Gillian's approach is more boot camp than health spa
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Gillian’s style is more boot camp than health spa, and there's no denying it works...but she hasn't always been quite so straight-talking. It was during her time in the US that Gillian developed her tell-it-like-it-is, no-punches-pulled approach.
"When I first started in practice I had a very softly-softly approach," she reveals. "People would come in and I would say 'Did you eat your alfalfa sprouts this week?' and they’d say yes and you know they’re lying. And then one day, at the end of a really long week, this woman came in and banged a bottle of vodka and a pack of cigarettes on the table and she said 'I’ll do your diet, honey, but I’m not giving up these.' I’d had enough, and I just heard this voice screaming 'Get out of my office! Get out!' and I gave her a push out of my office and I thought 'Oh my God, I’ve just assaulted a client.'"
The offending client pleaded with Gillian not to give up on her, and Gillian made her sign an affidavit to carry out her diet to the letter or else donate money to charity. And it worked.
“That was the day I became true to myself and talked straight," says Gillian. "I was so frustrated…it was almost like people who live with alcoholics bringing alcohol home. I just keep saying ‘Oh never mind, try next week.’ And I went from getting really good results to incredible results. People don’t like to hear the truth, but it works. And of course there’s a lot of love and nurturing as well,” she hastens to add.
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