Rewind eight years ago and my introduction would have read more like this: wife, mother, sugar addict, cystic acne sufferer, exhausted, bloated, inflamed. Prone to low mood and poor sleep.

I had no love or respect for myself. I abused my body, made it solely responsible for my happiness and ignored the cries for help that it screamed at me along the way. I basically treated myself horribly. I defined myself by the roles that I played in life and had no sense of personal identity outside of those roles. I either ate or starved my emotions. I had no energy to do anything. As a result I constantly felt like I was giving my all but was failing at life, failing at being a mother, failing at being a wife.

SPARKING CHANGE

Outwardly it may not have appeared to others that I had any health issues but inwardly it was a different story. I was fed up of feeling tired, of feeling like crap all the time, of putting on a facade, of hating what I saw when I looked in the mirror. Quite frankly, I was fed up being a passenger rather than a participant in life!

I became increasingly aware that once the kids left home I had no purpose. I felt like I had nothing to look forward to other than getting older and, if I didn’t start to make changes, to becoming more unhealthy and potentially very ill.

I realised that I had to take responsibility for my own health and my happiness. It had become so easy to make excuses for why I wasn’t doing things, or to lean into the thinking that health is only for rich people who have the money to spend on expensive products and treatments and that have loads of spare time. I didn’t want to become reliant on doctors for answers, or for my husband or daughter to be burdened with caring for me as I got older because I hadn’t taken the time to care for myself when it really mattered.

one positive action triggers a cascade

I started off slowly with small deliberate action steps. The positive impact from each individual action I took gave me the drive and confidence to take bigger leaps forward, to demand more from life, to stop settling.

I am an expert on me. I know what works for me and what doesn’t, where I find joy, when I need to slow down, and what tools I can use to nourish my mind and body. It is a journey that I am still on, and I continue to learn along the way. The changes I worked hard to make have most definitely had a positive impact on how I am experiencing my journey through menopause transition. The biggest and most impactful change I have made to date? I put myself and my needs first, and in doing so I can show up in all areas of life with energy, integrity and complete presence.

passion turns to career

Whereas I once believed that being healthy was solely about what I ate and the exercise I did, I now understand that those elements are important, but they are just the beginning. Health is fed by every aspect of our lives - our career, relationships, spirituality, how we express our creative selves, our environment. It is only through tending to each and every part that I feel truly well.

My own journey felt long and quite isolating at times because I was doing it alone. But it was worth it and the experience stirred in me such a passion for health and well-being that I became determined to help other women going through similar challenges to curate their own healthful life, to find joy in food and exercise, to develop a loving relationship with themselves and to be excited, not daunted, by the next chapter. And above all, to not be alone in doing so.

I studied with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, learning from renowned experts across the whole spectrum of health and wellness to become a certified Health Coach. I am thrilled to be helping women explore and address their health issues in a holistic way, and to dig deep and invite real sustainable and impactful change into their lives.