Funfit

Cherise Pendergrast - Nutritionist

Hello! It seems like I fell into nutrition by accident, when in reality there were a lot of nudges along the path. First off, like a lot of people, I grew up eating whatever I was given or fancied with little thought about anything more than “Is it yummy?”.

Then, at age 22, I was diagnosed with Coeliac disease. This is an autoimmune condition where the body thinks gluten protein is toxic and attacks it’s own cells to try and protect itself. I was quite ill and told to stop eating gluten immediately (and for the rest of my life). Cool. ‘What’s gluten?’ I asked. I had no idea.

So, overnight I went from having zero thought about food other than taste and expense to have to learn very quickly what I could and couldn’t eat as my health depended on it. There wasn’t a heap of information and very few people understood it back then.

At the time, I was working in the health sector and started to join the dots between food that helped people to recover or stay healthy and food that didn’t. 

Fast forward a few years and one of my children developed eczema as a baby and asthma as a toddler. Not satisfied with just treating with medication, we tried to investigate some things like food triggers and it was hard work and very expensive. 

I was so frustrated that something we all do everyday (prepare and eat food) was so hard to get accurate, understandable information to make sense of health conditions and how to improve or prevent them.

That, I guess was the turning point- I wanted to train in nutrition so I could help make sure nutrition information was accurate, accessible and achievable for all. So back to uni I went and I am continuing postgrad study because I love learning and teaching about nutrition so much! 

My passion centres around those 3 A’s, helping people make great choices about feeding themselves, their family and friends to enjoy awesome healthy bodies that do what they are supposed to. 

Laurinda Howarth - Wellbeing Coach

Since surviving cancer, I’ve noticed something pretty serious.

It’s not like I wasn’t aware of it before, since I’ve always been passionate about women and wellbeing. But here’s the thing: When I got sick, it was like a truck running over me. Me, my life, and everything that mattered.

Even with all my knowledge and experience and good intentions, I realised that what mattered to me wasn’t necessarily the stuff I was putting first. 

It shouldn’t take a truck to make you prioritise what’s important in life.

Look, I get it. I’m a loving partner, mum and stepmother and working full time. I understand how hard it is to balance life’s responsibilities, and feeling like you never have time for “me” – let alone exercise, prepping nutritious food, and mindfulness. It can feel like you just can’t afford to spare the time.

But I also know you can’t afford NOT to spare the time. So I have developed several programmes to help women find happiness, fulfilment, purpose and a positive relationship with their bodies. It’s a straight-up, BS-free approach to an all-round better life. There’s a number of ways you can participate, from online learning to small groups to one-on-one sessions.