New Post May 2025 Turns Out We’re Not Bullet Proof

A funny thing happened this year. We discovered we’re not invincible. Yes, I know—we were aghast too. There we were, sailing along with our herbal teas, organic veg and hopeful hearts, quietly assuming that all the good food, good love and good intentions would keep the wheels turning indefinitely. Turns out… NO! Apparently, we’re just as mortal as the rest of you.

Don was first cab off the rank. Back in March, he discovered—rather abruptly—that he needed a heart procedure. No symptoms, no warning signs. Just a sneaky little time bomb that could have turned catastrophic. In true Don fashion, he bounced back quickly (possibly to prove a point) and has since discovered that “just how I am” wasn’t quite the full story when it came to sleep and energy. With a clear runway, he’s now moving more, lifting more, and tending to his heart with a sense of purpose that’s bordering on gym bunny.

We’re hugely grateful to a team of switched-on professionals—our wonderful GP, the cardiologists, the acupuncturist, the exercise physiologist—who helped steer us away from disaster. It just goes to show that even fit, cheerful natural medicine types with a fondness for fermented foods can get sideswiped by their genetics. Who knew?

And then (not to be outdone), I was informed I needed a more complicated abdominal surgery—with the added insult of six to eight weeks off work. What the? In eleven years of running this Practice, I’ve never taken a block of sick leave. Sick days are for unhealthy people. But alas, even I have parts that occasionally go rogue. Fortunately, I had the same extraordinary GP and an all-star line-up of specialists who pulled out all the stops. My surgeon was brilliant, the operation went better than anyone expected, and I am even behaving myself during recovery. Mostly.

I’ve always said hope is a superpower—and this year it turned out to be one of my best strategies. Along with exceptional care and a part-time personal nurse (Don moonlighting), I’ve been gently getting back into a little behind the scenes work. Not coding websites (I haven’t lost my mind) but quietly catching up on improvements. I’ve even sharpened my website-tweaking skills a little—turns out my advice to clients about rest, pacing and radical self-care is annoyingly effective.

Now, if you know me, you’ll know that “easing back in” isn’t really my thing. But Don has been brilliant—caring, practical, and endlessly good at reminding me to follow my own advice. He’s continued his unofficial job of health coach and added personal nurse only occasionally quoting my surgeon’s medical advice. I’m deeply grateful—and he’s doing a stellar job.

So, what does this mean for you?

We’re beginning to see clients again from this week, gradually increasing over the next few weeks. And there are a few changes. For the remainder of 2025, I’ll mostly be starting appointments at 11am and finishing by 7.30 or 8pm. It turns out working 12-hour days for over a decade isn’t a health strategy—it’s a slow-motion demolition plan. Surprise, surprise!

Thanks so much to all those who’ve sent kind wishes, been patient with our schedule, or checked in along the way. We’re genuinely touched, and incredibly grateful. We’re back—with a few extra scars, a slightly slower pace, and a renewed commitment to practising what we preach (within reason—there will still be cheat days).

Kindest Smiles,

Jani and Don

 

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Jani Forest-Wyatt

Brilliance Counselling and Consultancy opened in 2014. From the start we have been working online and face to face. We specialise in both individual and couple’s counselling, professional supervision, training and consulting and Brilliance Naturopathy.

Jani Forest-Wyatt is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker. Her work includes working with trauma using EMDR, LGBTIQA, mental health, workplace concerns and major life transformations, report writing, training and consulting. She and Don are both passionate about healthy relationships. Jani also provides professional supervision.

Couples Counselling using Gottman Therapy is offered by Jani and Don.

Additionally Don is an experienced Naturopath, Nutritionist and SIBO Practitioner. His work includes Training and Consulting together with Jani. His interests include SIBO, relationships, mental health, LGBTIQA, trauma and immune disorders and gastrointestinal problems.

Valentine's Day

Our modern take on a day to remember and reconnect

Valentine’s Day has some less than romantic and love filled origins. It appears to have some dark beginnings and was less about love and more about random coupling. Later in more modern times it began to be celebrated and commercialised as it is now.

However it is a good excuse for a date night, some loving kindness and an opportunity to connect with your someone special. Buying some flowers and writing something loving on a card won’t do anyone any real harm and it might just gain you some quantifiable brownie points. Going on a date night is always a great opportunity to reconnect, eat something whilst looking at each other and not your phone and reminding your someone significant why they agreed to commit and trust you.

I’m always reminded of one of our second Valentine’s Day. The first one only a few short weeks after we started seeing one another involved a rose and a dinner out and I was sure that I had met Mr Romance. The next year I made a wonderful picnic feast and bought a funny gift for my beloved. The gift was a weird looking soft toy bird emblazoned with “You drive me cuckoo!” And never a truer word was spoken in jest as said beloved had not even considered doing anything to celebrate that day nor the next one. However I realised that he’d finally come to his senses and made a commitment when he drove an hour and a half to meet me, bought me a CD (shows how long ago it was!) and wrote “Love” for the first time on a card. Since then we have made it a practise to always eat out and show one another that we can live in a culture of appreciation.

Valentine’s Day is our chance to stop and remember what we are doing here together. We are busy and we have lots of “have to” things to do. But we both know that nothing would be as easy if we had to face those “have to”s alone. We aim for regular date nights and pressures of work and study can mean that the space between those dates can be longer than it should be.

But we also plan date days. We may picnic on a beach or walk in a rainforest or eat cake and drink coffee somewhere away from home and we ensure that we make eye contact and have a laugh together.

My point is that one needs to celebrate one’s union and if that means one allows oneself to be drawn into the commercialisation of Valentine’s Day, then where’s the harm? I’m not suggesting breaking the budget to overly indulge in expensive gifts and 5 course degustations, unless that’s important to either of you, I’m suggesting you give one another your time and your attention.

It’s too easy to allow yourself to find excuses for not being romantic and demonstrative. It’s actually just as easy to just show a bit of romantic ability and be happy to allow yourself to show someone that you love them, care for them, want their support and appreciate all that they are in your life.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!

1 Comment

Jani Forest-Wyatt

Brilliance Counselling and Consultancy opened in 2014. From the start we have been working online and face to face. We specialise in both individual and couple’s counselling, professional supervision, training and consulting and Brilliance Naturopathy.

Jani Forest-Wyatt is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker. Her work includes working with trauma using EMDR, LGBTIQA, mental health, workplace concerns and major life transformations, report writing, training and consulting. She and Don are both passionate about healthy relationships. Jani also provides professional supervision.

Couples Counselling using Gottman Therapy is offered by Jani and Don.

Additionally Don is an experienced Naturopath, Nutritionist and SIBO Practitioner. His work includes Training and Consulting together with Jani. His interests include SIBO, relationships, mental health, LGBTIQA, trauma and immune disorders and gastrointestinal problems.