Emily Bathgate - Naturopath

2025 was…

Well… it was a year, that’s for sure.

A year of ups + downs.
Of learning + relearning.
Of growing.
Of creating.
Of pushing myself + pulling back.
Of returning + replenishing + refuelling.

It wasn’t exactly the year I’d dreamed of, but, as it turns out, it was the one I needed. It was a big old nudge back in the right direction, and one that has had me feeling miiiiiiiles different to where I was at 12 months ago this past couple of weeks 🥹🙏🏼

Anyway, here’s a little recap, if it takes your fancy 😙

My guide to cycle tracking continued...

Let’s chat cervical mucus 🌸

P.S. My favourite cycle tracking app (which I personally love, use + recommend), , makes it suuuuuuper simple to track + chart your cervical mucus alongside your BBT 🙌🏼

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There are few things that grind my (+ my clients') gears more than a sub-par, sub-optimal iron result being dismissed as 'normal' 🫠

(Except maybe how commonly it happens 🫠🫠)

Mainly because there's a pretty hefty gap between what's 'normal' and what's 'optimal'...

N o r m a l :
Generally, according to clinical reference ranges, a Ferritin level (the best indicator of available iron stores) between 30-200 is considered normal.

O p t i m a l :
I'm much happier with a Ferritin level of at least 60.

Iron isn't just going to support your energy levels. It's really bloody important for:
◽️ transporting oxygen
◽️ preventing anaemia
◽️ healthy periods
◽️ pregnancy
◽️ brain function (concentration, memory, etc.)
◽️ a healthy immune system
◽️ healthy muscles

We need to be getting...
a. enough iron in (we don't make it ourselves)
b. enough iron absorbed (hello, guts)
c. enough iron transported (via proteins + healthy red blood cells)

Luckily, as a qualified naturopath, I'm equipped to help you with...
d. all of the above 😌

Let's go ahead and get started on that first point now, shall we?
Swipe through ☝🏼👉🏼 for some of my favourite iron-rich foods 🥩🥗

P.S. Bonus absorption points if you can get these foods in with some Vitamin C-rich ones!
(Think berries, citrus, rockmelon, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, chilli, snowpeas, more watercress + more fresh herbs 🌿🍋)

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Feeling s**t about feeling like... well, s**t?

That is SO valid!

Something that I notice pretty often with my clients is that they'll talk to me about how their skin or health is making them f e e l ...
..and then apologise, or try to minimise that feeling.

Something along the lines of, "I know my skin doesn't look that bad right now", or "I know there are bigger problems in the world", or "I know I should probably be worrying about other stuff".

So here's a friendly reminder:
Your thoughts, your feelings, and your emotional experience are valid.

Now go validate yo'self! 💓🌸

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I'm Emily 👋🏼 and this is my skin story.

Looking back, my 13th year wasn't exactly my greatest. Not only had I started high school (at an all-girls school, no less – the extra pressure really helped 🥲), but I also had braces, anxiety + depression, endometriosis, and - to top it all off - the beginnings of an adventure with acne.

And by the time I was 15, things weren't looking much better. In fact, things had kind of reached boiling point. I had to do something about my skin.

I was embarrassed to leave the house.
I would make my sister swap sides with me in the back of the car so that drivers passing by wouldn't see me.
I wouldn't even let my family see me without makeup on.

So off we went to the doctor, and then to the dermatologist.
And what came next was over a year on Roaccutane (and some hectic antibiotics too).

And, I'll be honest with you here...

Did Roaccutane fix my skin? Yes (well, for a few years, anyway).

But did it compromise my health? Undoubtedly – the side effects were undeniably intense (depression, suicidal ideation, constant nosebleeds, and extreme sensitivity to sunlight), and some persisted for over a decade.

And did it get to the bottom of my acne once and for all? Absolutely not (it came back again when I first started at uni 😣)

But, as they say, "Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination".

My own journey ignited my passion for treating YOUR skin - whether it's acne, or something else. Naturally. Holistically. And thoroughly.

Girly, if you've got bad skin? I get it. I see you. And I'm here to support you.

Let's decode the message your body's trying to send through your problem skin, and get to the root cause. Once and for all.

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Something that's really important to me is continuously meeting my clients where they're at 🤝🏼

A lot of the work that we'll do together naturopathy-wise will be around diet + lifestyle changes...

And I want to make sure that these changes are realistic + doable for YOU. I want to make sure that naturopathy works for you 🫵🏼🌿🫶🏼

One hack for implementing changes - even small simple ones (these are usually my faves) - that I love chatting about is habit stacking ☝🏼

Have you tried stacking your habits before?

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Want to know which supplement's going to totally fix {insert issue here} once and for all?! 🙋🏼‍♀️🪄

Soz to disappoint, but healing just ain't that simple...

Now, don't get me wrong: herbal + nutritional supplements can be hugely beneficial to a health + healing journey...

But they should be used as their name suggests: to supplement; to fill in the gaps.

NOT to do allllllll the hard work for you (trust me, it'd make my life a lot easier if they did, too!).

Tackling your health holistically doesn't come down to ONE magic thing - it usually comes down to lots of things 🌿✨

And it’s not something you have to do alone, or with only one type of support — whether that’s supplements, or naturopathy, or live-laugh-loving, or whatever else.
In fact, I’d probably recommend against putting all your eggs in just one basket 🧺 to be completely honest.

And maybe the finish line and the goalposts keep moving, and your idea of ‘healthy + well’ changes, as you move through life...
And maybe that’s perfectly okay 🤍

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If I had a dollar for each time a client told me they "aren't stressed", but their body is very clearly trying to say otherwise...

Something I'm always reminding my clients of is that stress isn't just mental + emotional.

So, without further ado: here ☝🏼 are five types of stress, and how I see each playing out in my clients' bodies.

If you're feeling a little like stress is getting out of hand in that bod of yours, let's chat! 🤝🏼🌸

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Want to give your gut health some TLC?

Start here ☝🏼 with the foundations.
(Because the fancy gut supplements are great... but a structurally sound house is always built on stable foundations.)

These are my top, general tips for better gut health...

🌸 eat more fibre, prebiotic + probiotic-rich foods
🌸 avoid processed, inflammatory, fast foods + opt for more fresh, whole foods
🌸 steer clear of environmental toxins, like the kind you'll find in cigarette smoke (yep, even second-hand smoke), plastic food + water containers, and conventional cosmetics + cleaning prods
🌸 eat small meals regularly + mindfully (aka chew thoroughly, and avoid distractions or rushing)
🌸 exercise regularly - for the sake of not only your gut, but your whole-body (+ mind) health!
🌸 make sure you're getting enough quality sleep
🌸 get more stress-management into yo' life, and support your vagus nerve (or gut-brain axis)

Of course, understanding your gut inside-out FIRST will really help level up your gut game...
Slide into my DMs or book a Discovery Call with me now (via the link in my bio) to find out more! 🔬🔍🌿

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