First up, briefly tell us a bit about yourself and what you do!
Thank you so, so much for taking the time to learn about me! I really hope you’ll find joy and inspiration in what you read and you’ll want to learn more. I’m a Perth-based Holistic Health Coach with a specialisation in mind-body medicine. I’ve been working in the field for close to 11 years now and have had the pleasure of coaching 100’s of people, both one-on-one and in groups, in improving their long-term health and wellbeing. I am a published author, wellness speaker and educator, and founder of The Juicy Movement, a holistic health collective. In 2019, along with by co-host Cal O’Connell, we launched our Perth-focused health and wellness podcast, The C-Word. I’m also a proud ambassador of wellness and nutritional brands I personally love and use daily. These are Juice Plus+, Life Cykel, PuraU, Gevity Rx, and Antipodes. You can also find me on fitness and wellbeing app KIXXFIT. And working with the team at Perth’s premiere wellness space, MindBody Lounge. My mission is to empower you to release your natural potential for wellness through wholefood nutrition, holistic practices of self-care and living within your values to show you how easy it is to look and feel A-MAZ-ING.
What time do you wake up most days and how many hours of sleep do you aim for?
Most days anywhere between 5-5.45am as I truly believe in getting the most out of your day and starting before the rest of the world wakes up. I aim for the recommended average of 7-8 hours but generally get closer to 6.5-7 hours.
What’s your morning routine to set you up for a great day?
Based on Monday – Friday, I’ll always splash cold water on my face to wake up and then hit the kitchen to guzzle down a good 500-750ml of water with fresh lemon juice and my morning supplements. I’ll then grab a teaspoon of coconut oil for 5-20 mins of oil pulling while I roll the yoga mat out for a stretch and foam roll to some music. That’s usually followed by 15-20 minutes of priming and meditation before I make my Fully Charged Coffee and then hit the home office, read my vision board and get stuck into some work before hitting the gym!
On alternative days I’ll head straight to the river post water + supplement guzzle to walk the dog instead while listening to some sort of inspiring or educational podcast at the same time. Once home, I’ll make my coffee, read my vision board and then it’s time to start work. In February 2019 I cottoned onto the Cold Nips crew Wednesday morning dips & sips and that gives me an INCREDIBLE start and feel to the day! As you can tell – my morning routines are SUPER important to me as part of my set up for a successful day ☺
Describe a typical day of eating for you.
I’m a two meal a day eater and have been for some time. This suits my particular body, appetite and lifestyle well. I usually don’t eat breakfast until somewhere between 9am-10am and it’s usually a jam-packed green smoothie or simple brekky bowl with a cup of green tea. I’m a very slow and conscious eater so it usually takes me between 30-45 minutes to finish. On weekdays I’m at my desk so I’m distracted too. I’ll usually make a black coffee around 2-3pm with the addition of some coconut oil and drops of Life Cykel mushroom liquid tincture and maybe snack on some nuts and seeds or even a couple of traditional quality dried pears or peaches drizzled in tahini.
Dinner is somewhere between 6-7pm (depending on the season, generally even later in summer as I tend to make the most of the sunshine!) and is always plant based be that hot or cold veggies/salad with some sort of vegetarian protein like legumes or quinoa or tofu most of the time and a couple of nights I aim for oily fish like sardines or mackerel or salmon. I generally save seafood or animal options for eating out socially. At the end of the day, I’m an intuitive eater. I eat according to what my body truly wants and needs and when it does. I treat it well, so it craves the right things 90% of time.
Tell us about your daily beauty routine! What are your non-negotiables for looking and feeling your best?
I truly believe that beauty starts from the inside out and that we should prioritise ‘eating ourselves gorgeous’ ahead of investing in ‘fix it’ products first. I’m blessed with great skin and always have been, but in your 30’s you begin to notice changes. I keep it simple, as it’s more for proactive care and maintenance vs anything else. I opt to use what I can from my fridge and pantry using recipes from our ‘Beauty-full Inside + Out’ eBook that’s part of The Juicy Life Program, otherwise my go-to’s are rosehip oil, coconut and hemp oil for the face, sugar and coconut oil scrubs for the entire body and face once a week, dry body brush pre shower at night, regular sweats to detox via exercise and saunas and steam rooms, ocean dips and rubbing ice on my face and under the eyes morning and night, sunshine, good sleep, being happy and smiling and laughing and enjoying life! Product wise, I take wholefood supplements and absolutely LOVE the Antipodes Skincare range that suits my needs and lives happily in my bathroom cupboard! All plant based and almost edible ☺ Oh and I mix coconut oil with my body moisturiser in my hands before applying at night too!
