My name is Vanessa and I am a Lifestyle Consultant and business owner.  My 42 year career spans across community health and clinical services including nursing, aged care, health promotion, healthy weight, obesity prevention, wellbeing & resilience and lifestyle management with a focus on healthy living.

Who are my clients? 

My clients are primarily women close to or planning for retirement and looking for a lifestyle change that aims to improve health and quality of life as they enter their Third Act......I think we all forget that when we retire we can still have up to 3 decades of living to do! If we are going to enjoy our retirement we need to make lifestyle choices and commitments to live a good life no matter how old we are. 

Aged Care

I also have ageing clients often in care homes. I work with older adults to reduce stress and anxiety along with social isolation. 

My own experience with family members in aged care with Alzheimer's has made me aware of the level of stress many of our elderly experience when moving into aged care. It is not just an issue during that transition, but it also present in Dementia residents at certain times of the day. I provide gentle hand massage & foot massage, conversation and a presence of mindful moment with each resident. It is well documented in research that touch can strengthen relationships, build trust, ease physical discomfort and reduce anxiety and depression in older adults.

I go into aged care homes regularly to visit family members and have 10 years experience in working as a trained nurse in aged care. My recent experience in aged care raised my awareness of the level of anxiety and stress being experienced by older adults in care. Each on of my clients has a unique massage oil hand blended with essential oil or oils specifically for them. Smell can trigger memories in individuals and as I get to know a client we can find an oil that triggers good memories and conversation. 

Stress Management

I have lived through the same life changing stresses as other people. I have had life threatening health challenges, separation and divorce, single parenthood, blended families as well as daily struggles that comes along with working full time and managing a family, not to mention running a small business. 

What is important to me is work life balance. Finding time for my family but also for me. Anxiety has plagued me most of my adult life. Over the years I have actively sought ways to manage anxiety & stress. The journey introduced me to meditation, essential oils and more recently to Indian Head Massage.

Indian Head Massage is part of Ayurvedic medicine and traditionally as part of typical Indian life is used to maintain a healthy body and mind along with improving the quality of hair by the inclusion of essential oil blends in the massage process. At Capacity2Change modified western approach to Indian Head Massage can be with or without oils and is a luxurious way to find relief from stress and improve overall feeling or relaxation and wellness. I focus is on upper back, shoulders, neck and head along with facial massage.