Laila Helena was born in Adelaide but lived for 12 years in Brazil, where her parents established one of the country’s first permaculture centres. Homeschooled and taught to venture outside to gather plants and herbs, naturopathy was a natural career choice for Laila.

As a naturopath and kinesiologist, I’ve worked with hundreds of women who want to change their eating habits and lose weight. And one of the biggest barriers in all of those women is emotional eating.

In her twenties, Karen Van Esveld toyed with the idea of studying nutrition but thought she wasn’t in the headspace for biochemistry.

These past years have been hectic, wouldn't you say?

A decade ago, Rachel Dhanjal’s life looked very different. She had moved to Brisbane, studied a year of nutritional medicine while working, but was also suffering from chronic back pain, anxiety and depression.

As a student, Patricia Diaz was encouraged to find a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) mentor. She found a fourth-generation practitioner and learnt so much with his guidance.

With the internet and the rise of social media, information – and misinformation – about nutrition has never been more accessible.

Being a student is a tough life, even when you take away factors like lockdowns!

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.