SELF CARE SERIES ep#1 : Wellness and BLOOMING in 2020 with Stay ActiveInspite!

We have the pleasure of knowing and meeting many people within the wellness space through elly b, and wanted to share some of the stories of these talented and inspiring women on this platform.  And what better time than now.  In 2020 we have seen it become so important to take care of yourself, and to understand more about what makes your body, mind and soul happy.  We hope you enjoy x 

Our first discussion is with another mother / daughter duo with many km's between them, who Lel met in a wonderful social media course (by country women's champion Edwina Robertson of Women Making Gravy).  Chloe and Sandra wear many hats between them, but together they form Stay ActiveInspite...here's what they had to say about their challenges, successes and of course skincare!

Where are you from, where do you live currently?

We are from South Western Queensland, on a sheep and cattle station  1.5 hrs west of Quilpie. Sandra lives there, and Chloe lives in Toowoomba. 

What do you do?

Individually we do MANY things but together we have our outback based activewear label Stay_ActiveInspite. Our brand inspires women to stay active in spite of what life throws at them e.g. life struggles, adversity, depression, isolation, lack of motivation etc.

Sandra also runs a sheep, cattle and tourism enterprise with her husband. Chloe is a therapeutic music facilitator and currently finishing Hons year in psychology with two kids swinging off her. We are busy bees! 

What do you love most about what you do?

The diversity of our days! Each day is so different. One minute we are interviewing inspiring women for the podcast, the next we working on designs for the next range of activewear, then we might be out on the bike behind a mob of cattle. We also love sharing and hearing about women in the ActiveInspite community, who are staying active despite various challenges.  It’s very inspiring! 

What do you find most challenging about what you do?

Gosh, there are lots of challenges. From a manufacturing point of view we’ve had our share of challenges and let downs. The fact that we live 1000km apart is a challenge. If you have a Lady Start-up most days are an uphill slog and sometimes imposter syndrome sets in. However, we are guided by the brand’s ethos and we continue to push towards our dream in spite of everything. 


What are your favourite types of self care and why?

Self care is VITAL. 

Chloe: Self care is also not entirely understood because it can be confused for bubble baths etc. Whilst those things are super important too (love a good bath bomb), I think we as women deserve MORE! Self care is talking care of our mental, emotional and physical needs. We give so much to others’ long-term happiness and so we must do the same for ourselves. Identifying the things in our lives that cause unhappiness and doing something about it, is self care. 

Sandra: These are some of our personal favourite self care practices: Unplugging from social media on the reg. Seeing a therapist. Setting healthy boundaries. Getting fresh air. Moving your body in a way that you LOVE. Watching the sunset with the kids. Walking the dogs in the evening. 

Do you prioritise ‘me time’?

Sandra: Yes. I get my afternoon walk every day with my dogs and spend time in my outdoor gym most days! 

Chloe: Yes. I wake up everyday at 5am just to drink tea, read and exercise before my kids wake up. 

 
What would you dream of doing if you had the time?

Sandra: Hike in mountains and terrain all over the world. Get my yoga training certificate. 

Chloe: Get my pilots licence and become a flying psychologist! Have more babies. Write a book for young/teenage women about inspiring outback/remote women doing kickarse things. 

Do you prefer your skincare routine to be simple, or do you like to experiment?

Sandra: I like to experiment definitely! Show me all of the things. 

Chloe: I am definitely a creature of habit. I keep it simple because I have such sensitive skin and once I find something I love I stay with it. 

What do you love about skincare, what do you look for?

Sandra: All things anti-aging and hydrating. Organic is important too. 

Chloe: I avoid perfume and I look for things that are animal cruelty free, Australian Made and organic. 

What are some of your favourite Australian Made brands/small businesses?

We love elly b, of course!

Also this yoga mat brand by @jarin_street_   (the original and first Aboriginal Owned Yoga mat brand)

And this natural mineral sunscreen by @thekindsunscreen (Australian Lady start-up) 

And finally, what is one of your wishes/goals/resolutions for 2021? 

Chloe: I don’t really do resolutions but I always choose a word to theme the new year. This year was Bloom and, oh girl, did I bloom! It was a big year of personal and career growth. My petals are open to the sun, baby. I am still working on my word for next year but my wish for the new year is that it is as big and beautiful as this one was. 

Sandra: My dream next year is to keep expanding both personally and professionally. We want to keep growing the Stay ActiveInspite community and keep releasing Australian made good quality, comfortable, supportive, inspiring activewear for our customers. Hopefully this virus goes away so I can see my youngest son in Switzerland and see more of my other children throughout the year. I am excited for what the new year will bring.