The 2 things that I am super passionate about

2021 was in a word, wild, and if I was the producer of Sesame Street I would say that 2021 was brought to you by the letters “W.T.F”. However the shining light on the year was that in addition to the strong bonds of friendships and super tight knit communities formed, one thing that is crystal clear is that robust health is our number one asset.  

The key to vibrant health is my 2 pronged formula of increasing nourishment (in all areas of your life) and reducing the toxicity (in all areas of life). This simple-in-theory directive will allow the body to heal, thrive and function optimally including a building a much coveted strong immune system which will take on more and more importance in defending and protecting us. In practical terms there are 8 key areas of your life (what I call the 8 foundations of health) that profoundly impact your health (nutrition, hydration, movement, sleep, breathe, mindset, fun/play/connection and the environment in which you spend most of your time) – each of which can be a source of nourishment or toxicity. 

While all 8 foundations of health are vitally important, the 2 pillars that I remain super passionate about, are inspiring and empower people to make healthier choices with:

1. What to eat (and how to source their food and prepare it); and 

2. The personal care products and cleaning products they use in their home environment (as your home is the ONLY environment that you can control). 

These 2 areas what I call the low hanging fruit. You’ve got to eat 2-3 times a day and most people in the western world use a selection of personal care products and cleaning products. Healthy swapping to more nourishing choices is the fastest, simplest and most profound way to increase nourishment and reduce toxicity in your body. It’s not an additional thing we need to do- we are eating anyway, and we are using shampoo, conditioner, make up, moisturiser, hand soap, shower gels, sunscreen, cleaning agents, laundry liquids, dishwashing liquids, toothpaste etc. 

1. WHAT TO EAT

The best place to start when it comes to learning and understanding what to eat, where to purchase it from and how to prepare it is my Food as Medicine digital package. This package package is the culmination of over 2 decades of my learnings, research and practical experience consolidated into a comprehensive yet concise package for you. This ultimate health and wellness package contains:

• over 5 hours of nutritional talks on the fundamentals of robust nutrition, gut health and creating a less toxic home,

• a 60 page “How To” manual that sets you up for life

• 5 online cooking classes (bone broth, slow cooks, organ meats, baked cakes and chocolate).

Co presented with Marieke Rodenstein (Australia’s leading holistic dietician and Kresser Institute functional medicine practitioner) this ultimate package provides you with all the tools, information and resources to optimise your health. 

2. HOW DO I KICK THE CHEMICALS IN MY HOME (WITHOUT THE OVERWHELM)?

Learning how to kick the carcinogenic, endocrine disruptive, allergic and neurotoxic chemicals found in conventional personal care products and cleaning products (and even, dare I say, some of the organic brands) is one of the best gifts you can give to you and your family. The toxic build up from ‘everyday chemicals’ adds additional hardship to our already heavily burdened bodies. Our bodies can detoxify but only up to a degree. We have not evolved to deal with the unprecedented level of toxicity that the modern human is subjected to. Removing the toxicity in the one environment you can control will go a LONG way to reduce your toxic exposure. 

In my conversations with people over the last 2 decades, I have found that the 4 biggest obstacles to people choosing less toxic products are:

(a) the notion that toxic free products are more costly

(b) the notion that toxic free products are not as powerful 

(c) having no idea which brands to purchase (there’s a lot of greenwashing out there!) 

(d) the preference to buy from one place instead of multiple shops, brands and websites.  

In my free Healthy Home/ Healthy Swaps/ Essential Oil workshops that I will be running each month in 2022 (starting in Feb) I will show you how you can create a toxic free home sanctuary in a positive and empowering way without the overwhelm by healthy swapping at your pace one by one to all natural, super powerful and cost effective products that are delivered straight to your door from a one stop online shop. 

These small group gatherings will be run in person (which we all love and have missed!) from my home in Waverley and also simultaneously live streamed via zoom so you can attend from the comfort of your home. 

If you prefer to watch a workshop in your home at whatever time suits you rather than be pigeoned into a scheduled time, fill out the contact card on this page for us to send you a free 50 minute workshop covering the same content.

