About
IS THERE MORE FOR YOU? IF YOU THINK THERE MIGHT BE, THERE IS.
Sometimes we get to a certain point in life and wonder: Is this it? Or is there more for me?
Many of us don’t fully live the life we want because we’re afraid to fail. Or maybe we try, and just can’t seem to make things happen or stick.
At Hamptons Embodied Wellness, I combine Lifestyle Medicine with Positive Psychology to help you thrive in every way — by addressing the root causes of imbalance with evidence-based therapies.
What does full body + mind wellness look like?
Feeling energized
Being your best self
Having a positive mindset
Having clarity
Embodying natural resilience
Being able to put yourself out there
Feeling fulfilled with life
Radiating joy
Achieving goals
Unity between mind and body
What is Lifestyle Medicine?
Lifestyle Medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions to create whole-person wellness by applying research-based, prescriptive lifestyle change in areas such as diet, exercise, sleep and stress.
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Whole Food & Plant-Predominant Nutrition
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Stress Management
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Restorative Sleep
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Positive Social Connections
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Physical Activity
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Avoidance of Risky Substances
My approach is:
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Strengths-based.
Instead of focusing on negative symptoms — what’s wrong with you? — we start with what’s right with you and build from there. Our individual strengths can be our greatest problem-solvers when deployed strategically!
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Values-based.
Your true values might end up surprising you. (Maybe that’s why sustaining change has been so hard in the past!) Values-based work will motivate and guide your next steps, and help you start living a life that energizes you.
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Judgment-free.
Guess what? I’m human, too! We’re all having this sometimes challenging, sometimes incredible human experience. At times we all fall into these stuck places. The cool thing? As humans, we can also learn how to get unstuck.
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Actionable.
Your goal will be broken down into steps so it’s manageable — and even fun! With my organized and supportive approach, I will keep you accountable as you build healthy habits. A change-maker at heart, I don’t just like to talk. I like to help you make things happen. Because your action plan will be based on your values, strengths and passions, motivation will come naturally.
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Lasting.
By using my background in Positive Psychology and behavior change, I can help these actionable changes become part of your new operating system, rather than a short-term effort. Why is this work sustainable? Because once you start to feel better, you keep going. Many of my clients start to dream even bigger once they see the impact of these positive shifts.
Hello, I’m Maria.
I’m a lifestyle medicine practitioner, psychologist, corporate consultant, wellness speaker, mother, wife, and former teacher.
I believe that individuals are capable of so much more than they often realize: unearthing motivation, cultivating a positive mindset, experiencing joy, and having true wellness that helps them move forward in life and feel authentic and amazing.
I wish we could flip the whole medical industry on its head, and prioritize wellness and prevention, to be more proactive instead of reactive. If we were more proactive — focused on whole-person wellness — there would be less illness and imbalance (mental and physical) that we would have to react to. I wish we could, universally as a medical community, see each individual as a whole person. This would save money, headaches and heartache as individuals and as a society.
As health professionals, we may not be able to do it system-wide yet, but we can do it here.
I’m so proud of my offerings at Hamptons Embodied Wellness.
I do this work because we can all use something like this to refocus and grow in our lives!
You are so capable and powerful.
Here’s to you!
Dr. Maria Pentcheva Burns
Education & Certifications
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), Hofstra University
Master’s degree in School Psychology, Hofstra University
Master’s degree in Childhood Education, New York University
Certified Lifestyle Medicine Diplomate, American College of Lifestyle Medicine
Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield
Certified Yoga Teacher
Additional training
Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Training
Memberships & Associations
American College of Lifestyle Medicine
American Psychological Association
Institute For Functional Medicine
Suffolk County Psychological Association
My guiding values include:
Family and friendships – nothing gives me more joy than being with the ones I love.
Travel – from road trips in our airstream to exotic far away vacations, I love to experience new sights and cultures.
Helping others – this was always my calling and gives me incomparable fulfillment and purpose.
Advocating for our environment – because it is not only our minds and bodies that are deeply connected; we are also connected to the earth.
Ways I rejuvenate and maintain Wellness:
Basking in nature – gardening, collecting seashells at the beach, forest bathing and hiking in the mountains.
Physical activity – from yoga to barre, weightlifting, paddle boarding and martial arts – I love to move.
Mindfulness practice – starting each morning with meditation provides me with clarity and keeps me grounded through my busy days.
Sleep! My Bulgarian roots are deeply ingrained when it comes to my midday nap.
At my private psychology practice, Hamptons Mindful Youth, I employ the principles of Positive Psychology.