Natalie McGrath

Naturopath | Environmental Biologist | Lecturer | Mum | Wife | Keynote Speaker | Adventurer

How many identities do you have?

1) Mum to the 2 coolest kids around Jed 8 and Storme 6. Still pinch myself how I got these incredible people in my life.

2) Wife to my biggest fan, Kristan. Couldn’t do it without him.

3) Naturopath

4) Environmental Biologist

5) Endeavour College Lecturer

6) Keynote Presenter

7) Adventurer- Before kids I climbed to Everest base camp, climbed Mt Fuji, safaried in Kenya, became a Dive master. Now after kids I’m living the adventure everyday with them.

5) Artist- dabble when I can

Tell us a bit about your story and how you’ve got to where you are now?

As a kid I was so interested in so many things. When I left school to go to University, I changed my mind 3 times before I decided to study a Bachelor of Fine Art at Curtin University. After 2 years It became apparent (even though I was having so much fun) I was really wasting my time and everyone else’s. (It does help if you turn up to classes) I then did some travelling and became inspired to save the world. So, I came home and studied Environmental Biology. Through this study I fell in love with Botany and how incredible plants are with their healing properties. Next stop Bachelor of Science in Naturopathy. When I studied naturopathy not one day passed without me thinking this is what Ive been put on this planet to do. I loved every aspect of it. It was also in my blood, my family consists of naturopaths, chiropractors, osteopaths, nurses, psychologists and energy healers.

So now 15 years on I still love it as much as when I first started. Its incredible the healing power of the body when you give it the space to do its thing. My practice has evolved through the years and my expertise and my passion is to help women live the lives they deserve.

What has been your most challenging moment in life thus far?

One of the most significant moment in my life was when I totally crashed and burned in 2014. Up to this point I always believed I was invincible and lived in a bubble of nothing can affect me. At this time my daughter was 18 months old and hadn’t slept more than a few hours in a row ever. In my sleep derived state, I thought it would be a great idea to go into partnership with a day spa to bring a wellness clinic element to the business. A great idea but not good timing for me. I was starting to get some symptoms that I just ignored and pushed through. I was putting on weight, but couldn’t eat anything, crazy hormonal issues and my immune system had hit rock bottom. For a very clever Naturopath I couldn’t see what was going on for me. It got to a point I totally shut down, had to stop everything and Kris had to stop work for a month to look after me and the kids. I was diagnosed with Hashimotos an autoimmune thyroid condition; my adrenals were on the floor and I had some gastrointestinal parasites that didn’t help things. Eventually the Naturopath inside me said “Well are you going to start looking after yourself now?” So, it was a journey of learning what works for me. It’s been an incredible lesson for me as a person and as a practitioner because sometimes looking after number one comes first.

How do you feel stereotypes have affected women in society so far?

I think that the roles of women have changed immensely in the past 50 years, even though there is some room for improvement. What I see now are these incredible women with their amazing careers. We have gained so much but we haven’t really given up our traditional roles as mothers, managing the house, etc.  Some men do help pick up the slack but really its the women that are carrying most of the load. We have this expectation in society to be wonder woman and to be able to do it all. It’s a badge of honour to run ourselves into the ground. We are so busy that we live our lives like playing an extreme sport. It actually has a similar effect on our bodies. The cracks are starting to show from this immense pressure. Research is showing that women have higher risks of developing certain health issues, in particular mental health problems like anxiety and depression. We can live our best and fullest lives, but we need to schedule time for self-care and to keep checking in on ourselves

How have you grown as a person, mentally, emotionally and spiritually in the last 5 years?

5 years ago, was when I got completely burnt out. From there it was a journey of restoration and healing. It was the first time in my life I had to stop and start listening to my body. It was a time to surrender and let go of what I expected of myself. I needed to hold myself back and not do a thousand things at once, (believe me it’s hard to do), and instead try and do a few things and do them well with mindfulness. (this was even harder). When I do allow the still and quiet spaces in my life, this is when the beauty, joy and love come to the surface. 

How do you plan to leave your mark in the world?

I hope what I’m doing every day now will leave a significant mark. I try my best to be a a good mum and wife and if I can guide my little people into being happy bigger people, my job is done.  I hope also that my clients will have learnt tools to help them live their lives with a bit more energy, balance, wellness and happiness. 

What would you say to all the women out there who want to start their journey in Health & Wellbeing but don’t know where to start?

Just start and do what makes your heart sing. It is a journey of experiencing and assessing what is right for you. Having mentors and teachers that resonate with you are angels sent from heaven and have been my saving grace in my own journey.