About Us
Mission Statement
Our mission at Bodhi, Mind & Spirit is to teach a new way of life that is happy, healthy and fulfilling. Our focus is on people who health issues and want to actively participate in managing their condition. Our program teaches people practical and easy to apply healing techniques to balance their body, mind and spirit.
At Bodhi we understand that education is the key to managing and preventing chronic illness and diseases. With knowledge comes power. We want you to become empowered in your self-management.
About Us
Bodhi integrates the knowledge of diverse group of registered and certified holistic practitioners and fitness experts who can deliver the information needed to assist you in overcoming Type II diabetes, chronic illnesses and other metabolic disorders . You can get the results you are looking for.
We approach a lifestyle change in the most practical way. Bodhi guides people to eat and exercise in a way that can be adopted with minimal growing pain and maximum enthusiasm. Through making small and sustainable changes you won’t feel like you are sacrificing the things you love but that you are enhancing your life for the greatest good of all involved.
Gemma Chater, RHN
A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Gemma Chater gained her Registered Holistic Nutritionist qualification from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, Vancouver, BC.
Presently she volunteers with the University of Victoria Centre on Aging as a Leader for Chronic Disease and Diabetes Self-Management Programs in the community.  Recently she has been creating and delivering corporate lectures along the lines of lifestyle management and menopause, etc. Gemma also provides one-on-one counseling to help individuals create customized meal plans and exercise routines to best suit their needs.
Always the entrepreneur, after owning and operating her own business in the beauty industry for over 5 years, Gemma took the decision to help clients bring out their beauty from within by establishing the company Bodhi, Mind & Spirit Nutritional Consulting. The company caters to clients suffering from metabolic disorders and teaches them to manage their condition through life-changing behaviours. She has assembled a team of experts in the areas of nutrition, cooking, metabolic disorders and more who will be leading several of the retreat workshops, including, Nutritional Fundamentals, The Good Fats, and Stress Reduction.
Gemma Chater believes that through knowledge and the power of spirit a person can overcome great odds.
She looks forward to meeting great spirits.
Val MacDonald, RHN
Val is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist who is teaching the cooking segment of the program. She is happy to share with you what she has experienced in nutrition and how it can truly transform your health.  Val became familiar with the power of eating whole foods during her own healing journey, after experiencing health challenges for many years.  Everything happens for a reason, she believes.  After having such success with implementing a new way of eating and living, she decided to teach others to do the same.
Val’s background is in customer service, including fifteen years as a Licensed Dispensing Optician.  Prior to studying nutrition she had worked as a receptionist at a busy wellness centre for four and a half years.  It was there that she was inspired to become a professional in the field of health and wellness.  She chose nutrition as my modality as she really does have a passion for good food.  After graduating from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition she started “Food for Thought Nutrition and Wellness Consulting”.
www.foodforthoughtconsulting.ca
Charles Crouch, RHN
Holistic chef
Chef Charles has been cooking professionally for 26 years. He moved to the west coast from Toronto in 1996, and worked in Nanaimo and Victoria before moving to Vancouver in 2003. He currently runs his own business, Holistic at Home, and is the Head Event Chef for Culinary Capers Catering. Charles is also a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, who studied at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, and now blends his extensive cooking experience with a passion for health and nutrition. Chef Charles specializes in personalized cooking instruction in the comfort of your own kitchen. Additional services include nutritional consultation, holistic seminars and lectures, cooking demonstrations, and select product distribution.
Lorraine Leahy, RHN
Lorraine’s nutrition path began growing up on an apple farm in Quebec. Over the years Lorraine has developed a passion for nutritional healing including herbs and came to know that food is medicine. In 2005 she successfully completed the course of study in “Natural Nutrition” at the “Canadian School of Natural Nutrition”, earning the designation of RHN (Registered Holistic Nutritionist). Applying the principles of natural nutrition to caring for her family has been the most challenging and rewarding part of her life.
Lorraine knows our food choices have a powerful effect on our health. Supporting sustainable health practices for people, animals and the planet is her life’s work.  In November,2009 she completed the “Permaculture Design Certificate” course at UBC, where she learned to apply concepts of sustainable agriculture to urban and suburban landscapes.
