Hi I’m Kristen and my 20 year career in holistic health stemmed from my own struggle. In the past I treated my skin and body very, very badly.

For over ten years, I suffered from terrible acne.

I would fantasize about peeling my skin away, to reveal new, clear skin underneath.

But while the fantasy focused on my face, I ignored signs that my health was a mess. My periods were irregular, I was bloated all the time and my stress levels were through the roof. I felt ugly, frustrated and completely out of control.

Over those ten years, I desperately searched for a solution, spending endless amounts of time, money and energy on my stubbornly broken out skin.

My mood was dependent on if I had a bad skin day or less bad skin day (it was never a good skin day). This made me feel superficial and frivolous, which only contributed to endless self-criticism and mounting anxiety.

I treated myself like I was unclean, no amount of cleaning was enough. I was changing my pillow case daily and would never, ever let my boyfriend touch my face. But beyond driving myself crazy, I was completely missing the point.

I could swim through all the skincare I had in my cabinet. It was a sea of oil-free and anti-bac products, none of which cleared my acne. Then I went more intense and went to a dermatologist who gave me high percentage peels, dry ice treatments and a prescription for salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. These irritated my skin, flared up eczema and created scars that I still have today.

When none of these worked, I decided to take antibiotics. This not only made me feel sick but further destroyed my gut flora, starting up a cycle of poor digestion and yeast infections. It seemed like every time I tried a solution, new problems arose.

I was willing to try anything.

The real problem was my approach.

I often compare my acne struggle to a battle. I was fighting the acne as if it were an external enemy and not a part of me.

I see this when working with other health ailments too; we can look at our health problems combatively. But often our bodies are crying out for loving care.

It was only when I started to treat my skin as part of a whole that I began to clear up.

I didn’t know where to begin but I knew what I was doing wasn’t working and I was willing to try anything.

I saw Herbalists, Nutritionists, Acupuncturists, Naturopathic Doctors, Energy Healers…people who worked with crystals, people who spoke to spirits. I did colonic irrigation, parasite cleanses, liver detoxes, aura sessions. I went vegan, then paleo, I put coffee in places that we won’t talk about.

There were real misses and very visible wins but what was important was that I was getting to know my body. I examined my hormonal system, my digestive system and very importantly my emotional stressors. I got to know my lab tests and I found Ayurveda; and a holistic framework that changed my life.

Not only did I clear up my skin but I learned how to treat myself gently and love myself.

Now, along with clear skin and strong health, I have a new perspective on myself and on how both the mind and the inner workings of the body affect the skin. I only wish I had learned these things earlier!

Avoid the time, money and many mistakes I made.

I learnt that quick-fixes don’t work. We must treat the deeper stuff, addressing our health strategically and specifically to our individual constitutions.

Acne started my journey but I have now been treating skin for over my twenty years (health for 15). I’ve seen how connected our bodies are, treating patients for hormonal imbalance, digestion, anxiety and insomnia…. And often all together.

There’s lots of misinformation out there in the ether. And people like me were prey to this because of my desperation.

I see this all the time in my practice. Patients come to see me, having done some real damage to their skin and health.

One reason we make these mistakes is that we are driven by fear: fear that we’re ugly, that people won’t pay attention to us, that we are being held back from our goals. And this fear makes us panicky and impulsive.

We need to feel empowered. That feeling comes from knowledge of who we are, how our bodily systems work and understanding how we are affected by the environment around us.

I would be honoured to help you get clear on your health profile and gain knowledge to support your health for the long haul.