I look forward to seeing you at one of my Healthy Home workshops in 2022!

Love Soulla xx

my top 4 gifts of health + my parting message for 2021

Dear friends,

2021 proved to be another exhilarating and intense year following on the back of 2020. 

While there continues to be much uncertainty and chaos, the silver lining is that it has shone the light on something that is profoundly important that I have been so passionate about for decades  – our health – with people placing a greater emphasis and priority on building strong immunity and resilience. And there is no more profound way of building strong immunity and resilience than by doing so naturally through diet and other lifestyle factors.

It is such an exciting time to be part of the health and wellness space because as much as mankind spends so much time, energy and resources trying to create a drug for this or a magic pill for that,  we know that the greatest tools we have to heal, to defend and protect, and to maintain vibrant health already exist in nature– they are found in the nutrient-dense whole foods that we eat, in the pure and mineralised water we drink, in potent plant medicine found in the natural world, in sunshine, in movement, in the restorative power of sleep and breath, in the strong social connections we form, in laughter and play, and in living out our truth.  2021 fuelled my fire even more to educate on the importance of focusing on these epigenetic factors as the primary determinants of health, happiness and strong immunity. 

When we attend to and invest in our health, day after day, we live life from a place of strength and love, and not from fear, as we have great confidence in our wise biology. We feel assured that whatever comes our way –emotional or physiological – we are resilient enough to deal with it. 

On the home front, some excited developments occurred in 2021:

• We celebrated Star Anise Organic Wholefoods turning 11 and its home- Broth Bar & Larder – turning 6! With so many small businesses being forced to shut down in 2021, my staff and I feel beyond eternally grateful – thanks to YOUR support- to keep our doors open.

• We have almost finished the new rebranding of our products. I hope you love the new labels as much as we do!!

• We rolled out a new product – our Immunity Boosting Cubes - which has proved hugely popular (simply add to your soups, broths or hot water for an immune boosting hit).

• We rolled out organic coffee and other hot /cold drinks with dedicated baristas working 7 days a week working with a small start of the art coffee machine to provide you with the highest quality hot/cold drinks in Australia (full suite of coffees, bulletproof, chai latte, hot chocolates, turmeric lattes etc).

• To welcome everyone back for dine-in meals on 15th Dec (yay!) we have taken the opportunity to paint the shop white – new fresh energy!

• My Young Living family burgeoned in size as my team and I continue to inspire and empower as many people on the planet to become more independent in their health care and to kick the chemicals in their home through conveniently streamlining their purchases to Young Living essential oils and oil infused personal care and cleaning products. If you haven’t attended one of my Healthy Home workshops, this free 50 minute talk is available for you to listen to in your home at any time– just fill out the contact card on that page and we will be in touch with the password and the ink to the talk and will hold your hand every step of your healthy swapping journey. If you are considering a career change in 2022 into the health and wellness space, or want a side hustle that you can do from home at your own pace by making an income as well as an impact, watch this free video. Join my team of business leaders as we mentor you in how to create financial sovereignty by doing what you love.

Give the gift of health

As we rapidly approach Xmas, I ask you to pause to consider giving the gift of health and conscious consumption this Christmas.  

Here are my top 4 gift ideas that are health promoting, inspiring, sustainable, nourishing, and embrace conscious consumption in every sense of the word.

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1. ONLINE food as medicine talk

Following my sold out Australia-wide Food as Medicine tour across 7 cities over 2 years with hundreds of participants describing the full day event as nothing short of “life changing”, all of the presentations and resources are now available to you in this premium package (valued at over $1000). 

This comprehensive package is designed to set you and your loved ones up for a vibrantly healthy life  from both a nutritional theory perspective as well as provide all of the practical tools needed to put the nutritional theory into daily application. 

Co-presented with Australia’s pre-eminent holistic dietician, Marieke Rodenstein, our collective forte is to combine the wisdom of ancestral diets with the latest developments in nutritional medicine and robust science to empower you with all of the tools, information and resources to reclaim and maintain optimal health. No crash diets or trendy fads, instead we focus on the robust dietary principles and other lifestyle choices that  have served mankind for millennia and which provide a solid foundation for a life-long sustainable lifestyle optimising longevity and vitality.

