This is the first of a new blog series: Spectacular Soul Saturday. Each week I’ll ask ‘everyday heroes’ for wise tidbits on how to live a glorious life. I doubt I’ll keep this up forever, but for the next little while I’ve got some groovy spud muffins to share with y’all.

I myself am a sucker for Q & A’s, so to kick-start things I’ve interviewed myself*. I’m humble and private like that.

Keep it real Sonny Jims, and have a fan-bloody-tabulous Saturday!

*Update 2018: I have re-jigged my responses to reflect the person I’ve grown into. I needed a bucket when I read my 18-year-old self’s answers. Cute, but cliched and NOT fun. The humour and candid bowel-health promotion was missing, so I rectified things a little.

Where did your open-minded adventure begin? Was there a significant event that shifted you into gear, or did your outlook on life simply shift over time?

Holy moly, what a question! Getting diagnosed with Autoimmune Hepatitis (which had resulted in cirrhosis) at age 14 (in 2010) was a massive kick up the rear. I didn’t respond well to medication, and the alternatives given were:

a) a drug that could cause kidney failure, or

b) organ transplantation, or

(my own suggestion – much to my specialist’s scepticism)

c) give nutritional medicine a crack

At 15, my nutrition bank was pretty dry and I absorbed what ‘wisdom’ I could from magazines and websites. Obviously generalised health advice isn’t ideal when your liver is only functioning at 2%, but I did the best I could with the information I had access to, and gradually developed my own philosophy over time. I had a hunch that even though [at the time] nutrition was seen as a novelty (this was the “pre gut health” era), that it would make a difference.

Sure enough, I started healing and eventually discontinued my medication. To be told you have a condition with no known origin, no known cure, and no safe means of treatment, and then find yourself healing on the back of dietary change was (excuse the drama) life altering! So, here I am. A pint-sized, food-obsessed health nerd with an enthusiasm for medicinal foods. Rachel-1, Hepatitis-0.

What drives your enthusiasm for self-care and optimism?

Don’t laugh. Poo. Bowel Health. Satisfying evacuations. No joke, I chase the highs of poophoria because they keep me cleansed and happy. When I eat well, I poo well. When I move more, I poop more. Adequate sleep, allows the ‘the 9am ‘train’ to become the express’. When I laugh … okay, you got me, there is slightly more to life than defecation, but still. When I void completely, optimism is a cinch. When I look after myself, my bowels reward me. It’s a dazzling circle of ~~life~~ poop. Glorious.

What keeps you goofy and ‘down-to-earth’?

Did you not read my stance on bowel health?

How do you keep exercise FUN?

I think about the poo awaiting me on the other side. If I void before I move (thank you, rectum), I choose what I’m in the mood for, and if I’m lucky I still manage to chase it with another poo. Jogging or brisk walking are my faves in the morning – I often pretend I’m giving a whimsical health seminar under my breath to pass the time. That or listen to music or podcasts. Yoges is my evening activity of choice. I also enjoy commuting on my bike & going for strolls with friends.

When it comes to nutrition, what is your philosophy?

I’m an advocate for real food: from the ground, off a tree or from a healthy animal – if that last one sits okay with your ethos. I don’t believe in one-size-fits all. I used to and it ~~probably~~ definitely rubbed some people up the wrong way – most of all myself. Uh, the regrets of those preachy years. These days I listen to my body: eating my favourite foods on the daily and creating new recipes that taste sensational whilst providing the nutrients I need to thrive. Food is here to keep us functioning at an optimal level, but it’s also here to be appreciated and enjoyed, so we need to find a way to nourish AND have daily foodgasms.

Go ahead, inspire us!

You didn’t find the fact that I live life with bowel-health at the front of my mind inspiring? Oh you did, but you want more? Okey-dokey.

Don’t take one opinion – or a choir of opinions – as gospel if it/they doesn’t/don’t sit right. Ask questions. Be curious. Make up your own mind. Consult common sense. Take time out from research to ~~poop~~ laugh. Spend time outside. Go to bed on time. But also stay up talking as long as you want if there’s a glorious human next to you because one (or both) of you might say something profound and unfiltered in the wee hours of the morning. Eat whole foods. The ones you enjoy. Be genuine. Seriously. Stop trying to impress. There’s a reason I edited these answers. Past-tense-me was a wellness wannabe. I can’t take myself seriously when I talk like an affirmation pocket book. That ship has sailed. Swear more if it feels right (not at work and not around children, obviously). But don’t if it feels uncomfortable – see ‘be genuine’. Let others say kind things about you. Say thank you. Never deny anyone the privilege of being thoughtful. And on that note, say every kind thing that pops into your mind. It’s never weird and always makes a difference.

Think fast, what are you grateful for right now?

I’ve done 2 glorious bowel movements and it’s not even 3pm.
The abundance in my life: I am still supported by my parents and starting to build funds through employment that I adore.
My family – I include my close friends in this.
I’ve just finished writing my first book and I’m only 22! Stop it! Who even am I?
Mother Nature for delivering the goods: myself & my loved ones, plants, animals, weather, waterfalls, sunshine, forests, sunshine, moonlight, crystals, summer breezes, rain, sand, soil, salt, meadows, mountains, minerals, ocean, energy. In nature I trust.