I help women through perimenopause, naturally.
I’m Davina Hearne. Naturopath since 2012, mum of four, and in perimenopause myself.
My story
I had my first panic attack at 42. It was late, I was about to go to bed, and I was organising a shipment of our things from the UK to New Zealand. I had a bad feeling about it. The moment I paid, the panic hit. I felt sick, my heart was racing, and I was certain something terrible was about to happen. I went to bed and didn’t sleep. I spent the night emailing the UK, trying to cancel.
I’d never reacted to anything like that in my life.
My brother sent me an Eckhart Tolle video on anxiety. It made sense to me, and the anxiety eased immediately. I’ve listened to Eckhart every day since. It hasn’t come back, and I’m more at ease in my own mind and body now than I’ve ever been.
It was four months before I wondered whether it had been hormonal. I was researching perimenopause for Valentia, reading through the symptoms, and I kept recognising myself.
After my last baby, at 40, my skin had changed dramatically. It lost its plumpness and elasticity, and I had stretch marks I’d never had with my other three. I’d put that down to nutrition and my age. I’d been forgetting words, and put that down to lack of sleep. I’d had a stretch of sudden anger. And the panic attack, I’d put down to a shipment.
I had an explanation for everything. None of them was hormones, and I’d been a naturopath since 2012. I just didn’t think I was old enough for it to be perimenopause.
How I work
My life is busy: four kids aged 2 to 9, homeschooling, and more house moves than I dare to count. So my advice has to work in a life like that, and in yours. Small changes that make big differences, and nothing that needs a free morning and an empty house.
I see body, mind and soul as one, so I look at the whole of you, not one symptom at a time. I won’t pile a stack of pills on you, and I won’t ask for changes that won’t stick.
When I recommend a supplement, I use the dose the research used, not a sprinkle of it so the ingredient can go on the label. The industry calls that fairy-dusting. And I won’t promise you results in seven days. Hormones take weeks to shift.
I don’t prescribe. I’ll tell you when it’s worth talking to your doctor.
Why Valentia
Valentia started as skincare: properly natural, nothing hidden, and luxurious enough to feel like a treat. We made a big range, from serums to clay masks and oils. It’s on hold for now, and I’m asking the women who have this skin what they’d want first when it comes back. That question is in the self-audit. There’s no date yet, and I’m not taking pre-orders.
The name comes from Latin, where valentia means strength and health. In Spanish, valentía means courage. To me, Valentia is about empowering women to be healthy and strong.
What there is
- The self-audit. Twelve questions, about five minutes. It tells you whether your symptoms are likely to be perimenopause, which one is affecting you most right now, and what to do about it first.
- The five-day sleep course. One short email a day, free.
- The Perimenopause Reset. Four weeks, fifteen women and me. There’s a waiting list.
Qualifications
Three NZQA Level 6 diplomas, taken together as one three-year programme at Wellpark College of Natural Therapies, all awarded April 2012.
Now focused on perimenopause, from inside it.
Davina Hearne is a New Zealand qualified naturopath, herbalist and nutritionist. She is not a medical doctor. This is health education from a qualified non-physician practitioner. It is not medical advice and does not establish a practitioner relationship.
The self-audit is the place to start.
Five minutes. Find out whether your symptoms are likely to be perimenopause, which one is affecting you most right now, and what to do about it first.