My Path to Naturopathic Medicine

People often ask how I ended up in naturopathic medicine. The honest answer is that I found it while looking for answers about my own health, and the first appointment I ever booked with a naturopathic doctor changed how I thought about healthcare entirely.

Health and wellness have always interested me. I started out in the fitness world, then went to university for kinesiology because I was fascinated by the human body. I loved learning about how the body moves and functions, and that background still influences how I think about health today. At the same time, I realized I was drawn to a more holistic view, where movement was one piece of the picture alongside nutrition, stress, sleep, digestion, hormones, and everything else that shapes how we feel day to day.

At the same time, I was struggling with my own health. I had digestive issues and symptoms I had carried for years that caused discomfort without ever being given a clear answer. Eventually, I stopped looking for one. I had started to accept that maybe this was how I was going to feel and that maybe it was normal.

Then I booked my first appointment with a naturopathic doctor, and it completely shifted the way I thought about healthcare.

The appointment that changed everything

In my final year of university, I met someone who had just become a naturopathic doctor. I started asking her about her work, and the more she told me, the more fascinated I became. Until then, I didn’t even realize naturopathic medicine was a form of medicine, let alone something I could pursue as a career.

So I started reading, asking questions, and eventually booked an appointment with a naturopathic doctor myself.

That appointment completely changed how I thought about healthcare. Instead of walking into a sterile room and feeling like just another patient, I was met with genuine compassion. Before we even started, my naturopathic doctor offered me a cup of tea. It was such a small gesture, but I still remember how meaningful it was. She sat with me for over an hour, listened to my entire health history, and worked with me toward a deep understanding of how my body was functioning.

I left feeling cared for, which was new for me.

I eventually started shadowing the naturopathic doctor who had introduced me to the profession, which gave me the chance to see the work from the other side of the room. I fell in love with the process, the relationships, and the way naturopathic medicine approached health as a whole. I knew this was what I wanted to do, so I applied to naturopathic medical school.

The four years that followed at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto changed me in ways I didn't anticipate. But that part of the story probably deserves its own space.

The connecting thread

My understanding of what holistic, comprehensive healthcare looks like has changed a lot since that first appointment, and I expect it will continue to change as I learn more and grow.

But the through-line has stayed the same: understanding my own body more deeply, helping others do the same, and making sure the patients I work with feel listened to, cared for, and confident that their experience matters.