I was interviewed today, because it seems I have the honour and privilege of being some kind of voice for our profession. This year is one of those years I have been working towards, where I have appeared on a number of stages for our industry and profession… After not feeling like I don’t belong and creating my own stages, it’s an interesting experience. It’s weird, but I do feel like I have something to say about it.
“For years I felt like I didn’t belong—so I built my own stage. And now, I stand on it for all of us.”
The thing is, I do have a vision for the future of our profession. A vision based on my nearly 2 decades in it. A vision with its foundations in the challenges I’ve seen from the thousands of practitioners in our Natupreneur community and those I’ve mentored, with a collective experience of stress, burnout, business challenges, lack of a clear career pathway, isolation and a significant amount of HELP debt for our new graduates.
“We have world-class clinical education — but near non-existent career pathways. Our profession isn’t lacking passion or education—it’s lacking a clear path forward. I’m here to light that path.”
Although we have world-class education for our clinical qualifications, our health science degrees are extraordinary, and our patient care is beyond reproach, our professional career pathways, including business acumen, technology adoption, collegiate support and leadership development, are near non-existent.
The biggest opportunities right now for Natural Medicine Practitioners in Australia are in public health and patient education. We have the general public, with ever increasing concerns for the ‘grey areas’ that Doctors can’t seem to make inroads in, like Perimenopause, IBS, Chronic pain, stress, sleep issues; and they are getting unsolicited general health advice from unqualified influencers on social media; and we can see from the CMA Snapshot from 2024 they are spending more than ever 6.2 billion on comp medicines… but without qualified advice.
“There’s a 131 billion dollar opportunity in women’s health—and qualified practitioners are the key.”
Having worked in the hospital system, although it is incredible compared to other countries, it is stretched to its capacity, with nurses and doctors alike calling for change and something to support. I see Natural medicine and our role in preventive medicine, lifestyle medicine, and health optimisation through the lifespan as a means to support this.
Australia has an ageing population, with:
- an increase in chronic conditions;
- a 131 billion dollar unserviced market for women’s health and menopause;
- the top 5 causes of death in Australia are all able to be influenced by lifestyle, nutrition and natural medicine;
- CMA snapshot 2024 shows Australians are spending more than ever on comp meds.
Our Naturopaths contribute by spending significantly more time with clients, educating, partnering and empowering them to make lifestyle changes that will prevent many of the leading causes of death, disease and challenge.
“Natural health isn’t ‘alternative’. It’s ancient. It’s aligned. And it’s absolutely necessary. We’re not just practitioners. We are educators, leaders, and architects of a healthier future.”
Natural healthcare has existed for at least 2500 years, as much as Doctors take Hippocrates as the ‘father of medicine’, he was one of the first to bring to the masses 3 of the 7 naturopathic principles of ‘first do no harm, healing power of nature, and treat the cause’. There has always been, and will always be, a need for qualified practitioners who bridge tried and true natural healing principles with modern advancements of the time.
The key hurdles for our profession, as I see it, are practitioner burnout first, the frameworks for support that exist for the larger healthcare system in Australia, don’t exist for our qualified Natural medicine practitioners who run their own businesses, and it needs to change.
“Burnout isn’t a badge of honour. It’s a signpost that it’s time for change.”
These practitioners make a major impact on the communities they help and need to stay in the profession, rather than be bogged down by tasks that take them away from helping the people they are here to help.
Secondly, the perception of the natural health profession also needs to change, and I do believe it is wrapped up in policy. The most recent study put out by the Australian Naturopathic Council on ‘Ensuring Safe and Integrated Healthcare’ outlines the issues we have without a ‘protection of title’, minimum education standards standardised and a cohesive voice to parliament.
“You don’t need a bigger toolbox. You need a clearer vision, stronger support, and the space to lead.”
Thirdly, a side effect of having such high-quality government-backed education means many clinicians are leaving education institutions with an $80K HELP debt. This would be wonderful if there was a framework and career pathway that had a mechanism for a standard wage to ensure that is paid back, but being that our profession is predominantly self employed and dependent on running a small business, this is a significant burden to a profession that is majority women that eventually want to be home owners.
I see a time where our practitioners have an industry recognised postgraduate professional pathway, that sets the standards for leadership and development, accessible to all those seeking support, that provides cutting edge skills as well as forgotten healing arts, creating a foundation of abundance and sustainability for a rewarding career that ripples out to thousands of people in our communities getting safe, effective and equitable care in lifestyle, preventative and natural medicine.
If there was one naturopathic principle I try to live by daily, its Doctor as teacher – share your wisdom, be curious, having the best kept secret helps no one, whether its 1:1, groups or a public platform, teach someone to look after themselves, and they will teach others… creating a ripple effect of health.
