Why Sarnia Will Always Be Home

Although my practice is primarily virtual and allows me to work with women across Ontario, Sarnia is where I’m from and the place I keep coming back to. My connection to this city has never really gone away, and there are a lot of reasons for that.

I grew up in Sarnia, so my entire childhood is tied to this place. Even when I’ve lived elsewhere, my roots here have never really loosened. My family is still here, so I find myself coming back often, but it’s not just family that keeps pulling me back.

Sarnia has a slower kind of energy that I haven’t found anywhere else. A lot of that comes from the water. The waterfront is one of the things I love most about the city, and I don’t think I’ve ever been here without stopping to watch a Sarnia sunset. Our beaches truly do not compare to anywhere else in Ontario.

I love that nature isn’t something you have to plan a trip around or drive somewhere far to find. It’s truly a part of everyday life here. And I think that’s one of the reasons Sarnia has always felt like home to me.

Blue Coast Bundles, and what it taught me

My connection to this community showed up in a very concrete way during COVID. In my second year of naturopathic medical school, our program moved online and I lost my summer job, so I needed to find another source of income.

It was a difficult season for the whole community, and I wanted to build something that supported the people around me rather than simply helping me get through it. That’s how I started Blue Coast Bundles, seasonal gift boxes released monthly and filled entirely with products from local businesses and makers in the area.

I would walk into local shops, reach out to handmade artists, sit down with business owners, and collaborate on what went into each box. The goal was to support their businesses while also introducing more people to the incredible small businesses that were already here. It was a small way to send a little joy around the city at a time when there wasn’t much of it going around.

What I didn’t expect was how much the community itself would become the point. Through the experience, I saw just how connected Sarnia’s small business owners are and how they show up for one another. It reminded me that community isn’t just about the place you live. It’s about the people who make that place what it is.

Bringing that into my practice

That is something I want to carry with me into my work as a naturopathic doctor. Educating people, supporting them, and creating spaces where people feel connected are some of the parts of this work I love most. I’d love to bring more of that to Sarnia through wellness seminars, workshops, and collaborations with local businesses and other practitioners.

My virtual practice may reach women across Ontario, but Sarnia will always be part of my story. It’s where I grew up, where my roots are, and the place I keep coming back to. No matter where life takes me, I think it will always be home.