Do you recall the moment you were first interested in natural health?
Healthy living and a preference for natural health was instilled in me from a young age, as my parents were big advocates for this way of living. I remember being regularly taken to different healers and alternative practitioners as a child. I thought they were magic and always loved my sessions. My mum went on to become an Acupuncturist herself, so we always had the most incredible books on health, healing and Chinese Medicine laying around the house. At the age of 13, I distinctly remember picking up one of these books (“The Web That Has No Weaver'') and devouring the whole thing cover to cover, finishing it in a day. To this day it remains my favourite and something I revisit regularly, recommending it to clients, particularly those interested in becoming prospective Acupuncture students. During my high school years we made the sea change from suburban Brisbane to Maleny, in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Australia. There we had property, lush greenery all around, animals and a strong local community very aligned with the values of holistic, healthy living. Reflecting I truly feel it is the summation of everything that led to health always being my top value - and by that I mean almost every waking minute I am thinking either about how to improve my own health or help others improve their own.
Tell us more about your journey to becoming a practitioner?
I started studying in 2009, focusing on learning and mastering my craft as much as humanly possible during this chapter of my life. I worked for a variety of other practitioners throughout my studies, and then supported them in the building of their clinics following my studies.
In 2019 I began my journey into running my own practice. I never advertised beyond my own instagram posts and word of mouth but I was booked out from the first month. This was so incredibly humbling and shocking to me as I, (and I’m sure a lot of women in any industry), have always struggled with taking that leap and trusting my own intuition without a guarantee of safety. This early success was definitely a huge catalyst in deciding to take the biggest leap of my life a year later, transitioning my career to be solely online and moving overseas. It’s been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember to be able to reach people on a global scale and to help people realise the amazing benefits and healing power of Chinese Medicine and holistic health with an approach that is relevant to modern-day living.
I decided to move to the wellness hub of the world, Los Angeles with my Husband and completely dedicate my life to building an online community focusing on women's health. Where they can feel nurtured, empowered and supported. This includes the integration of a variety of modalities including; PSYCH-K®, Chinese Dietary Therapy, Meridian Therapy and Holistic Health and Lifestyle Mentoring. All of these modalities approach health with the focus on deciphering the root cause of the ailments, rather than solely “band aiding” symptoms. Addressing the root cause of the problem provides long lasting results. Ensuring you’re able to lead your life without becoming solely reliant on medication or expensive diets and health regimes.
Your work is heavily influenced with other themes like the subconscious mind and beauty? How did you become interested in those topics when your life was so heavily dedicated to Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture?
During my ten years working in a clinic as an Acupuncturist, Psych K Facilitator, and Intuitive Healer, I noticed very quickly that I wasn’t just helping Women strictly with health imbalances. More and more I was noticing that I was supporting my clients through navigating their love life, their career trajectory, their behavioral patterning from trauma and even finding their life’s purpose. Especially for Women, ‘health’ is an all-encompassing term. We’re extremely multifaceted and there are many crucial elements within us that can affect our health and well-being. Personally, I’m so dedicated to personal development that my nose is almost always buried in a self-help book or learning a new philosophy of healing, and once I started integrating these elements into my work as an Acupuncturist I began to see my clients blossom, not only healthwise but across all areas of their lives. My goal is to empower Modern Women to be able to be their own healers and an integral part of that, is the integration of a variety of modalities to filling up their “toolbox”.
Can you explain what “Coming home to yourself” is all about?
I decided on this name because my ethos of ‘Coming Home to Yourself’, is actually really as simple as surrendering to your soul’s purpose. The tricky thing is that most likely, we have forgotten what our soul’s purpose actually is. Frustrating right? Somewhere along the way, we lost our childlike genius. As we’ve gone through our education, everything we were taught was generally about how to fit in and be small. We’re being educated on how to be good little worker bees and what career path is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Everyone’s proud of a Lawyer but mocked as an Artist (until they’re successful). As our parents instilled their morals into us, which most likely were their parent’s morals too. We were never shown how to listen to our innermost callings and shine through as our own individual beauty deserves.
What are three tips you would give someone looking to start as a practitioner in the wellness space?
I have learnt the vast majority of people in the health industry have had their own health struggles that led them to not only become their own healer but to pursue a career in the industry. Don’t think of any health imbalance as something to be ashamed of, but rather something to embrace as experience and potentially a road to project you toward your niche. On reflection, I credit my own issues with hormone imbalances, hypothyroidism, and an eating disorder to being such a pivotal experience and what led me to truly trust in the power of natural health and its capabilities for healing. Understand and embrace the power that comes from vulnerability. It is so easy to have imposter syndrome and think that if you’re not 100% balanced in every area of life no one will see you as a successful practitioner. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth! People and particularly clients connect with authenticity and shared experiences.
Take your own advice. It is very easy to fall into the practice of learning everything, sharing the perfect diet plan, and offering wonderful advice to clients yet not applying it to yourself. Practicing what you preach allows you the opportunity to live authentically and realize what you’re asking of your clients.
Follow your heart and don’t be afraid to take a risk for a big reward. You are your most magnetic when you’re the most vulnerable. If you’ve always dreamed of being a holistic nutritionist, your favourite weekly pastime is visiting the farmers markets and creating healthy, healing recipes yet you work in an office because it’s “safe” and following your dream is scary, embrace fear as excitement and choose your heart. Your limitation is always in your mind, and for any perceived negative outcome exists a positive, expansive one waiting for you to choose it.
