Welcome to a little corner of my world.
Discover the story behind my journey to becoming a clinical nutritionist—and why I’m so passionate about walking alongside you on your path to better health and lasting wellbeing.
It was during those early years of motherhood—navigating a few unexpected health challenges with my babies—that my eyes were first opened to the powerful world of nutrition. I began to uncover how compromised gut health, nutrient deficiencies, and targeted dietary changes could support healing in ways I had never imagined.
Until that point, I had followed a typical Australian/Western diet without questioning its impact. I hadn’t considered that the food I ate might be influencing my health. Yet looking back, the signs were there. As a child, I battled severe eczema and frequent chest and ear infections, which led to endless courses of antibiotics and what felt like mountains of cortisone cream. By my teenage years, the eczema had largely subsided, and the infections had mostly faded. Still, subtle clues remained—persistent bouts of strep throat and, later in my twenties, struggles with anxiety and depression.
It wasn’t until I began to connect the dots—both for my children and myself—that I truly understood how much the gut, immune system, and mental health are intertwined.
For my children, their initial health challenges included failure to thrive, sleep issues, silent reflux, colic, and later severe food intolerances resulting in anxiety, severe behavioural issues and a range of physiological struggles. They were most pronounced for my gorgeous little boy, who at the age of two went from being a fun, busy, adventurous delight to a deeply anxious and angry little man, who struggled with most of life. To say this turned our world upside down would be an understatement.
I was fortunate to have a wonderful GP who helped me begin the search for answers—why had my vibrant little boy suddenly disappeared into a world of struggle? With her guidance, we began biomedical testing, introduced targeted supplements, and trialled the RPAH Elimination Diet (also known as the Failsafe Diet). As we moved through this process, my doctor started exploring potential diagnoses, including ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD).
The diet brought some relief, easing the intensity of his symptoms, but it never brought full resolution. We constantly felt like we were walking a tightrope, trying to manage his reactions to food. Deep down, I knew there had to be more—more we could do to truly help our little boy, to set him free from the daily battles he and our family were facing.
I often told my children, after a tumble or scrape, that their bodies were amazing and already working hard to heal. And increasingly, I began to believe the same must be true on a deeper level: that the body, when given the right ingredients and environment, has an incredible ability to heal itself.
Through my GP and a close friend, I came across a healing protocol called the GAPS Nutritional Protocol. 
It stands for Gut and Psychology/Physiology Syndrome. It is a dietary protocol that aims to bring deep healing not only to the gut but also by effect, to the rest of the body. It has been used to help heal many conditions, including Autism, eczema, asthma, dyslexia, and mental health conditions. Within about 5 or 10 pages into the book, written by a passionate neurologist, nutritionist and mother, Dr Natasha Campbell McBride, I knew that the protocol was something I had to gift my children with – the first real hope for healing.
In the following months, I starting preparing for what would be a mammoth undertaking. On the 1st of January 2012, we started what is called the GAPS Introduction Diet – the most intensive part of the GAPS Nutritional Protocol, designed at its core to heal the gut (both the gut lining and microbial imbalances), open up detox pathways and re-build the body. The initial days were tough as our bodies began to detox and to heal. With the help and encouragement of a great GAPS practitioner and online support community we pushed ahead and within two weeks started to see amazing changes in my little man. Little by little he seemed to be tolerating more foods, he and my other children began eating copious amounts of nutrient dense deeply nourishing foods. The more they ate, the more healing that came. Within 8 weeks were we able to move through most of the Introduction part of the protocol and most of his previous issues were a thing of the past. Over the next few years all three of my children went from strength to strength and gradually we were able to transition off the GAPS dietary protocol.
It has been almost 12 years since we started that epic journey and I am so delighted to be able to say that we are now happy, healthy and thriving. Food intolerances are a thing of the past, my son is a happy, thriving 15-year-old. He is school captain, plays soccer at the highest level and there are absolutely no signs of his earlier struggles. We have been able to transition to a whole foods lifestyle. The only foods we now avoid are gluten (except for the occasional homemade sourdough) and processed sugars, colours, flavours and preservatives. And that is by choice as we would rather fill our bodies with nutrient dense, real foods that nourish our bodies rather than harm them. The journey since transitioning off GAPS hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Along the way there have been ups and downs and occasionally new health issues to work with. But so far, none have kept us low for long. I am now armed with the knowledge, resources and determination to tackle each challenge as it arises and thrive on learning more every day about how amazing our bodies really are and how, given the right ingredients, support and care they can heal. To say that this journey has transformed our lives would be an understatement.
Time for a new direction…..
Our whole healing experience re-sparked my earlier love for understanding more about the intricate ways in which the natural world works. This time around my focus became people and their inner worlds, in particular our guts and how central they are to our overall health. Again I was intrigued by the way our bodies give us clear signs when things are not as they should be (when there has been damage), inspired to understand what those signs are really showing us and excited to learn more and more of the ways we can work toward restoration of these complex internal ecosystems.
During that initial few years on GAPS I naturally began helping others who were undertaking the protocol. In early 2016 I was fortunate enough to train as an Integrative Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). I went on from there to train as a GAPS practitioner learning more of the intricacies of how to apply the diet to individual circumstances . I believe there is purpose in even our greatest struggles and am incredibly thankful to be able to now guide others through the long and times lonely road of finding healing. 
From 2016 to 2017 I participated in the Integrative Health Coaching training provided by the MINDD organisation (https://mindd.org/). This included receiving professional training by world leaders in Functional Medicine. I have attended the annual MINDD International Forum for the past 4 years. This gave me the opportunity to absorb all of teaching I could on getting to the root cause of health issues, nutritional deficiencies and how to begin addressing them, particularly using the power of food as medicine. 
I have recently completed my Master’s in Holistic Nutrition with Hawthorn University (and the American College of Healthcare Sciences). The final part of my Master’s was writing my Master’s thesis, “ADHD – a holistic and natural approach – evidence-based strategies and action plan”.
Today, I help families and individuals unravel their health issues, with a specific focus on gut-related issues. I usually work alongside functional/integrative GPs, helping you get to the root cause, and then using various food-based healing protocols and other complementary therapies (where needed) and tools to help you on the road to healing. In 2024, I completed training with the Australia Metabolic Health Society, so I also specialise in metabolic health, supporting you to reverse things like type 2 diabetes or fatty liver, lose weight if necessary and support you to regain vibrant metabolic health.
You can find more about my training and my unique approach to coaching here.
If you think I may be a good fit as a companion and guide on your healing journey, then get in touch here and we can work out how I might be able to help. 
Photo credit: Gemma Farrell
JUSTINE XOX