My Wellness Journey
From a very young age, I became interested in holistic therapies and always knew I wanted to help people feel good in a relaxed and calm space. My favourite thing to do was to make pretend potions and lotions and when I was old enough, go for treatments. My mother was also a reflexologist and aromatherapist and so I was always a willing guinea pig. At 18 I was torn between pursuing a diploma in Beauty and Spa therapy but like many others, I went to University and ended up with a Master’s degree in African Studies (so you might have some good geopolitical discussion if you come to see me haha!). However, my time here was not wasted because I enjoyed all the research it entailed and it enabled me to work in interesting places in the charity and events sector.
But, the turning point, like many others who study Holistic and Alternative Therapies was my own health. After being diagnosed quite dramatically in A&E with an autoimmune Hyperthyroid disorder (Graves’ Disease), I found myself wondering how I had got to that place and how on earth I had missed all the signs. To this day, I remember very clearly sitting in my Endocrinologist’s office and her telling me that my current job (in fundraising) if stressful, was not going to allow me to go into remission or even stay there. I remember a few days later being back at work and thinking that it was not for me at all and so began my never ending journey into wellness and chose to change my career. I studied the prestigious CIDESCO Beauty and Spa Diploma’s in a one year intensive course which allowed me to work in a variety of places before studying further diplomas along the way and obtaining my ITEC diplomas in Aromatherapy and Reflexology.
During this year of ill health and study, I stumbled across a Japanese Shiatsu therapist who, as with Acupuncture, worked energetically along the meridian pathways. To this day I credit this part of my journey with being able to not only go into remission but stay there! Along with studying Reflexology, receiving Shiatsu treatments cemented in my mind what I knew – that I really wanted to learn more about these ancient systems of healing.
At some point, between all this, I ended up going to see an Acupuncturist, Herbalist and Nutritionist after becoming burnt out from working the long hours in a Spa and the constant massages. My manager at the time, unbeknownst to me, had been watching me and knew that something was not quite right so she sent me to this friend of hers for all these therapies. I slowly got better and knew I wanted to do more from the holistic perspective. As with the beginning of my beauty career, I had another a-ha moment, thinking to myself that maybe I might want to learn more but did further training and switched to working in a Laser clinic offering advanced facials, micro-needling and Laser and IPL. I was torn between going further into medical aesthetics or learning more about healing therapies. It still took me another year to decide but after much research, I began a 4 year long journey at the College of Naturopathic Medicine studying both Acupuncture and Naturopathy and have never looked back. The Acupuncturist who my old spa manager sent me to is the person who encouraged me to pursue this change in direction and further study. (If either of you are reading this, thank you for pushing me to do more!)
My goal is to integrate all the knowledge I have obtained over the years and through my own journey show my patients that achieving wellness is possible and that we can achieve balance of mind, body and soul and stay there (with some bumps on the way as healing is not linear of course!) My mission now is to provide total wellness treatments for my clients for both the body and the face, bringing together different holistic body and facial therapies, Naturopathy and of course Acupuncture.
To start your wellness journey with me, please feel free to get in touch.