Good morning Kali. What a pleasure to have you here today. I'm very excited to hear your story. Can we, as usual, start with the big question: who is Kali?
Who is Kali? I love how simple the question is, but it makes you pause and think, who am I? (laughs) I'm a devoted mother to two little fur babies, Mila and Winston... and definitely a mummy's girl (laughs). Becoming an entrepreneur has always been one of my biggest goals, and it’s been a transformative journey. Reflecting on this reminds me of an exercise we did at the Mindful Movement event a few months ago, where we described two versions of ourselves: who we are now and who we aspire to be. At that time, my partner’s business was facing a huge hurdle, and taking that moment to look inward was so powerful. I realised that, despite everything, the two identities I described were already aligned - I am where I want to be. Even three years ago, I couldn’t have imagined saying that. It’s been a long yet incredibly rewarding journey toward becoming the person I've always aspired to be, and I live and breathe that sense of fulfilment every day. So long story short, I am a hopeless romantic, someone who is super ambitious, resilient and while I’ve faced many challenges in my life so far, they have shaped the women who I am today.
What is your background and how has it shaped you?
Wow, I’ve had quite a journey. I'm a Scorpio, so if you know your star signs, you know Scorpios are all about transformations and rebirth, rising from the ashes sort of thing (laughs). Growing up, I struggled with confidence and often looked for love in all the wrong places. My dad wasn’t around, which I didn’t know at the time, made finding the right partner difficult as I never really had a father figure. When I started dating, I kept choosing the wrong guys, the ones who’d break my heart every time. Despite all the heartache, I tried to channel my energy into my career. I have always been pretty ambitious and for a long time I used these heartaches and challenging times as my fuel to push myself further. Kind of like my version of revenge was succeeding in my career. It served me well for a long time.
It wasn’t until my mid-late 20s that I began focusing on myself, and that’s when things slowly started to change. Around the time I was separating from my ex-husband (when I was 29), I reconnected with a friend who invited me to a women’s circle she was hosting. I went along, and we did a cacao ceremony followed by a breathwork session. At the start, the facilitator mentioned it was common for people to break down and release emotions, but I spent most of the session thinking, "this isn’t working, this isn’t working".
Then, right at the end, I had a powerful vision where every man who had mistreated me flashed before my eyes. The last face I saw was my father’s, and the message that came through was, “You are worthy of love.” That was my first real awakening. It completely shifted my life and led me down a path toward becoming the woman I am today.
Wow, this is beautiful... We will definitely get back to this, but first, please tell us about your strengths.
I’d say resilience is one of my greatest strengths - I’ve had to build it over a lifetime. Nothing really surprises me anymore. I used to live by the “hope for the best, plan for the worst” mantra, but as I started embracing a happier version of myself, I realised it was time to let go of those old beliefs. For years, that mindset served me well, yet it also kept me subtly expecting the worst, which can become a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.
My partner, Sean, was instrumental in helping me shift away from that. Now, I feel like I’ve evolved to a mindset of genuinely hoping for the best, if things don’t go as planned, I take action to adjust. It’s been a liberating upgrade, allowing me to focus on what I want to create instead of what I’m preparing to avoid.
What about your weaknesses?
I still tend to overthink things. There are so many aspects of life you can’t control, and letting your mind spiral only drains your energy without adding any real value to yourself or those around you. So, while overthinking is a weakness, I’ve learned to manage it pretty well.
Another challenge for me is that I often expect others to bring the same level of dedication I do. When I commit to something, I go all in, aiming to give my absolute best - even if it’s not perfect or things don’t turn out as planned. I find satisfaction in knowing I gave it my all. But I’ve come to realise not everyone operates the same way, and it’s unfair to expect that. Adjusting these expectations is something I work on regularly, otherwise, I’d probably be a nightmare to work with! (laughs).
You faced serious mental health issues in the past, and it's very inspiring to see how much strength this gave you. Do you mind sharing this part of your journey with us?
Absolutely. It has been a journey, but I’m grateful to say that I have completely overcome depression—something that still feels surreal to admit. It’s often assumed that depression is a lifelong condition that can only be managed, but my experience, along with emerging research, suggests otherwise. Studies now highlight that depression is a metabolic condition, meaning it can be fully reversed through diet and lifestyle changes. Just a few years ago, this perspective was far less common, but awareness is steadily growing. I even came across a case study of a patient with severe schizophrenia whose condition improved dramatically through similar lifestyle interventions. So, the belief that symptoms can’t be changed and must only be managed isn’t always accurate.
When I was younger, I knew exercise could help me feel better, but I lacked the tools, motivation, and discipline to stick with it. Over the past five years, though, I’ve realised that it’s the foundational habits that make the biggest difference. Exercise is fantastic for endorphins and longevity, but in my opinion to achieve true peace and mental clarity a holistic approach is required. This was a huge revelation for me, as I‘d battled depression intensely until my late 20s, with some incredibly tough experiences along the way.
