#MOTHERMUSE: Olivia Kaplan
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Meet Olivia Kaplan, a NSW based holistic nutritionist.
You might have seen her pop up on socials before, she is queen when it comes to making delicious sugar free treats! However her philosophy to nutrition and cooking goes much deeper than what’s on our plate.
We know you are a certified nutritionist but looking at your website and social media we can tell you are much more than a standard nutritionist, how would you sum up what you do? Have you always been passionate about health and spirituality?
It’s so hard to distill into a few sentences, but the common term would be holistic nutritionist. This simply means one takes into account all the factors that make a difference to our health, beyond just what’s on our plate, although food of course is a large focus. Holistic nutrition recognises that the human body is complex and all the systems are connected.
I like to go even a few steps beyond this, as I believe the answers to many of our nutrition and health questions lie in the power of the mind, the health of the brain and even in our spiritual health. This can be strange to get your head around, but the mind and body are inextricably connected, so we can’t look at just food in isolation. It’s equally as important to think about where the food came from, how it was grown and harvested, how you feel about that food, how you prepare it, who you eat it with and your physical state while consuming it. These are all things that may affect your health, beyond just the number of calories or minerals inside.
I have always been passionate about this from a young age! Early on, as young as ten years old, I saw how powerful the mind was, and I loved being in the kitchen creating delicious food. It took me a while to connect the two, but eventually it clicked and became so obvious.
Your #1 Philosophy is food that is as close to the earth as possible. Why is this so important to you? Has this been your philosophy from the start?
I think this simple guideline encompasses a lot of what I feel makes a food good for you. As long as you are doing this with everything you eat, it’s hard to over consume or even eat badly. If someone can do this, I’m confident they are eating a nutritious diet. So yes this has been my overarching philosophy from the start. Even before studying nutrition, eating food as close to the earth as possible felt intuitively good.
I also love this philosophy because it encompasses my cornerstone belief that eating is one of the greatest ways we can connect to nature and the earth. We are, quite literally, consuming energy and “information” straight from plants grown in the soil, or the animals that ate those plants - energy and information that then becomes us! In a scientific sense, we break down the vitamins, minerals, fibres and amino acids, and use them for our body processes that keep us alive and thriving.
What have you learnt about running your own successful business, has anything surprised you or anything you wished you knew sooner?
It requires a lot of grit and deep strength! That I know for sure. It took me some time to realise that if my motives and reasons for doing something don’t truely mean something to me, it will never work out. So it’s so important, when decision making in business, to really tune in to why you have the urge to do something in the first place. If it’s for fame or money or anything like that - these are not strong enough reasons, so when things start to get shaky, they fall apart. If you are doing something for purpose, mission or something that deeply aligns with your inner beliefs and wishes, these will be the things that can withstand the tides of business!
Working for yourself can be lonely and isolating, how do you combat this?
It can! First I make sure my personal life is filled with people and friends and a full schedule of fun things. As long as I have this, I don’t mind working alone, and in fact quite enjoy it!
I absolutely love where I live, it’s a busy beach suburb so when I step foot out the door I bump in to so many people, and go to plenty of cafes that are buzzing with people. I know some people hate this, but for me it makes me feel so alive.
Although it’s nice to have a network of other like minded business owners, I like that my personal network is quite far removed and we talk about other things - otherwise I just think about work all day and all night.
Do you have any must have rituals to help set your day up for success?
I have two young step kids, so routines don’t always fit and every morning looks different.
Something that has really helped my morning, is that I have all the apps on my phone blocked out, and they only turn on at 8am. So I have at least 2 hours in the morning where I can’t use any apps and don’t get any notifications outside of calls and texts. It’s honestly life changing!
Other than that, I like to get outside every morning. Sometimes it’s for a walk, but I’m happy even with just ten minutes on our deck with a cup of tea. This really sets me up for a grounded day.
What does a typical day of operations look like for you? and can you recommend any good apps/books/resources etc that have massively helped you along the way?
My work day starts with sitting down to read email newsletters. As crazy as it sounds, I love this part of my day! I subscribe to some really good newsletters, mostly around my work, so for me it’s like reading the newspaper in the morning. It also gets my head into the zone. I prefer not to get my information from social media, so if there is someone I think has something valuable to say, I read their emails instead. Some of them I even pay for!
It’s so hard to distill into a few sentences, but the common term would be holistic nutritionist. This simply means one takes into account all the factors that make a difference to our health, beyond just what’s on our plate, although food of course is a large focus. Holistic nutrition recognises that the human body is complex and all the systems are connected.
