A refreshing take on wellness in 2023 with our founder, Anna Lahey

The dawning of a new year typically inspires goal setting, resolutions and intentions to “be better”.

At a time when our personal wellbeing is front of mind, we checked in with our founder Anna Lahey for her take on health and wellness in 2023.

What does wellness mean to you?

I think the notion of wellness can be overwhelming and at times counterintuitive. To me wellness is taking the pressure off and implementing easy and realistic ways that I can live my life well every day. I’ve always found exercise to be extremely helpful for my mental clarity, so I’ll carve out some time daily to do a workout at home. I also find the short time I spend doing my skincare routine in the mornings and evenings is a moment of selfcare and doing something just for myself. This always contributes to an overall feeling of good wellbeing.

How do you define 'healthy'

Healthy to me follows the principle of everything in moderation. This mantra suits me and my lifestyle perfectly because I love chocolate, I don’t always get enough sleep, and I don’t always have time to do a full workout. But as long as I do a little bit of everything and nothing in excess, I feel healthy.

What is something you look forward to everyday?

My favourite thing in the world is putting my babies to bed and getting all the snuggles and kisses before they drift off.

How do you hit reset if you need it during the day?

I’ll go for a walk. There’s nothing like movement and fresh air to gain some perspective.

What makes you feel your best?

Any moment I get to spend with my family – my three kids, husband and two Pomeranians.

What is a ritual that brings you joy?

Slow Sunday mornings with my family. Our three kids and the dogs hop into our bed and we spend an hour huddled together. My husband brings me coffee and the kids have a marshmallow. This is our family routine every Sunday.

What is the last thing you do at night?

I have a camomile tea with a sachet of our Original Natural Marine Collagen mixed in. It’s flavourless and heat stable and the perfect addition to my evening wind-down. I listen to a meditation on Insight Timer. It slows down my mind and body and puts me in a calm headspace to drift off into a deep sleep.

What do you do if you struggle to drift off to sleep?

If meditation hasn’t worked and I’m still wide-awake, I’ll read a couple of chapters on my Kindle. I find reading mindful and distracting, and it helps to divert my mind from what’s keeping me up. If I read, I’ll eventually drift off to sleep.

What has been the hardest part of your wellness journey—and how did you overcome it?

Becoming a mother completely redefined my perspective on many things, my personal wellness included. I have three young children and a growing global brand, and I had to quickly realise that I needed to let go of any guilt I felt being absent from my family or my business. I had to learn to accept mother’s guilt and understand that balance isn’t always achievable. Something that helped me to reach this mindset was a quote I read from Quintin Bryce, the first female Governor-General of Australia: “You can have it all, but not all at the same time.”