Alchemy: a process that is so effective that it seems like magic
- Catherine Grist
- Jul 22
- 3 min read
“She manages, by some extraordinary alchemy, to turn the most ordinary of ingredients into the most delicious of dishes.”
The Cambridge Dictionary
I’ve always been a practitioner of alchemy, from the food I create, the spaces I build, the people I help, to the communities I gather around and alongside me. Creativity and alchemy is in my blood. Whilst science stimulates my curiosity and placates to some degree my desire to be constantly learning, it’s creativity that allows me to integrate all that knowledge and share it further. I think that’s why my first studies were in languages – learning to communicate in different languages - and therefore think creatively when you don’t know a particular word, engages the creative brain to find a different way to explain something. You have to find a different way to share a message, a different way to be heard so that you can affect a change. Plus, it gave me a chance to go out and explore the world, meet new people, experience new cultures and ways of living, learn to know people.
It's what helps me to be an effective practitioner too. Approaching with genuine open-minded curiosity, and then building on that with creativity. The first thing I tell every new client is “there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all perfect diet”, and if there was, honestly, I am not sure that it would interest me at all. Because it’s the complexity of the individual that makes it interesting, the need to learn to really know them, to be able to create or assemble the right toolkit to support them. The toolkit that incorporates not just food but also tools to support their minds and spirit too, that help them understand why they might be struggling to change towards better health outcomes.
People have so often come to me asking for a meal plan to help them lose weight or a supplement schedule to resolve their digestive issues, and yet I can see that they really need to join a walking group or choir, search for a new job, or take a holiday or break. Or maybe they need to get outside and into the forest for a few deep breaths of fresh air and all the positive energy that nature provides for us (I’m possibly biased there because that one was, and is still is, my personal salvation).
So I am stepping away from the title of “Nutritionist” even though nutrition is very much still a big part of what I do. But I am stepping away, because it’s not the whole of what I do and I want people to understand that. I want to communicate out into the world that you can still work with me even if we never even look at what is on your plate. That I can still support you to transform your health without a single supplement if that’s the path for you.
And I am stepping away from my former name. “Pohl” is no longer who I am. I am no longer the wife of Pohl, and whilst it pains me a little to no longer have the same name as my children, the connection I have with them is so strong that I hope that it makes no tangible difference to them. Because the breaking away from Pohl is such a big part of my own journey of transformation and health, that it cannot remain hidden or denied. I am very grateful for all the things I received during my time as a Pohl, all the love and support that was gifted me, and all the pain and suffering and other lessons in life too. Without that, I wouldn’t be who I am, or where I am, now. But it is time to let go of that and embrace the next chapter.
So henceforth, I am Catherine Grist again, getting back to who I was born as, and who I am constantly evolving into. And I am the Health Alchemist, because that is what I do.
So I hope you will continue along with me for the ride, and if you are curious about how I might be able to help you alchemise your health to thrive, please don’t hesitate to book a free chat. I would be delighted to meet you, to see you, to get to know you and figure out how I might well help you on your journey too.
With love and alchemy,
Catherine x
Contact
Facebook @Catherine.thehealthalchemist
Phone / WhatsApp +46 70 638 34 33
Email hello@catherinegrist.com
Website catherinepohl.com
Free 30-minute strategy call Book here
