“Throughout my life, I’ve always come back to activity and exercise and found an outlet for stress or an opportunity for growth,” Kathryn said. “When we started our family, I was working in finance and project management, but I wanted a career with more flexibility, and I decided to give Pilates a go.”

Kathryn was questioning her career change when Pilates inspired her. “I loved its anatomical base, and I was intrigued by the shapes the body makes to achieve movement,” she said. Kathryn became a Pilates, PT, and boxing instructor with her own successful business.

“Inevitably, my clients asked questions not just regarding weight loss but how their ill-health was causing weight gain. This was out of my scope, and I needed more knowledge,” Kathryn said. “When I realised that meant a degree, fear of failure set in.” Years earlier, while studying a theology degree, Kathryn’s confidence was shattered when she failed an assignment and received some demoralising feedback. “At 37, it took me about 18 months to get my brave on and enrol at Endeavour.”

“Endeavour suited my situation. I could study online and on-site, the timetable was flexible, and Endeavour was a national college with an excellent reputation,” Kathryn said. “By then, I had enough life experience to ask the lecturers the so-called ‘dumb’ questions and to seek help from others. I’m indebted to my neighbour, who reviewed my assignments and helped me develop a love of writing.”

For six years, Kathryn ran her business while studying. At times, she said, it was overwhelming. “I had to dig deep. I closed my books and just looked after my core clients. While I love PT, Pilates and boxing, nutritional medicine was like finding my first love. That hasn’t mean benching the tools I already have. I simply learned the science to make them more valuable.”

Another student gave Kathryn a tip for her final year. “She said, ‘do the theory well and then focus solely on your practical subjects.’ Doing this gave me the opportunity to work out my next steps. During the final months, I started working on my new business.”

Kathryn finished her degree in December 2019. While her graduation ceremony has been postponed due to COVID-19, her nutritional medicine business, Sagely Clinic, is ready for launch, albeit in a more virtual form. “I want to support people in applying their in-built intuition day-to-day – to get great at doing one thing well; it sounds simple, but it is profoundly empowering and life-changing. With COVID-19, many of us have a unique moment to step back and think deeply about what’s next in our lives.”

Natural Health Heroes

Natural Health Heroes celebrates the wellness journeys of our alumni. From where they began to where they are today, we showcase our alumni’s unique stories, experiences and successes.

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