In order to scale the business, we had to be innovative and create new ways of introducing this ‘fringe’ healthcare product to the public and to gain acceptance from major department store buyers. We were serious about our work so integrity was key, we lived and breathed the product from the inside of the company through to the customer experience in our workshops. To ensure purity and quality of our product and training programmes meant we had to improve the industry standards, resulting in our products being authenticated by the Therapeutic Goods Act – a first in Australia.
from healer to CEO
Breaking Tradition
In my early 20’s I realised my partying days were destroying not only my health but also my relationships. To turn this around I committed to achieving excellence in my personal health and fitness. With this conviction firmly rooted inside of me I began my training in the healing arts to become a practitioner. Starting with the physical, I trained as an aerobics instructor and launched my first business. I soon realised that whilst physical health was the foundation, our mind, emotions and spirit were the other essentials. With my curiosity and a yearning for knowledge I travelled the world and studied with experts in the fields of: Nutrition, Naturopathy, Aromatherapy, Kinesiology, Physiology, Neuro-linguistic Programming, Philosophy, Psychology and Spirituality.
During the 80’s the field of alternative therapies and ‘mind/body’ medicine was taking hold and growing rapidly. My passion for Aromatherapy had become all consuming and I realised the potential of taking this healing art out of the hands of practitioners’ and into the community for people to be more self-reliant with their health care in a new and dynamic way. I created and co-founded a company ‘In Essence Aromatherapy’ and an International Training College for this this vision to be realised.
Taking Aromatherapy from a cottage industry and turning it into a serious health care system took passion and determination, harnessed with eloquent stories and communication in order to be credible and received by the public.
KITCHEN TABLE TOP TO
GLOBAL ENTERPRISE
After 13 extraordinary years the company was sold in 1999. We had grown the business to $8.5m, exported product and training programmes to 5 countries, led wellbeing retreats in Bali. We authored 6 books, trained 100 Aromatherapists in our College, launched a training programme into major hospitals and received brand sponsorship from a national chain of 1500 pharmacies.
My insatiable appetite for knowledge and understanding, of how to heal and transform human suffering, continues to this day. Leading a conscious and ethical business enables me to take my hands on experience in building a responsible enterprise and apply this in the corporate sector.