This ultimate package affords lifetime access to:

• my three hour PowerPoint presentation on the fundamentals of robust nutrition focusing on what we as a species have biologically evolved to eat with emphasis placed on the sourcing, processing and preparation of nutrient-dense traditional wholefoods and the elimination of dietary toxins (this talk essentially covers the same information provided in a one on one health coaching session valued at $450)

• a one hour PowerPoint presentation on the fundamentals of robust gut health by Marieke Rodenstein

• a one hour presentation plus a 50 minute pre-recorded video on minimising the environmental toxins in your home by healthy swapping all of your pharmaceuticals, personal care products and cleaning products with toxic free, super powerful yet cost effective versions in order to create a healthy home sanctuary

• a 60 page ‘How To’ manual that provides a summary of the nutritional presentations, practical applications of the principles, and numerous fact sheets covering various health topics including the 8 Foundations of Health

• 5 online cooking classes (each with a workshop booklet + video): bone broth, slow cooks, organ meats, gluten-free baked cakes and chocolate, each valued at $79, which equip you to master the traditional wholefood basics and make nourishing delicious meals complete with guilt free desserts

This talk is the culmination of over a decade of research, practical experience and health coaching. My intention was to make it as thoroughly comprehensive as possible, jammed packed with nutritional theory, manuals, fail safe formulas, practical tips, recipes, cooking classes, and answers to all your questions health and wellness related. 

If you are wanting to gift the online talk to a friend, simply download and save the document on your system and forward the document to them as their gift. There is no easier way to inspire a loved one onto the path of wellness than through this package.

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2. Star Anise Organic Wholefoods XMas hamper

We have available for purchase beautiful Xmas boxes to help you create a hamper containing our organic artisan wholefood products of your choice. Allow us to help you fill the box with a selection of our artisan organic wholefood products including activated nuts, raw dark chocolate, raw treats, and/or third party products such as extra virgin cold pressed olive oil, Jakemans pure maple syrup, Undivided Food Co good sauces, Red Boat (sugar free) fish sauce etc. 

The Xmas box and ribbon set are $5 or come complimentary with purchases of gifts over $100. 

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3. GIFT VOUCHERS

If you are struggling to decide what product your loved one might like best- let them choose with a Star Anise Organic Wholefoods gift voucher to the amount of your choosing. To purchase a voucher, simply contact one of our lovely staff at Broth Bar & Larder on 0421 786 009 and we will take care of the rest. 

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4. Young living Products

Purchasing a loved one a Young Living starter bundle, Young Living Ningxia Red (the world’s highest anti oxidant food source) or a selection of one or more YL essential oils or oil infused products (e.g. YL sunscreen, mineral make up, Thieves household cleaner) can be the catalyst for them to start or really deepen their journey in leading a less toxic, and more conscious life. It always starts with that first healthy swap. And more often it starts with a friend or relative inspiring us or giving us the nudge that we need.  After all, friends don’t let friends use toxic products! 

YL sell numerous starter bundles but the most popular is the 12 oil starter bundle with diffuser which retails for $267 (+ shipping) valued at twice that amount. This is the kit I recommend and what I started with because whatever issue crops up, there will be an oil in that kit to support you through it. Game changing!

The unparalleled potency and purity of the YL oils means that you can use them and weave them into every area of your life:

• as your first port of call wellness cabinet for day to day niggles so that you can reclaim power as your family’s healer and become pharmacy-free as nature intended

• as perfumes. Gifting someone a bottle of pure therapeutic-grade YL essential oil to healthy swap their conventional perfumes is the simplest and easiest way to start your friends on their low tox journey. Some of my favourite Young Living oils to use as perfumes are Jasmin, Joy, Ylang Ylang and the blends of Stress Away, Inner Child, and Present time. I guarantee that you will get stopped more in the streets when wearing YL perfumes than the conventional carcinogenic and hormone-disrupting ones !!

