What led me to becoming a naturopath
I thought it was about time to introduce myself properly, and to share a bit of my story. So hello! I’m Angie, I was born and raised in the small town of Margaret River, Western Australia.
I spent my upbringing surrounded by trees and ocean, either practicing gymnastics (my Mum was the local gymnastics coach), on the tennis court, or surfing with my brother and Dad. In my high school years, I decided I wanted to pursue tennis and give my best shot at turning it into a career. I spent every free moment on the court, trying to get any sort of edge I could over the other girls. This meant waking up at 5:30am before school to fit in a training session, and then another session once I got home from school, training until the sun went down and I could no longer see the ball. There was no stopping me…or so I thought.
I was hit with swine flu in year 10, which then led to post-viral fatigue (with a bout of glandular fever thrown in there too!). I suddenly couldn’t get myself out of bed, let alone to do 2-3 hours of tennis training and 8 hours of school everyday. I went from being a high achieving student, to unable to get out of bed and attend school. On top of all of this, it also led me to depression so when Mum took me to the Doctors, I was given anti-depressants and sent a psychologist. I remember the psychologist telling me at one of our few sessions that I needed to let go of my dreams of being a tennis player, and that was the moment I decided I didn’t want to see her anymore, even if she may have had a point.
For the next five years, I did what I could to pursue my dreams, I even flew to America to play college tennis, and then lived in Queensland to train full time. But I always battled with the fatigue, and to be honest, the depression as well. There was one defining moment when I was living in Queensland, when I saw my dietitian who gave me some hard truth, I was stuck in something called the ‘female athlete triad’, meaning, I was no longer getting my period (due to over training), I had no energy (this was something I was used to by now), and I was losing bone density. I remember sitting in my car crying, feeling like my body had failed me and like I had lost the battle with chronic fatigue. But I also felt like it was a wake up call that I needed to prioritise my health and respect my body, finally giving it the rest and love that it had been craving since my teens.
Not long after that conversation, I decided to move home to WA, I enrolled in a BHSc in Nutrition (inspired by my dietitian) and made an appointment to see a Naturopath. I was desperate to try anything that might help with the chronic fatigue, and in the end, two things did, seeing a Naturopath, and something called Reverse Therapy, which helped to shift my mindset into better patterns of thinking. As a result of both of these modalities, I felt emotional weights being slowly lifted off me, and like all the cells in my body were finally starting to wake up and work again.
Over the next few years, I continued to prioritise my health, see my Naturopath and continue Reverse Therapy. I felt my energy coming back slowly but surely. I couldn’t believe the difference that the right herbs/supplements, lifestyle changes and therapy could make, and I became fascinated by it. With a slight detour, I changed into a BHSc in Naturopathy, and I have never looked back. I wholeheartedly believe that we should be treated holistically, as there are so many facets to each person and factors influencing our health.
I have now graduated from BHSc Naturopathy, and have moved back close to my hometown, surrounded again by trees and ocean. My dream is now to create a wellness clinic, to help others with their health and hold space for them, allowing every voice to feel heard in the consult room.
