Pharmacist turned health coach took a leap to help patients

Laura Heath loved working as a hospital pharmacist in Belleville, Ontario, but after 20 years she was itching to do something more to help people take control of their health. “In seeing so many patients coming in and out of the hospital for years with lifestyle-related diseases, it got me thinking that if they had the tools to take care of themselves, maybe we wouldn’t see them in this state.” With the support of her husband, Heath pulled back from her full-time hospital role to a casual position and enrolled in a course to become a certified health and life coach. Today through her business, Your Highest Self Coaching launched in 2019, she helps women who are emotional eaters heal their relationship with food using a tool called Whole30 (a 30-day dietary reset) as a starting place. “I came to realize I was as an emotional eater too as I was managing my work stress by driving to the grocery store every evening to get junk food,” says Heath. “Of course, that wasn’t serving me from a physical or mental point of view.” Via her group and individual sessions conducted virtually, Heath has helped numerous women improve their food relationships and reduce chronic disease risk factors in the process. “They lose weight, their blood pressure goes down and their blood glucose improves,” she says. “As a pharmacist, there is an advantage in having insight into the medications they’re on and may be titrating off of.” Heath says starting the business from scratch with no business experience was no easy feat. “I was literally building up a platform using social media and trying to find clients,” she says. “But when you’re at a point where you know you need change, you have to take that leap and jump.” She counts physicians, nurses and pharmacy technicians among some of her clients. Other pharmacists who are considering a career change have sought out Heath’s advice as well. She often tells them to consider how they are approaching their work circumstances first. “Perhaps a shift in the way you think about your circumstances will lead you to a place where you’re content in the position that you have,” she says. “But if you have a passion and feel there is more you could be doing, then definitely take the risk.”

Pharmacist turned health coach took a leap to help patients

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