I usually get woken up at 6am… and stumble around for a cup of tea before it’s (lovingly) demanded of me to make five different breakfasts for my two kids. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to sit for a moment before getting up again to grab a pre-breakfast snack for one of the children who can’t wait for actual breakfast, and thus begins the madness of a morning with a six-year-old and a two-year-old. If I’m having a really good morning, I’ll swap out my breakfast tea for an ashwagandha-packed adaptogenic chai. We’ve had one in our range called Rested Resilience since launch, and it’s ideal for busy mornings. At the moment, I supercharge mine with a reishi mushroom chai syrup made by a friend of mine at Land Food Medicine in Somerset.
One of my non-negotiable hormone habits is… sleep. I get 8–10 hours of sleep each night by going to bed at the exact same time as my six-year-old. I quit scrolling Instagram before bed last year, and my enjoyment of reading books has gone up hugely. I also feel more satisfied that I did something for myself, especially when the kids have their TV time in the evening. That means I’m not chasing me-time after they’ve gone to bed.
The one food that I could eat every single day is… chocolate – is this a trick question? Surely everyone says chocolate. A friend of mine wrote her dissertation on the medicinal benefits of chocolate, and since then, I’ve never felt guilty about my chocolate habit. I try to buy bars with at least 70% cacao and try to source it as ethically as I can. Good quality chocolate is full of antioxidants and is a natural antidepressant (thanks to the magnesium content). It’s just all-around good stuff.
Wellness is a privilege many can’t afford or have time for… but of all the things I can afford to change, diet is the most achievable. My day-to-day eating decisions are adapted to how much I was able to prioritise rest the night before. If I have a crap night’s sleep, I often find myself making slightly questionable food choices the day after. I choose not to fret about it; it’s better to just write it off and try again tomorrow.
I wish more women knew that… how you feel during your period or perimenopause is a reflection of your overall health and wellbeing – not just a blip to be discarded as a ‘hormonal’ moment. Our periods are now recognised as one of the vital signs of health, along with blood pressure and heart rate.
I walk up to four miles a day… just taking my kids to school and picking them up. I’m also very active in the garden on my allotment. I once read a study looking at professional cleaners and the aerobic output of the work they do and how many didn’t realise the health and exercise benefits of it. Out of two controlled groups, one half was told what they do equates to exercise and they reaped even more health benefits from it, so I like to think about chasing around after two children in the same way.
My interest in herbs started by watching… Practical Magic, Buffy and Charmed. Then, when I was at Neal’s Yard Remedies in the early 00s, I discovered that you can do a degree in herbal medicine. So all my dreams of being a witch in the woods with herbs hanging from the roof became a tangible reality.
There really is a herb for everything… and when it comes to tackling stress, there are some incredible plants out there to support your body in chaotic times. I love liquorice root and passionflower for an immediate downregulation if I am feeling anxious, and they’re the two key herbs that are in our premenstrual herbal tincture. Like many women, I go through cycles of depletion and burnout from parenting, and to remedy this, I use adaptogens like ashwagandha and natural sedatives like hawthorn and oat tops. Having drinks and tinctures that are easy to slot into busy days makes everything a lot easier.
My evening routine starts with… playing with my kids for an hour. Then everyone, including me, gets into their pyjamas. We turn on fairy lights, cosy up in the big bed and read a book until we all fall asleep together. It’s the best.
