Where’s Kat?
Well hello there! Where has the time gone…I can’t believe it’s been 4 years since my last blog post!
The world went a bit crazy for a time over the past 5 years, right at the point I had launched Inspire FN and things were going swimmingly well. It became apparent that a reprioritisation of needs was in order and so life took a slight diversion - I’ve been homeschooling the three kids - I can’t believe this is year four.
My one unexpected realisation with homeschooling is that everyone who is homeschooling has gone down that path for different reasons and are homeschooling in many different ways. That’s the beauty of it, it’s completely flexible to suit the life you want to create for your family.
Reflecting on the past four years it’s actually quite similar to a health journey in a way, each individual’s experience is different and it is constantly evolving through different layers - that’s what being a human is about.
When I started homeschooling I said to myself, I’ll ease into it and see how much time and energy I have left to put into the business……..well as it turns out, homeschooling takes a lot of energy AND time!
“Children are not a distraction from the most important work, they are the most important work.” C.S. LEWIS
All of this isn’t to say it is an easy path (I’m in the habit of not choosing easy paths!), but I feel so very privileged to be together (even though some days can be tough) with my kids, knowing that it’s really such a short time in the grand scheme of things and they are growing up super quick!
I’m most appreciative of my roles as wife and mother and I want to be able to fully show up in these precious relationships, and I recognise that my ability to do that is very dependent on my own energy, and overall health. I still desire to help other people experience or regain this level wellness so they too can focus on the things and people that are most important in their life!
I feel like I’ve been fully living my life and having a break from what felt like being fully immersed in the health world was actually refreshing and shifted my focus back to being engaged with life and family - after all, we want to be healthy so that we can fully live our lives.
So the passion to help people on their health journeys’ didn’t disappear along with all my spare time! I have still taken on a client here and there and I spend spare smidges of available time with my nose in a health-related book or listening to the latest irresistible health podcast.
Sunset over Castlecliff Beach, NZ - December 2024
In choosing this homeschooling lifestyle and taking a side step away from one on one client work, I have gleaned some space to tinker with and experience the effect of some of the more subtle therapeutics. Here are some of the things that I have been including in my own health repertoire:
I have long been a fan and regular user of breathing patterns to help regulate my nervous system (sometimes breathwork too) (1)
Meditation (I completed a teacher training last year) (2)
Transitioning my mindset to one of Terrain Theory (focusing on my internal body terrain and how to keep it as healthy as possible)
Regularly going to a sauna (3) and using a Gua Sha stone to help gently move my lymph fluid for detoxification
Natural dental care (4) (I make my own mouth wash to protect the beneficial bacteria and also oil pull)
Switching out toxic skin moisturising products for tallow balms. It has similar fats to those found in human skin and is a treasure trove of fat-soluble vitamins and antioxidants essential for skin healing
Grounding (5) (kids we’re going to the beach - like, every afternoon so we can have feet in the sand!)
Quantum biology (think red light therapy (6) and full spectrum light through working on my circadian rhythm with the sun)
Related to the above point, blocking blue light at night (our house at night looks like a permanent sunset)
I’m back lifting weights (hello peri menopause bone strengthening and muscle building)
Essential oils (7) to help with nervous system regulation (back off Mr Sympathetic!)
Castor Oil packs to help with liver detoxification (8)
Awareness that your thoughts become your reality and affect your cells (thanks Dr Bruce Lipton!) (9)
Last but not least, trying not to be too nice (thanks Gabor Mate - sorry everyone else!)
I’ve deliberately dropped some breadcrumbs in there that you may want to follow with your own research (if you haven’t already!). I don’t do all of these things all of the time - some have become part of routines and others I will pull out of the bag when I become aware that it is what my body needs. I have popped some references at the bottom of this page to supporting scientific research, where these therapies have been part of studies that have shown quantitative results.
All these things are really the icing on top, as the starting place has to be the foundations of a nutrient dense diet, healthy fats, hydration, blood sugar awareness, quality sleep, stress management and appropriate movement - and this is what I always come back to if things get a little wobbly or life throws me a curve ball. I’ve seen time and time again if any of these elements become out of balance for a period of time, it’s a sure ticket to chronic disease. Then beyond the foundations it’s elements such as the ones above that can further shift your internal body terrain to be healthier. On the face of it they might not seem that important, but can have a life changing difference.
