Written by Laura Wilson | Tuesday, 2 February 2021
As a child, Laura Wilson was dead set sure she was going to become a doctor. Everything she did was geared towards medicine. But life stepped in, and it was about 20 years before Laura started her natural health degree.
“I had a career crisis in my mid-teens,” Laura explained. “I got very sick and received bad medical support, and I stayed physically and mentally unwell for a long time. After that experience, I no longer wanted to be part of the conventional healthcare system. Thankfully, a family friend introduced me to natural medicine. It made so much more sense!”
After school, Laura started a correspondence course in alternative therapies, before falling into a professional career acting in films and television. “I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t my passion. Then I fell in love and moved to the United Kingdom from New Zealand in my early twenties with my British partner. In London, I enrolled in naturopathy and loved it, but as an international student with no student loan, it was expensive. I took a year off to work on private yachts in the Mediterranean. One year turned into seven years of cruising the world.”
“By 33-years-old, I was back living in New Zealand, and I decided it was time to pursue my passion. One of my friends, who is an Endeavour alumnus and who owns a health retreat in Bali, suggested I look at studying at Endeavour. I did my research and decided to enrol in Naturopathy at Endeavour in Sydney. It just felt right, so I packed up my life in New Zealand and moved to Australia.”
“As a full-time student, it was a huge workload and a roller coaster of highs and lows. The highs are the incredible connections you make with lecturers who are industry leaders and with your colleagues. The lows come when you’re exhausted from dedicating so much to your studies. I sacrificed my social life to study, but my new community of peers made up for this. It is such an accomplishment to finish, and it opened up so many doors.
Laura went into her degree, knowing that she wanted to practise. In her last year of study, she worked in administration at a multimodality clinic in Sydney’s CBD. She’s now establishing her own business as Laura Wilson Naturopath and practising out of Orchard St Dispensary in Bronte. She is also one of four finalists in the Rising Star category of the ATMS Natural Medicine Awards 2020.
“I’m so happy that I can practise at an amazing place and share my work with the world. All that study was worth it! With naturopathy, I’ve finally found that missing piece – I’m fulfilled.”
Find out more about Laura's story in the video below:
Laura Wilson is one of our recent Naturopathy graduates and finalist in the Rising Star category of the ATMS Natural Medicine Awards 2020. After experiencing a prolonged period of illness in her mid-teens, Laura discovered her passion for natural medicine. However, despite her fascination never fading, Laura wasn't able to commit to her studies until her mid-30s. Laura now works full-time as a Naturopath at the Orchard St clinic in Bronte.