Hey there, i’m courtney,
How did I get to where I am today?
Way back when I was in grade 3 the class had their weight and height on the wall. I remember this boy commenting on my weight and he said something like 'wow you weigh more than me!' I was devastated and embarrassed... a few years later when I was in grade 7 I started to develop a really bad relationship with food and my body following a few other negative comments which were said to me at school.
I was noticing my body start to change/develop and I wasn't okay with it. I started to heavily restrict my calories and increase my exercise. I would make sure I did some sort of exercise after almost everything I ate. . Even if I had to do it in my room.. I was obsessed.
The thoughts were harsh and repetitive and there was no way that I would have spoken to anyone else like how I spoke to myself.
This battle with restriction and over exercising went on and off throughout my high school years and into adulthood. During year 10 I rebounded into binge eating and drinking, saw weight starting to gain so I quickly started restricting myself again with the obsession to be smaller. It's so sad that during one of the most dramatic hormonal changes in a girls life, I was depriving myself of essential nutrients.
After high school I moved to Brisbane and decided to study to become a personal trainer, seemed fitting as I was so obsessed with excessive movement right?
I continued to push my body with minimal nutrition and developed hormonal imbalances due to the damage I did to my metabolism. When I started working as a PT I kept seeing clients who like me, needed more than just exercise to be healthy. I developed a passion for nutrition and started to educate myself in what I thought was right for my body. By this stage I was so depleted, had extreme fatigue, terrible gut health, many food intolerances, hormonal imbalances and of course a long history of disordered eating with excessive exercise. This lead me to book in to see a naturopath who specialised in fatigue.
After a few consultations and many supplements later I really found a love for what naturopathy could do to rebalance the body. We worked together to find out my triggers and she gave me a few tools to take away and practice with myself to heal my poor relationship with food. This took alot of hard work.
At this point, I knew I wanted to study naturopathy but was riddled with self doubt. I didn't think I could study health science for 4 years, I couldn't stand sitting still, I couldn't focus and was SO fatigued.. but I pulled the trigger and never looked back. Throughout my degree I tried all different diet programs, gut healing protocols, extensive blood tests, elimination diets and it wasn't until the end of my degree that I found the answers on how to TRULY heal the body at a cellular level. This was life changing for me and although I wish I knew earlier, this was my path. I have developed a passion to help people develop a healthy relationship with themselves and food, reconnect to their body and elevate their energy.
For me, naturopathy was the turning point which allowed me to regain wellness.
My Interests
Nutrigenomics
Mental health
Thyroid conditions
Fatigue management
Gastrointestinal complications
Detoxification
Weight management
Chronic inflammatory conditions
Hormonal complications through all life stages
Qualifications
Certificate III & IV in fitness
Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy) - registered with ANTA
Nutrigenomic practitioner (G.E.M.M)