During spring last year, 2021, during another one of those lockdowns, I was sitting in a zoom session with Anita Toi discussing my Human Design (FYKYK). I was clinging onto every word she said, nodding my eager face in agreeance to all except one thing... "The next 10 years you'll be fixing your roof", she said. According to the stars, it was time to home in. Time to spend the following decade on building myself and family - my children, my home.
At this time however, I was just getting my business going. Surely it means "build my business", right!? Little did I know at the time, that the stars (or perhaps my husband) had already planted a seed and my third tiny heart would be here before we know it. Meanwhile, as the seed was growing, so was my business. SO MUCH JOY in getting involved with the community. Seeing all the beautiful souls passing by my market stall, trying my products, my creativity and passions. Helping people find their feet and regain balance within their health and connect with so many incredible people as my clients.
This has always been a deep passion of mine - since childhood. Helping people understand the healing power of plants or using food as medicine. However, passions don't always pay the bills. As much as I liked to imagine my passion was, it was a pretty clear slap in the face when tax time came around, and I actually took a much needed dive into my finances! As a naturopath, like many other naturopaths and holistic practitioners, we don't get into this industry for the financial gain...
The satisfaction of being able to help, as healers, is much more than that.
Babies. When my first was born I was so determined to finish my degree that I took one trimester off for the birth, then went back to university when he was only three months old. My husband & I juggled him between our working/studying days until I graduated then spent his nap hours building my first business, "Red Clover Health", taking online consultations and packaging up herbal tea.
Then (with the help of a nanny), it was seeing clients and running workshops in the tropical setting of Fiji. Just over 1 year old, he would cry every time she came to pick him up.
It broke my heart, but I put my clients and work first....
(breaks my heart just to type that). With baby number two on the way, the decision was made to move to New Zealand. My husband would take the roll of being stay at home Dad so I could focus on building a business yet again. Here I was as The Matakana Naturopath, seeing clients at just 5 days postpartum.
There were some rocky days and nights back then. My mental health, marriage and finances - nothing looked stable. And of course, this is in the midst of a global pandemic and a shift in life as we knew it. However, lockdowns lifted and so did life. Business was blooming and the two little ones were happily in preschool. Life was flowing smoothly. So much so that I could easily see myself going down the same routine of seeing clients again shortly after the birth of my third tiny heart.
But this time was different...
I didn't want the same unstable shift I had experienced previously.
I needed to take that time to rest, recover and bond with my baby... so I set a three month "waiting period" before I got back to work (palm slap to the face). Three months was gone in a heart beat, but my own heart had changed. It didn't feel right this time. I mind was not ready to take on clients. Late nights of researching cases, emails and invoicing in between night feeds and toddler wakes - It didn't feel right.
I opened up to some kitchen work, prepping meals, juices and broths for clients while bub was rocking away on the kitchen bench or fast asleep in the carrier. My wonderful husband was around to help out straining broth or holding bub as well as school drops offs and general life chores. However, the restaurant scene came calling for him, and it was time to switch roles once again.
The fear of being alone with our three boys while he was away for a three-week job was the start of this shift to change. The thought of untimely preschool drop offs, breakfast chaos, dinner-disasters and bed-time nightmares on my own, as well as kitchen prep for my clients was enough to make me want to run... so I did.
Well, I drove ;)
The car was loaded with skateboards, bikes, prams, clothes and a whole lot of snacks! We were free flowing - Point Wells to Stewart Island and back over three weeks.
There were plenty of challenges, as one would expect doing a solo mission with three boys under five! But it took away the stressors of time restraints and expectations, and allowed space to simply listen to them (and their one million questions!). I felt a shift in feeling frustrated at these little things (kids being kids), to being open to it. Open to them. Find out who they are and what their interests are. Embarrassingly, it's taken me nearly 5 years to do so. There were no screens or Bluetooth speakers in the car, just a lousy radio that was 99.9% of the time crackling out of range. Instead, there was bonding (and snacks).
Upon return, there was a lot of thinking and questioning. Is my work really worth it? And, what is more important right now? My boys are. Our home, health and family. As they say.. these young years go by so fast. So here I am, catching them while I can and saying a 'sweet goodbye' to The Matakana Naturopath for now.
Also, a sweet goodbye to 2022 and goodbye to traditional schooling (hello homeschooling 2023!) My new passion is walking beside my boys as they grow, and growing together in our journey ahead. Perhaps this area of childhood health, wellbeing and development is a future chapter for The Matakana Naturopath, however, for now I have a lot of learning to do! Follow me along the way via my original IG account @mama_kimcampbell
For now, the sweetest goodbye to you all!
Kim xx
