A new collaborator joins the MCS team
From Red Carpets… to Naturopathy!
In 2011, I was living the life I had dreamed of since I was a little girl. Microphone in hand and wearing sky-high heels, I walked red carpets and interviewed stars from here and abroad for major Quebec media outlets. I led an ultra-glamorous life. Or so it seemed. Because beneath my ultra-smiling façade, I literally felt like I was slowly dying. I couldn’t catch up on sleep. The pounds accumulated despite intense training. My brain was in a fog. I suffered from bloating and digestive discomfort. I even started feeling down because my body was in such a pitiful state.
After a battery of medical tests, the first diagnosis came: Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune condition. My body was attacking its own thyroid gland. “It’s not curable, but it can be well managed with medication,” the doctor told me. I took the prescription, thinking everything would be fine.
Instead, it was the beginning of a long descent into hell. My condition deteriorated. I slept 12 hours a night without ever recovering my energy. I went back to the doctor, who assured me that all my tests were normal and there was nothing else to be done.
In 2015, after a night in the emergency room, I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. “Learn to manage your stress,” the gastroenterologist had told me then, handing me a new prescription. At that moment, I was at my lowest. There were only 5 foods in my fridge—those that caused the least reaction in my digestive system. I was developing a phobia of food, as eating caused me enormous suffering. This was without counting the abominable periods, courtesy of polycystic ovary syndrome, which would only be diagnosed in 2019.
The Beginning of a New Life
In an effort to better manage my stress, I had started doing gentle yoga and meditation every day again. One morning, sitting in lotus position on my mat, I began to cry my eyes out:
“This can’t be my life!” I was 31, full of dreams, but barely had the energy to accomplish my daily tasks. Without knowing it, I had just set a firm intention: to live a completely different life. And the universe answered, as an extraordinary naturopath and osteopath, who would even inspire me to go back to school, was placed on my path.
Through lifestyle changes, regulation of my nervous system, and the right supplements, I gradually regained my vitality. The journalist in me devoured everything on the subject of integrative health. I had scientific works by functional doctors on my bedside table. I started studying neuro-linguistic programming, yoga, Pilates, naturopathy, and osteopathy.
I followed my training courses intuitively, without really understanding the common thread behind these choices. I just knew that these learnings helped me better live with my body’s issues. In 2019, I timidly launched my blog, Namasté & Coco Latté, to share my journey, hoping to help women facing the same health challenges as me. Little did I know that this personal project would one day become a true virtual sanctuary where women can unwind, move with awareness, and learn to regulate their nervous system.
Today, more than 14 years after the initial diagnosis, I am in the best shape of my life and driven by a great passion: to help women embody the best version of themselves.
Naturopathy: A Powerful Wellness Ally
As a naturopath and osteopath, I have built my expertise around nervous system regulation, a central pillar of health. Prolonged or chronic stress has disastrous effects on the body: it disrupts digestion, decreases collagen production, and accelerates its degradation. It also increases the risk of chronic and cardiovascular diseases, and it can even disrupt the immune system. Recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), naturopathy is a holistic approach focused on prevention and optimization.
It aims to support homeostasis, or balance in the body. As for osteopathy, it helps release tension, reduce discomfort, and promote our self-regulation processes.
These two approaches remind us that vitality stems from an optimized body, which involves healthy lifestyle habits, but also a healthy mindset. Vitality is primarily a state of being. It is built in presence with one’s body, not under pressure. A follower of the 4 P’s theory (smallest possible step), I like to remind my clients that sustainable transformation happens one tiny habit at a time.
In a world that glorifies productivity, we also tend to "perform" our well-being: sacrificing sleep to train, adding routines instead of slowing down, forcing the body to keep up rather than honoring its real needs.
Naturopathy is also the art of decoding the body’s language and paying attention to subtle signs that we too often ignore: persistent fatigue despite normal tests, disturbed digestion, disrupted sleep, a feeling of not being at one’s best.
Our body is the most precious "asset" we have. Yet many of us treat it like a simple machine and get angry when it doesn't perform as we'd like. If you feel that it doesn't support you in your dreams and aspirations, it's imperative to reverse the question: "How am I not supporting my body?" Are its basic needs (rest, adequate nutrients, conscious movement, and stress management) being met? Or are you continually pushing its limits?
Honoring one's body means recognizing that it is the living temple of our dreams and aspirations. The relationship with our body is the most intimate we will ever have. And as in any relationship, safety is essential. When the body feels safe, thanks to rest, adequate nutrition, movement adapted to its energy of the moment, it can finally exit survival mode. And that's when we can fully embody the best version of ourselves.
I am therefore honored to share my passion for holistic well-being and my expertise as a naturopath with the MCS community.
