1. What brought you to study Holistic Nutrition at IHN?

To be honest, I can’t pinpoint one specific reason that led me to IHN. It was more of a gradual realization. Back in 2022, I was working as an Educational Assistant in the school board, and I found myself completely burnt out. I felt depleted, frustrated, and constantly stressed. It became clear that I needed a change; something that aligned more with my values and interests.

During that time, especially with the influence of Covid, I started becoming more curious about health and nutrition. I noticed a growing interest in how food and supplements could impact well-being, and I found myself asking deeper questions about children’s health, behaviour, and focus, basically things I was witnessing first-hand at work.

That curiosity led me to explore what nutritionists actually do, and I instantly felt a connection to the field. I dipped my toes in by taking a short course at Pacific Rim College that focused on gut health, and I was hooked. I knew I wanted to go deeper. When I started looking for schools that offered both quality education and fit my budget, IHN stood out as the perfect fit.

2. What professions have you worked in prior to enrolling at IHN?

Well as I previously stated in my first question, I worked as an Educational Assistant. I was actually a part of the board for 11 years doing that line of work. Before I was an EA, I was working as a before and after school care facilitator that was also part of the board. Before getting in with the school, I worked as a customer service representative at Michaels.

I currently teach yoga on the side!

3. What degrees or academic achievements did you have prior to IHN?

I went to college for Child and Youth Work back in 2011 and in 2016 I went to university to major in Psychology. I don’t know if I would consider this an ACADEMIC achievement but I feel it’s still an achievement all the same that contributes to my learning, but I also got certified as a yoga instructor back in 2019!

4. What are your goals/aspirations as a CNP?

To be honest, I’m still figuring out exactly where I see myself as a CNP, and I think that’s okay. What I do know is that I’m deeply passionate about supporting others on their health journey. I want to be someone people can turn to when they feel overwhelmed or unsure, someone who listens without judgment and helps ease their worries, even in small ways.

I have found a lot of fulfillment combining nutrition with my role as a yoga teacher. I’ve discovered that movement and nutrition together feel like more of my true calling. I genuinely love movement and believe it’s essential for overall well-being. Whether that’s through yoga, walking, or anything that gets the body moving. Helping people incorporate both nourishing food and mindful movement into their lives feels like a natural, rewarding path for me to follow.

5. What has been your personal best achievement?

It’s hard to narrow down a single personal best achievement, but if I had to choose one, it would be the decision to walk away from a career that no longer aligned with who I was. I worked in the school board supporting children with behavioural and developmental challenges, and while it was meaningful in many ways, the job began to take a serious toll on my mental health. I was feeling constantly burnt out, anxious, and emotionally depleted. The environment—especially among staff—had become toxic and competitive, and I often left work feeling unsupported and unfulfilled.

Choosing to step away wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. I began doing some soul-searching and research to find a path that aligned with my passions and values. That journey led me to this program, and also back to something I had lost touch with—teaching yoga. After having to step back from teaching due to COVID in 2020, I finally returned to it last year, and it’s helped me reconnect with a deeper sense of purpose.

Together, these choices—leaving a draining job, returning to yoga, and pursuing a new path in holistic health—represent my personal achievement: listening to myself, honouring what I need, and actively building the life I want.

6. What is something you overcame in your life, that you didn’t think you could?

Something I’ve overcome in life that I never thought I could is learning how to set boundaries, and actually stick to them. For a long time, I didn’t even realize boundaries were something I was allowed to have. As a people pleaser, I constantly put others before myself, in both personal relationships and at work. I thought that in order to be liked, I had to be easygoing, agreeable, even if it meant ignoring my own discomfort.

That pattern affected my relationships deeply. In my personal life, I found myself shrinking, avoiding conflict, and biting my tongue just to keep the peace. In the workplace, particularly in toxic environments, I stayed silent when I should’ve spoken up, and kept showing up even when I was running on empty.

Over the last few years, I’ve done a lot of inner work to understand my limits and respect them. Setting boundaries hasn’t been easy. In fact, it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. I’ve lost some relationships, and I’ve lost respect from people who were used to me not standing up for myself. But what I’ve gained is far more valuable: peace of mind, self-respect, and clarity about who I am and what I will and won’t tolerate. Learning to say “no,” or “not like that,” without guilt, and knowing I’m not responsible for managing everyone else’s comfort, that’s a version of me I never thought I’d grow into. And I’m proud that I did.

7. What is something about you that would surprise people?

Something that might surprise people about me is that I used to be a sea cadet! Throughout my entire teen years, I was part of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps (R.C.S.C.C.) Lanark, based in Carleton Place, ON. During that time, I learned everything from marksmanship and leadership to sailing, tying knots, and drill. I marched in parades, won awards, and spent every summer at cadet camp, often in Kingston or Nova Scotia, training intensively for 8 to 10 weeks at a time.

One of my fondest memories was sailing on the Atlantic Ocean, with porpoises swimming and breaching right beside our boats. It was surreal, a moment I’ll never forget. As a kid, I once dreamed of becoming a marine biologist, so that experience really lit up my inner child. (Side note: The reason why that career path never worked out was because math and science were never my strongest subjects in school. It was a big disappointment for me but I feel it was for a reason that that career path didn’t work out.)

I miss sailing deeply, and I still hope to get back on the water someday. That time in cadets taught me discipline, adventure, and a deep love for the ocean, things that have never really left me.

8. Is there anything you would like to share about your experience at IHN so far?