We recently connected with Jennifer Gale and have shared our conversation below.
Jennifer, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.
I created and built the job and brand that I have in the Natural health field.
After I finished Traditional Naturopathic school in 2017, I found myself dazed, overwhelmed, and nervous but excited to get started helping people find their center. Like so many other people that go into a service field related to health, I encountered self doubt as I evaluated my next steps. For me, I KNEW helping people get better using natural means was the goal, but I was unclear what it would look like. Should I try to locate myself in a group setting with other types of natural practitioners? Or should I create a solo presence and build on that? We learned MANY different modalities in school but they didn’t all resonate with me. Which ones should I offer? Just the ones I like or offer them all? Those questions alone made my head spin and an additional daunting prospect for me was this: How do I get the word out about all this work I want to do? I was and am most comfortable teaching classes and doing work in person. But even with my limited tech knowledge of the time, knew that every business and/or practitioner must have some sort of social media presence. And that’s regardless of their arena.
Many of the people I went to school with had established social media presences and were comfortable and knowledgeable about their use. I was NOT. I was behind that wave and struggled to learn and get comfortable with this new skill set of social media use. At that time there were already DOZENS of sites to choose from for business use. Before I set out deciding WHAT to offer, I figured it best to get started by researching the most effective social media sites and how to use them!
Once I started to get comfortable with this new realm, I turned my heart and mind to what my offerings would be. And I also researched what sorts of additional training I could get to add to my Naturopathic offerings. These additional trainings turned out to be Functional Test Analysis, Bio-Energetics, Holistic Cancer Coaching, Dietary Supplement Certification, and advanced training in Reflexology. All of which are fantastic complements to study in nutrition, herbs, energy work, color therapy – all the types of modalities I had in hand.
As I settled into what I would offer, I determined that it would be wise to build a solo practice to start off. It is still new in the health realm to have multiple types of practitioners in the same office or building space. I figured that if that was to come for me, I had better be ready! So I thought about how best to describe a practice that uses both ancient techniques AND modern ones that align and enhance well being. And after some time, URBAN NATUROPATH is what came to me. URBAN for the modern, NATUROPATH for the ancient, time-honored traditions.
And at this point, I could not be happier with this work that I do and the brand I’ve created. For a first “job”, it’s been an absolute JOY.
Jennifer, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I got started in Naturopathy and Natural Health the same way MANY in my field do – I got sick at a point in my life and conventional means had nothing to offer me. In my early 20’s I developed a severe case of asthma and I sailed through all the OTC and prescription products available at the time. None of them did anything but provide a few hours of relief. I then moved to a breathing machine and would use it for hours a day to no avail. I was having asthma attacks around the clock and could not make any connection as to what the triggers were or why they would flare up.
A chance reading at a health food store that someone had cured their asthma by juicing intrigued me and I figured it couldn’t hurt to try. I went and bought a juicer and some fruits and vegetables and began experimenting. After just one week of random types of juice mixes, I noticed my breathing was less labored and I felt a little better. I knew something was afoot so I kept at the juicing for a solid year. I tried all sorts of fruit/vegetable mixes and experimented with recipes I would find in natural health books. After one year I woke up one day and just knew it was over. I KNEW my asthma attacks had subsided and that whatever things I had done did the trick. I gathered up all my inhalers, medications, and breathing machine and stood over a garbage can. I dumped them all in and never had another asthma attack again.
That was over two decades ago and I’m still asthma free to this day.
After that experience I KNEW I needed to delve into what happened and why. I explored all the natural health options of study available both in person and online. I chose a Naturopathic school here in Michigan that I felt would most adequately give me the information and inspiration I so desired. I finished the program in 2017 and launched my practice under the brand URBAN NATUROPATH.
My practice is QUITE DIFFERENT from other Traditional or Classical Naturopaths because of the additional trainings I have. I mix both old and new with my client base and enjoy seeing my clients thrive and flourish because of this.
I currently have a busy practice doing Classical Naturopathic modalities like Reflexology, Nutritional and Herbal Consults, and Color/Light therapy. But added to this, I also have certification as a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner. This allows me to interpret Functional Health labs like the DUTCH and GI MAP. These tests can be game changers when working with people’s states of health. I also do Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis which allows me to help people understand their bloodwork from a Functional or root cause perspective. I am a certified NES practitioner which brings the world of Bio-Energetics into my practice. It’s easily one of the most dynamic healing modalities that exists currently. It allows us to see the body as an ENERGY BODY with information that can be tracked, assessed, and modified using Structured Water and PEMF (Pulsed Electro Magnetic Field) therapy.
My 2023 in-person and virtual short/long term service offerings are:
*Naturopathic Concierge Program – 12 months of life changing work that includes Functional lab tests AND Naturopathy!
*Herbal Consultations
*Holistic Cancer Coaching
*Functional Test Analysis & Consults- DUTCH, HTMA, GI MAP, MRT
*Reflexology
*Chakra Balancing
*Flower Essence Therapy
*Color/Light Therapy
*CGM (Glucose Monitoring) support
*I also sell PROLON Fasting Mimicking Products, Handmade Lotion, Peptide products and Premiere Collagen supplements
I have a robust speaking schedule and here’s my list of Speaker Series Topics:
Natural Health 101 * Food As Medicine * Herbal Remedies * Essential Oils * Reflexology * Bio-Identical Hormones * Bodywork As It Relates to Our Health * Detoxification Principles * Starting An Organic Garden * Natural Stress Relief * Strategies For Healthy And Natural Aging * Natural Menopause Solutions * Wintertime Wellness * Immune Boosting Food And Herbs * Sharpen Your Brain Naturally * Naturopathy and Alternative Medicine * Natural Strategies for Pain Relief
*I love to garden and offer gardening classes, do herb walks, and just generally obsess about plants and such year round! I consider myself an Urban Farmer and hope to spread the love of being in touch with the all important soil that nourishes us all.
I am most proud of this mix of services and product offerings. It makes me unique among Naturopaths in this state.
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Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
I believe it was always my destiny to be doing this natural health work! So if I had to go back and do everything EXACTLY the same way to find myself where I am now, I would do it with no questions asked. Many people in my field have experience with illness as the guide that pushes them into natural health. I also have that story as I was sick for a time and natural health healed me. Though it can be brutal, illness is often one of our best and most potent teachers. And for me, it provided a life path and direction.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I can’t say enough about the value of developing a speaker series and speaking to your community on a regular basis. When I first began to build my practice, one of my clients mentioned that her senior center had speakers on a regular basis. But none of them ever covered natural health topics or items she was interested in learning about. She asked if I would consider coming to her center and I did. And WOW, did that ever propel me to a flood of speaking requests! Then came the invitations to attend conferences and seminars, and of course, word of mouth from these simple events sent many clients my direction. For anyone going into a health related service business, reaching out and talking to as much of your local community as you can is a golden way to get your name out. Consider libraries, service organizations, senior centers, high schools, colleges, health centers, block clubs, cicty councils, and whatever sorts of organizations exist in your area. Social media can certainly give the public a pretty good picture of who you and what you’re about. But it cannot beat what people learn about you in person – your thoughts, your character, and your passion for your work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.UrbanNaturopath.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theurbannaturopath/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUrbanNaturopath
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/urbannaturopath/
- Twitter: TheUrbanNaturopath (@TheUNaturopath) / Twitter
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theurbannaturopath2530/videos
Image Credits
Kat Stevenson Photography