Hi, my name is Nikkie, founder of Jungle Goddess and Culinary Wellness Coach. I help health-inspired people identify diet, mindset and lifestyle strategies to support physical health and mental wellbeing.
So how does a Sussex gal become the Jungle Goddess?
At age thirty seven I had a health crisis. I could barely leave my house due to the debilitating symptoms of Crohn’s disease. I had a successful and aspiring career in Corporate IT Management, the converted barn on the edge of the countryside that I’d always dreamed of, everything I needed and most of what I wanted except the ability to enjoy it.
Accepting that I couldn’t continue in my career was an incredibly difficult choice to come to terms with but once made it freed me to make a pretty radical decision. Despite the fact that I could barely leave my house, I decided to take a career break, sell all of my belongings and I bought a ticket to travel the world.
I left the UK in November 2008 with a plan to travel through the Americas for a year. Corporate discipline is hard to shake and I was faithful to my schedule until I walked away from an great opportunity that I regretted. At that point I vowed to throw the schedule out of the window and see just what the universe had in store for me.
Costa Rica won over my heart; a remote small surf village in the middle of the jungle to be precise. A vibrant, colourful, warm and welcoming community that immediately felt like home. The jungle may seem like a random place to settle while dealing with chronic illness but at a very young age I decided that this condition would not affect my choices in life. I have a ‘can do’ attitude and my soul craves adventure so the absence of medical facilities did little to prevent me from setting down roots.
Living with Crohn’s disease is challenging under normal circumstances, never mind while travelling and living in a remote jungle. Only basic medical services existed, the closest hospital was one and a half hours away and the main metropolis was anything from a five to ten hour bus trip. To stay, I had to find a way to manage they symptoms of my condition myself.
There is no cure for Crohn’s disease and traditional treatment focuses on reducing inflammation through steroids, anti-inflammatories, immune system suppressants and surgery. While I am supportive of conventional medicine, its overuse and abuse has reduced its effectiveness in many cases. After surgery and years on medications that carry significant health risks, I preferred to pursue holistic modalities as much as possible to manage my symptoms.
Luckily my home was a mecca for healers from all different cultures, customs and practices, and I studied with some great teachers. I studied medicinal plants and was introduced to a medicine cabinet full of remedies on my doorstep. I learned the value of bodywork and trained as a massage therapist, at the same time discovering my spiritual side while engaging in energy work as a Reiki Master.
I gained an understanding of the incredible role that positive mindset has on our health and overall outlook on life. I hadn’t realised just how negative my thinking was, and how much it was preventing me from effecting change.
My diet and nutrition studies introduced me to fermented foods and the role that they play in gut health. I started fermenting for myself but knowledge quickly spread and I was encouraged by my community to share the benefits of my study. In 2014 I founding Jungle Goddess, a fermented food and drink company that I ran for 6 years selling fermented products, ‘free-from’ foods for people with food intolerances and running teaching workshops.
My reputation as a healer grew over the years and when my time came to leave I felt motivated to share what the jungle had taught me and help others.
I relocated back to the UK in December 2019 and work as a Culinary Wellness Coach, uniting my personal experience with teachings and learnings in diet, mindset and lifestyle medicine to help others. My work has enabled me to stay in symptom remission for 6 years and remain free of medication. I aspire to empower others with the knowledge to positively influence their own health journey and free themselves from the mental and physical symptoms of chronic illness.
I am excited to share my knowledge and stories with you every month and hope to inspire you to find your own ‘healing jungle’.
https://facebook.com/thejunglegoddess
