Background

I grew up in Exeter, in beautiful Devon, and have spent most of my life here. Its through my own health struggles from over the years and not getting the help elsewhere that finally pushed me to find out ways in which I could help myself. I was desperate to feel better and have always been fascinated in natural health. This is what led me to study the Health Coach course with the College of Naturopathic Medicine. The course was absolutely life changing. I learnt all about the body, the foundations of nutrition, fitness, lifestyle, coaching and general health all through a natural and holistic approach.  I qualified with a Health Coach diploma in 2022. Not only did I learn how to help myself, I learnt how to help others too. I have basically tried to become the coach that I wish Id found for myself years ago.  

I am continuously learning as much as I can on health, especially on my areas of special interest: ADHD, AuDHD, ASD, mental health and menstrual health. I absolutely love what I do - helping people is so rewarding to me. A lot of my work background (albeit varied!) includes various care and support work roles - I've always been drawn to helping others in some way! But now I get to be my own boss, delve deeper into the areas that really interest me, and work with and help others who have similar struggles to what I have experienced myself.

Away from work, I enjoy being out in the elements in nature, camping trips, cosy pubs, being in or near water, nesting at home, dancing, making lists, eating delicious food, surrounding myself with good people, and snuggles with my gorgeous cat.

Looking back on my school years, my ADHD  went totally unnoticed (this is extremely common in girls) - I got good grades across most subjects and was well behaved, polite and quiet. However I was (and still am!) a daydreamer, a terrible listener, extremely anxious, an overthinker, a chronic nail/skin biter, a fidgeter, a people pleaser,  and so many other things. I would often wonder why I felt different to others. I would have sleepless nights, worrying and ruminating. I would leave everything to the last minute, but was also a perfectionist. It was in secondary school when I also really started struggling to fit in with others my age. I felt like I didn't really belong anywhere, and also found lessons extremely boring. I really wasn't very happy and these years hugely affected my self esteem and my confidence.

At college, although I preferred it to school, I still I spent most lessons bored, staring out the window. I soon stopped caring so much about my grades (despite getting really good ones for GCSEs!) - we weren't pushed in the same way as school. I often skipped classes, and didn't put much effort into my work, despite knowing that I could probably do quite well if I tried. When it got to that time where everyone was applying for uni, I almost gave it a go, but got totally overwhelmed with writing a personal statement, so gave up at that first hurdle (and didn't get the right grades anyway!)

At 18 I started working in busy hospitality jobs and moved out of home. I got into drinking and partying a lot, and travelling when I had the money. This cycle continued into most of my twenties. I wont deny it was a lot of fun! However I wasn't looking after myself very well and was often burning the candle at both ends, using a lot of masking to hide my struggles without even realising it. For example, using (lots of) alcohol in social settings to cover up my extreme social anxiety, my boredom, or my sensory issues. Or perhaps mirroring others as I wasn't sure how to be. Or going silent in groups as I'd be scared id say the wrong thing or be of no interest to anyone, or accidently offend someone with my no filter. All of this was absolutely exhausting! And of course this led me to often become quite withdrawn or socially isolated and struggle with connections. All of this plus many other aspects of my ADHD such as impulsivity, rejection sensitivity, overwhelm, burnout, a hyperactive mind, dopamine seeking, executive dysfunction and more, have effected many parts of my life over the years.

Alongside my ADHD struggles and my anxiety, I also started noticing severe pre-menstrual symptoms (strongly linked with ADHD and ASD) in my mid twenties. I would experience rollercoaster moods, extreme irritability, rage,  low mood, poor body image, self loathing, utter exhaustion, and more, all in the week or 2 before my period came. As I'm sure you can imagine, this also had a detrimental effect on my life - my relationships, my work, my self esteem, my mental health. Pretty much everything. I felt like by the time Id recovered it would happen all over again. Every month.

Fast forward some years, post completion of the health coach course and taking my health into my own hands (and also finally getting an ADHD diagnosis at age 30!) - I'm now living the most fulfilling, self aware, and healthy life I've ever lived. Of course I still struggle sometimes, I'm only human. It takes a lot of work to keep on top of everything. But at least now I finally understand myself and my body better and what works for me, and what doesn't. I've learnt how to manage many aspects of my ADHD (possibly even AuDHD) brain, my menstrual health, and my mental health, ALL through diet and lifestyle, and self taught tools and coping mechanisms.

Its important for me to be really honest about my health story as I believe the more we talk, the more we help others.  Of course we all have our unique stories. Maybe you relate to mine, but maybe you don't. We are all different and may experience things in different ways. Its simply about finding out what works for you to help you manage, and that's exactly where I can help.

Hopefully its obvious why I am so passionate about these subjects. I see how harmful these conditions can be when they're misunderstood, ignored, misdiagnosed, or not even taught about. I will continue to spread awareness and offer help through my coaching practice to those who are interested in holistic health. It helped me so much, so hopefully it could help some of you too.

For every single client I work with, whatever the issue, the first session always involves taking a deep dive into your health history. I will ask you many questions based around any past or current issues, your health goals, stress, sleep, diet, lifestyle, habits, obstacles and more. The first session lasts between 1.5 hours and 2 hours. I offer a 10 min break halfway through if preferred, and even fidget toys if you opt for an in-person session! Many clients find this stage to already be really beneficial. When else do we get to talk about ourselves for this long?!

I will then have a really good idea of your all-round health and wellbeing, and that is when we can begin to work out your tailored coaching programme (together in session) to help you with your chosen goals. I can provide you with plenty of background information as we go (especially on the conditions I've mentioned throughout), along with nutritional and lifestyle guidance and suggestions. You will receive your typed up coaching plan the same day as your first session and can work on it until your next session.

All follow-up sessions last between 45 mins and 1 hour. We can make tweaks to your plan if needed.

I also offer a selection of health handouts. These are available to you at any point on your coaching journey.

Hope that all sounds clear, and more importantly, hope it sounds appealing to some of you. Look forward to hearing from you! :)