Some find their calling, others create it

A Conversation with Naturopath Mónika Vadai

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Some people find their calling while others build it. Mónika Vadai belongs to the latter. Born in Budapest, she graduated as an economist and moved to New Zealand in 2000. The clean air and new environment brought new questions with it: how can one truly live a healthy life? How can body, soul and environment be brought into harmony? The search for answers led her to naturopathy, and what began as a hobby has, over more than two decades, grown into a vocation. Mónika is a qualified naturopath, medical herbalist and nutritional consultant holding a double degree crowned with the "Best Naturopathy Student" award. She has run naturopathic clinics in New Zealand, Indonesia and Hungary alike; her online clinic, Mother and Child (motherandchild.co.nz), was founded specifically to support the health of mothers and children. She teaches healthy lifestyle classes to school-age children, and is invited as a guest lecturer to Metropolitan University, Semmelweis University and ESSCA Budapest; she is also the founder of Wellnessworks Hungary (wellnessworks.hu), which helps workplaces become spaces of health through corporate wellness programmes. We are sitting down with Mónika now because she has returned to New Zealand, to where it all began.

Aucklevél: You grew up in Budapest and then settled in New Zealand in 2000. What first brought you to this corner of the world?

Mónika Vadai: In short, love… (laughs). I met my future husband Mark, who is a New Zealander, in Bali, Indonesia. We lived in Bali for a few years, then in London. We settled in New Zealand in 2000 and our daughter Jessica was born here. Jessica and I are both dual citizens.

Aucklevél: At that time you were also an active part of the local Hungarian community for families with young children. Could you tell us more about that?

M.V.: My daughter Jessica was born in Auckland in 2006, and even though I had been using English in my everyday life for many years by then, from the very first moment I instinctively spoke to Jessica only in Hungarian. The turns of phrase my mother used in my childhood came back to me - it was a wonderful feeling. I am grateful that there was (and is) a wonderful Hungarian community for families with young children in Auckland back then. There was even a Hungarian kindergarten, which was fantastic. So many friendships formed between the parents and the children - friendships that have remained close to this day, 18–19 years on.

Aucklevél: You graduated as an economist in Hungary, yet for two decades now you have been working as a naturopath. Was there a turning point in your life, or did it emerge gradually that this would be your calling?

M.V.: That's an interesting question… For a long time I intended to become a doctor: I was always fascinated by how the human body works. I was preparing for medical school, so I studied in the biology specialist stream at Trefort Ágoston Secondary School (ELTE). Then the travel bug caught me; I was drawn to foreign languages and different cultures around the world, and that is how I ended up in the tourism programme at the Budapest Business School. University gave me the opportunity to study in several countries and to get to know many different cultures and worlds.

In 2002, I first heard about naturopathic training in New Zealand, and a few weeks later I had already enrolled in the three-year naturopathy and medical herbalism programme at Wellpark College. I had always lived naturally and without medication; I immediately knew that this was me, I had found my calling. Since the medical side still interested me, I also completed a health sciences degree by correspondence at Charles Sturt University in Australia.

Aucklevél: Your clinic /Mother and Child/ focuses on the natural health of mothers and children. Where did this focus come from, was there a personal experience behind it? What can naturopathy offer in cases where conventional medicine's tools may not reach, especially with young children?

M.V.: I worked in general naturopathy in the first years after graduating. After Jessica was born, I specialised in mother and child naturopathy. From personal experience I knew just how isolated a mother's life with a young child can be, and how great the distances are even within Auckland. On one hand I felt the need to support families with nutritional and other health advice; on the other, I wanted to provide easily accessible consultations. I know how hard it is to get ready, pack up and travel with a small child, especially a sick one… I have always been a believer in integrative medicine. Both conventional and "alternative" medicine have their place, and in many cases the two complement each other wonderfully. One distinct advantage of naturopathy is that it doesn't focus on a single health problem but looks at the whole person - physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally - and a naturopathic consultation involves spending more time together to better understand the individual's health status. I often receive enquiries from mothers who don't want to go to a doctor as a first step but want to address a problem naturally, and many others come to me when modern medicine has not produced results and they are looking for different solutions. I believe that everyone needs at least one comprehensive naturopathic consultation in their lifetime, because there is no one who

could not improve their current state of health.

Aucklevél: The online consultation model which you have been using for a long time has become widespread since COVID in particular. How did you experience that transition, and what is your experience: can trust really be built through a screen?

M.V.: Absolutely. I have been using this model for a long time, but the COVID era proved that a great deal can be managed online and that much travel - along with the difficulties and costs that come with it - can be avoided. At the same time, when it is possible, I still prefer meeting in person, especially for a first consultation, provided there is no infectious illness involved.

Aucklevél: What are you currently developing, or what might open new professional paths for you?

M.V.: At the moment I am working a great deal with the emotional and psychological dimension of illness and with the resolution of trauma. We often cannot find physical causes, and as soon as we address the emotions and resolve the trauma, the physical symptoms gradually ease and disappear.

Aucklevél: Hungarians living in the diaspora, here in New Zealand too, often balance between two cultures. How do you preserve or have you preserved your Hungarian identity, and how do you pass it on? Do you plan to take an active part in the Auckland Hungarian community again?

M.V.: The Hungarian community helped me a great deal with this, and it was important to me that we could celebrate traditional occasions as a family: Christmas, Easter and the like. I would very much like to continue supporting the Hungarian community through my work, with individual consultations and talks. There are also plans for a closer collaboration with the AUskola - Auckland Hungarian School. I think it is very important that children learn about healthy eating and lifestyle as early as possible.

Aucklevél: You returned to Hungary for a period from New Zealand. What were you doing there and what did you experience? How do you reflect on your "home" experiences now from "here"?

M.V.: I continued my individual consultations at the Regenero Health House, where I had the opportunity to work alongside excellent medical professionals, and I was also very actively involved in education for a number of years. At Orchidea International School I taught healthy lifestyle classes and workshops in English, as well as giving talks to parents on this subject. At Semmelweis University and Metropolitan University I taught courses in English on health tourism and wellness.

Aucklevél: For those in the local Hungarian community who would like to get in touch with you, how can they do so?

M.V.: I warmly welcome enquiries by email: mvadai@hotmail.com, via Messenger, WhatsApp, or by phone at 02777 11901. If anyone would like to find out more about me, please visit my website: https://anyagyermek.hu/en/

Aucklevél: Thank you for your answers and we wish you continued success!

M.V.: Thank you for reaching out!

Viola Vadász