Hey there!
This is me, Heidi, owner of SWELL – also known as Sophrosyne Wellness. So happy to have you here!
🌊 Growing up, I was a white settler raised on the indigenous lands of the W̱SÁNEĆ (currently known as the Saanich Peninsula) traditional territory.
This was the headquarters to the W̱SÁNEĆ People where they built their permanent winter homes. The W̱SÁNEĆ People are Salt Water People; meaning The Sea was crucial to their way of life. Traditionally they had homes throughout the San Juan Islands and on the east/north coasts of the Saanich Peninsula.
I am deeply indebted to this land that I get the privilege to call home however, I still struggle with ways that I can honour and practice being a respectful student to the history that lays here. I am constantly learning and unlearning as I go.
As I grow, I like to share my findings on how others can do so, too. I highly encourage you to learn more about the land that you reside on and see what ways you can get involved to pay your respects & reconnect with the land. Please, if you forage, hunt or take from the land, practice respect by always giving back. Not sure where to start? That’s okay! See my literature page for more resources.
🐶 If you knew me back in high school, you probably knew me as the “dog food girl”! That’s right, before I endeavoured down the path of Holistic Nutrition for humans I first started in the carnivore world… the Carnivore Nutrition world, that is. When our family closed its doors to Island View Meats in the early 2000’s, we opened the doors to Buddies Natural Pet Food in 2005 and a new endeavour was born…
🏡 As a family, I felt like we were pretty “holistic”. We liked to live minimally, go camping, make our own food and a lot of us were butchers, farmers, fishers, bakers, fermenters, foragers, growers and so forth. When my Opa was first diagnosed with Colon Cancer is when we first discovered the TRUE side of holistic health; what that truly meant and how strong our innate bodies really are! Watching my brave Opa fight off cancer through diet and nutrition was incredibly inspiring and where the seed of Holistic Health first started to flourish. Sadly, he was unable to fight off the second battle in 2010 which is when the true growth began for all of us.
👩🏼💼 Growing up I took a big passion for business. I loved learning, developing, adapting, creating and helping in anyway I could. When Buddies was started, I quickly involved myself… I even remember helping my mom with logo ideas. From after-school cleaning.. to production.. retail.. wholesale.. public relations.. marketing.. sales rep.. raw feeding seminars and finally all the way to operations manager after 10 years in the company. I found my passion was much more for the networking, educating, teaching/training, seminars and nutrition end of the business and so, I started to attend evening classes to begin my own path..
🍎 In 2017 I received my diploma as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and additionally completed all of my certifications in Holistic Culinary Cooking from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition; since graduating, I’ve become even more of foodie than ever! I love baking, cooking, fermenting, foraging and creating anything I can from local whole foods… maybe something for you!
🌱 Being raised by a family of local butchers, I developed a passion for agriculture, sustainability and ethically raised/locally grown produce. I quickly involved myself in the 4-H community at a young age allowing me to build long-lasting relationships with local farmers all across BC and Alberta. I’ll share with you local farm stands and grocery stores that you can shop at as well my tips on how to grow your own!
🌲 Nature heals. If I could give credit to anything that has helped me heal the most, it has been from connecting, learning & watching Mother Earth. My passion has always been connecting with her; from anything outdoors, on land, at sea or really anything in-between… if I’m not in the kitchen, you can bet I’m out hiking a mountain, foraging, gardening or kayaking our Salish Sea. ☀
♥️ As someone that has struggled with acne & skin issues throughout her teens & early adulthood, high-functioning anxiety and depression starting in elementary school, major thyroid concerns at age 18 with PCOS and otosclerosis developing by age 23, you could say my own health journey began at a very young age!
🌿 This led me down the path of self-discovery and self-care. Completing the Discovery Program at Cedars in 2016 taught me invaluable skills on how to build & rebuild healthy relationships with myself, others & emotions while simultaneously understanding a deeper level of psychology, addictions & recovery. This knowledge has allowed me to develop a strong sense of empathy, compassion & non-judgment to all living beings. I continue to learn & weave these tools throughout my practice, daily. Having a regular mindfulness practice including movement, meditation, mindfulness, breath-work and journaling reside strongly with me and I can’t wait to share it with you!
🧘🏼♀️ Yoga, weight training and almost any physical activity have been a huge part of my healing process. From rhythmic dance to taekwon-do, backing and now even SURFING, I believe that balance and moderation combined with an open mind to regular mindful movement can be one of the most therapeutic ways to support our bodies in preventing stagnation dis-ease. In 2020 I continued my education with CSNN to become certified in Athletic Nutrition & Performance which further developed my passion for working with athletes & those with a goal-oriented mindset. After having a long standing, personal Mysore practice that began in 2013, I decided to add to my education & knowledge by completing the 200hr Teacher Training in Ashtanga Yoga & Ayurveda with Ashtanga Yoga Victoria. I look forward to continuing to broaden my horizons by adding more education & training in this realm.
📚 Working in the business world has always excited me and pushed me to educate, adapt, learn, expand & grow. Personal development is large part of what a preach and so, in 2020 I continued my education by completing the Instructional Skills Workshop to become a certified Facilitator that can be used at a college level. In completing this course, I hope to offer more workshops and classes to help mentor, educate & support those in my community.
✨ Choosing to live an eco-friendly lifestyle with minimal toxic products in my household has also been a core value of mine. Since 2011, I have used simple home products & essential oils to make my own all purpose cleaners, hand soap, bug spray, laundry soap, salves- you name it! For this reason, I decided to team up with DoTERRA Essential Oils to share my love and passion for sustainable living at a more affordable cost.
🙏🏼 Thank you for reading and being here by – so happy to connect! I look forward to educating and creating with all of you. ♡
Inspired to work with me Lean how I can help yourself, your family or your community HERE.
Let’s connect and grow together 😊