I do love our Primalistas! There is a magic about all Primalistas and I love every one of them! We all have different backgrounds and have different reasons for becoming a Primalista. We all share the same passion: real food, helping others to eat real food and being able to work from home to be there with our families.
Jump into the interview to find out more!
Tell us about you. About your home, about your work and your family. What does a day in your life look like?
I live in Canberra with my husband Warwick and children Alfred (5), Harvey (3) and Fern (4 months). I’m currently on maternity leave from both my Primalista business and my government job. So my days very much revolve around my children’s needs. We try to spend lots of time outside and in spare moments I’m usually cooking for my family.
How did you come across Primal Alternative and the opportunity to become a Primalista?
It was the day after Boxing Day 2017 and a post popped up in my facebook feed about a business opportunity for mums who love paleo and love to bake and I thought “that’s me!” My baby was nearly one but I wasn’t ready to return to work and this just seemed perfect. Primal Alternative completely occupied my mind from that moment on. I started chatting to Helen and joined her health coaching program, THRIVE, and very quickly realised that she is awesome and her business was going to be awesome and that I wanted in!
What appealed to you about becoming a Primalista?
Everything! I’d always wanted to do something to make it easier for others to make better food choices and, since starting a family, I really wanted the flexibility of a home business. But I also had very young children (who didn’t sleep much!) and a tendency to get paralysis by analysis so I hadn’t managed to progress any of my business ideas. Being able to walk into a tried and tested business with everything already set up for me and a stack of support was hugely appealing.
How does being a Primalista fit in to your working life? Do you want it to become a full-time job for you or do you see it as more of a hobby?
So far it has been a complement to my part time work and my family responsibilities. I love the flexibility to fit it around my most important job which is taking care of my young family. Parenting is the only full time job I see myself having in the next few years. So I see my Primal Alternative business as a side gig but not just a hobby – it’s my contribution to the household income.
How often do you bake and what is your favourite product to bake?
I’m a one day a week Primalista, though for the last few months before I started my maternity leave break my business was booming and I was doing two days. My favourite product to bake is Fat and Seedy bread because it’s quick and foolproof and also our most popular.
But I enjoy baking the whole range – each product has its own process, pace and nuances. When I was pregnant I enjoyed making lots of cookies because I could sit down while I rolled them!
How many stockists do you have, and would you like to give any of them a little shout out?
Until I went on maternity leave I had a stall at the Capital Region Farmers Market every Saturday morning and I also supplied the three Go Vita stores in Canberra. My wonderful Primalista sistas Becsta and Stacey now look after those stockists but I’m going to mention two of them all the same.
My local health food shop the Allergy Centre Go Vita Jamison was my very first stockist and Georgie has been very supportive of my business from my first nervous phone call and through the highs and lows.
And Gen at Go Vita Tuggeranong has also been so enthusiastic about the brand and has opened up some wonderful opportunities for me. I’m so grateful for their support.
What do you love about being a Primalista?
I love everything about having my own business and being my own boss. But what I love most is the connections I have made, especially with my wonderful customers and other stallholders at the farmers market and with the amazing group of women in our super supportive Primalista sistahood.
What don’t you enjoy about being a Primalista?
I don’t enjoy baking when my children are around… it’s a recipe for mistakes and mum guilt! Luckily my mother-in-law has helped with the kids one day a week (thanks Mary). With an empty house I can get in the zone, maybe stick a podcast on and just bake. It’s my me time and I love it. All that said when I have needed to bake with kids around it’s usually because I’ve had huge orders and that’s something to be happy about.
What is your most favourite Primal Alternative related memory from the last 12 months?
Oh, lots of good things have happened but my highlight was meeting Helen when she came to Canberra last year and we held a demo for potential Primalistas in my home. I knew her for 18 months before we actually met in person and she has been such an inspiration and an example to me in regards to my health, my business and life generally. So it was really exciting to finally meet her in person.
The other really special memory is when I was starting to really struggle towards the end of my pregnancy, I remember having a particularly difficult day and arriving home from work late and exhausted to find some surprise packages in my mailbox. Soon I was receiving beads and blessings from my Primalista sistas all over the country – they collectively made me a blessing way necklace. How lucky am I?
Where do you see yourself in the next 12 months?
I don’t know to be honest! Lots of change going on for me at the moment but wherever I am I hope to be baking Primal Alternative goodies for my community.
Want to become a Primalista? Apply for an Interview today!
