meeting an old friend because the values and shared experience are so deeply aligned.

Q&A: Building Your Career & Impact

YOU’VE COACHED CLIENTS GLOBALLY AND HELPED BUILD WELLNESS INITIATIVES WITHIN CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTS. WHAT’S BEEN ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING MOMENTS OR TRANSFORMATIONS YOU’VE WITNESSED THROUGH YOUR WORK?

A: I had a client who, at the start of our work together, was going through an incredibly dark period—in her career, her health, and her relationship. There was a moment when she truly hit rock bottom. I didn't come in to fix anything or push anything on her. I simply listened and held the space.

From there, she decided on her own terms to go all in. She started eating well, swapped her store-bought microwave lunches for homemade meals every single day, finally found the courage to ask for the promotion she'd been wanting, got it six months later, and eventually left the relationship she had simply outgrown.

That story will always stay with me.

YOUR WORK BLENDS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, HOLISTIC HEALTH, AND PRACTICAL STRUCTURE. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR COACHING PHILOSOPHY IN YOUR OWN WORDS?

A: I use a blend of integrative health and high-performance coaching methodologies. One is more externally focused on habits and environment. The other is about mastering one's inner psychology.

Because most of my clients are high performers, it's important that my practice is grounded in science and research. And I genuinely believe that great coaching is not just about deep listening but also about having the courage to challenge a client's beliefs and facilitate new thinking.

MANY PEOPLE FEEL PRESSURE TO “HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT” BEFORE MAKING A CAREER CHANGE. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO FEELS CALLED TOWARD THIS WORK BUT IS HESITANT TO TAKE THE LEAP?

A: Do your research, talk to people who've walked a similar path, and then trust yourself.

Only you can give yourself the clarity you need. And it doesn't always come before the decision; sometimes it comes because of it.

YOU’VE SPOKEN BEAUTIFULLY ABOUT BIO-INDIVIDUALITY AND HOW IT SHIFTED YOUR PERSPECTIVE. HOW DID THAT CONCEPT PERSONALLY IMPACT THE WAY YOU VIEW HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND EVEN YOURSELF?

A: Bio-individuality gave me something I didn't know I was missing—permission to stop measuring myself against a standard that was never mine to begin with. It also gifted me a deeper compassion toward others and, honestly, toward myself.

There's no single perfect diet, no perfect lifestyle. The answers live in the discovery of ourselves—all the layers, the complexity. What matters is honoring that journey, not projecting our own choices onto someone else's path.

Q&A: Fun Favorites

IF YOU COULD BE ANY FRUIT OR VEGGIE, WHICH WOULD YOU BE—AND WHY?

A: Kale, hands down. It's not for everyone, but if you truly know it, and how to handle it, the reward is simply promising.

A BOOK, PODCAST, OR WELLNESS RESOURCE YOU’D RECOMMEND TO THE IIN COMMUNITY?

A: The Curiosity Shop by Brené Brown and Adam Grant. Beyond the expert insights into human behavior and thinking disciplines, the way they hold the conversation itself is a masterclass in coaching in action!

WHAT'S ONE WELLNESS RESOURCE YOU'RE LOVING RIGHT NOW?

A: My reciprocal coaching sessions with my peer coaches. We live in an age of endless information, but none of it compares to doing the work ourselves. That's where our growth and happiness finally get to enter the conversation.

WHAT'S ONE SMALL DAILY HABIT THAT KEEPS YOU GROUNDED DURING BUSY SEASONS?

A: Transcendental Meditation. When my mind is running at full speed in every direction, it's what brings me back to center.

And then, honestly, it really does come back to the fundamentals—good sleep, movement, eating well, and also scheduling time to call my girlfriends for a proper recharge.

Never underestimate a good chat!