In her darkest moment, Megan Waters couldn't leave the house.
It was 2019, five years after first receiving the diagnosis of an incurable skin condition, which can cause sufferers to be covered in inflamed skin.
"I had psoriasis from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes. My whole body was covered. It was all on my scalp, and I'd lost a lot of hair. It was awful," she says.
"I was in a really deep and dark place to the point that my mum had to fly to Melbourne to care for me."
It was a turning point for Waters, who knew she had to seek out professional support in managing the condition which had first shown up after her father passed away.
It was a step on a journey of heartbreak and healing; a journey that has helped her find the confidence to be a television presenter by channeling her lifelong passion for fitness and health, which began at a young age.
Megan as a toddler in Darwin with her uncle. Source: Supplied
A sporty life
Describing her early years growing up in Darwin on Larrakia Country, Megan says she was always outdoors barefoot and running amok.
Her strongest memories are being in the bush, climbing trees, and throwing coconuts around.An active lifestyle fostered a love of sports, which often saw her flying interstate to represent the NT in different codes.
"I've always had a sport on the go," she says.
After living and travelling in the UK for a couple of years, and then settling in Melbourne at the age of 22, sports and fitness remained a passion that has shaped her professional life.
But seeing her father battle illness made her decide to make health and wellbeing a focus in her life.
During a yarn one night whilst her father was in the final stages of cancer, he confided the hardest lesson of his journey.
"I remember him saying, 'If I have one regret in my life, it's that I didn't take better care of my health, and you're nothing without it. That (comment) stuck with me," she said.
"When I lost my Dad, that was a big motivator for me to immerse myself in the health and wellness space because I witnessed him deteriorate rapidly towards the end.
Taking on that advice she followed her love of being active and decided to pursue a career as a personal trainer and health coach.
It was a choice that suited her well; however, the loss of her Dad also triggered some unhealthy habits that started to take a toll.
Megan Waters with her father Barry who passed away from cancer in 2014, and inspired Megan to pursue her interest in health and wellbeing. Source: Supplied
The challenge of grief
"I turned to partying and socialising and drinking a lot of alcohol," she says of that time.
"It was this weird double-edged sword of wanting to be the healthiest version of myself, but then also really suffering internally because I was so sad."
It was around this time that she first started to notice some skin lesions. Never having any skin issues growing up or within her family, it took time and many tests to determine the cause of her symptoms.
Once it was discovered that psoriasis was the issue, Megan's real journey in health began.
Working as a personal trainer with early starts, and then partying on the weekend and indulging in fast foods to recover from hangovers, Megan says that she was burning the candle at both ends and her skin condition worsened.
Though she was treating her condition with steroid creams, eventually, those didn't work, and she had to look at what else was contributing to her condition. When her skin flared up, so did her negative thoughts about herself and her appearance, and a frustrating cycle would begin.
"Ultimately, (psoriasis) stems from inflammation in the gut, but it also stems from stress in the mind, and it took me a long time to realise that."
"I had no self-awareness. My mind-to-body connection was completely not there. So although I was fit, I absolutely wasn't healthy. It took me a long time to realise that because I almost didn't want to."
"I was afraid to go down that path because when you start to bring up those things, it can be quite dark and painful. So I was always just applying these imaginary Band-Aids."
After several years of experiencing constant skin flare-ups, culminating in not wanting to leave the house at her lowest point, Megan says she 'ripped the bandaid off and decided to acknowledge what was going on.
Megan shares her journey with psoriasis publicly so that she can raise awareness of the condition and offer comfort to others who might be on the same journey Source: Supplied
A holistic approach
Megan eventually found that working with a psychologist, a kinesiologist and other holistic healthcare practitioners alongside skin specialists has helped her achieve a balance and understanding of her condition and how to manage it.
"I put the work into addressing the stuff that I've held and carried deep in my belly. Painful stuff," she says.
"Once I started to pull all of that out, I was like,' okay, that is really where this is all stemming from.' Of course, there's a huge element of my diet, so I'm conscious of trying to consume as little gluten and as little dairy as possible because I know those things are inflammatory for my gut. But it's just a work in progress."
Acupuncture, breath work, meditating, and journaling now form part of her daily routine, alongside therapies such as light therapy, blood tests and routine injections. She describes it as a full-time job in itself and quite costly, which can, unfortunately, be a barrier for many in treating their condition.
"Often, I'll take the time to write in my journal. My skin does not define me. I'm a beautiful person. I'm kind; I've got all these other great qualities. I am not my skin. I am much more than that." she says.
A blessing in disguise
As one of the hosts of NITV's Yokayi Footy, Megan has been challenged at times having to be on camera during a psoriasis flare-up, which meant telling producers that she would need to cover her arms and legs for promotional shoots and let the makeup artist know ahead of time what was going on.
"You feel yucky inside, even having to have that conversation," explains Megan.
"Thankfully, I've got a beautiful team (at Yokayi) that are willing to work around that. And that really helps. Being able to have a team that want to make sure that I feel the best that I can possibly feel and really accommodate that situation."
Her personal life also suffered for many years as she grappled with self-esteem and body image. She has recently met her partner and is happy in her relationship, though getting to the point of being vulnerable around her condition was a journey in itself.
"That's a big part of why I share about my psoriasis on my socials because I know if I'm having a flare-up and I'm in the gym, and I've got all these flaky psoriasis scars on my body. If I have at least put it out there (publically), some people might go, 'Oh, that's her psoriasis,'" she said.
"Or you don't want to wear a bikini at the beach because you feel like shit. So, it's feeling like you have to justify that, which adds to the self-esteem issues. It's a cycle. I'm forever battling with my thoughts about how gross I feel, even though I know I'm not."
Despite all of these challenges, Megan acknowledges that she's finally at a place where she is confident about who she is and what she has to offer.
"In a weird way, I am grateful for the fact that it has helped me to get to know myself better."
Catch Megan on Yokayi Footy, Wednesdays 8.30pm on NITV.
