true – truː/ = real; genuine; authentic:
believer – bɪˈliːvə/ = to have confidence in; to have faith in; to have a strong belief:
True Believer = a person who professes absolute belief in something
It’s no secret that we love Melissa Ambrosini here at MNB.
From being featured as our Sporty Sister of the Week in 2013, to being a regular contributor to MNB and our first Active Living Award Winner in 2016 – it should be no surprise that Melissa Ambrosini is our second Lorna Jane True Believer to be featured.
Melissa’s passion for self-love and inspiring others to embrace love over fear is nothing short of inspirational. But her life has not always been the bright and shining picture of health that it is today. Melissa was caught in a destructive cycle which saw her battle an eating disorder, panic attacks, anxiety and physical illness which landed her in hospital.
Hitting rock bottom gave Melissa a choice, she could carry on living a toxic and harmful life or, stand up, make a change and create the life she wanted for herself.
Now a published author, host of a hugely popular podcast, wellness advisor, motivational speaker and let’s be honest, the BFF we all want, Melissa is proof that everything you want to achieve begins with Believe.
This is what makes Melissa Ambrosini a Lorna Jane True Believer…
Melissa Ambrosini – True Believer
Describe yourself in 5 words:
Optimistic + Loving + Energetic + Kind + Generous
Who inspires you and why?
There are so many people that inspire me, some I know personally and other’s I’ve never met.
My husband inspires me to be the best version of myself.
My step son inspires me to show up fully everyday.
My friends inspire me to keep creating magic for the world.
I also feel inspired by great thought leaders and teachers who have blazed the trailer before me such as Louise Hay, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, Marianne Williamson, Tony Robbins, Marie Forleo and of course our beautiful Lorna Jane.
What drives you everyday to strive for your goals?
My why! When you have a strong why behind your goals, that is what drives you to get out of bed each morning and keep going.
For example, say your goal is to ‘eat healthier’, (great goal by the way), but why do you want to eat healthier? Is it because you want to feel more energy? If so, your why becomes ‘because I want to feel more energy’.
I have found that setting a goal without a why behind it is meaningless. So, I make sure that all my goals have a strong why behind them, that inspire me and put a fire cracker up my tushie!
How do you maintain self-belief through challenging times?
I repeat one of my favourite mantras, ‘this too shall pass’. One thing that we are certain of is that everything is ALWAYS changing in ALL WAYS and we can’t resist it. So when I am feeling challenged, I allow myself to fully feel it, then I remind myself that ‘this too shall pass’.
Quick fire Favourites:
Book: Open Wide The Radically Real Guide To Deep Love Rocking Relationships And Soulful Sex
Place: Noosa, on the beach, in the sunshine, with salty hair.
Food: My healthy and super delicious chocolate brownie .
Drink: My healthy green smoothie .
Tunes: Little Lover by BROADHURST.
Quote: Choose love over fear.
Sound: My husbands voice.
Instagram Account: Can I say mine wink
How do you Move?
Twice a week I do F45 training and on the other days I do yoga and go walking outside.
How do you Nourish?
I eat The Glow Kitchen way. Which is the following…
- Eat local, fresh, whole and in-season produce, preferably from your farmers’ market to support the farmers’ and not the big corporations who don’t care about your health. We vote with our dollar so make sure you are voting wisely.
- Avoid sugar, wheat, dairy, gluten, soy, caffeine, alcohol, lollies, soft drink, processed and packaged food-like substances as much as you possibly can.
- Add in loads of easy to digest cooked vegetables, some low GI fruits (like berries) and plenty of enzyme rich light salad vegetables.
- Eat the rainbow. Try to get as many coloured veggies on your plate as possible. Always aim for at least one green veggie per meal — green veggies are incredibly alkalising and nutrient dense.
- Sip plenty of room temperature filtered or spring water throughout the day. Tap water is a big no-no unless you are hooked into a natural spring.
- If you are going to have nuts, seeds and grains, make sure you soak and activate them before eating. However, in order to heal your gut, it is recommended to keep these foods to a bare minimum, until your gut is running like a well (coconut) oiled machine. (See next point if you are vegan).
- Follow the 80/20 rule — 80% of your plate should be mostly cooked vegetables and 20% protein. Switch the 20% to grain-like seeds such as quinoa, millet or amaranth if you are vegan.
- Ever wondered why some people seem to have such shiny hair and white eyes? Fermented veggies, baby! Include some of these probiotic and enzyme rich foods with each meal to enhance digestion and clean up any leftover undigested waste material, but only if you have no gut issues.
- Cook with Vitamin L. Yep, Vitamin Love! It’s the most important ingredient you can add.
- Try to eat organic whenever possible, it really makes a difference. Organic produce hasn’t been sprayed with chemicals and pesticides, and organic animal products haven’t been pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones. If you’re worried about organic food being too expensive, head to your local farmers’ markets or grow your own. Personally, I believe you can’t put a price on your health and wellbeing. Besides, eating organic will save you loads of moolah down the track on doctors and medication.
- All red meat should be grass fed, grass finished and from a trusted source, talk to your butcher and find out what they are feeding their animals.
- All poultry and pork should be free range (or pastured) and fed their natural diet, not corn.
- All fish should be wild caught, not farmed.
- Eat nose-to-tail, including the bone marrow, cartilage, organs and skin (it’s loaded with collagen which is great for your skin). Cook meat on the bone whenever possible. Muscle meat is more acidic whereas organs and marrow are more alkaline, so eating nose to tail is a more pH balanced approach.
- Drink a cup (or three!) of bone broth daily to really supercharge your way towards sexy skin and humming hormones. I cannot stress just how crucial bone broth is. If you implement just one thing from this list, make it a new love affair with bone broth!
- I also strongly believe in food combining. It makes total sense that some foods are not meant to be eaten together — for example, a steak isn’t meant to be eaten with a bowl of fruit, and grains don’t mix well with protein. The reason I got interested in food combining was because I kept noticing that after I ate certain things, I became really bloated and uncomfortable. When I started to implement food combining principles into my life, the bloating and discomfort disappeared, and I even lost weight. I also lost a lot of bloating around my face and my overall health dramatically improved. For more information you can read The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates.
How do you Believe?
I take time for myself every single day to stop and meditate. This is very important to me.
If you could share one piece of advice, what would it be?
Love yourself, fiercely and unconditionally, everyday, no matter what.
Learn more about Melissa here and shop her new book ‘Open Wide The Radically Real Guide To Deep Love, Rocking Relationships and Soulful Sex’ here xx