About - Chantel Ryan
Chantel Ryan is a Clinical Naturopath and Functional Medicine Practitioner with more than six years of clinical experience and a background spanning functional medicine, natural health and corporate law.
She has a special interest in women’s health and hormones, perimenopause and menopause, gut and microbiome health, fatigue and burnout, metabolic health, healthy ageing and longevity, children’s health, and functional testing.
Chantel is known for her warm, down-to-earth approach and her ability to take complex symptoms, pathology and functional test results and translate them into clear, practical steps patients can understand and implement.
Chantel Ryan - Clinical Naturopath & Functional Medicine Practitioner
My name is Chantel Ryan and I am a qualified Clinical Naturopath and Functional Medicine Practitioner.
I have always been fascinated by the “why” behind health problems - why someone can be told everything looks normal while still feeling anything but normal, why symptoms keep returning, and what the body may be trying to tell us when we take the time to look at the whole picture.
My clinical approach combines detailed case investigation, conventional pathology and advanced functional testing with evidence-based naturopathic medicine.
I love joining the dots between a patient’s symptoms, health history, lifestyle and test results, and then translating all of that information into a personalised plan that feels realistic and achievable.
Before becoming a naturopath, I spent more than 17 years working as a corporate lawyer, including senior in-house roles.
It might seem like an unusual career transition, but the two roles have more in common than you might think. Law taught me how to investigate, analyse large amounts of information, identify patterns and explain complex concepts clearly - skills I now use every day in clinical practice.
My Health Story
Like many practitioners in natural health, my interest in this field began with my own health.
From my teenage years, I experienced significant gut health issues and was frequently unwell. In my 20s, further investigation and functional testing identified a Helicobacter pylori infection - a type of bacteria that can live in the stomach and contribute to persistent digestive symptoms and inflammation.
That discovery was a turning point for me. Once the infection was treated, many of the symptoms I had been struggling with improved significantly.
It was the first time I truly understood the value of looking deeper rather than continuing to guess at what might be wrong.
That experience sparked a lasting fascination with gut health, the microbiome, natural medicine and functional testing, and with understanding what may be driving symptoms beneath the surface.
My own health journey has continued to shape the practitioner I am today. I have since experienced periods of burnout, navigated fertility challenges and IVF, and now, as a woman in my 40s at the beginning of the perimenopause transition and a mum to a young son, I understand firsthand how easily our own health can slip down the priority list when life is full.
Those experiences have given me an even deeper appreciation for what good health allows us to do - not simply avoid disease but have the energy and freedom to fully participate in our lives.
Journey to Functional Medicine
Natural medicine was something I considered pursuing much earlier in life, but I ultimately chose law and spent more than 17 years practising as a corporate lawyer.
Despite having a successful legal career, my interest in health never really disappeared.
I eventually began studying health coaching and naturopathy while still working in law, graduating as a naturopath in 2018. Over time, my clinical work became increasingly focused on functional medicine and advanced testing because it suited the way my brain naturally works: investigate the evidence, look for patterns, understand the underlying physiology, and build a plan from there.
I have since worked with clients globally and developed broad clinical experience across women’s health, gut health, hormonal and metabolic concerns, fatigue and stress-related presentations, children’s health, and preventative care.
Functional testing remains one of my favourite parts of clinical practice. I enjoy working with conventional pathology alongside advanced testing, including gut and microbiome testing, hormone testing, nutritional and metabolic assessment, and DNA and genetic testing.
I particularly enjoy taking complex results, identifying patterns and helping patients understand what the data actually means for them as an individual.
Qualifications & Professional Background
- Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy
- Qualified Health Coach
- Clinical Naturopath & Functional Medicine Practitioner
- Member, Australian Traditional Medicine Society (ATMS)
- More than six years’ clinical experience in naturopathic and functional medicine practice
Clinic Special Interests
- Women’s health and hormonal concerns
- Perimenopause and menopause
- PMS, PMDD, PCOS and menstrual health
- Coming off hormonal contraception
- Gut and microbiome health
- Digestive symptoms, bloating and IBS
- Fatigue, burnout and stress-related health issues
- Sleep concerns
- Blood sugar and metabolic health
- Healthy ageing and longevity
- Nutrient deficiencies and optimisation
- Children’s health
- Allergies and immune health
- Mood, behaviour and neurodivergent presentations in children
- Men’s health and preventative health
- DNA, genetics and personalised health
- Functional testing and pathology interpretation
Mission to Help Others
My goal is to help people feel clearer and more in control of their health.
Health information can become incredibly overwhelming, particularly when you have multiple symptoms, test results, conflicting advice and no clear sense of what matters most.
I see my role as helping patients make sense of that information - understanding what their body may be communicating, identifying the areas we need to focus on first, and turning that into meaningful steps they can actually follow.
I’m naturally analytical, but I’m also a warm and collaborative practitioner. I want my patients to feel heard, understood and supported, and I believe the best outcomes happen when people understand the reasoning behind their treatment rather than simply being handed a list of things to do.
Ultimately, I believe health is one of our greatest assets. It gives us the freedom to work, parent, travel, think clearly, enjoy our relationships and fully participate in the life we have built.
Helping people protect and regain that freedom is what I love most about this work.
Book Appointment
Please note Jarrod Cooper's books are full and closed at his clinic Advanced Functional Medicine, he is however taking a small number of patients each year on Telehealth only Consultation Packages. Availability, details and how to book can be found at www.JarrodCooperND.com