A Funky Forest in the Maple Street Co-op

The Maple Street Co-op is a wonderful, welcoming shop for healthy, locally-grown fresh fruit and veg, bread, delicious foodie items, and much more. It also has members who offer valuable services to the community.

Casey Conroy is an accredited practising dietitian, naturopath, educator, credentialed eating disorder clinician and Yoga teacher, and she brings her skillset to Funky Forest Health and Wellbeing and the Maple Street Co-op.

“Real health means reconnecting with and listening to our bodies,” Casey says. “It also means developing a body-positive approach that encourages us to engage in health-promoting behaviours, whatever our natural shape and size.”

Along with her independent work, Casey is a naturopath at the Maple Street Co-op, and finds it hugely beneficial to keep connected to the wider community.

“I've been an allied health practitioner for 12 years but since COVID, a lot of that has consisted of individual consultations working from my home clinic or virtually,” Casey shares.

“Being an extroverted introvert I was starting to miss contact with the greater community - especially since I had paused teaching public yoga classes. Being part of and working as a naturopath at the Co-op has reconnected me to the locals, introduced me to other amazing practitioners in the area, and given me an avenue to get more of my offerings out into the world - including some of my handcrafted herbal remedies which the Co-op now stocks.”

So, what was the impetus behind starting Funky Forest?

“I've been working in the wellness industry for most of my adult life, starting off as a yoga teacher in my early 20s while I completed my veterinary science degree. After graduating I quickly realised I was more interested in preventative and natural medicine than surgery and pharmaceuticals, although those things definitely have their place and can be lifesaving.

“After some travel and soul-searching I retrained as a dietitian then as a naturopath. Funky Forest Health & Wellbeing is an umbrella business name for the different services I offer today. To be honest I came up with the name in my 20s and though I've been tempted to change it to something more serious-sounding, it has stuck!” Casey says with a big smile.

As for working in the Maleny area, Casey is clearly enamoured. “I have lived in Southeast Asia and different parts of Queensland but I have never found as many high-quality, genuine friends as I have here in Maleny.

“Of course, in any community people have their differences, but the folks who had my back during challenges I faced in my first few years living here are now friends for life, we would do anything for each other. The longer I live here, the more I realise there are amazing humans quietly doing cool things, just hiding away in the hilly nooks and crannies.”

Casey has plenty of plans for the future here, such as guided herb walks and workshops in conjunction with the Co-op, and a monthly community naturopathic clinic down in Conondale to make herbalism more accessible.

“I believe that herbal medicine is the medicine of the people, and that it should be accessible to everyone.

“Eventually I want to incorporate my veterinary degree into my offerings and provide naturopathic care for pets. And my old yoga students will be happy to know I'm coming back to teaching yoga shortly!”