Week 4: Laura Jasmin, ND

 

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

 

Laura grew up on a farm outside of Petrolia, ON, in a rural community where she spent her summers on the soccer field and winters at the hockey rink. She received an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at Western University where she played flag football and was honoured to receive the Gold Medal for graduating at the top of her class. She went on to complete her Doctor of Naturopathy degree at The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) in Toronto. While at CCNM she was part of the Naturopathic Student Association and was the student representative for the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors, in addition to playing on various sports teams at Med Games, Interprofessional Health Science Students’ Olympic Games, and recreational baseball.  Laura completed her internship at the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic and the Brampton Naturopathic Teaching Clinic at Brampton Civic Hospital. She has also completed additional certification as a Naturopathic Doula, and is in the process of completing training to become a Lactation Consultant.  Laura now has a family practice in her hometown which focuses on digestion, mood, and hormone health including fertility and breastfeeding. She continues her love of sport by participating in road races, yoga, hiking, and her new favourite, tennis.

 

How has sport helped you develop skills for your work today?

 

Sport has always been a huge part of my life from as early as I can remember. Through sport I learned various transferable skills including collaborating with others, leadership, commitment, and what the meaning of hard work truly is. I believe being involved in various different teams allowed me to learn how to be flexible and work well with many different individuals.  I learned that things do not always work out as expected, and how to deal with loss and disappointment. It is an important skill to learn to pick yourself up, keep moving forward, and reassess the situation to set new goals for future accomplishments. It has helped teach me to manage my time efficiently, so I could make every practice/game and still keep up with all other obligations. Today time management, and working with others as a team to better their health, are skills I use every day in practice. Working with so many individuals through sport helped me to learn how to motivate and empower others to be their best self and to live their best life.

 

How do you define leadership?

 

I define leadership as someone who can really understands where people are coming from, and meet individuals wherever they are at. Their ability to listen and empathize, helps to create a plan to help individuals achieve their dreams and goals. It is about guiding others and providing encouragement for them to achieve their goals in a realistic and concrete way. “The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” – Thomas Edison.

 

Instagram: laurajasminnd