Do you take any supplements, vitamins or special wellness elixirs? If so, we’d love to know!
I sure do! Don’t get me wrong my diet and lifestyle is fantastic and above the average person, but I’m still not perfect and on the mark every day and I’m still living in a modern world so am aware there are multiple factors that can affect my level of health and wellbeing. I’m allll about a PROACTIVE vs fix it approach! I have used Juice Plus+ for over 11 years now as my daily supplement and also as my plant based smoothie/shake powder of choice. I also use the Life Cykel liquids as mentioned earlier and the PuraU Gut Cleanse Kit on the regular as a maintenance vs fix it approach. I hit up my naturopath, Kat Blake of Invigorate Naturopathy, time to time for a herbal elixir to promote good rest and sleep. And 2-3 times a week I take a charcoal tablet to help eliminate any bugs/toxins that may be lingering in the gut. Now that I’m in my 30’s I’m conscious of consuming more collagen via powder form and I’ll often add that to a smoothie along with magnesium powder and gelatin powder. And I do a one day Juice Cleanse once a month with @refresh.juice.cleanse too. Oh and I am starting to use and appreciate the benefits of CBD oil.
Do you have an evening wind-down ritual?
Yes, I definitely do! I LOVE and crave my nightly cup of tea and it’s always something herbal like chamomile, peppermint or lemon + ginger etc and I’ll pair that with some dark chocolate, some mixed berries and some kefir. That’s usually for the couch while I watch something to unwind and then I’ll hit the bathroom to do my nighttime beauty routine. I enjoy taking my time with this (you know – cleanse and moisturise and brush the teeth). A couple nights a week I’ll brush my teeth with charcoal, too (thanks to @my.moondust) I’ll also rub a mix of magnesium oil and cream (I use @lifewithmagnesium) on my feet, calves and neck/shoulders to promote relaxation and sleep. Once in bed I inhale some lavender oil I keep on my bedside table, maybe pop the oil diffuser on and read a few affirmations from a book and do some quick gratitude and then it’s book time and before long I’m out! I also sleep with a yoni egg in 2-3 times a week. Suggest following @rosie.rees to learn more on this!
What’s your fitness routine & favourite way to get sweaty and where’s your go-to?
Ohh I have a few things I love to do as having a variety keeps it interesting and also works your body in different ways! I used to be a dancer so moving on the daily is a non-negotiable for me! I’ll generally run three times a week (I’m a treadmill gal so I can adjust the incline and sprint/jog speed), I do mat Pilates every so often with @mvmtsociety, Jungle Body once a week with @_thejunglebodywithbec_, yoga 2-3 times a week with Flow Space Perth and I try to get a @bikebarfitness class in every couple of weeks. And then most days I get the dog out be it a half hour walk on the path or running him at the dog park while I enjoy some earthing on the grass. I love my coast walks too. So yes – I keep active! But I also have the energy, fitness and healthy body to do so due to the commitment I make to fueling right and recovering right.
Are you into any woo-woo wellness trends? (think crystals, sageing, tarot cards etc)
Well when I first started in the area of holistic health over 10 years ago it was called woo woo! I think (and I have this conversation frequently with other wellness friends and colleagues) that I’m a good mix of straight and sideways. I use a yoni egg 2-3 times a week and also keep a stone on my bedside table that I sleep with under my pillow. They are lilac in colour and purple (amethyst) is my birthstone so it’s what I’ve always been intuitively drawn to anyway. I have really gotten into astrology and horoscopes even more so than I already was over the last couple of years and began to start learning more about moon tracking over the past year too. I definitely believe in all of that in terms of energy and retrogrades etc and how that affects us, along with the weather (if it’s a night where it’s humid and has that level of intense, electric air I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to get back to sleep very hot and restless – so I joke I’m slightly witchy because I can tell from that a storm is coming and I’m always right!) Otherwise even if I don’t do it or haven’t felt the need, I absolutely believe in healers, tarot cards, sageing etc
And lastly… do you have any top secret tips you use to keep looking / feeling great?
Happiness. You can follow every single trend and tip and trick under the sun but if you aren’t living your life according to your values, passions, beliefs, calling and ultimate truth, you will never truly reach and fulfill your ultimate level of health and wellbeing.
Thanks for hanging out with us Carla! Don’t forget to follow her on Instagram to keep up with her wellness journey 🙂
Be well,
xoxo
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