A little less serious

Name: Shannon Rosie Barge

Age: 29

Where are you right now- tell us what you can see? Right now I am working outside (for the first time!) in the backyard of the house I bought this year. Feels like spring is in sight! It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, I’m working from my laptop whilst my partner is busy doing some DIY home improvements in the yard. Life is good!

What did you have for breakfast? This morning I had a coffee with my best friend whilst on a walk in Rose Bay. Then came home and whipped up some scrambled eggs with avocado – a brekkie staple for me!

What are you usually doing at 11pm? Deep in beauty sleep. I am a rise-and-fall-with-the-sun kind of woman. Bed at 9:30, up at 6.

What is something most people don’t know about you? I am truly terrified of jaywalking and I am always painfully early for everything.

A little more serious

Tell us a bit about your story. What defines you? I believe life is broken up into seasons, each with their own individual lesson. The seasons of my life thus far have each been so beautifully different. From growing up an expat kid moving continents every couple of years to changing and evolving my career just as often, you never know what is around the corner. I’ve always felt a deep pull to follow and explore my passions. I am loving my life and my job right now but if I woke up tomorrow with the feeling again, better know I’ll chase it. Life is too short not to chase what calls us!

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in your life? In 2018 I owned a restaurant, ROSIE’s, we served a delicious and nutritious whole-food menu, but not like you’ve seen before. The concept was a “health-food cafe” that didn’t look and feel at all like a health food cafe. We had cheese platters, cakes, roast dinners, organic wine and Conscious Cocktails. In my nutrition practice I have never believed that healthy living needs to be a life of deprivation or denial. I believe in abundance, nourishment, and true balance! So I wanted to create a venue that represented this. And we did! ROSIE’S was wonderful and our customers completely resonated with the message I aimed to deliver.  Now the hard part was having to come to terms with the blatant fact that restaurant-owner life was not for me. As someone who naturally struggles setting boundaries between work life and personal life, having a venue that was open 6 days a week for 12 hours a day it wasn’t long until I was in total burnout.  After making the hard decision to sell it took me about a year afterwards to get my health back to the place that it was before hand. I thought that since I was still eating well that I was taking care of myself without realising how much my adrenals were suffering from my day to day stress and lack of down-time. I wouldn’t change a thing though as it was this season of my life that has encouraged me recently to further study endocrinology and hormone health which is my absolute passion of the moment.

How did you overcome that challenge? I completely slowed down, gave my body some serious TLC and I hired a kick-ass life coach. There is some stigma around seeking professional help (especially in Australia in my opinion) but I believe everyone would benefit from working with a coach of some description. As a health coach myself it would be crazy if I too didn’t have a coach myself. How could I possibly preach the benefits of working with a coach if I didn’t live that myself?

What has been the biggest lesson you have learnt? That nobody knows what the hell they are doing and that is a beautiful thing! Imposter syndrome is real. I know I have always struggled with it, thinking everyone else had it “figured out” except me. But once you have the courage to start having honest and vulnerable conversations with those around you (instead of “I’m good” and “It’s fine” to everything to be polite) you realise that we are all just winging it in the best way we can. Life is messy, but it is a beautiful mess!

What would you tell your 15 year old self? Follow your gut, she knows what’s up.

What is your biggest life tip? Your life and your plate should both look and feel as colourful as the rainbow. Oh, and “this too shall pass”.

What do you think is the biggest issue facing women today? Politeness! Women are taught from such a young age to be “nice”, “polite”, “lovely”. Well, I say to hell with that. If you have an opinion – speak it! Be authentically you and love those around you for being authentically you. We don’t all have to think or believe the same things to love each other and live in harmony. Encourage women around you to live and speak their authentic truth too.

What do you think is the biggest opportunity facing women today? Momentum. Things are changing, you can feel it in the air. Momentum is a hard thing to create and we would be crazy not to make the most of it. Now is the time to speak, to act, to explore, to debate, to grow, to evolve.

Finish the sentence. This is me …I am light. I am bright. I am in flow.

You can find Shannon at @livingwithrosie