People often ask me why I started formulating my supplement line and why it is so essential that they are plant-based. I moved to London in 1998 to escape a horrific domestic violence relationship. Coming out of that, I had anorexia and bulimia.
After much research, I knew I needed to reset and support four main pathways, step back, and look at my health holistically to free myself of this trauma.
The four pathways that needed help were my detox pathways, particularly my liver and gallbladder, my lymphatic system, my blood sugar regulation and my basal metabolic rate allowing me to use food as fuel, burn fat and not hold onto weight due to the uncertainty of entering into another season of starvation.
Eating disorders are all about control. My life was out of control, and I honestly couldn't believe I had become someone's punching bag. I had a lovely childhood (I even had a pony). I have loving parents, and I had gentle, kind boyfriends before this bad egg.
We dated for three years got engaged, and then everything changed.
Following the three great years, I kept making excuses for him, that this was just a blip and he would soon return to the lovely man I first dated.
Unfortunately, it was a slippery slope. It began with verbal abuse and controlling behaviour, moved on to punching, leaving me with black eyes, and to full-on domestic violence, where he would literally beat me to a pulp.
I finally dared to tell my family (he threatened to hurt them if I did), and I escaped to London. This move was the making of me. I decided to turn my mess into a message, and I'm still standing tall.
I firmly believe that if you allow God to use your pain and broken parts, something magnificent will be born out of your trauma. We must be open, do the work and say YES to a new, healed life! I choose to rise like an eagle for my own sake - and to encourage others.
I love that phrase, 'If she can do it, I can do it!' so be of good courage because iron sharpens iron. If you need to lean on my story for inspiration to leave a bad situation or conquer eating disorders, I'm here for you every step of the way.
To allow myself to heal, I had to take a step back and look at myself holistically and get my pillars of wellness in balance. I created the framework of the Seven Pillars of Wellness to create a road map for my wellness journey. I had to get my vehicle (my body) ready for the wellness journey. I knew I wouldn't make the journey with so many significant imbalances.
This is the map I followed on my trip to restore my long-term health and wellness. It forms the framework that I have later developed into the Seven Pillars of Wellness.
Nutrition
As a first step on my journey, I cleaned up my diet. I went pescatarian and kept one free meal a week as a reward. I didn't say no to the girl who wanted to binge; I let her have fun once a week to create balance.
A critical habit was to increase my water intake to two litres a day and eat slowly and mindfully, focusing on nourishing rather than binging or starving. I recently shared the recipes for my Wellness Water and Detox Water, which have both been vital on my wellness journey.
Movement
I started to exercise away from the treadmill because I had often punished myself on the treadmill by running at crazy speeds to make up for what I had eaten the night before. Instead, I got out into nature and walked in the park as a great start before joining pilates and yoga classes.
I started climbing mountains and even hosted a Rejuv Wellness Retreat in Saas Fee, Switzerland, helping others heal and reconnect with nature. If you look carefully, you'll see me in the photo from one of the retreats at the top of this blog.
Body Balance
My body had been through the mill, and I didn't want anyone touching me at first. Hence, I began with reflexology, and after many months I could book massages as the fascia connective tissue in my body started to heal.
Mindfulness
I changed my mindset to having an attitude of gratitude. I was thankful to be alive and well, living in London, and grateful for my health, career, new life and amazing friends. No more guilt, shame and condemnation! I decided to cheer myself on just like I would do to my best friend.
All those years ago, I read a fantastic book called ‘Biology of Belief’ by Dr Bruce Lipton. Every page was revolutionary. Dr Lipton is now one of my lecturers at the University where I’m doing my PhD in Neuroscience.
Environment
I switched to natural skincare and hygiene products and stopped filling my body with chemicals. I chose more organic whole foods and limited my coffee, sugar and alcohol to reduce my toxic load.
Sleep
I established a new bedtime routine, ensuring I was in bed at least one hour before midnight to give my body a chance to heal and detox mentally and physically. It’s a wind-down routine with a celebration journey thinking or writing down things I did well, learnt and achieved that day.
Supplementation
Supplements were my BIG stumbling block as I couldn't find plant-based bioavailable blends. I could find synthetic supplements, which was a waste of time, or I could buy around ten supplements for each of the four pathways meaning I had to take over 40 pills - every day - and I ended up with pill fatigue!
This is how Rejuv Wellness Supplements were born.
Four Pathways - One Thermo Metabolic Pack
I knew the four pathways needed support, so I created the supplements that turned into my Thermo Metabolic Reset Pack.
1. Thermo Metabolic Support Capsules use a synergistic blend of herbs to boost my metabolism and bitter herbs to help reduce my desire to overeat.
2. Liver Support Capsules use herbs to cleanse and support my liver and gallbladder, to open up my detox pathways, as they were very toxic from all the binge eating, and therefore this stopped my body's ability to burn fat
3. Blood Sugar Support Capsules to balance my blood sugar levels, reduce sugar cravings and help me feel full and satisfied, breaking the power that sugar had over me.
4. Water Flo Capsules to support my lymphatic system, help flush out all the water I was holding and eliminate the puffiness from the toxic load of binging on food and alcohol.
By taking the supplements in what is now the Thermo Metabolic Reset Pack, my body started to work again, food lost its control over me, and I could easily resist all the foods that used to call me, especially at nights when no one was watching!
These supplements, combined with the above pillars, gave me a healing road map I used to support me so I could conquer the obstacles along my wellness journey.
I later created the Green Coffee Burn Edition of the Thermo Metabolic Reset Pack. After having children, I was able to reset my metabolism each time. Still, with getting older, the Thermo Metabolic Support Capsules were getting too strong for me and reduced my appetite too much. I was also less toxic, had higher energy levels and had much less daily caffeine, so the green coffee suited me better.
A bit of a long answer as to why I started to formulate supplements, not a business decision but a desire to get well, and I’ve helped thousands of others get well as a result.
Rejuv Wellness Is Here To Help You!
Are you ready for your journey to wellness? If you need support with your Seven Pillars of Wellness, complete your free Wellness Quiz. This will give you a personal Wellness Profile that pinpoints the top three pillars you need to focus on to become the best version of yourself.
Of course, after all these years, I have developed more advanced protocols to support mental and emotional health. This is also why I'm doing my PhD in neuroscience. If you need more support, book an online consultation with me so we can create your bespoke wellness plan.