I like to go even a few steps beyond this, as I believe the answers to many of our nutrition and health questions lie in the power of the mind, the health of the brain and even in our spiritual health. This can be strange to get your head around, but the mind and body are inextricably connected, so we can’t look at just food in isolation. It’s equally as important to think about where the food came from, how it was grown and harvested, how you feel about that food, how you prepare it, who you eat it with and your physical state while consuming it. These are all things that may affect your health, beyond just the number of calories or minerals inside.
I have always been passionate about this from a young age! Early on, as young as ten years old, I saw how powerful the mind was, and I loved being in the kitchen creating delicious food. It took me a while to connect the two, but eventually it clicked and became so obvious.
Your #1 Philosophy is food that is as close to the earth as possible. Why is this so important to you? Has this been your philosophy from the start?
I think this simple guideline encompasses a lot of what I feel makes a food good for you. As long as you are doing this with everything you eat, it’s hard to over consume or even eat badly. If someone can do this, I’m confident they are eating a nutritious diet. So yes this has been my overarching philosophy from the start. Even before studying nutrition, eating food as close to the earth as possible felt intuitively good.
I also love this philosophy because it encompasses my cornerstone belief that eating is one of the greatest ways we can connect to nature and the earth. We are, quite literally, consuming energy and “information” straight from plants grown in the soil, or the animals that ate those plants - energy and information that then becomes us! In a scientific sense, we break down the vitamins, minerals, fibres and amino acids, and use them for our body processes that keep us alive and thriving.
What have you learnt about running your own successful business, has anything surprised you or anything you wished you knew sooner?
It requires a lot of grit and deep strength! That I know for sure. It took me some time to realise that if my motives and reasons for doing something don’t truely mean something to me, it will never work out. So it’s so important, when decision making in business, to really tune in to why you have the urge to do something in the first place. If it’s for fame or money or anything like that - these are not strong enough reasons, so when things start to get shaky, they fall apart. If you are doing something for purpose, mission or something that deeply aligns with your inner beliefs and wishes, these will be the things that can withstand the tides of business!
Working for yourself can be lonely and isolating, how do you combat this?
It can! First I make sure my personal life is filled with people and friends and a full schedule of fun things. As long as I have this, I don’t mind working alone, and in fact quite enjoy it!
I absolutely love where I live, it’s a busy beach suburb so when I step foot out the door I bump in to so many people, and go to plenty of cafes that are buzzing with people. I know some people hate this, but for me it makes me feel so alive.
Although it’s nice to have a network of other like minded business owners, I like that my personal network is quite far removed and we talk about other things - otherwise I just think about work all day and all night.
Do you have any must have rituals to help set your day up for success?
I have two young step kids, so routines don’t always fit and every morning looks different.
Something that has really helped my morning, is that I have all the apps on my phone blocked out, and they only turn on at 8am. So I have at least 2 hours in the morning where I can’t use any apps and don’t get any notifications outside of calls and texts. It’s honestly life changing!
Other than that, I like to get outside every morning. Sometimes it’s for a walk, but I’m happy even with just ten minutes on our deck with a cup of tea. This really sets me up for a grounded day.
What does a typical day of operations look like for you? and can you recommend any good apps/books/resources etc that have massively helped you along the way?
My work day starts with sitting down to read email newsletters. As crazy as it sounds, I love this part of my day! I subscribe to some really good newsletters, mostly around my work, so for me it’s like reading the newspaper in the morning. It also gets my head into the zone. I prefer not to get my information from social media, so if there is someone I think has something valuable to say, I read their emails instead. Some of them I even pay for!
Some that I love are:
Female Founder World by Jasmine Garnsworthy
Trends by The Hustle
Sophia Amoruso
Simon Owens
Dear Dilate by Jade Fox (this one is not so much about work, it’s about families and motherhood, but I love her stories)
Then I get stuck into my work day. I am hyper organised, and if I don’t have a list of what I’m doing that day I won’t get anything done. I use Notion and Asana to manage all my projects and tasks. And I have a system whereby my daily to-do list is kind of auto-generated by my weekly to-do list. I’m crazy, I know, but it’s the only way for me!
Most days I finish working at 3pm, then I go onto my personal to-do’s which are generally doing laundry! Then I might do some more work related things in the evening. These days, I find it basically impossible to separate work from personal life, especially with what I do. So as long as I feel relaxed, healthy and inspired, I know it’s a good balance.
The best advice you have ever received?
When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
Where can our #MOTHERMATES find you?
The best place to keep up with me is my email newsletter! I send out all my new recipes on a Friday morning, and every couple of weeks write a piece on the spirituality of food, and tips for healthy eating, which are generally centred around the mind.
Subscribe here: https://livkaplan.com/
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