Brooke Oke
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi, I’m Brooke! I’m 29 and have been living on the Gold Coast for around 7 years. I moved up from Melbourne to escape the freezing cold and have never looked back! I’m a Registered Mental Health Nurse working with young people in the community which I absolutely love and am also a few weeks off completing a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy- what a juggle!
Helping others has always been the driving force behind why I chose these two different qualifications and something that motivates me to learn and grow as a practitioner. I grew up in a tiny country town in Victoria so am a country gal at heart and have a massive appreciation for the simple things in life, this also reminds me to stay humble and appreciative of what I have. Being a Leo I really could talk about myself all day if you let me, but I’ll try to keep it short and sweet for your eyes sake!
Cooking and sharing nutritious food with others makes me happy, riding my bike along the beach front with my beautiful kiwi boyfriend makes me happy, seeing people getting better makes me happy and learning new skills and perspectives makes me really really really happy.
If you could give your younger self any advice, what would you tell her?
As much as I thought of a few things I could say to my younger self, I actually wouldn’t want to necessarily change anything about mini Brooke and her decisions during my younger years or wish I knew more, did more or said more back then. The choices I made and continue to make shape who I am today so to think back and try to alter that, doesn’t feel right!
What inspired you to become a naturopath?
A combination of personal and professional reasons. After a few years of working as a Nurse in a mental health ward in a big Melbourne hospital I began to see patterns of people suffering with chronic health problems and often were ‘too sick to be saved’. This didn’t sit right with me so I started looking into alternatives for treatment and helping people. Around the same time I also ate some dodgy meat in Vietnam and got super sick- sick enough for me to go Vegan! So with these two ideologies in mind I went down the rabbit hole of googling, talking to people with different perspectives and doing lots of research and reading. This led me to randomly find the Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy at Endeavour College. I knew I was in the right place when the teacher spoke to us about the healing power of nature and how Naturopathic medicine was one of the first healing systems in history! Oh and when she told us that plants communicate with us through shapes, colours, patterns and healing abilities, I knew this magical hippie knowledge was perfect for me.
What is something everyone should be more aware of in terms of their health & wellbeing?
Your body has the innate ability to heal itself! Modern lifestyles force us to distract our attention from the signs our bodies are showing that we need support. A lot of us also probably fail to incorporate and understand ancient traditions and how incredibly simple and effective they can be at supporting our bodies to heal. We don’t need fancy well marketed organic gluten free low carb clean toxin free glittery tablets that give us an ‘easy’ solution.
We need fresh air, sunshine, water to drink and splash around in and food that contains nutrients without nasties. Don’t be fooled by the modern solutions for modern problems, supporting your health shouldn’t feel hard or confusing and this is what I feel Naturopaths are equipped to do- guide and educate you on how to support your body to heal the sustainable way.
Can you talk us through a challenge you have overcome & how did you manage?
Being human, I’m constantly challenged by feelings of self-doubt and overwhelm. I tend to take on a lot of different tasks and responsibilities all at once as I’m a bit of a ‘get shit done’ kinda gal. I really thrive off the feeling of accomplishment and achievement, but this sometimes leaves me feeling a bit burned out or shattered if I don’t reach the desired outcome. This seems to be a bit of a recurring thing for me, which I acknowledge I haven’t quite mastered yet, but- I know that I need to make sure that as much as I can take on heaps of different tasks and responsibilities, I also need to take into account the time and effort I need to spend on caring for myself. So when I now do things, or accept new responsibilities, I always make sure I’m factoring in some actual sanctioned time in the week or day to do something that fills up my cup and calms my nervous system- aka, a reset button. This usually looks like taking myself for a coffee alone, a beach walk, eating a giant muffin, reading a book on the couch or sitting in the sun. Anything to honour myself and fuel my tank.
What is something powerful that you believe?
Each and every one of us has their own unique special powers, if you haven’t quite figured yours out yet, read more, explore more, talk to new people, try new experiences and shed all of the things that don’t serve you (I’m looking at you online shopping addiction), Every individual is special in their own way and we should cherish that more.
What could you not live without?
Herbal medicine! My beautiful herbies have gotten me through a lot in the past few years, I think I would have ended up dropping out of my degree or quitting my job if hadn’t had the power of herbal medicine carrying my frazzled, stressed and energetic-less soul through those trying times. They are so versatile and I love how many different uses they have; they’re definitely a non-negotiable.
Something that made you smile recently
Seeing videos of my friends 10month old beautiful chunky baby boy carrying around a tub of my handmade Rescue Cream, made my ovaries and heart burst with happiness!!!