MEET JODY
My path to to natural health and wellness began when I was pregnant with my first baby. I was a 'healthy' twenty-something, who suddenly wasn’t supposed to eat MSG or drink Diet Coke. It quickly made sense to me that if it wasn’t good for the baby, it probably wasn’t good for me either. By the time I was pregnant with my second child I was diagnosed with bowel disease and osteoarthritis.
The answers my mainstream doctors were giving me just weren’t enough. So, I started to look for alternate solutions and found an awesome naturopathic doctor. That day changed my life. Rather than being stuck in a cycle of trying to manage my symptoms with pharmaceuticals, I changed my diet and lifestyle.
The results were profound. Not only did my existing pain and suffering begin to diminish, I had more energy than ever before, my skin began to clear up and glow, my anxiety eased up and I experienced how amazing being alive feels.
I wanted to share this new vitality with the world! So, when baby number four was born I quit my executive marketing job and became a holistic nutritionist. I am passionate about eating real food that the body was built for. Of course I’m human, and I do indulge in the ooey gooey’s from time to time (but my body is quick to point me back in the right direction by reminding me of the consequences of less than stellar choices).
Vitasential came to be by that awesome naturopathic doctor that I mentioned earlier. In October 2009, I was fortunate enough to acquire the company and call it my own. So, this is baby number five for me!
It’s been my experience that most people genuinely want to feel better but they find it confusing, frustrating and challenging to make the best choices, or to know what the best choices are.
I believe better results come in servicing the whole person instead of bits and pieces. With Vitasential Nutrition, I am able to work with people in a more dynamic and practical way to provide access to the world where it is cool, fun and exciting to be healthy and experience the limitless benefits of doing so.
Jody MacDonald is a registered holistic nutrition practitioner living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is a mother of four busy young children. She spent 20 years in the corporate world before graduating from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. She has additional training in vegetarian nutrition, and has special interests in raw nutrition. Jody is a memeber of the Canadian Association of Natural Nutritional Practitioners (CANNP). She is most passionate about working with people who want to roll up their sleeves and make the most of their time here on Planet Earth.
MEET LISA
I began looking for something beyond the standard medical advice in my teens when my personal health started interfering with my life.
In my 20’s I felt like I was 80 and I couldn’t imagine what my future had in store for me. I was overweight, exhausted, depressed and in pain all the time – but my lab tests were normal – which meant by mainstream definitions, I was healthy. I was given labels like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Environmental Illness, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Adrenal Fatigue. They seemed to have more names than answers.
I eventually became a naturopathic doctor and despite all the tools in my toolbox, it never failed to amaze me what was possible when we got the basics right. Serious illnesses that had existed for years – regularly disappeared. What I have since discovered is that when you get the basics REALLY right – not only do health issues clear up…but your entire world comes to life.
The issue for me has always been finding a way to look and feel great without feeling overwhelmed by complicated regimens or having to sacrifice fun and enjoyment for the sake of being healthy. If it’s not fun, practical and rewarding – I won’t do it. And if I won’t do it, I won’t ask someone else to do it.
I’m a health-geek. There, I’ve said it! But I still enjoy shaving my legs, spending too much on haircuts and curling up for a movie marathon. Today I take care of myself the way that I do because I love it. It excites me to find a new way to look better, to eat truly healthy food that is mind-blowingly delicious or to have that feeling of accomplishment after a good sweat. Don’t get me wrong – I’m still human, and some days the call of the pizza guy gets the best of me. But when it comes right down to it, nothing compares to feeling great – I mean really great. Many of us don’t realize how completely rotten we feel most of the time – and how much of our life we are missing as a result.
Having worked directly with patients for the last 10 years, the main challenge I’ve seen is that most people sitting across from me genuinely want to make significant changes in their situation – but as soon as they step outside my office they find themselves living in a world that makes it a daily struggle to make the best choices for themselves…or to even be clear on what the best choices are. Vitasential is the result of my desire to work with people in a more dynamic and practical way and to provide access to the world where it is cool, fun and exciting to live healthy and experience the limitless benefits of doing so.
Lisa is a naturopathic doctor. After completing her pre-med undergraduate work at Dalhousie University, she graduated from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2003. She spent 4 years running her busy practice in Halifax Nova Scotia before moving to Ottawa. Previously, she worked with patients in an environmental medicine and allergy clinic and has additional training in homeopathy and raw food nutrition. She has condensed her 20+ years of personal and professional experience into a one-of-a-kind model of health. She has developed unique programs that are both easy to follow and pack ultimate results. Lisa currently resides in California with her husband.