About Vanessa
Vanessa O’Brien
Hi, I'm Vanessa (my friends call me Vee).
I help worn-out women over the age of 40 to regain their
energy and lose belly fat, stubborn weight and other peri+menopause symptoms, so that they can LOOK & FEEL like their old selves again.
SO HOW DID I END UP HERE?
In 2010, I was lying in a hospital bed, post back operation number 2 (within 2 weeks)... covered in a stress-related skin condition, and struggling with gut issues that doctors hadn't been able to help me with...
... and I thought to myself...
"HMMMM... this is not an ideal health picture for a mid-30s woman!"
There and then, I decided to start researching natural approaches to health. And a few years later I'd given up my corporate marketing role and dived head-first back into studying, but this time, something I was passionate about:
…NUTRITIONAL THERAPY!
After heading into perimenopause myself at the age of 43, and improving my own symptoms including chronic migraines, I decided to specialise in solely working with women over 40, to help them navigate this natural, but sometimes nightmare transitional stage of life.
Add to that a personal trauma resulting in a complete crash and burnout a couple of years ago, and healing myself from that too, and this is what lead me to where I am today...
...helping other women who are struggling with symptoms like unexplained fatigue, stubborn weight gain that they just can't shift, brain fog, insomnia, joint pain, migraines, low mood, hot flashes and much more!
If you're here, reading this, you're no doubt struggling too.
Let me tell you, HRT may help you with some symptoms, but rarely (if ever) does it help
with things like fatigue or weight gain (and, yes, it can worsen weight gain!).
For some, HRT helps with some symptoms like hot flashes and low mood, but not all. But for others, it doesn't suit them at all, or they don't wish to use it, or they can't use it for health reasons.
My approach to the symptoms that women experience in their 40s and 50s is DIFFERENT to other menopause practitioners. I go upstream to the root cause of symptoms and start there.
There is no point starting with hormones because imbalanced hormones are the symptom, not the cause!
Whatever the situation for you, if you are still struggling with symptoms that are affecting your enjoyment of life, you do have options... so let's do something about it because this is NOT a dress rehearsal!
We have one life to live... LET'S LIVE IT!
Some Random Facts About Me
1. I'm half English and half Middle Eastern which explains my addiction to Lebanese food! In fact, if I was asked what my last meal would be, it would be Warak Enab (stuffed vine leaves) and Spinach Fatayer (spinach parcels)!
2. I ran my ancestry DNA report a few years back and it showed that I have a DNA profile which is prone to having no sense of direction... and this is 100% true! I do however have a great photographic memory for places I've been before...
3. I used to work with horses. From the age of 7, horses were (and still are) my passion, and at 16 I left school to start my career with them. Unfortunately, my back had other ideas and I had to give up on my dreams. I started riding again 4 years ago and it is one of my biggest joys!
4. On a similar note... I am an animal lover! And have been since I was very young. My mum shares stories of collecting me from friends' birthday parties and being told "she's been ever so good. In fact, we hardly saw her, she spent most of the party with our pet dog/cat/rabbit!"
5. My favourite place is the forest, surrounded by trees, especially the New Forest, where I grew up. I'm an earth sign (Taurus) and I have a huge draw to the countryside and woods. It's where I feel most alive.
6. I like my house to be uber tidy... as long as you don't open any cupboards! External neatness and internal chaos lol. Just my house though not myself :)
7. My favourite number is 7 ... need I say more...
Professional Background
I qualified as a Health Coach in 2015 and as a Nutritional Therapist in August 2016. Since then I have continued learning as much as I can and attending many hours of CPD (Continued Professional Development).
In addition, I have trained and certified in Advanced DUTCH (hormone) test analysis.
I have extensively studied minerals and their effect on the mind and body, including advanced training.
I have helped many hundreds of women to feel better and lose excess weight over my years in practice, and I am dedicated to working with and helping women, just like me, go through the perimenopause and menopause years with ease and grace.
What Is Nutritional, Therapy?
Nutritional Therapy is an evidence-based approach to maximising one’s health potential through individually formulated nutritional and lifestyle changes.
It is client-centred and systems-based biology approach that focuses on finding the root cause of ill health.
It promotes the benefits of good, wholesome, unprocessed foods for optimal well-being, as well as the therapeutic effects of particular foods for specific health conditions.
The main principle is to identify and address the underlying cause of an individual’s symptoms or health concerns based on the person as a whole and then recommend a revised lifestyle plan which includes appropriate foods, nutrients and supplements.
Let’s Vee Friends!
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let’s journey through menopause together
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