Ecocious family… I have been itching to share this interview with you! If you are health and spiritually conscious and are curious to see how being so fits within the sustainable space in particular - this one is for you! The blog space on Ecocious.com.au has been one of my favourite roles to date as I get the pleasure (and honour) of catching up and chatting with so many incredible, like minded, conscious and talented creative business leaders. I get to ask them the questions that we need to be more curious about, the opportunity to take their thoughts, passion and feelings and put it into content for you has been pretty special - I love being able to share these conversations with you. 

I want to welcome Max Osborn, he is a Holistic Lifestyle and Exercise Coach here on the Gold Coast. He practices within a holistic approach with his coaching process and is a qualified CHEK practitioner. His objective is to coach his clients to cultivate overall wellness in body, mind and spirit harmony and focuses on helping them achieve their physical, mental and spiritual goals.

He grew up on the Sunshine Coast and moved to the GC to pursue his goals in swimming whilst attending boarding school at only thirteen years old, a fundamental point in a teenagers life. He succeed with his pursuits and was professionally swimming throughout his teenage years, some milestones included representing Australia 2016-2019 and captaining the Australian Junior team in 2018.

Max has also been a disability support worker for the past 3 years and is now moving into this new chapter of coaching which he couldn’t be more passionate about.

 

Ariana: Let’s start with the basics, what does the term “sustainability” mean to you? And do you think most people are living sustainably? 

 

For me the term “Sustainability” means being conscious of my consumption; quality over quantity and purchasing with purpose out of respect for mother earth and for future generations to come. I believe in supporting local, questioning what I’m putting into my body and understanding where its coming from. Eating organically which not only contributes to my health but also the planet in soil restoration. In my opinion the convention of the world we live in these days has disconnected us from nature's intention. Mass production is affecting the planet and in return is affecting our health. Having a curated marketplace promoting ethically forward brands and businesses with a vision for a better future like Ecocious is bloody epic! I’m a firm believer in I, WE, All saying “when change has come from within the ripple causes change to emanate outward influencing upon the whole of life. All is one.”

 

Ariana: You are sharing your passion and love for living holistically - which is something I am too passionate about. Share your story with us, what changed in your mind... or what happened in your life that made you want to pursue this passion?

My past as an Athlete has gone through its own hero’s journey, leaving the sport in 2019 due to illness has had a major influence on the depth of passion I have for holistic health. Being forced to take a break from my sport really stripped away a part of my identity. This was a major growth experience for me personally and looking back now I can see how it really encouraged me to go within, through compassionately inquiring into my beliefs systems, evaluating my intentions and deciphering if they were or were no longer serving me.

 

A quote that is my driving force and encourages me to grow and evolve when I’m feeling stagnant. “You can only take someone to the extent that you’ve taken yourself.” Since I can remember I’ve always wanted to make a positive impact on people lives and I’ve come to realise that you need to be pouring from a full cup in order to do so. For me this means actively charging my own batteries by spending time in nature, surfing, reading, photography, connection, solitude plus working Out and most recently learning how to work IN. Meditation has been a welcomed change in my lifestyle over the past 2 years, bringing awareness to my thoughts, emotions and my surroundings; thus has enabled me to move with more clarity, creativity and presence throughout my day.

 

 

Ariana: I feel the same way! Couldn't agree more!! Shall we get into the real reason why people are here? Share your health secrets with us...What sustainable health products have changed your life or will change your life? perfect day on your plate?

It all starts with your water; our bodies are 73% of it so consuming pure Alkaline PH Balanced water is essential. There are over 10 billion biochemical reactions per second in the human body and all are water dependent; in other words, water is our inner circuitry and it’s also the gateway to mother earth, so connection with water is my art form of tapping into presence, this is why I use the ocean as a grounding tool.

 

I focus on restoring balance through 6 foundations principles of health:

1. Thoughts & emotions
2. Breathing mechanics
3. Hydration
4. Food
5. Sleep
6. Movement

Everyone can optimise these elements which are the keys to health and vitality whilst still being pretty sustainable (if you ask me), focus on bringing back the basics of what we do everyday that matter most. Hydrogen Health is an awesome local company, who are forward thinking in optimising water, sleep and skin care. They do this whilst educating their customers around the science of water and how to optimally harness it with their products.

 

There are over 7 billion people on earth and all of us have a different digestive system. Understanding your Primal Pattern Type (marco distribution ratio) this ratio optimizes the energy and information that you’re putting in for your individual requirements. I focus on eating seasonal organic fruits and vegetables whilst prioritising local organic meats that are grass fed and finished (not fed on grain) plus consuming lots of healthy fats for hormone regulation. There’s this saying which I live by and that’s “you are what you eat” and are also what you eat, eats... get in contact with me if you want to learn more about this ;) www.instagram.com/maxxosborn/ 

 

 

Ariana: I know that you understand "health is not just what you put into your body but also what you put into your mind," can you share with us how you think and feel and how that is aligned with living a sustainable lifestyle.

The polarity of life can get pretty overwhelming at times, training my thoughts and emotions is a version of self-care for me. Meditation has been a gateway for me... connecting within myself, I like to think of it as building an inner armour or training a muscle; the more you train it the stronger it will become. I want to be able to master my inner responses to my external environment, to become impenetrable to whatever comes my way. Connection is another core value of mine, in order for me to show up by being my authentic self for the people I love, I need to be taking care of myself first. My pursuit of self-mastery comes from being in complete acceptance within myself “you can only love someone to the degree in which you love yourself.”

 

The physical body feeds on food and the emotional body feeds on thoughts, being conscious of the intention behind your thoughts is just as important as the energy/information you’re also feeding yourself. I constantly have to check in on my intentions in situations, seeing if I’m acting or reacting from love or fear. 

 

Ariana: what do you think the world needs more of... less of? 

I could be here days but I’ll narrow it down to 3 each:

More:

• Connection - connection with nature, connection with others and connection within themselves. Our current climate is breeding fear amongst us as a collective; love unifies (heals) and fear isolates (divides). We’re losing our sense of community and this current state of disconnect is creating an undercurrent of effects.
• Sleep and prioritizing rest over being constantly busy, this has been a journey for me personally changing my beliefs around the current tribal mentality around the “no pain no gain” & Hustle 24/7 mindset.
• Solitude, introspection and time out to let your creative energy flow.... Earth is just the kindergarten for souls, don’t live someone else’s dream, live yours!

What are YOUR core values, passions and visions for the future?

 

Less:

• Mass production, this includes commercial farming, agriculture, clothing and whole lot more playing a huge role in the Climate Crisis. The importance of your decisions are impacting our future generations, this comes down to waking up to the current reality by putting your money where your mouth is and supporting local.
• Pressure on ourselves, understanding that your self-esteem is not based on how ‘productive’ you are. We live in a society where being productive constantly is glamorized. This hypercritical belief system focuses on “what you’re not” rather than “what you are”. Just think….the conscious mind is active 16 hours per day, yet the subconscious mind is constantly working.
• Lastly...less complexity, I think bringing it back to the basics and building form a solid foundation is so pivotal not only in health but in life. Remember that complexity is built from simplicity, “you can’t fire a cannon from a canoe”.