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GoodnessMe Spotlight: Emma Combs, Personal Trainer and Uni Student

Written by

GoodnessMe

Posted on

13.05.22

At GoodnessMe, our customers are our biggest inspiration. We absolutely love hearing about the way you fit GoodnessMe into your lifestyles, as well as your healthy living hacks and the creative ways you use (and consume!) your favourite products. It not only motivates us to keep doing what we do, but to find ways to bring you even more and better goodies to try!

With that in mind, we’re excited to share Emma Combs’ story.

Finding a healthy balance took years

Emma’s lifelong struggle with her weight is one that too many of us are familiar with. As a 10 year old in primary school, she was an amazing netball player — but she was also the heaviest kid in her class, weighing in at 94kg. Despite her talents and fun personality, she was bullied relentlessly by her peers, and this torment led her to emotionally eat during such a formative time in her life.

At age 12, Emma was diagnosed with hidradenitis suppurativa, a chronic skin condition that manifests in large, painful boils all over the body. They would bleed when she exercised, so she stopped being so active, instead focusing all her attention on her diet. Like so many of us at that impressionable age, she began restricting the foods she ate as well as her portions.

When her skin calmed down, she started running, but never adjusted her food intake to match. Fueled by diet culture, Emma was dangerously thin by her 16th birthday. But of course, the kids at school praised her for being “so skinny” when they saw her again after the holidays.

Thanks to the fluctuations in her weight over the years and her less-than-healthy habits, Emma had become prone to knee dislocations and burst fluid capsules. As a teenager, she was told she had to undergo bilateral knee surgery to combat these issues.

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Discovering GoodnessMe in the doctor’s waiting room

To prepare for her operation and have an easier recovery, Emma joined a gym and focused on building muscle and strength.

While she was waiting at her physio’s office one day in 2016, she began flipping through a magazine and came across an ad for GoodnessMe. Unlike so many other services on the market, she realised ours wasn’t about cutting out foods, but simply choosing better-for-you options.

This aligned with her goals and mindset to become a happier, healthier version of herself, with her knee operation as the catalyst.

“I really appreciated the concept of having healthy, clean and nutritionist-approved options that took the guesswork out of looking for these alternatives myself,” Emma told us when we chatted.

“And who doesn't love a surprise in the mail every month?!”

Today, the 23-year-old is a healthy 65kg, and radiates health and positivity. Do you know how some people have that lit-from-within glow? That’s Emma to a tee.

Now, she promotes the importance of having a good relationship with food, exercise and mental health. In fact, she’s turned her passion into her career.

Emma’s a certified personal trainer, and she’s in the final year of her Bachelor of Health Science degree. Next, she plans to study a Master in Physiotherapy.

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One less decision to make

For Emma, finding new products is part of the fun with Goodnessme — and she loves how everything she tries has a nutritionist’s tick of approval.

“I think the biggest thing for me was it took the stress out of trying to find cleaner alternatives,” she said.

“For me, price was also a big thing. It’s incredibly affordable and meant I could stop wasting money on full-size products in the grocery store, because 9 times out of 10 I didn’t like them! Being able to sample things made life so much easier.”

“When I first discovered GoodnessMe, I was preparing for my preliminary exams and HSC, whilst working multiple jobs and trying to deal with surgery and a chronic disease.”

“Fast forward to today, I still study at university full-time and work full-time, PLUS I have a second job. So, I'm thankful to have the support of GoodnessMe to stop overthinking my dietary requirements.”

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As for her favourite products, these are just a handful:

  • Botanika Brekky Probiotic Protein Oats — “They are incredible and a really easy breakfast option that supports my gut health and helps me reach my protein goals (and they taste amazing!)”
  • Funday Sweets Collection — “With 0g sugar, they are an awesome sweet treat that I don't need to feel guilty about”
  • The entire JSHealth Range — “I love both the vitamins and protein bars. I really had to think about my skin and digestion due to my chronic condition, so I like how the range focuses on these.”
  • Serious Food Serious Popcorn in Dark Chocolate Drizzle and Chocolate Chip Cookies — “These are delicious! I like the use of plant-based and organic ingredients along with dark chocolate.”


Snacks aside, she has discovered healthy beverages and even skincare through our service, which we love to hear. Some of the brands she’s added to her pantry include Happy Way (“their Banana Protein is one of my favorites!), Botanika Blends, X50 (“their Revolver Coffee is a serious gamechanger!”). Then there’s skincare line Acure, whose face masks are “divine.”

There’s always more to discover

“I also want to commend GoodnessMe on their huge range. They have grown so much over the years, and they continue to hunt, trial and provide wholefood options for any requirement.”

“I am also a big believer of holistic health, and I appreciate that they offer not only foods, but drinks, beauty, supplements and lifestyle products."

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