Happy New Year and a big welcome to 2023! I hope you’ve had a lovely break with family and friends, and that much good health, happiness and great abundance await us all in the year ahead!
We have an exciting start to the year, and a lot happening in the training space for our Cosmedic Academy, with the wonderful plastic surgeon Rita Yang sharing with us a special session on ‘How To Consult With The Gender Diverse Patient’ on 14 February, alongside our usual Vampire Academy, Profhilo Workshop and Hyalase Workshop, all planned over the next 6 weeks.
In February we welcome the lovely Camille back from her maternity leave – we are excited and delighted to have her back in clinic, and it also means we now finally have a full team back on board, after 3 years of massive disruption in our schedule due to lockdowns, maternity leave and lots of health leave due to Covid and other illnesses. We currently have a few people on annual leave, but now is a good time to book and get your appointments in place for the next few months!
My planned surgery for 13 December didn’t proceed, as I unfortunately, got Covid the week before surgery and had to isolate at home. We had just finished moving house, so I got to know my new room very well! Luckily we have a gorgeous sunny wee alcove where I could read my books when I felt up to it. Anaesthetists won’t do a general anaesthetic for elective surgery for at least 8 weeks after Covid, so with my travel plans for the first part of this year, it has now been pushed out to 11 May.
I also very sadly missed my nephew Lachie’s 10th birthday party in Ashburton thanks to Covid, so I had a LOT of luggage when I went down just a few weeks later for our family Christmas. It was our first Christmas without dad, so there were a few tears and shared memories here and there – it was poignant and the first of many important ‘firsts’ without him. Thank you to the people who reached out to me over that time to see how I was coping, it was so lovely to have your support!
In the days before Xmas, we visited some of the Xmas light displays around Ashburton as a family, and then just enjoyed hanging out and keeping things casual for Xmas day. We celebrated my sister-in-law Grace’s birthday up at the Methven Hot Pools on the 28th, and it was wonderful to just have time together as a family.
On the 29th I flew to Rarotonga for New Years – a last-minute decision by a couple of us to join friends living over here… and yes, I’m still here! I was meant to fly back last Sunday, but with the storms in NZ, I’ve been caught up here and will now be returning back next weekend, unless an earlier flight becomes available. It’s been a wonderful way to see out the old year and welcome in the new energy of 2023 – a beautiful blend of active and relaxing, staying with friends right on the beach and doing SUP, snorkelling, walks, massages, lunches and dinners – and pretty much a daily fruit icecream! We did a sunset lilo drift every day for the first few days, including in the middle of a storm, with us giggling and being smashed by waves while being blown back to shore! My favourite activities so far have been getting our ‘team uniforms’ super muddy with Raro buggy tours, and then washing off in a waterfall, and going to ura (the traditional hip gyrating dance) fitness classes with the locals – those ladies can move!
Another highlight was swimming with the turtles with Louisa and Albe from Ocean Toa. They have such respect and care for these majestic creatures, and also have a beautiful way to give back to the local community, with $10 from each person paying for a tour going to their educational program – Ocean Tamariki – which teaches local children ocean and lifesaving skills so they can be more confident in the water. It’s great to see a small local business doing such great things!
We saw out the old year having to stop and swap cars on the side of the road due to a faulty wheel (pretty symbolic of the last year in many ways!) and we saw in the new year with dinner and dancing at Tamarind House – one of the nicest restaurants on the island – and fireworks at Muri Beach. Let’s hope it bodes well for an auspicious year ahead!
While over here, I’ve been using a wonderful tool called Year Compass to reflect on the learnings from the last year and set intentions for the year ahead. While I know a lot of us experienced significant challenges last year, it’s been great to look back and reflect on the positive impacts these have had, or how it has helped me learn and grow. I’ve definitely shed a few tears looking back at the times with dad, and his passing and funeral, but I also had so much joy from that process, and really feel like it brought our little family even closer together. While Tamoxifen and Covid completely kicked my butt and knocked both my physical and mental health, they also pushed me to work more ‘on’ the business and less ‘in’ the business.
The year ahead for me has a real focus on family, travel and bucket list items – I’ll be going to Mexico at the end of February to spend time with my mum, before going to Monaco for AMWC – one of the biggest and best conferences in our industry – then to Brazil (a bucket list place) for the first time for a friend’s wedding (rescheduled from 2020), before heading to a leadership conference in Capetown and hopefully gorilla trekking in Rwanda (another bucket list item). From there I’ll call in to see one of my ‘conference wives’ (good friends in the industry that go to conferences together) in Jo’Burg, and then home for my surgery in May. My experiences with my health in the last few years have reinforced my YOLO attitude to life!
After two cancer journeys plus two serious scares in the last year, along with not tolerating the cancer-preventing medication Tamoxifen, I have had a real fear of the cancer coming back. At the end of last year, I started seeing a psychologist to work on this, alongside the grief from my dad’s passing. My hope is that with their help, I will come out even stronger from these experiences, and can inspire others going through these journeys. For the last 2-3 years, my mantra has been ‘where is the opportunity in this challenge’, and I’m excited to learn some more tools to help me make the most of these challenges.
Whether 2023 brings joy and success or more challenges – or most likely, a mix of both – I hope that whatever this year brings you takes you closer to the things that bring joy into your life! For me, I’ve realised that these are training, travel and experiences with family or friends. I’m so grateful for your support over the last few years as I’ve been navigating the changes in my life, and send all my love and blessings for a wonderful year ahead, whatever it brings!
So much love and hugs,
Dr Cat 😻
