Lily Clark, General Manager Of BePure, Talks Mental Wellness
I’d name my autobiography…
Hmm, not sure. But if I wrote a book, it might be on connection and communication. We (or should I say I!) get into so many muddles in life when we speak from a place of shame, fear and ego, or are too scared of speaking our truth at the outset. This inevitably creates disconnect, confusion and hurt. I would love us support each other to feel safe to share from a place of honesty, respect and compassion and see what the positive ripple effect of this would be. Note, I am forever a life student of this!
To me success means…
Feeling in flow, balance and at peace in my life. This looks like finding space for creative expression, having social and loving connections with family and friends, spending time with nature, feeding my body with food and nutrients that fuel and heal it, and moving my body in ways that serve me. This can be so damn hard to do and I don’t know that I’ve ever had it all nailed at the same time! But if I do get some of it right, it leads to me being in a flow where I’m able to give my best to myself, my relationships, my community, the planet and my work
Best advice I’ve been given…
I’ve always felt an overwhelming desire to have purpose and do good in my work. When starting out on this journey, a wise friend said to me, “make sure you look after yourself and build your own life tool kit first. Then you’ll have so much more to give.” It took me a few years to ‘get it’ but this advice has served me, and I hope others, well.
I made my first dollar:
I was absolutely obsessed with the book and the film ‘The Secret Garden’ when I was little. I loved the magic, the mystery and the wonder of nature in it. So at the age of six I dug a track out into a little plot of bush on our farm, planted my own secret flower garden and hammered in a sign at the top of the path that had a 5c entry. I quickly changed this to entry for ‘koha’ which made much more business sense!
The most rewarding part of my job…
Knowing I’m contributing to something that’s truly changing people’s lives. Some of the feedback we get literally makes me cry joy tears. Whether it’s hearing one of our clinic clients finally had the baby they’ve been trying so hard for, or they’ve managed to regain their energy after years of fatigue, each person’s health journey is so unique and beautifully special. I believe so many of us have become accustomed to ‘living below the wellness line’, the reality is we get loaded by the stress and pressures of life. I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to get curious about their own health journey in their own way, when you can, because who knows how good you could feel?!
Life motto:
Compassion, connection and joy.
Favourite book:
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou. Never has a person’s story showed me how many challenges can be thrown your way and how you still have the capability and choice to respond to them with grace and strength and ultimately live a hugely rich life.
My goals for 2019 are…
The year is blazing by! But this year has really been about living into my truth, with as little compromise as possible. For me this is living the right balance of health, fun and work, speaking my truth and choosing what best serves me and the situation first. Although I’m most certainly no perfect pin up girl for health, I recently recovered from a chronic illness and I want to hold on to my new found health pretty fiercely. Following my truth helps me make decisions that best support this. If I get stuck about what my truth is, a few deep breaths that settles me into my ever knowing gut always sets me in the right direction.
The women who inspire me:
The list is long! The women around me inspire me in each and every moment! Firstly the women in my family. My fiercely strong but ever compassionate mother. My two hugely talented and loving sisters. My driven, supportive, life giving friends. And all of the women in my BePure whanau. I could not dream of a more inspiring group of women to work with who teach me life lessons on the daily. Oh and if I do have to name names, Brene Brown, Maya Angelou and Jacinda Ardern have both supported and inspired me endless amounts through their work.
The gender stereotype I can’t stand:
That being sensitive or expressing emotion (in both men and women) is something to be ashamed of or weak.
The main challenge for women in business is…
Recognising the power of leaning into the strength of our femininity and leading with this. Of course there are so many strengths in masculinity too, but we don’t need to let this traditional form of business dominate us. Leading from the more femine traits of kindness, compassion and love can only lead to the right outcomes for all involved, including meeting business objectives. Next time you’re in a tricky situation, test out how powerful it is to disarm with kindness.
One thing that frustrates me about women’s health is…
I believe traditionally our society has not been supportive of women exploring or supporting their health and wellness. It’s something we’ve been taught to live with in privacy. As a result of this, there is a lot of shame and stigma around women’s health, so it’s no wonder that we often feel it’s ‘just our lot’ and we’re too shy to talk about it and seek help. PMS, menstrual issues, infertility, miscarriages, mental health, weight struggles, gut issues, skin issues and burnout are just some of the things we experience, many of us behind the scenes, possibly even with shame or embarrassment.
I see huge power in women opening up to share their stories, connect with one another and support one another on our ever enduring health journeys. It’s bloody hard to do it alone. This is something we encourage at BePure and I’m personally very grateful for.
I would love to see a shift in attitude around women’s health that supports and empowers women to give themselves the permission to understand, prioritise and speak up about their health. In doing this we have so much more to give to ourselves, our families, partners, friendships, work and the world.
One thing I wish women knew when it comes to their mental wellness is;
It’s so hard to say one thing, as it’s such a holistic thing. But a big one is how intertwined our mental and physical health is. I’ve been on a long journey with both and I didn’t put two and two together for so long! My lightbulb moment with the was the work I did to heal my gut. Through testing I found my gut health was horrendous. This was causing huge inflammation in my body, I had painful face eczema, my body was aching in pain and my hormones were completely out of whack to the point I was in hospital each month. I’ve since healed my gut through my work with BePure. My hormones are balanced, my skin is healthy and, most noticeably, I believe my good gut health has helped alleviate my experiences with depression and anxiety in unfathomable ways.
I now know that if I deprive myself of my physical needs; nutrients, quality food, hydration, sleep and movement, my mental health plummets. And if I deprive myself of my mental health needs; nature, meditation, positive relationships and compassion, my physical health bottoms out. It’s constant work to keep in balance, but I’m happy to at least be aware of it now.
The change I want to see in 2019 is…
People creating more space to do what truly serves them and our world. Whether this is creating space for more meaningful connections with one another, or more space to nurture our health and bodies, nurturing our minds, nurturing our precious planet. At the moment our ‘busy-ness’ is often leading us to live a very unconscious life. We only get one, so choose wisely. Look after your health, look after each other and fill your days with all the joy giving things we’re here for.
