Why Did You Become a Naturopathic Doctor?

In honour of it being naturopathic medicine week (May 13-19), I felt compelled to write a piece on a question I get asked all of the time, “why did you become a naturopathic doctor?”. There’s several pieces to answer this question, so here goes!

I grew up in rural Ontario where my days were spent playing in nature and digging in the dirt of my dad’s gardens. My mom was a big advocate of healthy eating and since I was often in nature as a child, this inspired a strong spiritual connection to the earth in me.

I played on every sport team growing up and was always very physically active. Being physically active is something that has persisted in my life and is a huge passion of mine!

When I began my undergrad I knew I wanted to work in healthcare, that I wanted to help others feel healthy and happy but I didn’t resonate strongly with the traditional medical approach we use predominantly in North America. I actually had no idea that naturopathic medicine was even a thing, so I was looking into pursuing physiotherapy originally. This led me to working as a physiotherapy and administrative assistant at an integrative clinic for a few years after graduating from the University of Ottawa. But when I was helping the physiotherapists’ patients with exercises or ultrasounds, patients would share so much about their lives with me. I began to realize that I couldn’t treat just one system of the body (as a physio, just the muscloskeletal system). I knew I would only feel completely fulfilled if I was able to treat people’s health with a holistic approach, considering people’s minds, bodies and souls. This felt like the only way I could truly help guide people to feeling better. In addition, I knew I needed a career that constantly pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to continuously learn and evolve. Naturopathic medicine does this to me on a very regular basis!

One day I finally met someone who asked me “what is your dream job?” and when I started to explain “well I want to help people feel better through diet, lifestyle, vitamins and minerals and acupuncture but that doesn’t exist” I was excited to hear their response “yes it does! that’s what I do, I’m a naturopathic doctor”. As I researched this profession I realized that this was what I was meant to do all along, I truly feel that I was born to become a naturopathic doctor.

For me, being a naturopathic doctor has many meanings. Of course firstly, I care for my patients health and hope to find root causes of their concerns. I hold space for them to be able to have their story heard in totality in a safe and caring healing space. I’m here to support and answer questions to empower them about their wellbeing. If I don’t know the answer to something, I research and consult with other professionals to hopefully find the answer. 

My mission as a naturopathic doctor is to help you feel your best, the way you deserve to. To guide you onto your own unique path of wellness and happiness in all aspects of your life. Often the journey to wellness is up and down, forwards and then backwards and then forwards again. The path is rarely ever straight, but I’m here to support you the way you uniquely need as you make your way to better health, inside and out. I am a major empath and feel strongly what my patients feel and go through. So it’s no surprise that I care quite deeply for my patients and have an innate need to nurture and heal others.

Finally, as a naturopathic doctor my vision extends greater than the here and now. I hope that I can cause a ripple, big or small, into future generations and within the planet and mother nature. I hope to instil positivity into all nooks and crannies of the world, wherever I go, through caring for the people, creatures, plants and all beings of this planet. One motto I like to live by is “be the change you want to see in the world”. 

Take a look at the naturopathic oath to learn more about the guiding principles of naturopathy. Thanks for stopping by and reading my story, I’m honoured you found my site and took the time to learn more about me!