MAY
02

Meet The Wellness Warrior

I have been an avid reader of Jess Ainscough’s site, The Wellness Warrior for over a year. Her website has been a space of growth for me, having learned so much from her journey and from the experts, advocates and lovers of wellness who guest post and share their stories on her site. When Jess contacted me a few weeks ago asking if I wanted to be a featured guest for her Friday Foodie series I had a very funny reaction.

I slammed the lid to my laptop and shouted “NO WAY!” like a crazy person! Luckily I was at home and alone when this went down… It is such a treat to receive an email from people you admire from afar and aspire to be more like in your life. Your heroes! Jess is one of my favorite wellness people and I am thrilled to be sharing an interview with her on the blog today. I know you’ll love her as much as I do after you finish reading (and following all the juicy links in the post). Happy Friday! 

At 22 you were diagnosed with cancer, which is a shocking diagnosis no matter what your age. How do you think your life would be different if you had never battled cancer? 

I think I would probably still be working in magazines, trying to climb up the competitive ladder there. I loved my job and my lifestyle back then, and when I left it I did so kicking and screaming. I couldn’t see all of the amazing things I was going to gain in its place.

How has your wellness journey changed the lives of those closest to you?

My family is so healthy. My mum, dad, boyfriend, and pug dog have been my support team this whole time, so we have all embraced a clean lifestyle together. We are an organic, plant-eating, life-loving team. Even my dog goes nuts for salad!

What does it mean to “be well” to you?

To me, being well means treating your body with the utmost respect and making all decisions from a place of self kindness.

Who are the warriors that inspire you? 

Kris Carr is probably my favourite. I absolutely love her, and she has been such a massive inspiration to me through my journey. I also love Miranda Kerr. She is a glowing example of clean living, and an amazing role model.

I love in your “20 Little Known Things About Me” post – especially that you shared your love of celebs and Hollywood culture! Who do you think are the best role models for wellness among popular celebrities? 

I love celebs that show the rest of the world that clean living is cool! They seem to be growing in numbers too. I love Alicia Silverstone, Teresa Palmer, Phoebe Tonkin, Russell Brand, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, and Ellen DeGeneres.

Tell us about your perfect day – start to finish!

+ Waking up at 6am to do dry body brushing before having a shower.

+ Then I would eat clay and do oil pulling. This would be followed by a glass of warm water with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar, which I would drink while sitting outside in the sun.

+ Next up is 30 minutes of meditation.

+ Breakfast is either a green smoothie in summer or rolled oats in winter. After breakfast, I would go down to the beach with my boyfriend and our little pug girl.

+ Lunch would be had with my family – a big spread of salad, quinoa and other yummy treats.

+ In the afternoon we would go for a drive up to Noosa to walk through the national park, or climb Mt. Coolum, or just hang out at home and go for a later afternoon walk along the beach with the dog.

+ Dinner would be another big salad with coconut oil potatoes, and dessert would be an amazing raw cheesecake either made from avocado or cashews. Ben Howard would be our dinner soundtrack.

+ After dinner we would watch a movie – but only if it means I can still be in bed by 10pm. I need my sleep!

What are the big adventures on the horizon in your life? 

My boyfriend and I are house-hunting at the moment, looking to buy our very first home. It’s so exciting and so much fun! I’m having a ball on Pinterest pinning interior design pics – ha ha! We are also spending a couple of weeks in the US during October-November – this is my first big trip since before I started Gerson Therapy.

In my career, I have just launched my big signature online coaching program – The Wellness Warrior Lifestyle Transformation Guide – so I am taking it easy for the rest of the year before jumping into more excitement next year. I have also just launched a wellness web TV series called healthtalks, so I will be doing more filming for that. Plus, I’m getting into speaking more now that I can get out and about. It’s all so much fun!

Share a quote that best describes your outlook on life.

Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you, to leave this world better than when you found it. – Wilfred Peterson

Share a secret with us! 

When I was little I had a crush on the red hair guy from Captain Planet. Wheeler! He had the ring that shot flames.