High school and university were rough but one turning point came shortly after I moved to Sydney when I was 22. I’d landed my first job in my field, and when I came home to an empty apartment, I found myself crying - not out of sadness, but from genuine happiness and pride. For the first time, I felt I was stepping into the person I wanted to be. That moment was pivotal; it gave me a new sense of worthiness and validation to keep moving forward.
Fast-forward a couple of years, and I found myself reconnecting with my ex. Despite thriving in my career, I felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness and had a fantasy picture in my head of wanting a genuine partnership with him. Unfortunately, unresolved issues from my past - particularly abandonment issues tied to my father - triggered a cycle of self-sabotage. Eventually, my marriage with my ex unravelled. We had constant conflicts, and I often felt too insecure to speak my mind. I’d bottle things up, only to let everything out in unhealthy ways. One argument escalated so intensely that I didn’t recognise myself anymore, and that became a turning point. I remember asking, “How did I get here? Who is this person?” I knew I had to confront the roots of these reactions, even if it meant revisiting difficult parts of my past.
That journey taught me I needed to reconnect with the independent version of myself. I don’t want to be a cliché, but I realised that in those moments where all I wanted was love, it was the love for myself that I had to find first. So, I asked myself, “What’s something I loved doing as a child?” I remembered how much I loved dancing, so I joined a dance group in Kingsland. That was the start of a truly healing experience. For over a year, I dedicated myself to it and felt stronger—mentally and physically.
Of course, there were still tough times, especially as I navigated the separation from my ex husband just before I turned 29. The awakening I had had at the cacao ceremony helped immensely but I still experienced low moods and even though I felt more independent and starting to understand what loving ‘me’ was, self sabotage still occasionally reared its ugly head.
When I was 29, just eight months after my separation, I was officially diagnosed with PCOS. It was a wake-up call that set me on a journey of researching health and wellness, in an effort to reverse my symptoms. Little did I know at the time, the lifestyle and dietary changes I made not only helped me manage my PCOS, but also had a profound impact on overcoming depression - a common link since both are metabolic conditions.
I focused on incorporating healthy fats like DHA and EPA, followed a low-carb diet to address my blood sugar and insulin resistance (which are both common with PCOS), and made sure to get the right balance of minerals and vitamins like sodium, magnesium, and vitamin D. A key turning point was removing alcohol from my lifestyle entirely.
Quitting alcohol completely transformed my life. It gave me the mental clarity to recognize when I was self-sabotaging, and instead of surrendering to it, I learned to resist and not let it take control. Without the drain of hangovers on weekends, I was able to redirect that energy into creating the life I had always imagined.
Ultimately, overcoming depression came down to three equally important things: doing the inner work, not shying away from childhood traumas, nourishing my body with the right nutrients, macro and micro, and removing negative influences that were holding me back. Sounds easy right (laughs).
All this inner work that you did, it requires so much awareness. Did you have people who supported you on this journey?
It was just me, people are often surprised that I managed to do it all by myself. As I mentioned earlier, I tend to overthink (laughs). Ultimately, personal growth is something that must come from within. While support from those around you is invaluable, the real work has to be done by you.
There are specific actions you can take to aid your recovery. Regular exercise is valuable, as is removing negative influences and cutting out toxic food and people who drain your energy. Your diet plays a significant role. If your body lacks the right chemistry, the neural pathways in your brain won’t function optimally. So, healing truly begins with the mind, followed by the nutrients you nourish your body with.
I can see how passionate you are about this! I know that overcoming your mental health challenges was one of the main drivers for you to start your own business. Could you tell us how this decision came to life?
I never actually wanted to become an entrepreneur. My ex-husband was very, very ambitious, and he would always encourage me to start my own business, but I just didn't think I could handle it.
Looking back now, it's interesting to see how my internal doubts and stress once made the idea of starting a business feel overwhelming. In contrast, I’m now in a place of clarity and inner peace, which transforms the challenges of entrepreneurship into a source of motivation.
At the beginning of my career, I wasn’t focused on having my own business; my priority was to invest myself fully in everything I did. This dedication paid off, allowing me to quickly rise to senior positions. For instance, just six months after moving to Sydney, I found myself managing all of New South Wales at the age of 22-23 - a role that was incredibly stressful, but that's a story for another time. My goal with wanting to start my own business was to channel this energy into something that would not only benefit me but also support my future family.
When I turned 30, I began to reflect on my career. There’s something transformative about that milestone; you're young enough to consider significant changes but a little wiser to understand your own needs and capabilities better. I realised that while I loved marketing, it wasn’t a field I wanted to stay in for the next 20+ years. From that moment, it took me at least another year to navigate my path. I decided to resign, giving six months’ notice, even though I didn’t have a clear plan in place. I just knew it was the right choice for me.
