‘When we moved to Cork, I was struck by the pace women keep,' says naturopath

Women need to try and stop ‘pushing through’ the daily overwhelm and ignoring niggling pains because they’re only creating more damage to repair.

That’s according to naturopath and nutritional therapist Louise Kane Buckley, who, having moved here from Hong Kong, said she was instantly struck by how much Irish women take on.

Louise was born in Baghdad to British parents and grew up Hong Kong. She returned to live there for a time as a young mum, where it’s the norm to have help in the home.

“When we moved to Cork, I was struck by the pace Irish women keep, thinking and moving so fast, trying to please and look after everyone around them. I used to feel that way myself, and I hit a wall hard,” she said.

“I deeply relate to the women who come to me, and my greatest wish is to help them find manageable pauses for themselves. The ripple effects on health when women do that, even small moments, are genuinely tangible and I see it in my clinic every week,” she said.

Louise said she was drawn to that ‘sense of responsibility’ women feel, and through her practice, Loula Natural in Kinsale and Cork city, she works to support women in various ways by ‘giving them pockets of peace in their days’.

Louise came to her career in a roundabout way.

The original plan was to be an actor, and she trained in London.

“After I graduated, I was looking for something to fit in around my auditions, so I qualified as a personal trainer. I was working in London with people in the financial district, where everyone was so stressed and weren’t hitting their goals. I knew there was something in the stress response that was stopping them, that it was more than physical, so I trained for three years as a naturopath and nutritional therapist,” she said.

She likes to pivot, she admits!

After she graduated in 2009, she practiced in London, met and married Kinsale-born Niall Buckley, and they had their first child.

“In 2012, my mother became ill, and we decided to move back to Hong Kong. Sadly, Mum died before we got there, but it was important I was there for my dad, so we stayed for a few years, and our son was born there,” said Louise.

Her practice thrived: “In China, having a naturopath is very common. People use western medicine and a naturopath side by side.”

After the sudden death of her father in 2018, the family made the decision to relocate to Niall’s home town of Kinsale. Louise said she hardly remembers their first year in the coastal town.

“With all that happened, it was a blur, but it was a great decision to move. Nature and walking healed me and helped me to feel my feet on the ground, as I was so displaced.

“Starting my practice and helping other people to help myself was also really great. Mindfulness was also a big part of my healing and I taught classes, and that evolved into pain management and female health.”

She works from The Natural Clinic in Cork city and her own practice in Kinsale, where she offers women a wide range of tools for their pain, auto-immune conditions and their hormonal balance through their transition years (puberty, postnatal and perimenopause).

Ultimately, she likes to ‘make things fun, curious, playful, so it doesn’t feel like its work’.

“The acting is gone, but I love this more, and I use acting every day, improvise, read the room, adapt to who is in front of you, talking in public,” she said.

It’s surprising that she was initially reluctant to join Network Cork.

Her introduction to the group came through her neighbour and past Network president Ciara Wilson.

“I wasn’t sure it was for me – I’m 100% allergic to facing a room full of people! And I’m not very good at small talk either. But I went along. I didn’t really engage for the first year and then bit the bullet and joined the committee three years ago and held various roles since.”

Winning the award for Solo Businesswoman of the Year was a moment to savour, she said, and the future seems brighter than ever.

Cork feels like home now, and she said she is very proud to have recently got her citizenship.

“I’d like to acknowledge the adventurous and curious spirit of my parents. They took a remarkable leap, driving first from the UK to Iraq, then making their life in Hong Kong in the late 1970s. My ability to adapt and find my feet wherever I land comes directly from them.

“They would have gotten such an enormous kick out of this award, and I carry them with me,” she said.

There are lots of plans in the pipeline, including launching a podcast at the end of the summer.

“I am also proud to be working with Craniosacral Ireland on a landmark evidence-building initiative through Measurewell, a validated clinical outcomes platform. This work is about helping to change the landscape of Irish healthcare to include the nervous system support and adaptability that craniosacral therapy offers.

“Combined with the nervous system-led fascia release classes I offer in Kinsale, a Femtech idea has blossomed and is in the early concept stages – something along the lines of a personal pain management coach (or me) in your pocket when you need it most. I also see a PhD in my future, hopefully at UCC.”

What’s her parting advice for anyone feeling out of kilter and overwhelmed?

“I would say to make friends with that horrible voice in your head, rather than have it screaming at you. Take a moment, ask for help and widen your toolbox. There is more than what you think available to help in day-to-day moments.”