In the beginning
The Genuine Living Company was born as a result of my husband and I throwing out the processed junk food that filled our cupboards and fridge 8 years ago, and embarking on a journey of rediscovering our health.
We both loved chocolate, desserts, coffee and I was a tea addict, drinking 6-7 mugs a day! Living in South Africa we turned to fresh, raw, organic, nutrient dense foods and soon began to emerge from the cocoon of brain fog, unexplained aches and pains, insomnia, heartburn and headaches into a new life of vitality, creativity, and energy which was both disease and pain free!
With seemingly unending levels of energy, we set up a successful business in Johannesburg delivering fruit and vegetable boxes to customers, educating them and introducing them to the joys of fresh food and a life of health once again. Up at 3.30am in the morning to go to the big fruit and vegetable market in Johannesburg, unpacking and sorting the produce and then delivering it, we would fall into bed at 11.30pm at night. Exhausted but happy. After 4 hours of exceptional sleep we were bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to do it all over again!
In between
Relocating to the UK in 2012 in order to care for my elderly father we faced a real challenge when it came to eating raw vegan in a cold climate! Gradually the cooked, processed foods crept back into our meals and as they did, our energy levels dropped, we put on weight and began to feel more depressed as the winter months continued. When Spring came, out came the juicer and it was back to fresh juices every morning! We became well known at Guildford farmers market, buying boxes of produce every week. The following winter we saw those cooked, processed meals creeping back in again and we were drinking more cappuccinos and eating more chocolate! April came around again and we were back on the health kick…lots of fresh vegetables out of the garden, clean protein, good fats and fibre at every meal and our energy levels soared. We were determined to eat healthily the following winter but life served us up a curved ball that almost derailed us.
In July 2014, my husband was diagnosed with malignant melanoma and we embarked on the Gerson therapy, an intense course of nutritional nourishment and detoxification. It involves hourly juicing, coffee enemas and a strict organic, whole food, plant based diet with numerous supplements. It was incredibly tough. He had been a drug addict and alcoholic as a teenager, struggling with smoking for 20 years. Eating a clean diet for the previous 4 years meant that he felt incredibly well during his cancer journey but in spite of everything he sadly died in July 2015. As a Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist I was left with many questions and it spurred me on to study further, and to keep on searching for ways to support the body both before, during and post cancer.
The end (and a new beginning)
Since his death I have struggled with major depression, weight problems, adrenal exhaustion and chronic insomnia. I am a full time carer for my 98 year old father who has dementia and whilst my own health journey is ongoing, I still see my clients move from a place of poor health to where they feel as if they have a new lease of life! I have spent my whole life encouraging, inspiring and helping people to step out of the ordinary into the extraordinary. My husband died whilst passionately living with full intentionality and hope, and I am continuing that journey today.
If my story resonates with you and you’d like to find out more about how to reclaim your health, get in touch. Any questions email me at:
