5 career defining moments that shaped my wellness career

In Endeavour College alumni’s Angelica-Hazel Toutounji’s reflections below, she shares five moments that have shaped her health, fertility, nutrition and wellness career.

My name is Angelica-Hazel Toutounji and I’m a women’s health and fertility nutritionist and an Endeavour College alumni. Alongside my role as a nutritionist, I’m also a wife, a mother to two girls, the owner of an organic tea company, and a Metabolic Balance coach.

I’m going to share five career defining moments with you below. I’m sharing not because I want to brag about my achievements but to hopefully inspire you. I'm just a normal person that took a chance on a career in natural medicine and I'm thankful to say the hard work, passion and perseverance has paid off in more ways than I could have imagined. 

I've had many wins on my journey and also many failures. So instead of focusing on the times when I've felt despair or fallen short of my own high expectations I'm going to share the moments that brought joy and meant a lot to me. I hope it encourages you to get out there and chase your dreams, however big and wild they may seem.

1. Doing a natural fertility course.

Completing my studies in natural fertility awareness was pivotal to me. My eldest daughter, husband and I flew to Melbourne so that I could partake in a two-day course with the incredible Dr Kerry Hampton. 

Not only was this the first time I ever travelled interstate for business it was also a course that changed my appreciation of the menstrual cycle and left me hungry to learn more. This course enabled me to understand my own menstrual cycle better and to support countless women to do the same.

Related article: 6 steps to increasing fertility and supporting preconception.

2. Getting qualified in reproductive medicine.

Completing my Masters in Reproductive medicine as a mother to two small children is something I'll forever be proud of. After giving birth to my second child I felt so inspired to continue learning about women’s health and fertility. 

Whilst I absolutely had my hands full, I chose to undertake a Masters so that I could do something to feed my mind and propel my business forward. Even though I was taking time out for maternity leave, I still wanted to learn and immerse myself in the industry. Studying can always be a challenge but doing it with two small children was a different ball game. Whilst they slept I poured over research papers and on the weekends I smashed out assignments and undertook exams. 

I finished this course in just over a year and was really proud of my results. This was a pivotal moment not just because I achieved a pretty piece of paper, but because before this postgraduate degree I suffered with imposter syndrome—hard. This course equipped me with knowledge and confidence and made me realise I can do whatever I put my mind to.

3. Getting my organic tea range stocked in a major South Australian supermarket.

When I was in my final year of my Nutrition degree I became obsessed with blending herbal tisanes in the clinic apothecary. 

In fact, I became so obsessed that I decided to create my own organic tea company called Saha Botanica. It's been over 7 years and there have been a lot of highs and lows with running a food based business. The price increases in raw herbs, the stock shortages of jars during COVID and the constant battle of holding enough stock but not too much, has been beyond challenging. 

However, I've also had so many wins. My tea brand has been stocked by a major South Australian supermarket, Foodland. My Rosehip Remedy blend was once complimented by the famous Pete Evans himself, at a market I worked at. Also being stocked in so many incredible South Australian AirBnBs and seeing photos of my products on YouTube and social media. 

Lastly, receiving countless messages from customers saying the products have supported their health still gets me emotional. All of these things make me smile and encourage me to keep going even though business can be tough.

4. Presenting nutrition workshops at Adelaide Oval for the Bachar Houli Foundation.

This was a total pinch me moment. To be honest I'm not a big footy fanatic but I've deep respect and admiration for the legend that is Bachar Houli. In fact, after my mastectomy whilst I was recovering from surgery I read his book and could not put it down. 

I couldn’t believe it less than a year later when the foundation invited me to present several workshops to the girl’s academy on nutrition and health. My work with the foundation has also highlighted how much I love working with teenage girls and providing a safe space for them to ask me health and nutrition questions. 

I've delivered quite a few sessions to various groups of girls now and am always humbled and grateful to continue to work with the foundation.

5. Being sent my first positive pregnancy test picture. 

I love supporting clients to conceive and I still get so excited when I'm sent pictures of their pee sticks showing they’re pregnant. It is such an honour and a privilege to receive this news. 

So much so I'm often the first person that they tell, sometimes even before their husband. It never gets old and I often cry when I hear the news because I'm genuinely so happy for them.

Stop, pause, and celebrate the wins.

This is just a snapshot of moments that mean a lot to me and pivotal times that have shaped my natural health, fertility, nutrition and wellness career. I don’t like to brag but I do like to stop, pause and celebrate the wins. Life is busy and we can often become so wrapped up in moving forward and trying to conquer the next task or achieve the next thing we forget to breathe. 

So whilst you're busy climbing mountains and making your dreams come true, don’t forget to reflect on how far you have come. Tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us, so try to enjoy the journey, reflect when you can and do happy dances along the way.