Call 1300 462 887 Apply Course Enquiry

View all blogs

Forging her own path in natural health

Written by Endeavour College of Natural Health | Tuesday, 5 October 2021

natural health heroes naturopathy

Paramedics was Dannielle Illingworth’s first study choice when she finished high school in Adelaide. But she quickly realised she was more interested in preventative health than emergency medicine and dropped out of university.

“I hadn’t thought about it before, but I was raised to focus on natural health,” Danni said. “If someone in our family had a headache, we didn’t reach for painkillers. We got ourselves a glass of water.”

After going to an Endeavour College Open Day, Danni decided to study naturopathy. She hasn’t looked back. “It was a relief to me that not all universities are the same. Endeavour suited me much better than my previous uni, and I found it very easy to connect with the lecturers and other students.”

“The amount of chemistry and biology was unexpected, but I love studying, so I enjoyed learning all the assignments and even the exams,” Danni said. “Endeavour gave me the structure I needed to forge my own path, creating a niche that works for me.” During her second year of naturopathy, Danni studied massage therapy and started working full-time as a massage therapist and studying full-time.

In her third year at Endeavour, Danni started blogging. Her online presence expanded as she shared her journey with weight loss, emotional eating and body image. Danni also wrote and published a book, Quit Stressing About Food! “I had discovered that weight loss comes down to emotions and mindset and that eating well and feeling good can be simple. I wanted to share my personal experience and my professional knowledge to help other women.”

When Danni finished her naturopathy studies, she travelled for six months, exploring Thailand, India and China before returning to Adelaide to establish her clinic. After two years of practising naturopathy and massage, Danni studied kinesiology. “Working with emotions and mindset was the missing piece of the puzzle, and that’s what kinesiology allows me to do. Combining my knowledge, I now guide clients to identify what they need to address and make the changes they need to be healthy.”

At first, Danni’s clients came to see her in person. When she and her husband thought about having children, Danni decided to move her business online. The couple now has a young daughter and see their home as a sacred space. Danni does all her consultations online, connecting with clients from all over the world.

“I’m so passionate about what I do that I didn’t want to let the business go when I had children. I love that I can make it work around my family. Some people don’t have that freedom.”


Endeavour College of Natural Health

Endeavour College of Natural Health is Australia's largest Higher Education provider of natural medicine courses.

The College is known as the centre of excellence for natural medicine and is respected for its internationally recognised academic teams and high calibre graduates. Endeavour offers higher education Diplomas in Health Science and Bachelor of Health Science degrees in Naturopathy, Nutritional and Dietetic Medicine, Acupuncture Therapies and Chinese Medicine.

Read more by Endeavour College of Natural Health