I’ve come to further understand (different from just knowing) that body, mind and spirit are all one, they can’t be separated without consideration of the others. What affects one, affects the other parts. We see this with all the latest research about the bi-directional gut-brain axis, the heart-brain axis (among others) and how the immune system is also woven into this intricate dance.
The diagram below (from Dr Erica Matluck ) summarises it wonderfully and I was so excited when I came across it on her Substack. It shows the 4 quadrants (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual) as well as your nervous system and hormones (endocrine system) that all work together and need your awareness for healing to occur. Dr Matluck states, “In my opinion, healing requires the intentional and intelligent use of all four of these quadrants. There is an intelligent order to it, and it is both a science and an art.” Amen to that!
The 4 quadrants of wellbeing by Dr Erica Matluck.
It is fantastic timing the the Nutritional Therapy Association (AU/NZ) has just released their new foundational Nourish 101 eCourse! This course is only available to you through select FNTPs and helps me feel a teensy bit better about not being able to help every person that’s approached me about working one on one over the past couple of years!
It definitely doesn’t replace working with a skilled practitioner who can help you with your specific goals or health concerns and someday soon I hope to provide a post-course offering that can cater to this. If I was opening my books to clients again, my wish would be that every one of them could do this foundational eCourse before we begin - applying some of the learnings may mean that inflammation is reduced, you already have more stable energy and your ability to absorb nutrients is optimised.
Post-course would provide the ideal fertile ground upon which to the identify your unique differences and then work together with a practitioner to reduce what you don’t need, and add in what will specifically nourish your body.
In future blog posts I will delve into some of the foundations that I refer to above as well as how some of the alternative therapies can be woven into provide further support.
Enjoy the embrace of autumn as it calls you more inwards, towards the warmth of your home, your family or whatever brings you joy.
Kat
References:
(1) Chen, Y. F., Huang, X. Y., Chien, C. H., & Cheng, J. F. (2017). The Effectiveness of Diaphragmatic Breathing Relaxation Training for Reducing Anxiety. Perspectives in psychiatric care, 53(4), 329–336. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12184
(2) Maity, S., Abbaspour, R., Bandelow, S., Pahwa, S., Alahdadi, T., Shah, S., Chhetri, P., Jha, A. K., Nauhria, S., Nath, R., Nayak, N., & Nauhria, S. (2024). The psychosomatic impact of Yoga in medical education: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Medical education online, 29(1), 2364486. https://doi.org/10.1080/10872981.2024.2364486
(3) Sastriques-Dunlop, S., Elizondo-Benedetto, S., & Zayed, M. A. (2025). Sauna use as a novel management approach for cardiovascular health and peripheral arterial disease. Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine, 12, 1537194. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2025.1537194
(4) Rajasekaran, J. J., Krishnamurthy, H. K., Bosco, J., Jayaraman, V., Krishna, K., Wang, T., & Bei, K. (2024). Oral Microbiome: A Review of Its Impact on Oral and Systemic Health. Microorganisms, 12(9), 1797. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12091797’
Woolley J, Gibbons T, Patel K, Sacco R. The effect of oil pulling with coconut oil to improve dental hygiene and oral health: A systematic review. Heliyon. 2020 Aug 27;6(8):e04789. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04789. PMID: 32923724; PMCID: PMC7475120.
(5) Chevalier, G., Patel, S., Weiss, L., Chopra, D., & Mills, P. J. (2019). The Effects of Grounding (Earthing) on Bodyworkers' Pain and Overall Quality of Life: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Explore (New York, N.Y.), 15(3), 181–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2018.10.001
(6) https://www.blockbluelight.co.nz/blogs/news/benefits-of-red-light-therapy
(7) Tan, L., Liao, F. F., Long, L. Z., Ma, X. C., Peng, Y. X., Lu, J. M., Qu, H., & Fu, C. G. (2023). Essential oils for treating anxiety: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials and network meta-analysis. Frontiers in public health, 11, 1144404. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1144404
(8) https://shop.nznativeoils.co.nz/products/castor-oil-hexane-free-cold-pressed-organic-100ml?_pos=1&_sid=8f3e0dc4b&_ss=r