I started contracting back into marketing while figuring out my next steps. It took another 6 months of introspection to conclude that I wanted to return to university. I reflected on my journey and identified that food had been the catalyst for my biggest life changes. So now, I’m pursuing a Bachelor of Science with a major in Human Nutrition. Although I’ve gained a lot of knowledge through my own research, I was eager to understand the foundational concepts at a molecular level. Biochemistry, in particular, has become my favourite subject; it blew my mind to learn that our metabolism isn’t just something that happens somewhere in our body but is happening in every single cell of our bodies!
Learning both from my own research and university has offered me new perspectives. It reminds me that I don’t know everything and that life is a constant learning journey, which brings me a sense of peace.
Before starting university, I began writing a book to organise and categorise the information I had gathered over the years. I believe this is why so many struggle to maintain healthy habits; there’s an overwhelming amount of information available. Without the passion, drive, and time to fully comprehend it, I completely understand how it can feel daunting. For instance, many people latch onto a single diet - be it keto, vegetarian, or carnivore - without understanding the context behind their choice.
Many diets fail to work long-term because they aren’t personalised or include long term strategies. Take keto, for example. It can yield fantastic results for those with conditions like PCOS or depression, as I’ve experienced, but it may not be suitable for everyone. This is why feedback on these diets can often be contentious. My goal is to simplify things - not just for myself but for others seeking clarity in their nutritional journeys.
That’s how Mind, Body, Nourish was born. I thought, “What are some actionable habits people can adopt that will make a tangible difference to their life from day one?” There is so much fantastic information out there, so many tools and techniques but if you don’t have the foundations right, you won’t experience the full extent of there benefits. Similarly if you try and do everything at once it can be incredibly overwhelming. That’s why I like to emphasise our unique individual journey’s, start small, master one habit, and then build on it. That’s how you change your life, one habit at a time.
While I was starting university, my partner, who is an entrepreneur, and I began searching for the right business idea for me. We had so many ideas, from mineral water bottles, to red light saunas and ice bath’s - which, by the way, we still haven’t received from the supplier (laughs).
While we were considering ideas, a friend of mine asked me to create a nutrition plan because they wanted to lose weight. That got me thinking about people's motivations for weight loss. It’s hard to explain to someone that amazing things can happen if they just make a few changes - you can’t simply tell them; they have to come to that realisation on their own. People get there through their own journeys, and it’s tough to open up a conversation that they are willing to engage with because change can be tough. The challenge is presenting information in a way that makes someone think, “Oh, that’s interesting”, because that’s all it takes - just that initial spark of interest for them to start considering how it might fit into their own life.
So, I thought about the consumer and asked myself, “How can we create that moment that opens the window to discuss how they can improve their life?” In the past whenever I woke up thinking, “I need to lose weight or get healthy,” my immediate response was, “I need to go to the gym, go for a run, or do some yoga.” From a young age, we’re ingrained with the idea that to be healthy - or, more often, to be skinny - you need to be active.
That’s how I landed on launching Kean, an activewear brand. And you can see that Mind, Body, Nourish has always been my ultimate goal, but the question was always how to get people there. How do I connect the dots? Because I believe there’s a pyramid approach to becoming the “CEO of your life” (my favourite saying!), but I can’t push that idea onto people. They have to come to me willingly. Both brands have a long way to go, it’s just the beginning but I’m so excited for what’s to come!
Can you tell us more about Mind, Body, Nourish?
In the past, I would look at happy people and not understand what it was like. I think everyone wants to be happy, but I always felt like I was a little different, like I was never going to be part of that “always happy” club, if that makes sense. So what really changed in me to help me become this happy, energetic, and life-hungry person?
It all comes down to making foundational changes and building healthy habits, then layering them on top of each other. It’s not just about surface-level inner work; it’s about how you integrate that into your everyday life. We often say, “Stay positive,” which is a great first step, but many people get stuck there. They don’t go further and actually ask themselves, “What does it actually mean to live, feel, and breathe happiness? Who is that person for me?” You need to go inward, to do the inner work and visualise the life you’ve always envisioned. That’s when you will start to see real change. That’s the Mind part -your perception of the world is your entire reality.
As for the Body, fairly explanatory, movement releases endorphins, but even more importantly, it contributes to longevity. Daily movement makes you feel better, and consistently moving your body over time builds muscle and strengthens your brain as you age, which is essentially the building blocks for a longer, happier life. I want to thrive as I age, not just survive, and being active is a big part of that.
