i’m Nicola Gauthier, a registered holistic nutritionist + energy worker.
When creating Elira Wellness it was very important that compassion, kindness, open communication, and honesty were the foundations of this practice. There is enough resistance within ourselves and society against change that when it comes to taking charge of your quality of life, Elira Wellness respects the human need to be supported in an empathetic way. Sustainable growth & change comes from a place of love, not from a “bullying” approach.
We as human beings have picked up messaging and programming from childhood & impactful experiences that form our beliefs & outlook on our inner and outer worlds. These beliefs are not always logical and expansive, sometimes they can be limiting and harmful to the process of building the life we truly desire. The mission of Elira Wellness is to help support those in reprogramming their limiting beliefs and coping mechanisms into expansive beliefs and healthy habits that are sustainable in building the life one desires.
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We’re all looking for the same thing,
to feel connected.
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My story
I grew up with no knowledge around nutrition, emotions, or boundaries. In my upbringing, eating snacks was a major form of bonding in my family and at a young age I quickly became an emotional eater. Throughout my childhood I went through various traumatic experiences that by the time I entered my early 20’s I was already in constant burnout and had been struggling with my mental health since early adolescence. I had been living in survival mode (fight-flight-freeze-fawn) since before I can remember, but didn’t realize I had CPTSD till I questioned my therapist during my second year of therapy. My therapist was just as shocked as I was that I hadn’t known I had CPTSD for the majority of my life. I never knew anything different, I thought that’s just how life was for me.
Chronic stress. Anxiety. Depression. Emotional & overeating. Substance abuse - to quiet the loud uncomfortableness when trauma was triggered. ADHD. Memory damage. Feeling stupid. Neglecting my own needs. Autoimmune flare ups. Cystic acne. Hormone imbalances. Frequent UTI’s. Irritable digestion. Hair loss. Stress induced starvation mode. Brain fog. Inconsistent energy levels daily. Bloating. Trouble losing weight & gaining muscle.
I didn’t know what my body needed, but how I’d been living was not the way I wanted to feel for the rest of my life. I had a realization, you are the only one in charge of how you want your life to feel.
When I was looking inward and gaining awareness around how I was feeling, I noticed that most of the people I met in life were dealing with similar struggles. I became a Registered Holistic Nutritionist & Energy Worker to better my own quality of life and help guide others to the same in a gentle & sustainable approach.
I know personally that healing does not come from a place a self hatred & criticism, but from a place of self love & compassion. It is my calling to support others in their healing journey to self love, compassion, and the quality of life they have always dreamt of feeling.
Healing is not linear & it is never too late to start.