Maple Street Co-op is a lovely, cozy store selling healthy, locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, breads, and delicious food, and also has members who provide a valuable service to the community.
Casey Conroy is a registered nutritionist, naturopath, educator, certified eating disorder clinician and yoga teacher, lending her skills to Funky Forest Health and Wellbeing and Maple Street Co-op.
“True wellness means reconnecting with and listening to your body,” Casey says, “and adopting a body-positive approach that encourages you to take actions that promote health, no matter your shape or size.”
Alongside her independent work, Casey works as a Naturopathic Doctor for Maple Street Co-op and finds staying connected to the wider community extremely beneficial.
“I’ve been a healthcare professional for 12 years, but since COVID-19, a lot of my work has shifted to home clinics and online consultations,” Casey said.
“As an introvert with an extroverted personality, I began to miss connecting with the local community, especially since taking a break from public yoga classes. Working as a naturopath and as part of the co-op has given me the opportunity to reconnect with local people, meet other amazing practitioners in the area, and share more of what I offer to the world, including my homemade herbal remedies which are now stocked at the co-op.”
So what was the impetus for starting Funky Forest?
“I’ve worked in the wellness industry for most of my adult life. I started working as a yoga teacher in my early 20s while earning my veterinary degree. I quickly realized after graduating that I was more interested in preventive medicine and natural therapies than surgery and medicine, although those can and do save lives.”
“After some travelling and soul-searching, I retrained as a nutritionist and then became a naturopath. Funky Forest Health & Wellbeing is the umbrella name for the various services I now offer. I actually came up with the name when I was in my 20s and thought about changing it to something more serious-sounding but I’ve stuck with it,” Casey says with a smile.
When it comes to working in the Maleny area, Casey is clearly enthralled: “I’ve lived in various places across South East Asia and Queensland but I’ve never met such high quality and genuine friends as I have here in Maleny.
“Of course, people are different in every community, but the people who supported me when I faced challenges in the first few years I lived here are now lifelong friends. We would do anything for each other. The longer I live here, the more I realise there are amazing people tucked away in the corners of the hills quietly doing amazing things.”
Casey has lots of plans for the future, including working with the Co-op to run guided herb walks and workshops, as well as running a monthly community naturopathic clinic in Conondale to make herbal medicine more accessible.
“I believe herbal medicine is the people’s medicine and should be available to everyone.
“Ultimately, I hope to use my veterinary degree to provide naturopathic care to pets. My old yoga students will be happy to know that I will be returning to teach yoga soon!”
