Behind the Heart of Banksia Naturopathy
I didn’t become interested in acne when I started studying naturopathy.
It started long before that.
I still remember standing outside my school gymnasium in year 7. A boy in my grade looked at me and said, "do you know you have acne all over your face."
Until that moment, I thought I just had a few little bumps on my face.
It's funny how one sentence can change the way you see yourself.
That was the first time I remember looking at my reflection differently. It was the beginning of the shame. The beginning of believing my skin was something people noticed before they noticed me. Before long, mirrors became something to analyse, photos became something to avoid, and I learnt how to angle my face, cover breakouts and hope no one was looking too closely.
I tried everything I could think of, yet nothing seemed to make a difference. The only reassurance anyone ever offered was, "It'll go away when you're older."
I spent many years hoping this would be the case.
When I began studying naturopathy, I knew I wanted to help people with acne. Somewhere along the way, as my world grew bigger, I became fascinated by everything else too. I fell in love with understanding the human body in all its complexity. Hormones, gut health, the immune system, nutrition, stress, sleep. Every new topic reminded me that nothing in the body happens in isolation.
And somewhere amongst all of that, I found my way back to skin.
Only this time, I wasn't looking at acne as something to fight or a pubescent hormonal issue.
I saw it for what it really is. A whisper. A symptom that often reflects what's happening beneath the surface. Something to become curious about rather than silencing.
I know what it feels like to spend years believing your skin defines you. I know what it's like to cancel plans, dread events, birthdays or summer. To stand in front of a mirror picking yourself apart. To wonder why everyone else seems to have moved on while you're still waiting for someone to tell you what's actually going on.
That’s why Banksia Naturopathy was born.
Native, resilient and quietly beautiful, it's a plant that has adapted to Australia's changing landscapes. Many species regenerate after fire, finding a way to flourish through conditions that would stop so much else from growing.
To me, that feels a lot like healing.
Life has brought me its own fires. Moving schools at pivotal moments throughout my teenage years. A relationship with food that took time to rebuild. A long term relationship breakdown that stripped me back and changed my trajectory. Although each season was difficult, it taught me something about healing, the regenerative beauty of nature, and our resilient ability to flourish after the fire.
My hope is that Banksia becomes more than a place to improve your skin. I hope it's a place where you finally feel understood.
Because acne doesn’t define who you are, it makes you stronger.