Expat partner Betty Balcha had previously enjoyed a 15-year career in aviation before relocating to Cape Town: “I wasn’t used to being in one place. As a result, I felt lost.”
Up in the air…
“As a flight attendant, I was hardwired to be on the move. It’s all I’d known since leaving university. Eat, sleep, fly! After we moved to South Africa, even my kids kept wondering why I wasn’t going to work. To be honest, I found it very frustrating and I didn’t like the idea of not being financially independent. We also had a lot on our minds. My daughter (now 3 years old) had been diagnosed as autistic and we were still trying to figure out how to best support her while living far away from our homeland,” says Betty, a mother of two from Addis Ababa.
A revelation!
“When I was contacted by Jasmin Braun – my Global Connection consultant – I’d been really struggling. I wondered if I had made the wrong choice in coming to Cape Town. When Jasmin suggested talking to a coach, I was sceptical that it would be of use. I just didn’t think there was anything there for the coach to find out about me! But I decided to give it a go, and I’m very glad I did… it was a revelation!”
There all along…
“My coach quickly tapped into my interests. We talked about my growing interest in nutritional therapy. I had been researching and testing out various diets with my daughter – for example, eliminating dairy, sugar and gluten – to see how it impacted her health. What I wanted to do in life was right under my nose, but I wouldn’t have seen it without the coach – I could study nutritional therapy!” says Betty, who has signed up for a short course on gut health. She will then take a one-year course to become an accredited nutritionist.
Living with positivity
“Over the last year, I’ve seen what a difference a specialised diet has made to my daughter’s well-being. I’m so excited to learn more, not only to help her, but to help other families as a nutritional therapist in future. She is also receiving amazing care here in Cape Town, as we try to prepare her to start school in less than a year’s time. She’s doing great and I’m feeling very positive now that I have passion and a purpose.”
Photo: Betty with her daughter and son
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