I had followed Vanessa on and off for several years, but I was not a real social media fiend, so it was more that I had landed on her website once and loved what I had read so had book marked the site and would go back to it now and then. I got her Sourdough School Book for Christmas maybe 5 years ago (my request) and read it from cover to cover. I was already baking sourdough, but it was white and although I would add 30% wholemeal flour, that is as far as I had got with making it healthier. Vanessa made me realise that there was so much more to sourdough than I realised. For a start I didn't understand why things worked or didn't, so my baking was a bit hit and miss. But what really transfixed me was the link to the bacteria and the microbiome. I knew I had to do her course. It took me several years before I was in a position to sign up for the course, but boy I am so glad I did. Every penny was worth it. Although I have probably more medical experience than the average person, I had not realised the levels of nutrition and knowledge of linking nutrition to health outcomes that I didn't know. As someone very profound in management once said "you don't know what you don't know". Two years down the track I feel so empowered by the generosity of Vanessa's spirit of sharing knowledge. I have gone on to look also at the nutrigenetics side of the equation and Vanessa was the key that unlocked the door to all this learning. But at the core of it is the BALM principles, which, once you know them and a bit of the how and why, just seem like common sense with theory behind them! I can't remember why I didn't know it before! I love delving into the theory and HAVE to know why, and Vanessa is so keen to share this sort of knowledge and discuss the what and the how as well that the teaching becomes like a good discussion between a group of friends. Those friends are from such a diverse background and from all over the world so it expands your horizons even beyond baking and your own personal experiences. I actually feel like a better version of myself having been part of this community. Thanks Vanessa.