The Nutrition Academy graduate story
My journey to study with the Nutrition Academy, like many, came after years of battling my own health issues. As challenging as it can be, going through your own poor health journey, I think it is honestly the greatest teacher. Experiencing something for yourself first hand, gives you an invaluable insight into certain health conditions. So, I try to always be thankful for the lessons my own battle taught me.
Through this, having learned so much about healing my body through a root-cause approach, I wanted to further my knowledge so I could help others going through similar health issues. After completing my studies, I initially thought I would simply do nutrition consults, but I quickly realised that the health and wellness space is quite flooded with wellness coaches and nutritionists and I wanted to find a way to stand apart and create my own niche.
What The Nutrition Academy graduates can do
With over 23 years of hairdressing experience, combined with my own personal health journey, I decided to bring all of my knowledge together and open a holistic hair and scalp lounge in Far North Queensland, specialising in hair loss and scalp health concerns.
After completing further studies in scalp health and Japanese head spa traditions, I created a space that offers Japanese head spa rituals that not only nourish the hair and scalp but also provide a wonderful nervous system reset. Providing my clients with in-depth scalp analysis alongside diet and lifestyle advice. As I have progressed, what I have found is that most people—mainly women between 30 and 60—come to see me when their health is at its lowest point and beginning to experience the external symptoms of poor health.
We all know that if we don’t listen to the body’s small warning signs, it will eventually scream at us. Often, this presents as hair and skin issues, and it’s not until this point that many people finally reach out for help.
As I sit with my clients and explore the many facets of their diet and lifestyle, it has become apparent that people just don’t know what they don’t know. Time and time again, we uncover simple diet and lifestyle factors they were simply unaware of.
What began as an intention to treat hair and scalp concerns has evolved into a deep realisation that the nervous system of so many also needs significant support and my clients simply need guidance in meeting the very basic needs of life, to be the best versions of themselves.
Halo has opened the door to people who may never have sought the advice of a nutritionist. They come to see me for something affecting them externally, which gives me the opportunity to address the many interconnected aspects of their lives. There have been many tears shed in my chair. I believe that creating a safe, relaxed, and non-judgemental space allows people to open up fully, enabling me to identify where many of their challenges are stemming from, with the hair and scalp concerns often acting as the alarm bell.
This experience has made me reflect on a possible reason we have such a sick population. While many doctors may have the best of intentions, they simply don’t have the time to sit down and discuss basic diet and lifestyle choices in depth with their patients. Nor do they have the extensive nutrition education that the Nutrition Academy provides. As a result, many people are left feeling helpless while their health issues continue to worsen.
I am truly shocked by some of the stories I hear, and I strongly believe that with better advice and guidance, many outcomes could have been prevented.
When I began my business, I had all the fears many of us face: What if I fail? What if I don’t know all the answers? What I have learned, however, is that we simply have to start. We learn as we go, through the experience of every client who sits in our chair.
Something from the Nutrition Academy’s business course has always stayed with me: think of yourself as a guide. I may not have all the answers, but I know more than some, and that simple mantra continues to support me whenever I am in doubt.
Hear more from Emily McGuigan
I recently gave my first public talk about what I do, sharing my story in far more detail than I am able to here. It was incredibly well received and led to an invitation to be a guest speaker at an event called “Nourish Me” this September. I must admit, I felt deeply humbled that people considered my story, experiences and knowledge worth listening to.
So, thank you Cyndi and the Nutrition Academy, for giving people like me the opportunity and knowledge to begin changing lives at a grassroots level.
Emily McGuigan
Founder – Halo Hair & Scalp Lounge
