My wellness journey changed focus in 2013 when I was trying to manage a toddler and my endometriosis simultaneously.  It was at this point I realised there was more to my health than just my diet and I became truly serious about taking a low-tox path. My research and discoveries into just how many harmful ingredients (chemicals and toxins) are being ‘legally’ used to manufacture almost every physical item we come into contact with was alarming; from the foods we consume, the medicines we administer to our kids, the cleaning products we use, the personal care products we apply to keep ourselves looking and feeling healthy, right down to the products used to build and furnish our homes.

Once I was aware of all this, I simply couldn’t unknow it. It was distressing to think I, and almost everyone I knew, was unknowingly using products that contained toxins which were potentially contributing to ill health. I also knew I could not stand by without doing something, anything, regardless of how small that may be.

It’s funny how life seems to step in at just the right time, although it doesn’t always seem that way at the time. My former career in the oil, gas and construction industry came to an end after the birth of my second daughter Alice in 2016 and that’s when I truly started thinking about how I could share all the knowledge and experiences I had gained on living a cleaner, healthier and happier life with others.  It was also around this time my family was thrown a huge and unexpected personal crisis to deal with, an experience that would ultimately prompt Jane and me to take a leap of faith and start a new journey together. A self-imposed adventure that would take us on a more personally fulfilling and rewarding path and give our children a far greater chance at long-term health. This was the beginning of Blooming Mandala.

While my health has come far from my early diagnosis of endometriosis, the journey towards complete wellness continues. I am constantly learning and where I can, adjusting how my family eats and lives in response to the toxic challenges that continually arise from living in our modern world. Being blessed with two beautiful children, I am passionate about wholefood, healthy living and doing my bit to protect the planet. My dream is to one day escape from the big smoke and live off the grid; to be completely self-sustainable and in touch with nature. I long for the day when I can plant and harvest my own food forest and enjoy the fruits of the large permaculture garden I plan to create with my own hands. Until then, I do everything I can in my suburban backyard to give my family the best chance at health and to connect with the earth. Our garden beds are full of spray-free fruit trees and vegetables, and most if not all of the plants we grow are edible or useful to our existence in some way or another.

I am excited and passionate now to share what I have learned with others as they start or continue their own journeys towards wellness. I truly believe we can all create a strong foundation for healthy living and make it fit within the walls of our crazy, ever-changing, chaotic and time-poor lives.

Shortly after Connor was born, he began to develop psoriasis all over his body, especially on his face. Of course, as a proud new mother it was hard for me to see this skin rash take over his precious body. I, as most new mums would, took him to the GP to have this condition investigated. We were sent to a skin specialist who diagnosed the psoriasis and gave us a steroid cream to apply all over his body including his face. At the time this didn’t shock me as much as when I think back on it now. But even then I felt like it was just a bandaid of sorts, like it was helping but only when I consistently applied the cream. I wanted a long term solution for my baby boy. This is when I turned to Chinese Medicine. After attending a Chinese herbalist, I was given herbs to take myself (as I was exclusively breast feeding), and ointments to apply to Connors skin. I’m not going to say these herbs were pleasant to take, as they tasted like I imagine licking the scum off a dirty fishtank would, but it was only for a short time! This method cleared up his skin, and to this day (he is now 13!) he has the most beautiful clear olive skin!

Whilst I had realised there are better alternatives to some western medicines, I still didn’t fully comprehend the impact the chemicals in my environment were having on my familys health. The birth of my daughter Ella in 2013 saw me reaching for Chinese herbs again, as she too had the rash on her skin, whilst not as bad as Connors still enough to need help. This is when I very loosely investigated the products in my environment, as I began listening to the things my sister Jenny was finding out.

Whilst pregnant with my third child Xavier in 2016 I had much more knowledge into what products and chemicals I was subjecting myself and my family to. I was more careful, especially with what foods I was eating and how well I was nourishing my body. I had found alternatives for his baby products and ensured he wasn’t being subjected to any questionable ingredients. This change is really the only difference I made between my pregnancies and Xavier is the only child that didn’t have psoriasis! This sold it for me and I began questioning everything! The cleaning products I was using, and the body care products I was applying to my family, beauty products and even the environment we were living in.

Jenny is very much a throw it all out and start a fresh kind of person, which is totally ok. I took a cost-conscious approach where I used the products I had until they ran out and then I replaced them with better alternatives. In some cases I realised it wasn’t necessary to replace the items and just stopped using them all together!!

Today my little family, with my step Son Jaxon, comprises of 4 children all up, and myself and my FIFO husband Tony. We are careful about what we consume, apply and use within our home. Health in our home and health in our environment is our number one priority. We teach our children about the harmful effects of eating or using chemical-laden foods and products. We encourage their own exploration and understanding of healthy alternatives, and we inspire them to take ownership of contributing to a healthy home environment for themselves and their siblings. Tony and I currently have an offer on a 5 acre property in Perth’s southern suburbs and hope to become off grid and as self-sufficient as possible. Growing our own produce is something we just cant wait to do with our kids, teaching and learning with them as we go!

That aside, my greatest motivation with Blooming Mandala is an inherent belief that everyone should have free and easy access to the information that has taken almost a lifetime for Jenny and I, to source and understand, and will continue to learn. I am not a believer in one size fits all and it has been a critical part of the business process for me that our followers can choose what they feel is right for themselves and their families’ health. The thing that I want more Australians to be aware of is that we all assume the products we buy off the shelf are safe; if they weren’t we wouldn’t be able to buy them, right? The sad truth is, however, many products we buy instore and online are not even tested for their toxicity levels or long-term health effects! This is perhaps what has shocked me most in my own journey to healthier living.

Don’t get me wrong, I am far from having the perfect ‘clean home environment’ and there are many ways in which I can still grow and improve in terms of getting the green living practicalities right. I see my and the role of Blooming Mandala to be simply about providing you with easy and affordable access to the very best information, ideas, resources and encouragement to make changes in your environment and lifestyle where and as you see fit. Our aim is to share what we know about living cleaner, healthier and happier and to encourage others to do the same.