In case we haven't met yet
I'm Deborah, a naturopath (BHSc), author, mama to one spirited little boy, and someone who's endlessly curious about how the body really works.
And my education in health started LONG before university.
With Mum being a naturopath, health was always a pretty big part of our lives growing up. I was homeschooled alongside my three brothers, spent plenty of time outdoors, and grew up surrounded by conversations about food, disease and how the body works. But at 12, things got particularly interesting haha.
In 2009, my family set off on a two-and-a-half-year journey around the world, filming a documentary exploring holistic cancer treatments. We met and interviewed doctors, researchers, practitioners and patients from different countries, all with their own perspectives on health and healing. Imagine being exposed to all of that before you're even a teenager.
It shaped how I think about health to this day. To stay curious, question what we're taught and look beyond the obvious.
Then health became very personal
At 15, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.
Suddenly, health wasn't just something I was fascinated by. It was something I had to navigate every single day.
Over the years, I've also experienced gut issues, acne, hormonal struggles, disordered eating and burnout. And learned firsthand that knowing a lot about health doesn't automatically mean you're looking after your own haha.
In 2019, I graduated with a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy, after four years of full-time study.
I also spent several years working in our family's functional medicine business alongside my parents, before eventually creating my own path with You Truly Shine.
And this is my mum, Sabrina
With 30 years of experience in naturopathy, Mum has been my mentor, my greatest teacher and now my collaborator.
We've spent years discussing research, questioning ideas and learning from one another. Today, she works alongside me creating the educational content you see here.
Two generations of naturopathy, decades of experience and a shared curiosity about the human body.
And I couldn't be more grateful that we get to do this together.
Why functional medicine?
Modern medicine is great in acute cases... you know emergency care, surgery, life-saving treatments or medications... incredible.
But when it comes to chronic disease??? We've built a healthcare system that spends enormous amounts of money managing illness, while prevention, nutrition and lifestyle receive little attention. And that's just the basics.
We get medications prescribed, often for years, without always addressing the bigger picture. And let's not pretend there aren't enormous financial interests involved.
Treating disease is a multibillion-dollar industry. Keeping people healthy isn't actually that profitable. If you think back to school, what did you learn when it comes to health? Most of the time you graduate knowing more about algebra than how our own bodies work.
And then we wonder why chronic disease is so rampant?
Unfortunately, the wellness industry isn't innocent either. Endless supplements, expensive protocols, conflicting advice and the constant suggestion that there's always something else we need to buy to become healthier.
Sometimes we've made health far more complicated than it needs to be.
I don't believe we need less medicine. I believe we need a whole lot more prevention, education and curiosity about WHY we become unwell in the first place.
And that is why You Truly Shine exists
In 2021, I founded You Truly Shine with one goal: to make health education more accessible, understandable and genuinely useful.
What started with my first ebook on skin health has grown into comprehensive books, eBooks, masterclasses and personalised health evaluations.
Because I believe you should be able to understand your own body without needing a health science degree. Sometimes health is surprisingly simple. Other times, it's incredibly complex.
But whether we're talking about nutrition, hormones, gut health, chronic disease or prevention, our approach remains the same.
Look beyond symptoms, question what we're taught (I truly mean that), understand the bigger picture.
Because you can't make informed decisions without knowledge.
And that's what we're here for
Deborah & Sabrina xxx