e.a.t is a delicious culmination of her talents – photography skills, recipe development and nutritional know-how. We asked Jessica to shed some light on her journey.

“I love cookbooks and always wanted to create my own. Then, about four years ago, one of my clients, who is an editor, gave me the nudge I needed to get started,” Jessica said. “Up until then, I’d put so much into the JCN Clinic, building my team and a strong online presence, and it was flourishing.”

“The book has taken three long, bumpy years to finish,” Jessica said. “I have never self-published before, so I was learning every step of the way. There were tears, but I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.”

“In the first year, we pulled the content together, deciding which recipes to share. In the second, we refined the content, edited and designed the book’s layout, styled and shot the images and tested the recipes. In the last year, we source a printed and got it printed. I thought the last bit would be easy, but it was the most stressful of all,” she said.

Things got more complicated when, while printing the book, Jessica and her husband sold their house in Brisbane and moved home to Victoria. They also took a three-month, much-needed break in Italy in between.

Jessica launched the book on social media in February. “Pre-sales were awesome, and now it’s selling steadily,” she said. “I think it’s because my recipes not only have a reputation of visually looking good and tasting great, but also that people know they’re based on nutritional knowledge.”

Jessica acknowledges that you can’t do everything. She had to step back from full-time clinical practice to pursue her cookbook dream. “I have a great manager at the JCN clinic, and I see clients twice a week via Skype and in-person every eight weeks when I fly back to Brisbane. It works because we are a tight-knit working family,” she said. “Everyone gives 110 per cent, and we’re all from Endeavour. For me, that’s been a key part of finding the right people.”

Thinking five years ahead, Jessica sees herself standing in her future café, nourishing friends and strangers with her recipes and perhaps planning her next book. If you can’t wait for the café, e.a.t is available now from the JCN clinic and select foodie stores.

Natural Health Heroes

Natural Health Heroes celebrates the wellness journeys of our alumni. From where they began to where they are today, we showcase our alumni’s unique stories, experiences and successes.

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