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RHI, FLORE: The Body Remembers Safety: A Conversation with Rhi from Flore

Naturopath Rhi on gut health, nervous system regulation, and why true healing lies in returning to the basics.

Rhi is a naturopath and nutritionist based in the Northern Rivers, whose work sits at the intersection of gut health and the nervous system. With a practice grounded in both nature and lived experience, she takes a gentle, foundational approach — one that centres on the relationship between the brain, the body, and the environment we move through each day.

At the retreat, Rhi will guide guests through understanding what a dysregulated nervous system can look like in everyday life, alongside practical ways to support the body through stress, cortisol fluctuations, and the ongoing shift between activation and rest. We spoke with her ahead of the retreat about simplicity, self-awareness, and the quiet rituals that support long-term health.

• Please introduce yourself and your work/practice in your own words.

Hello — I’m Rhi! I am a naturopath & nutritionist that calls the Northern Rivers home. I’ve always spent my life closely connected to nature, which makes it all the more special for me to now work in a field that is closely linked to and governed by the natural world that surrounds us. I like to call myself a gut health naturopath, if you will, with the nervous system at its arc. I believe that the soft dance between the two is where majority of healing is done, folded within the gentle conversation our brain and gut are having about the external environment that precedes us.

• What drew you to the work you do?

I feel that in very classic naturopath form — I fell into the world of natural health due to health reasons of my own, coupled with an existing love and appreciation for the natural environment. After experiencing the whole process first hand I was sold. A life of helping women understand their bodies on a level so deep that they can heal themselves, I mean who can say no to that?

• What can guests expect from your offering/workshop at the retreat?

Guests can expect to learn about what a dysregulated nervous system actually looks like and how we can spot it in our day to day, coupled with understanding cortisol, or stress, ‘triggers’ with actionable steps to support the body’s fluctuation between our stressed and rest states.

• What is something you are currently passionate about within health, wellness or healing?

Something that I always strive for personally and lead with in clinic with my patients is the notion of — health doesn’t have to be complicated — health is the foundations. It’s the 8 hours of sleep before your morning supplements, it’s 30 minutes out in nature before your magnesium at bed time, it’s eating whole foods before eating your fish oil for inflammation. It’s the basics, done consistently, it’s not costly and it isn’t hard to achieve, but it provides the backbone for longevity and overall vitality.

• What does “nervous system regulation” or wellbeing mean to you personally?

Nervous system regulation means safety to me. Whether that be from eating three meals a day, entering a loving relationship, having a community around you, or practicing meditation or breath work(to name a few) — with it comes comfort and an ability to connect with ourselves and heal. Nervous system regulation is the strength to manoeuvre the ebbs and flows between ‘rest & digest’ and (fight or flight) through the comfort of the safety net of life we have build around, and in, us.

A nervous system that is truly regulated isn't a calm one — it’s a responsive one, it can come down from high alert and it can rise to meet what's needed, and it knows the difference between the two.

• What is one practice or ritual you return to in your own everyday life?

Leaning into hobbies and practices that bring me joy — I love gardening to soak up the sun, I allow myself time in each day to fold into a book and a cup of tea, I love craft and being creative, lately beading coasters or teaching myself how to filet crotchet off YouTube lol, I’m also a musician, my guitar has been neglected as of late, but historically I have found great comfort in learning and playing music — so no real ‘one thing’ but more of a collective of experiences I like to return to

• What do you hope guests walk away feeling after the retreat experience?

Deep rest, deep understanding, and deep love of the self.

• Where can guests find or connect with you after the retreat?

In the lands of the digital world you can find me on instagram @florenaturopathy, or head direct to my website flore.com.au

Physically I spend most of my time at Herb Remedy in the Byron industrial estate consulting face to face every Thursday and pouring acute herbals through the week.

I have also just launched a fun new offering on my website
FLORE WORLD | a digital embodiment of self love

It is an online, subscription based naturopathic portal filled with protocols and recipes for everyday ailments, you can find it on my website