And then finally Nourish. Macronutrients help you look great physically, but it’s the micronutrients that actually make you feel great. Micronutrients play a crucial role in numerous metabolic reactions throughout the body. It’s essential to ensure that these pathways are supplied with the right molecules to complete their assigned reactions. Ultimately, it’s these small biochemical interactions that significantly impact the person you present to the world each day.
When you integrate this understanding into a holistic approach - where you engage in meaningful inner work, cultivate strength, and complement your efforts with nourishing foods - you create a comprehensive experience that fosters a truly healthy lifestyle.
So we've discussed these three pillars of well-being. What is the project itself about?
Mind Body Nourish is such a passion project because I’ve seen the profound changes it’s made in my life, and I just want that for everyone.
Honestly, I can't stress how different I feel in my life every day, and when I look at others who are stressed or struggling in their life, I think, “If only you knew it doesn't have to be that way…” (cries).
I want people to have the tools, understand the habits, maybe not at an expert level but understand why they are doing something and see the tangible difference these habits create. Also to illustrate what’s possible, I never in a million years thought that overcoming depression was even an option. But in my quest to reverse PCOS, I overcame depression as a default because I focused on my overall health and wellbeing. A lot of these conditions are connected and if you heal one, you heal them all. Our bodies are an amazing thing, capable of so much more, a superpower perhaps. And my dream is that everyone can unlock their superpower.
We've spoken a lot about well-being and mindfulness. But what are your well-being routines? What do you do on a daily basis?
I typically start my day by heading to the gym around 5:30 to 6 a.m. After my workout, I like to jump into the sauna and do a guided meditation. It’s all about layering in those helpful habits to make it more likely that I’ll stick with them. While I find meditating outside of the sauna to be more effective, this routine ensures that I meditate daily, giving me a much-needed reset. For me, it’s less about entering my day brimming with motivation and more about approaching it with grace. No matter what challenges come my way.
One of my favourite resources is a YouTube channel called Boho Beautiful. I’ve listened to her meditations countless times; they help set the tone for my day with peace, kindness, and a positive mindset. She shares beautiful mantras that have supported me during tough times, like, “What’s meant for me will not pass me by.” It’s a gentle reminder that if something isn’t happening, it’s simply not the right time.
On days when I don’t go to the gym, I try and do a 40-minute yoga session at home, followed by a 15-minute guided meditation.
Breakfast is another essential part of my morning routine. I make sure to eat within an hour of working out, which stimulates a healthy cortisol spike - especially beneficial for women. Typically, I’ll have four boiled eggs with a mince patty, avocado, and occasionally a bit of fruit. There’s a lot of science behind having a high-protein breakfast; it energises you for the day ahead. Not only does it keep you fuller for longer, but it also helps reduce cravings later on. Unlike a high-carbohydrate breakfast, which can lead to crashes at 11 a.m. or 3 p.m., a protein-rich meal sets you up for success, both hormonally and mentally.
That’s pretty much my morning routine! As for the rest of the day, I’m fortunate to have a full kitchen at work, which allows me to prepare wholesome meals for lunch. For dinner, I’m lucky that Sean usually cooks for me while I’m studying, and I typically wind down and go to bed by 8 p.m.
In an ideal world, my dream routine would involve waking up at sunrise, taking a barefoot walk around the garden to enjoy the view, doing a cold plunge, working out, hitting the sauna, protein-rich breaky and then starting my day. That’s a goal I’m determined to achieve one day!
Sounds amazing. Do you ever feel down, and how do you deal with it?
Well, obviously (laughs). There are times when I might feel disappointed, or I wish something had gone differently. But it comes back to being resilient and actually taking a moment to acknowledge your feelings and not ignore them. Otherwise, they eventually creep up on you, because they are still there. It's important to take that time to acknowledge these situations, feelings. Let yourself have that moment, then wake up the next day and get on with it.”
What do you value in people the most?
Oh, that’s a tough one because everyone is so different. But I really love it when people own their story - when they know they are the hero or heroine of their own show and not playing the victim. I admire people who are aware they’re on their own journey and are open to the idea of a better tomorrow.
If you met your younger self, what personal advice would you give?
Honestly, all I would do is give her a hug because it's not about changing the past; it's about what's ahead of you. I do think it's about the love and support around you. We're all going to make mistakes, but it means you have an opportunity to learn from them.
So, as much as I wish that I could change a few things in my past, it would not have created the woman I am today. It's all a journey. And I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, sometimes to test us to become a better human being or others to define our character. If I met my younger self, I would just give her a hug and tell her that she is loved.
Do you have some advice for yourself today?
Just keep going. Even though I've learned a lot, I know that I've still got so much to learn and so much more room to grow. There are many more roles and many more phases. You can never stop learning, never stop growing, and never stop levelling up. Being open to that is probably the big thing.
Thank you so much.
