Mandy's Story

Leaving Retirement Behind

Finding the Light

Nearing retirement, Briton Mandy Smith and her husband, Steve, had plans to cross the English Channel and settle permanently in their cosy Spanish hideaway. Instead, armed with a suitcase, her laptop, and with a fire in her belly, Mandy switched hemispheres to start her own weight loss consultancy in Australia. Here, Mandy shares her plucky, life-changing story. How many women in their fifties would make the decision to pack up their entire life and move half way across the globe to chase their dreams? Leaving behind two grown up children, five gorgeous grandchildren and a lifetime of friends. And, 12 years spent in a respected position as Operations Manager for a publicly listed company. Well, let’s be honest, not many. But, then, as you spend time with Mandy, you come to realise she’s not just any woman. Taking in the happy woman before you, it’s hard to believe that Mandy once struggled with her weight. And struggle with her weight she did, for over 20 years. A result of high cholesterol from her poor lifestyle habits, in 2001, Mandy underwent surgery for heart disease. One year later, she was in hospital again, this time for back surgery caused by carrying too much weight for her frame. Compounding the situation, both surgeries resulted in even further weight gain.

Like many women, as Mandy’s weight continued to climb, so did the number of diets she tried in her bid to slim down and get healthy for herself and her family. Little did Mandy know, the diet and program that would change her life forever (in more ways than one), was just around the corner…

“Lying in that hospital bed after my back surgery, I would never have imagined five years later I’d have lost 24 kilograms and be living on the opposite side of the world.” Yet that’s exactly what happened. Four weeks before Mandy’s 52^nd birthday, she bumped into a friend on the street. She almost didn’t recognise her – she had lost a considerable amount of weight. Intrigued, Mandy discovered she had achieved her new look by following the Cambridge Diet. “That day, that very day, I found the nearest Cambridge Diet counsellor, who was an hour away. I visited her and started the diet the following day.”

A healthy combination of meal replacements and conventional food, Mandy combined the Cambridge Diet with a light fitness regime and counselling to support her on her weight loss journey. At first, her husband, Steve, was dubious about yet another diet. But after seeing Mandy’s weight drop in the first two weeks, Steve was on board. And with the support of her loving husband and family, this time it was a journey that she would go the distance.

After 14 weeks of hard work, dedication and more than one set back, Mandy stepped off the scales and became overwhelmed with emotion. She was 24 kilograms lighter. After such a hard won achievement, after years of battling to get her weight under control, Mandy came to realise she could do anything her heart desired. And what she really wanted to do was help others achieve their weight loss goals.

With so many people commenting on her stunning weight loss and asking where they could see a Cambridge Counsellor, the next logical step to Mandy was to get her accreditation. She wanted to give something back as thanks for the positive changes she had achieved in her own life.

And Mandy was quick to pick up her own set of clients. In fact, within a year, she was helping over 60 men and women lose weight and improve their health through the Cambridge Diet, seeing an average of 50 clients a week! To accommodate her growing client list, Mandy had to reduce her day job’s hours, plus Steve ended up becoming a counsellor to help out.

Fulfilling her wish to help others feel better about themselves, Mandy and Steve knew they had another, shared and, as yet, unfulfilled dream that had been their hearts’ fancy since 1989. It was to emigrate to Australia.

A burning ambition since they first jetted Down Under to visit Steve’s brother, an Australian resident since the late 50s, there never seemed to be the right time to make the move. First came grandkids to love and then the responsibility of looking after their aging mothers.

But it was after Mandy’s personal weight loss triumph, and as their 2012 Spanish retirement plans drew nearer, that Mandy and Steve finally made the decision to apply to emigrate. There was only one catch. It’s almost impossible to secure a visa to live in Australia when you’re over 45.

Such an obstacle might have deterred many another woman, but not Mandy. After months of investigations and working with Immigration specialists, she discovered that she had the business experience to qualify for a certain visa. So, with their well-deserved retirement in reach, Mandy and Steve had a decision to make. Go back to Plan A, to retire in the Spanish sun. Or make a new plan, to cross the globe and start a business in a foreign country. They chose the latter.

With the decision made to start a business in Australia, Mandy now had to work out what that business would offer. If she was giving up an early retirement, it would have to be for something she loved. So, she headed to a business for sale website and found just the opportunity she had been looking for a Beauty Salon.

Several months later, with her visa processed and suitcase in hand, Mandy arrived in Australia alone to set up the business. Bound for a mattress on the floor in a house full of strangers, it took Mandy three hours to drive from Tullamarine airport to Prahran (about three times as long as it should take). Unable to read a Melway street directory, Mandy got lost every time she tried to leave the house. She even bought a GPS to help her, but didn’t know how to use it. On her third night in this big, strange country, Mandy called Steve crying. For the past 25 years, Steve had been by her side to support and care for her. Now, for the first time, Mandy was fending for herself. She wanted to come home.

But she didn’t jump on the first flight home. Or even the second. Instead, Mandy remembered why she was there. It was an adventure, the chance to prove to herself that she could make things happen and turn the opportunity to open a Weight Loss Centre. And she knew Steve would soon be joining her, once he sold his business.

So Mandy got started. She needed an accountant and a lawyer. She learned about needing a tax file number and an Australian Business Number (ABN). She needed friends, an office, a bank account, a car, somewhere to live… While finding these things might be easy for someone that knows their way around town, imagine being in a foreign city. Where do you even begin? To top it all off, two weeks in to her adventure, Mandy’s laptop died taking her plans and all of her contacts with it to its techno grave.

Instead of crumpling, Mandy took it in her stride. Within a few days, she had ordered her first stock. It was delivered on 6 October and just one week later, A Current Affair ran a four-minute segment on a diet. Mandy had flown to Queensland for the interview, which discussed how a popular UK Diet was voted the “Best Diet in History”. Needless to say, after the show aired, Mandy was flooded with interest and the business took off.

Fast forward a year later and Mandy had set up shop. Carefully considering her target market, Mandy had decided the best place to help people and spread her healthy message was within a beauty salon. Finding the perfect place in Melbourne’s inner suburb of Ascot Vale, Mandy transformed the salon into the Cambridge Beauty and Wellness Centre.

Today, Mandy is proud of the fact her Centre has expanded to offer its clients a full mind and body experience. It’s not just important to look good on the outside, Mandy believes, but on the inside as well. So the Centre provides a wide range of Beauty and Wellness services including IPL hair removal and skin rejuvenation, anti aging injections,   and weight loss, nutrition and naturopathy.

“I want women and men to feel their best”, Mandy says. “And I want to be there to help them. When I first started the diet, I was amazed at how easy it was but, of course, there’s no miracle cure and it’s not always easy. That’s why you need someone to help you stay on track.”

Mandy has so far helped hundreds lose weight with clients coming from all over Victoria, or connecting through Skype. One client has even won the opportunity to travel back to Mandy’s homeland to compete in a popular UK diets International Slimmer of the Year.

So, does Mandy regret making the move to Australia and leaving behind the loved ones who held not one but three ‘going away’ parties for her? Not for a second. In fact, she’d relive her heavier days all over again if it meant she’d make it to Ascot Vale to help her clients. And what’s next on Mandy’s to do list? Apply for residency and start a program to help childhood obesity. It doesn’t look like Mandy will be retiring any time soon…