Yvonne’s interest in natural health started when she was young with healthy eating and keeping fit.
However Yvonne viewed her interest in health as simply a hobby and studied Management Science at university. After leaving university Yvonne found herself with a very stressful job which left her exhausted after only 3 years. So Yvonne made the decision to leave and go travelling around the world. She travelled to South East Asia where she fell in love with the culture and the sights. Yvonne experienced a traditional Thai massage in Wat Pho in Bangkok Thailand, which was unlike any other massage she had ever had! She then travelled around Australia and in Byron Bay completed a massage course which wet her appetite further.
When Yvonne returned to England she enrolled in a meditation course and started practising yoga and day-dreamed of travelling again! However she ended up back in the corporate world and it was then she discovered Reflexology and had regular treatments for relaxation and health maintenance.
Yvonne still hadn’t achieved job satisfaction but never considered that a career change could be an option for her.
Life moves on and when Yvonne started a family she looked into pregnancy remedies and taught herself about homeopathy (which she used during and after labour). Being a new mum made Yvonne realise that there are more important things in life and when an opportunity arose to take voluntary redundancy she left her job and has never looked back!
Just before her second child turned one Yvonne was considering her future career. She had always been interested in starting a business and had many business ideas, all relating to the ‘natural health’ industries. At the same time she looked into night-school classes for aromatherapy or massage to further her hobby. She was surprised o find a Holistic Therapies Diploma course that fitted perfectly around her home commitments and she decided it must be fate.
Yvonne thoroughly enjoyed the course which included Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Swedish Massage, Indian Head Massage and Anatomy and Physiology. Yvonne attended work experience at various places including one of the UK’s top spa’s and The Prince of Wales Hospice, where she met Heather. Yvonne described her meeting with Heather as ‘very inspirational’.
In some respects Yvonne has followed in her mothers footsteps as she was a nurse in a hospice and researched use of aromatherapy in palliative care when this discipline was relatively new in a hospice environment.
Yvonne has carried out further training in Reiki Level 1 and Thai Foot Massage and has worked privately after setting up a therapy room in Walton, Wakefield.
Yvonne was keen to continue studying and enrolled on a Clinical Aromatherapy Diploma course to gain IFPA accreditation.
“I was approached by Heather at the end of 2007. Working at Heather Dawn Elemental Health fits exactly with what I want to do as I have always been interested in the real health benefits of Holistic Therapies”
Yvonne is still developing and enhancing her skills and has plans to eventually study other therapies including Reiki Level 2, hot stone massage, nutrition and Oriental Body Balance, but also recognises that with two young children it is essential to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
What a good philosophy!