The Booktopia Book Guru asks
Jess Ainscough
author of Make Peace With Your Plate
Ten Terrifying Questions
————————
1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?
I was born in Ipswich (don’t judge me), grew up in a tiny town called Walkerston in North QLD before moving to the Sunshine Coast when I was 10. I stayed on the Sunshine Coast through the rest of primary school, all of high school and through university. After uni I moved to Sydney to start my magazine career, but this was cut short after just three years when I was diagnosed with terminal cancer and decided to move back to the Sunshine Coast. I never plan on leaving here ever again – it’s paradise!
2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?
12 – A journalist (apart from my brief desire to be a supermodel)
18 – A journalist
30 – I’m yet to hit the 3-0. At 28 though, I’m absolutely in love with what I do. I get to write about something I’m super passionate about every single day. It never actually feels like work.
3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you do not have now?
That I needed to be trashed in order to have a fun night out.
4. What were three big events – in the family circle or on the world stage or in your reading life, for example – you can now say, had a great effect on you and influenced you in your career path?
1. My Sweet Valley High obsession. I started reading these books in year two or three, and this sparked a life-long love affair with words.
2. Work experience at Cosmopolitan magazine while I was at uni. This was my first taste of the magazine world, and I loved everything about it – from doing the coffee run while I was on work experience to later on being able to actually write for the magazines.
3. My cancer diagnosis. Before cancer, I was working at Dolly magazine. It was an amazing life, but something even better was waiting for me. So, the universe gave me a big kick up the bum to force me onto a different path – the path I am supposed to be on.
5. Considering the innumerable electronic media avenues open to you – blogs, online newspapers, TV, radio, etc – why have you chosen to write a book? aren’t they obsolete?
Definitely not! I don’t think it matters how many tech advancements we embrace, books will always have their place. Books are a much-needed escapism from the fast-paced, tech-driven lives we lead. I’ve wanted to write a book since I was eight years old and first started reading novels. Over the years I’ve formed strong relationships with so many amazing books, and I want my words to have the privilege of being embraced in that way by someone.
6. Please tell us about your latest book…
Make Peace With Your Plate is memoir and part exploration into the possibility of ditching diets and mending our torturous relationships with food. It’s about getting back to basics, eating real food, loving and accepting ourselves, and establishing a relationship with food where the love is a two-way street. We can love food that loves us back.
This book began it’s life as an e-book on my website. It sold really well and resonated with so many of my readers that I decided to pitch it to Hay House as a printed book. I entered their annual Writer’s Workshop competition and ended up winning an international publishing contract with them. This book is an extension of the original e-book, about three times as long and with a lot more depth into the topics I discuss.
7. If your work could change one thing in this world – what would it be?
To end factory farming. This disgusting system is cruel, inhumane and should be illegal.
8. Whom do you most admire and why?
Professionally, I admire Cyndi O’Meara, best-selling author of Changing Habits Changing Lives and the woman who wrote the forward to my book. Whenever I’m about to write about something I know is going to be unpopular with the mainstream I think about Cyndi and all of the resistance she’s faced as a nutritionist who challenges mainstream norm.
Personally, I admire my mum. No one compares to her kindness, compassion and fierce determination.
9. Many people set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?
I don’t have specific “goals”. I used to, but if there’s one thing my journey has taught me it’s that we shouldn’t sell ourselves short by setting firm goals. I have intentions that I want to collaborate with the universe on. I know that if I’m always coming from a place of service and showing up as my best every day, the rest will take care of itself.
I want to contribute to the wave we’re seeing when it comes to the way people treat themselves and their bodies. I want my life to continue to be an example of how to show up as your best self every day and get the most out of every moment. I want to give people hope, I want to be an inspiration, I want to give people permission to put themselves first, and I want to be such a champion for Mother Nature and her healing powers that we collectively put her back on the pedestal she was knocked off of when we decided we could do better than her.
10. What advice do you give aspiring writers?
Read obsessively. Write consistently. Let your personality ooze through your words.
Jess, thank you for playing.
Pick up a copy of Make Peace With Your Plate here
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRHlgRhWA1M#t=6]
Make Peace with Your Plate
Change Your Life, One Meal At A Time
By Jess Ainscough
In Make Peace With Your Plate, Jessica shares her journey from party-girl and cancer patient to healthy lifestyle ambassador. Diagnosed at 22 with a rare type of incurable cancer and told that her only option to prolong her life was to amputate her arm, Jess set about learning everything she could about alternative treatments. Six years on, following a complete change in lifestyle, diet and mindset, she is cancer-free and thriving.
Building on all that she has learned about health and wellness, Jess now shares her simple philosophy for stopping your battle with food, including:
- Which foods you need to maintain a healthy body and a clear mind
- How to create a healthier lifestyle, long term
- What else, apart from food, can contribute to your wellbeing
- Daily practices to keep you looking and feeling great.
Jessica’s honest and informative story gives you all you need to become a wellness warrior!
About the Author
Jess Ainscough is a writer, holistic health coach, and the creator of the health and wellness website, The Wellness Warrior. Via her e-books, daily blog posts, and videos, Jess’ goal is to empower people to take control of their health and show that the quality of our lives is directly linked to how we treat our body and mind. Her transformation from champagne-guzzling, Lean Cuisine-loving magazine writer to all-out nutrition nerd was made after she was diagnosed with a rare, “incurable” cancer back in 2008. Deciding she wasn’t having a bar of that “incurable” nonsense, Jess took responsibility for her condition and healed herself with two years of Gerson Therapy. Along the way, Jess developed a obsession with passing on all of her newly learnt wellness wisdom to anyone who was parked in front of her for long enough to listen.
Pick up a copy of Make Peace With Your Plate here
About the Contributor
Andrew Cattanach
Andrew Cattanach is a regular contributor to The Booktopia Blog. He has been shortlisted for The Age Short Story Prize and was named a finalist for the 2015 Young Bookseller of the Year Award. He enjoys reading, writing and sleeping, though finds it difficult to do them all at once.
Follow Andrew: Twitter
Comments
No comments