Where It All Began

Aromatherapy has been a passion of mine for decades, but my journey into the industry really began in 2003.

At the time, I was a mum of two very young boys, working as an office manager and craving something that felt like it was mine. I had an idea to set up an online business selling essential oils and aromatherapy products, but I wanted to properly understand the oils I would be selling rather than simply selling them, so I enrolled on an aromatherapy course.

And that decision changed the direction of my life.

I qualified as an aromatherapist, launched my online essential oil business, Amber Oils, and gradually added more therapies and qualifications as my love for the holistic industry grew.

What started with essential oils eventually developed into my own therapy business, working from home, salons and even a hotel spa.

But another unexpected part of the journey was just around the corner… teaching.

Finding My Love of Teaching

As my therapy business grew, so did my own learning. I continued adding new therapies and qualifications, working from home, salons and spas, and building up my experience as a holistic therapist.

Eventually, I began running workshops and decided to take the next step by training as a further education teacher.

In 2007, I qualified as a teacher and launched Holistic Therapies Training. I began writing my own course manuals, developing training and passing on the skills and knowledge I had gained to other therapists and people looking for their own career change.

I loved it.

Teaching gave me the opportunity to combine everything I enjoyed about the industry with something I hadn't realised I would love quite so much, helping other people learn, grow in confidence and discover where their own journey might take them.

What had started with a love of essential oils had unexpectedly led me to another passion: education.

Building the Training Academy

What began as a small training business in Swindon continued to grow, and teaching soon became the main focus of my career.

In 2011, I made the decision to move back to my roots in Bideford, North Devon, with my two boys. I kept the training business running in Swindon while gradually establishing myself in Devon, travelling across the South West to teach in salons and spas wherever the demand took me.

Over the years, the little training business I started in 2007 has grown into Holistic Therapies Training Academy, delivering professional training and regulated qualifications across complementary therapies, massage, beauty, sports therapy and education.

I've continued learning too — becoming an assessor, internal quality assurer and mentor, while developing and expanding the Academy and supporting learners at very different stages of their own careers.

But throughout all of that growth, one subject has always remained particularly close to my heart...

Aromatherapy.

The Aromatherapy Geek

Even while the training academy grew and my teaching expanded into many different areas, aromatherapy was always there.

It remained one of my favourite therapies to teach because, quite simply, I never get bored of it. There is always another essential oil to explore, another constituent to understand, another blend to create and something new to learn.

That love of learning eventually became The Aromatherapy Geek — a place where I could indulge my slightly geekier side and share more of my enthusiasm for essential oils, blending and aromatherapy education.

And yes, the name suited me rather well!

But as my ideas grew, I realised I wanted to create something more. A dedicated home where I could bring together masterclasses, practical learning, resources, blending, product making and all those fascinating little rabbit holes that don't always fit within a formal qualification.

The Aromatherapy Geek had started another chapter.

It was time for that chapter to grow into something new.

Coming Full Circle

More than two decades after aromatherapy first changed the direction of my life, I feel as though I've come full circle.

What began in 2003 with a love of essential oils, an aromatherapy course and an idea for a little online oil business eventually took me into holistic therapy, teaching and building my own training academy.

Now, Karen Ashton School of Aromatherapy gives me the opportunity to return to where it all began, but with more than 20 years of experience, learning and teaching to bring with me.

This isn't about leaving The Aromatherapy Geek behind. It's about allowing it to grow.

The School is my dedicated space for sharing the art and science of aromatherapy: from essential oils and blending to product making, practical masterclasses, downloadable resources and all those fascinating subjects we can explore simply because we want to know more.

Because that's still what I love most about aromatherapy:

There is no end to what you can learn about using essential oils.

And I don't think I'll ever stop learning either.

So whether you're a qualified aromatherapist, currently studying, another holistic therapist wanting to expand your knowledge, or simply someone who shares my fascination with essential oils, welcome.

I hope you'll learn, explore and create with me.

Karen x