About Our Team

Andrea Schroeder

Andrea is a Registered Nurse and Bariatric Consultant who has been working within the field of Bariatric surgery for the past 22 years. As Director of Tailor Clinics and Foundations of Healthy Living Retreats, her role is to oversee the integration of the entire bariatric team in Hamilton, as well as facilitate the team and the program at the retreats.

Sonia McIndoe

Sonia is a certified life coach specialising in empowering people to live their best lives as their best selves. She will be a coach and tour guide to help you discover your core values, purpose and passions and to identify and re-program self-limiting beliefs and self-sabotaging thoughts. She will help you to know you are worthy of your dreams and desires and create your plan to live them. She also has intimate knowledge of the bariatric surgery path being a bariatric patient herself, therefore understanding the 'lived' experience.

David Schroeder

David Schroeder is a retired bariatric surgeon who performed weight loss surgery in the Waikato area for 20+ years and now spends his time educating and mentoring surgeons in New Zealand and Australia on both the bariatric surgical technique and the role of the brain in getting the best results after surgery. He shares his learnings at the retreat through sessions on Mindfulness, Breathing, Meditation and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Sheryl Matthews

Sheryl is our patient support co-ordinator and passionate cook. Her warm and encouraging ‘camp mother’ qualities quickly builds a rapport with all participants and ensures everyone feels pampered and well supported throughout their time at the retreat.

Raeleen Brunel

Raeleen is another of our passionatre cooks who pours her heart and soul into cooking delicious meals for our participants.