Interview: Michele, Tonika Founder
You are the director of Tonika, can you tell us about Tonika and how it all began for you?
When my gorgeous daughter Adele graced this earth with her presence, my world was turned upside down and inside out, a few times over. I struggled with the identity shift to motherhood and had to get to know a brand-new human and, also a brand new me.
We spent years not sleeping, 3 full years of torturous nights and I was riddled with anxiety coming into the afternoon knowing what I was about to endure overnight and how I was then going to survive the next day.
Some of my relationships suffered both personally and professionally, which to this day some things I cannot change that transpired during that time.
If only I had known about Ashwagandha earlier, I would have saved myself and my body a lot of stressful days and nights in these early stages of Motherhood.
One incredible gift I got out of all of this was, well… my beautiful daughter and an opportunity to delve headfirst into a business that I could potentially help people change their days for the better, by incorporating a little bit of what I thought was game changing magic.
Adele was about 18 months old when I started taking Creamers in my coffee and the healthy fats alone changed the way the caffeine worked throughout my body. Add an Adaptogen, Lions Mane was the go-to (and still is for me) my brain fog was lifted, as well as my mood and it really kick started my day.
The fact that you can take a teaspoon of a powder that you could truly feel the difference from, and it is a natural plant from the soil we walk on, my mind was blown. All I wanted to do was read, explore, and learn more about this incredible Kingdom.
And that’s what I did and what I continue to do. This has ignited something in me that I feel is my mission, and to now continue to create products that taste delicious, incorporating these Ancient Herbs that encourage more people to want to explore and include Adaptogens into their day.
Can you tell us more about your passion for health and wellness and what inspired you?
It has always been a clear ambition of mine; “To empower, inspire and connect with people, sharing my knowledge and passion of the importance of health starting from within YOU”.
My beautiful Mum (Francesca) is Italian, which means I have grown up in a culture where food is a big part of my family and everyday life. She is an incredible woman and an incredible cook which has inspired me to follow the same path, cooking delicious and nourishing food from scratch means you always know what goes in it and into the bellies of your loved ones.
As time went on, I have continued to explore the link and the importance of choosing healthy and nutrient dense foods at all stages of our lives. This ignited a passion to create products with proven health benefits that can easy fit into everyone’s lives, no matter where you are on that journey.
After all, nutrition is the foundation for how you look, feel, act, and think. Therefore, my goal is to make wellness more accessible to everyone.
Tonika is all about the amazing ingredients! Can you tell us more about adaptogenics, functional mushrooms and tonic herbs that are found in the products?
You don’t have to ask me twice to talk about these incredible Ancient Herbs :)
As you know, we lead such busy and full lives these days and our schedules are jam packed, our holidays are too short and too far between, as we are demanding a lot from our mind and our body each day.
But there is something that can help… a group of ancient plants known as Adaptogens have been used for thousands of years, from all over the world to heal the mind, body, and spirit.
I believe that our lives are better with Adaptogens. The more I learn about fantastic world of Fungi, the less makes sense without it.
“This might sound like crazy talk, but once you start exploring Functional Foods and Adaptogens and incorporating them into your daily life, you will wonder how you ever lived without them”
More than likely, we have or know someone that have been stressed or is stressed at this very moment. Adaptogens have the unique ability to ‘adapt’ to what our body needs and bring it back into balance. When your cortisol levels are through the roof, all your other organs in the body are being compensated and supporting you so that you don’t internally combust. By lowering your cortisol levels, you are calmer, more focussed and are in a much better mood throughout the day.
I truly believe that by sharing this knowledge and my personal experience on how these ancient plants have supported my mind and body and how they have got me through the extreme modern-day stressors and massive life changes, is game changing for you and everyone around you.
You CAN be the best version of yourself and thrive rather than just survive.
How do you take time for yourself and to practice self-care?
This is a tough one, as I am sure it is for a lot of now in the modern-day life. And I have truly struggled with the ‘BALANCE’ over the year of running businesses, raising a small human as a single parent, and keeping an active lifestyle.
So, recently I added to my weekly schedule a 2-hour bracket on a specific day that I just do something for me. Whether that be a soak in the bath, reading in my favourite book in my favourite spot, a massage, or a walk (sometimes a few in that day), but this honestly shapes the week and keeps me grounded.
I now notice that I have reserves in the tank for meltdowns, deadlines, late nights, early mornings. All the things that get thrown at us; they all seem manageable with some special time added in the week with just a little bit of self-care is game-changing.
Do you have any rituals you practice daily which help you slow down and focus during a busy day?
Deep breathing – who would have thought that conscious breathing morning and night for 10 minutes could change the entire balance of your day and bring so much peace to your life. When I started doing this a few years back, I couldn’t believe the shift in my attitude and therefore transpiring into my days.
Such a simple technique that has been around for centuries and to be honest, has always been something I have thought of doing. It is getting into the routine, because sometimes that 10 minutes can be hard to find, or we sabotage finding it because this conscious work can be confronting – but completely transforming.
Gratitude Journaling – after my deep breathing in both the morning and night I write down my gratitude to start the day, a daily affirmation, and highlights of the day before bed. This helps release old beliefs or regrets you could be holding onto and puts you in the state of presence and grateful for the beautiful things around you – it is very powerful.
Yoga – Adele and I roll out our mats when we get up and do a 10-minute Yoga online sequence, either Yoga with Kassandra or Kacey Kula (you can find on YouTube). We just love it, and Adele chooses which one she wants, and we get into it. After that, together we do some mirrorwork, usually keeping it simple by saying ‘I love and accept myself, exactly as I am’. (I have caught Adele in the act doing this when I am in the other room – it is a gorgeous ritual to start life with).
This may sound like a lot but the whole routine takes us ½ an hour and is a game-changing for our family home environment, our connection and understanding of one another and ourselves.
It is just so simple, yet so precious!
What is your favourite Retreatment Botanics Product?
I love the Mask because it is a such a luxury and something that my daughter and I do together as a ritual which is really special.
And the daily use of the serum just makes me so happy – the incredible earthy smell and beautiful feel on my skin. I love serum because it visibly smooths my fine lines around my eyes and mouth…this is a product I could not live without.
