Professional Years of experience: 10 years         

Jo-Anne, or as we lovingly call her Jojo, is a ray of sunshine that meets you and warms up your soul, when you come into the dining room in the morning. Her gentle humble spirit, with a happy smile, positivity and slight shyness makes you feel that you just touched and inhaled the fragrance of a beautiful flower.

Jo-Anne is an experienced raw/vegan chef. Before joining the Fresh Start, she prepared a large variety of foods at a local raw food restaurant. In addition, she did it for many years previously at home, working on a healthier lifestyle for herself and loved ones around her, sharing as much knowledge about health as she could.

Since the age of five, Jo-Anne had suffered from chronic migraines which affected her day-to-day life immensely. Jo-Anne couldn’t focus and was bedridden for days at a time which hindered attending school. The migraines were never taken seriously by medical professionals and she was offered various prescribed medications which drew her further from any cure or relief.  In addition, Jo-Anne was suffering from anxiety, panic attacks and ADHD symptoms. At such a young age she felt hopeless of ever living a life free of pain.

Since being overweight and dealing with such enormous pain emotionally and physically, it was building up enough inside for Jo to finally make a change. It started with the diet and an overall huge lifestyle change for the good. Jo-Anne began losing weight, working on her mental health and shifting to healthier lifestyle patterns.

From there it opened new possibilities and attracted more great things in Jo-Anne’s life. She found a new interest in creating wire-wrapped crystal jewellery and thanks to the new people in her life, a passion for raw vegan food. Working alongside crystals, Jo-Anne gained vast knowledge of their healing properties and started integrating it into her jewellery, which became one of her largest sources of happiness and growth.

After all this change and growth happening in such a short period of time, Joanne noticed that her migraines had significantly diminished and eventually nearly completely went away. Now being aware of her body, mind and spirit, Jo-Anne continues her journey in health and gaining knowledge through her surroundings.

Jo-Anne’s love for health and wellness has taken her on a path of many interests which include astrology, yoga, pottery, aromatherapy, crystal healing, business and healthy cooking. Alongside being an Assistant Chef at the Fresh Start, Joanne works part-time at other various small businesses and is continuing to grow her own jewellery business by selling online and vending at various large events.