About Me: Why I Became a Naturopath
HI, I am MADO,
and I am a qualified, registered and insured, clinical naturopath and herbalist. I am based on the beautiful Gold Coast, Queensland and currently offer online consultations across Australia.
A BIT ABOUT ME AND WHY I BECAME A NATUROPATH…
I developed a passion for natural medicine during a ‘turning 30 crisis’.
As I approached my 30th birthday, I had been driving trucks for the previous 3-4 years and I was UNHEALTHY!
I was working crazy hours, eating terrible ‘roadhouse’ food, smoking, drinking crazy amounts of caffeine (and alcohol), slowly putting on weight, and I was constantly exhausted.
On top of all of that, I was just generally UNHAPPY… with how I looked, how I felt inside and the direction my life was going…
Over my years on the road, I had watched some of my peers genuinely struggle to get in and out of their trucks each day. It was sad to watch but easy to see they were eating/drinking themselves to death!
I was fortunate though; I knew how to do better but over the years, I had become lazy… and I knew this was contributing to how I was feeling.
Motivated by my own slowly (but surely) expanding waistline, I began paying more attention. I stopped buying crappy food and made more juices, smoothies and salads. I started to run laps around my truck (when the other drivers weren’t looking! haha!) and I began reading about different foods, nutrients and even herbs that may help.
As my 30th birthday approached, the ‘big life questions’ began to come up, like:
what does it all mean? what am I doing here?
what have I done with my life so far?
what do I really want to do with the rest of my life?
I knew then and there that I didn’t want to be driving trucks for the next 30 years! There is nothing wrong with driving trucks but I just knew it wasn’t for me… not forever. I needed a change.
Then I met the beautiful Nicola, who was battling breast cancer.
I was in absolute awe of how open, upbeat and positive she was, despite being in the battle of her life! Outside the very obvious love and care from her family; Nic attributed some of her ability to remain positive to the support and treatment she was receiving from her naturopath.
I was fascinated! I was becoming more interested in my own health journey and I wanted to know more. I booked an appointment to see what naturopathy was all about.
During that consultation, I borrowed a book called ‘Natural Fertility’, written by an Australian naturopath. I read that book cover to cover in just a few days while working on a major roadworks site. The boys onsite gave me such a hard time over it (as they assumed I wanted to get pregnant, not avoid it) but I didn’t care! I learned so much from that book and after that, I knew this was the path for me.
Image: ↑ The beautiful Nicola McCoy-Roberts - 9/11/1974 - 25/10/2010.
Forever in our hearts.
Nic was so happy and excited for me when she heard I had chosen naturopathy as my future path! Sadly though, Nic lost her valiant battle during my first year of study. This photo was handed to guests at her funeral (and is used with permission from her family). It has been on my fridge ever since. I regularly thank Nic for her inspiration and I hope I have made her proud!
As I read more and more, I quickly realised there was not enough hours in the day to learn everything I wanted to know. So, I decided to go back to university and enrol in a Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy).
Through my studies and my own experiences, I discovered a passion for herbal medicine as well as the ‘gentler’ therapies including homeopathy, hydrotherapy, and flower essence therapies. More recently, I have been exploring mind-body medicine practices to facilitate and support the healing process.
I called my practice Down to Earth Naturopathy as by nature, I believe I am down to earth, friendly, caring, good-humoured, a bit of a hippie ;) and always strive to create an open, honest and non-judgemental environment where my patients feel respected, valued, heard, and understood.
If you are ready for change, I am here to help support you on your health and wellness journey.
If you would like more information, please feel to have a look around my site or email me at hello@downtoearthnaturopathy.com and I’ll try and get back to you as soon as possible.
If you would like to work with me and are ready to book a consultation now, please click the button below.
Everyone’s health story is different and I would like to hear yours!
I look forward to meeting you soon!