When Odette Lydford talks about health, it’s never just about the body—it’s about the whole person.
“I love the feel of sand or mountains beneath my feet,” she says with a smile. “That connection to the land keeps me grounded—it’s where I find balance.”
Now calling Hervey Bay home, Odette has brought with her a wealth of experience as a naturopath, personal trainer, and educator—and a lifelong curiosity about how the body and mind work together. Her approach weaves together the precision of science with the intuition of nature—a balance she’s been exploring most of her life.
Born in the UK and raised in New Zealand, Odette describes her early childhood as “a great Kiwi upbringing with a diet of meat and butter.” Her father, a New Zealand Naval officer, met her English mother while stationed overseas. Life was often in motion—new towns, new schools, and new beginnings. But in her early 20s, tragedy struck when her father died by suicide—an experience that would profoundly shape her understanding of mental health, loss, and resilience.
“It was a defining moment,” she reflects. “From that point, I wanted to understand what makes us adaptable, and how we can care for our minds as much as our bodies.”
Armed with a Bachelor of Science and a postgraduate diploma in Secondary Science Teaching, Odette spent years teaching biology, health, and environmental studies before following her passion into the world of naturopathy and holistic wellness.
Together with her husband and two children, she made the move to Australia after a holiday in 2005, turning their dream of living on the Sunshine Coast into reality.
Her business, Naturale-Her, is now based on the Fraser Coast and offers both women and men a supportive space to restore balance and vitality. While Odette is well known for helping women navigate the transitions of peri-menopause and menopause, she also works with men in their 50s and 60s who are experiencing the often-overlooked changes of andropause—from fatigue, low mood, and reduced motivation, to changes in muscle mass, libido, and mental clarity.
“For a lot of men, it’s the first time they’ve really stopped to reflect on how they’re feeling,” she says. “They might notice changes in their energy or stress tolerance, but often don’t realise there’s a biological and emotional component to it too. Supporting men through that stage can be just as transformative.”
“I see women who’ve spent years looking after everyone else,” she says. “When they finally turn that care inward, everything starts to shift.”
Odette’s method blends the best of both worlds—scientific understanding of genetics, hormones, and nutrition with the natural healing power of herbs, movement, and lifestyle medicine.
Through her gentle, grounded approach, Odette is helping both women and men reconnect with their own vitality and embrace aging as something to be celebrated. In her words, “Health isn’t just about living longer—it’s about living fully.”
Her website is www.naturale-her.com.au
Article as published by The Turning Point – https://theturningpoint.com.au/
