Hello, I’m Dr. Estibalitz

A physician (MD, PhD), professor, and certified stress management instructor. With 20+ years of experience, I help you understand your stress and build resilience, so you can ride life’s waves with more ease.

How I Became a Stress Expert...

Early in my medical and immunology training, I kept noticing how profoundly stress affected the immune system in ways most people didn’t fully realize. That curiosity led me to pursue deeper knowledge in the fascinating field of psychoneuroimmunology, the study of how the brain, immune system, and stress are connected.

To expand my understanding, I earned a Master’s in Neurosciences and then a PhD in Health Psychology. For my PhD dissertation, I focused on stress and pregnancy outcomes, researching how stress influences both maternal and infant health.

For the past 10+ years, I’ve worked closely with people dealing with chronic stress, including endurance athletes, individuals with chronic illnesses, and anyone seeking to reclaim their health and well-being.

Through this work, I’ve become convinced of one thing: chronic stress is a silent killer. But the good news is, there’s so much we can do to reduce its effects.

I strongly believe that changing key health behaviors, from how we move, eat, and sleep to how we manage emotions and build resilience can dramatically improve how we handle stress and protect long-term health. That’s why I created Surfing Stress: to give you simple, science-backed tools to navigate stress, build resilience, and ride life’s waves in a healthier, more sustainable way.

So Tell Me...

Are you someone who is...

Feeling constantly tense, wired, or exhausted, even when you try to rest?
Struggling with poor sleep, brain fog, or physical symptoms linked to chronic stress?
Caught in survival mode, just getting through each day without a sense of calm or control?
Tired of quick fixes and looking for a deeper, lasting way to manage stress?

Noticing how stress is impacting your mood, focus, relationships, or health — and ready to make a change?
Wanting to understand why stress affects your body and mind, and how to take back control?
Longing to feel calmer, clearer, more resilient, and able to handle life’s waves without being knocked over?

Ready to use practical tools backed by science that you can rely on, not just during stressful times, but every day?

If so... Then you've come to the right place!

My Approach to Stress Management

I connect the science of stress with practical changes in your habits, mindset, and coping skills.

What I do

Connect mind and body. Help you understand how stress affects your brain, immune system, and overall health.
Turn science into daily habits. Explore sleep, movement, nutrition, recovery, emotional regulation, and boundaries.
Build your coping skills. Recognize how you interpret stress and develop responses that fit your life.

What I don’t do

Promise quick fixes. Sustainable change takes awareness, practice, and small, consistent steps.
Offer one-size-fits-all advice. Your circumstances, needs, and coping patterns matter.
Rely on relaxation alone. Breathing and meditation are part of a broader approach to health habits and resilience.

FREE GUIDE: Resilience isn’t something you’re born with, it’s something you build. Start protecting your mind and body today!

"Surfing Stress. How to Reduce the Long-Term Impact of Stress on Your Health"

Download this science-backed introduction to the 10 key areas that shape how stress affects your body and mind.

By focusing on these essential factors, you’ll move from simply enduring stress to actively surfing it, in a way that strengthens your health and helps you become more resilient.