• to infuse your home with a beautiful energy and spirit

• to raise your vibrational frequency

• purify the air (esp if there’s mould!)

• to support and deepen sleep

• to settle and calm hard to manage kids

• to boost your physical resilience

• to manage emotions and take the edge off day to day stress

• to sharpen concentration, memory recall and mental clarity

• to swap out your conventional personal care products and cleaning products with Young Living’s comprehensive one stop shop! The Thieves household cleaner is the most economical as well as powerful cleaner on the market ($1.60/500ml!!). From the world’s highest quality natural sunscreen, mineral-based make up, a men’s range, a kids’ range, a baby’s range, a pet’s range and a supplements range, I take great solace that I never need to walk down “that” aisle of the supermarket or health food store again and that YL make a product for everyone – from young, old, male, female, athletes, animals and everyone who is alive.

If you’re already a YL member in my team: you can organise the purchase of a starter bundle for your friend by enrolling them yourself on the YL website by adding your member number as your friend’s enroller and sponsor (we can help you if you get stuck). 

If you’re not already a YL member: simply read this page on my website and fill out the contact form on that page so that we can have a chat and organise what you’d like. Please don’t purchase directly directly from YL as they will put you in some random team and you won’t have the benefit of my and my team’s vast resources, education, materials and personalised support – which is exactly what you want!!

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XMAS TRADING HOURS

Broth Bar & Larder will be closed on the public holidays only (25-28 Dec, 1 Jan, 3 Jan) otherwise open for trading every day 8am-6pm and Sundays 11am-4pm.

Last orders for our online store is 22 Dec. Any orders received after 22 Dec will be shipped out 10th Jan when our online store reopens. 

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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Thank you to my loyal customers, followers, stockists and suppliers! Thank you for your continual support, love and encouragement which I felt so poignantly this year. You are the reason why we keep our doors open and why I keep going especially during the times when I feel like throwing in the towel (and believe there were a few of those times this year!). For all your testimonials and encouraging words- I am beyond grateful..

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My parting wish…

We are indeed at the threshold of a massive paradigm shift in global consciousness. Sometimes it takes, as it did for me, a personal health crisis to be your wake up call and sometimes it takes a global health crisis. And maybe for you it’s a bit of both.  

If you choose to focus on what is not in your control right now – you’ll find plenty I’m sure. Instead redirect any fear, uncertainty and confusion by focusing on what is within your control. And that is your health and most importantly your diet and other lifestyle factors. Please appreciate how much power and influence you have over your health – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 

A caterpillar has to dissolve in order to transform. We too are being invited to shed what no longer serves us. Start shedding one at a time all of the dietary toxins.  Start shedding one by one conventional personal care products with their slew of endocrine disrupting, carcinogenic and neuro toxic ingredients. Start shedding negative thoughts about yourself first and foremost. Start shedding the view that just because something is ubiquitous or everyone is doing it or using it or applying it or eating it then surely it must be safe. 

I know change for some people can be painful, whether you’re changing your diet, or the products you bring into your house, or your beliefs. But pain and struggle are and always have been a necessary precondition for growth and evolution. 

And when you shed what no longer serves you, a clarity becomes present along with heightened intuition. 

 My parting wish is for you to…

embrace simple pleasures and conscious consumption,

embrace your higher level of heart centred consciousness,

embrace and respect the intelligence and the sanctity of our wise biology,

embrace the opportunity to be more communers (and less consumers) of  the natural world. 

Take care of yourself and your dependents and trust that everything else will take care of itself.

Lead by example and in doing so you’ll create a ripple effect. 

And the hope is that just like the caterpillar, we individually and as a collective will transform with grace and calm in the service of our greater awakening. 

I hope you enjoy this powerful short film of Charles Eisenstein’s “A Gathering of the Tribe”.

May you get some deep relaxation and play time in, and may your Xmas be delicious in every possible way!

Soulla x

PS you might like to make my home made ginger bread men recipe with your kiddies.