Mega Babe Jessica Sepel Talking ALL Things Wellness

How cute is Jessica Sepel?

Not only is she cute, but her story is super interesting. As you can see, with struggle there is always light. The journey has shaped her career. Basically she’s a badass boss.

Her food philosophy is SO spot on. Well actually her balance, sleep, & hormone philosophies are all spot on.

OH, & you guys will love ( LOVE ) her cocktail of choice too…mint, lime, & ginger?! YES PLZ.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this interview and I’m totally inspired to get my ass to bed before 10 pm.

P.S. Jessica interviewed me on her blog. Be sure to check it out. I share my favorite foods & guilty pleasure.

| Ok, hi! Introduce yourself. |

JS: Wellll I’m Jessica Sepel – I’m a nutritionist, health author and frankly, quite obsessed with living a healthy life. I grew up in a really healthy environment – my Mum really taught me what it means to eat whole foods. We were taught balance with food and how to eat in moderation. But sadly, this all changed when I became a teenager and discovered dieting. To cut a long story short, I became a chronic fad dieter, which led to years and years of a tormented relationship with food. I had a very painful and broken relationship with my body. I basically was living off diet foods, artificial sweeteners, anything that would help me ‘control’ my weight – I was really depriving and restricting myself. Which would then lead to overeating and binge eating. Such a vicious cycle. This inspired me to study nutrition, start-up my own blog, and share my story. A few years, a lot of positive self-talk, and a published book later, here I am!

| Tell us about your health philosophy & book, The Healthy Life. |

JS: I don’t really like to subscribe to dietary labels. I believe in fueling and nourishing the body with real, whole foods. That means clean, unprocessed food – no additives, preservatives, or artificial ingredients. Health and nutrition is a lifestyle – extreme restrictions rarely work in the long-term – it just puts extra stress on your mind and body! So, I believe in eating sustainably, being flexible and listening to your body! Even if that means indulging in some good quality dark chocolate at the end of the day.

My book, The Healthy Life, is really a manifestation of all my health and food philosophies. It’s a powerful guide to help find health and healing – including all the nutritional information you need to understand what to eat for your unique body, my top hair, skin and beauty tips, a whole bunch of my favorite whole food recipes ( most of which are gluten-free, sugar-free and so tasty! ) and a step-by-step guide to help heal your relationship with food.

| How was the process of writing a book for you? Give us the good, the bad, the ugly. |

JS: The process of writing my first book was very challenging – I was essentially writing about my pains and struggles and how I was able to heal. I was expressing all I had learnt in my 5 years of study – it was a very overwhelming experience. I never imagined I would be an author so it was hard to accept that as my reality. I guess that was the bad.

The good was the response to my story – seeing how many people struggle with their relationship with food and how many young girls shared my story. It is so incredibly fulfilling to know that I may have helped these people in their journeys to self-love and appreciation.

And the ugly? Probably the feeling right after I had released the book. I put myself under so much pressure to be perfect – had many sleepless nights. I felt really vulnerable, putting myself and my story out there into the world. But it was all worth it when I started receiving such positive responses.

| You’re also a total girlboss and have your own nutrition consulting business. TELL! |

JS: Haha thanks! I only ever wanted to be a good nutritionist – since I was 12, that’s all I wanted to be. So the blog and the book were unexpected, organic outcomes that came about very quickly and surprisingly. It’s still a challenge to learn how to be a boss of a brand. My real passion is to be a nutritionist in a consulting room but I do absolutely LOVE running my own business – being able to wake up every day and live a dream job, it’s totally unreal.

| You have so much going on. How do you stay balanced? |

JS: I’m actually really good at this. I switch my phone off my 7pm every night. I don’t check my social media until after my morning routines. I sit down to nourishing meals, never eating on the go. I work hard and then ensure I have beautiful holidays to look forward to when I can take time off. I’m able to say no to people and business requests. And I have a brilliant team around me. These all help me stay focused, balanced, and on track.

| You share tons of delicious and healthy recipes on your site. What are a couple of your favorites that everyone will enjoy? |

• My Sugar Free Protein Balls are a must – always a hit on the blog!

• The JSHealth Signature Banana Bread – because who doesn’t love a fresh loaf of baked ( sugar-free/gluten-free/dairy-free ) banana bread!

• Anything with cauliflower! Seriously my favourite veggie. This divine roast cauliflower salad I made last week for the blog or my Cauliflower pizza is a classic.

| So you recently got married. CONGRATS!! AND you had a dreamy, island wedding. What were the most magical parts? Take us with you. |

JS: Thank you! So the theme of our wedding was a healthy clean wedding. Basically I invited guests to enjoy a health retreat over the weekend. There were 150 people from all around the world who came to enjoy a relaxing, indulgent, love-filled wedding weekend. Every morning, our guests woke up to green juices, yoga, a healthy breakfast featuring my recipes, and spa treatments. The absolute highlight was dancing all night until my feet were wrecked and the sun came up… and of course celebrating a very special love story with Dean!

| You have such a glow! What are some Australian beauty secrets we need to know. |

JS: I truly believe beauty comes from the inside out. I take really good care of my gut and my stress levels, make sure I have greens with every meal, and probiotic rich foods. I make sure to have LOTS of essential fatty acids ( olive oil, salmon, avocado! ), almost no hydrogenated oils, lots of antioxidants ( berries, greens, citrus fruits ) – organic and local produce when possible. Just being able to disconnect from social media and technology helps a lot too.

And my biggest one…Going to bed by 10pm and sleeping 8 hours religiously!

It works miracles for the skin. I do also take zinc, magnesium, & fish oil regularly to help skin glow.

| You’re always on the go. Share some of your fitness tricks with us. |

JS: I focus on movement throughout the day – whether it’s going for a nature walk to get fresh air or practicing yoga on my front lawn, doing a yin practice when I’m tired or seeing a personal trainer (which I do twice a week). Sometimes listening to my body and resting is what I really need – although I do yoga or a nature walk most days.

| Number one skinny tip? |

JS: Take care of your stress levels. Stress can lead to emotional eating and higher cortisol levels, which impacts thyroid function and increases your chances of gaining weight around the middle. It deregulates blood sugar levels, which can increase intense sugar cravings, disrupts melatonin and sleep function…All of which can lead to weight gain and disruption of the hormones we need to stay within a balanced and healthy weight range.

| Cocktail of choice? |

JS: I do love a glass of red wine! However, my cocktail of choice would be a good quality vodka, lime juice, ginger, mint, crushed ice and a pinch of cayenne pepper with maybe a drop or two of stevia too.

| What can we expect from you in the future? |

JS: A second book in January, a food product, and a program focusing on disordered eating. My dream is to have a talk show. Stay up to date on all my exciting programs and news by following my Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat – @jshealth on all!

+ The Skinny Confidential featured on Jessica’s site here | buy Jessica’s book.

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