I’ve had an interest in ‘health’ all of my adult life. I’ve constantly been looking, researching and observing different definitions of health. I’ve watched fad diets come and go, I’ve listened to many people’s opinions on the topic and I’ve studied different books, courses and websites.

I’ve been a seeker, and I’m finally able to start putting together my own definition of what health means to me, and clearly know the direction I aim to go in.

But, just to be clear, although I’ve had an interest in health, that does not mean I’ve always lived ‘healthily’. I smoked on and off for many years when I was younger, I drink alcohol, and (at the time of writing) I have a terrible habit of eating a pack of chocolate bullets one day a week when I work at my part-time job – which also goes against my passion for waste reduction. But, I, like so many, have food addictions that are yet to be overcome and healed.

For me, health is a journey, one that I’m constantly chipping away at and doing the work to improve.

There have been many things that have been influential to me along the way.

I had a friend in my late teens who’s Mum passed away from cancer before I met him. There was something about her story that stayed with me. When she was first diagnosed her prognosis was not good. So she changed her diet and lifestyle, which allowed her to prolong her life for an additional 10 years.

Knowing this helped me to make the connection that diet and lifestyle could affect health and illness. I was eager to explore this idea more.

Before going to University in 2003, I worked in a retail store where I would talk in-depth to a colleague whose young daughter had severe chemical sensitivities. We’d talk for hours about the product and lifestyle changes she’d made to help her daughter’s health. I found her story fascinating and it further fueled my desire to explore what effects chemicals have in our lives.

I went on to study a Bachelor of Science in Health and the Environment, which led me to investigate what chemicals were used in everyday life, and what effects these were having on our health, and the planet’s.

I started paying attention to the ingredients I was using daily and began making better choices.

Going to university also correlated with the start of my soul searching journey to understand what had caused the depression I had dealt with for the past 9 years. After having a breakdown, I went on medication for 6 months, which allowed me to get my thinking straight again, but being medicated long term was not an option for me. I wanted to understand the ‘why’ of my depression and learn coping strategies to get out of the black hole should I fall in again.

My soul searching symbolised the start of my spiritual and healing journey.

Many years down the track, I now understand the influence trauma has on our lives and how important healing is for health. 

My personal journey has led me to believe health is a combination of caring for my physical, spiritual, mental and emotional bodies. But I’ve also found, caring for myself isn’t enough. I believe it’s vitally important to care for others as well, including the Earth and all her inhabitants, for we are not separate.

But, I understand each has their own journey to walk, in their own timing. 

Two of my favourite sayings are:  

‘I’ll look after me for you, if you look after you for me’ and

‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’. 

I understand the importance of putting on my own oxygen mask before being of service to others. So, I hope by sharing my journey with you, you find things that resonate, inspire, intrigue, and send you on your own journey of seeking to improve health and wellbeing – not just for you, but for the planet and others as well.

I would never want to portray that embarking on a health and healing journey is easy. That certainly hasn’t been my experience. I’ve been doing ‘the work’ for many years now of stripping back the layers, healing, changing habits and making better choices. I’m the first to admit I still have a ways to go to align with what I consider to be a healthy way of living. But writing the content on this website is another pivotal step forward, which helps me to gain a new layer of clarity and move further in the direction I want. High fives to that!

In future blogs, I’ll break down some of the steps I’ve taken on my personal journey. Health is a multifaceted topic that I hope to break down into easy to take in chunks.