Being Of The Month: Rebekah Brown

This month, founder of Made By Coopers, Clare hung out with women's health brand MPowder's founder, Rebekah Brown. In case you don't know, MPowder is a vibrant, award-winning menopause co-creation community that makes supplements loved by thousands of women. MPowder’s formulas contain a complex blend of wholefoods, herbs, botanicals, vitamins and minerals to support the body and mind from peri-menopause to menopause and beyond. (I actually add the perimenopause blend to my smoothies and it's delicious!)

As a brand who helps boost moods, we thought we would ask Rebekah a few questions based on mood for this month's Being Of The Month.

Read the mini-interview here:

what's your personal favourite activity to boost your mood?

So often with mood we feel that distraction is the best cure. But, for me, I've learned that it can be really valuable to:

1. Quiet the mind: Be still, recognise my emotions, and acknowledge where they're coming from as a first step.

2. Journal: Then, there is a growing body of research around the value of journaling to support our mood. I find the simple art of gratitude journaling a really powerful way to invite joy back in!

3. Connect: We talk alot about fight, flight and freeze when exploring anxiety, but there is a fourth response that we hear less about - and that is 'flock'. There is good evidence that spending time with other females is positively good for us - our hormones respond positively too! But, through the lens of mood, seeking out a friend, spending time in a community environment where you feel supported and safe, allows us to shift from 'survive' to 'thrive'.

What herb do you find to be the most effective for uplifting a low mood?

The beauty of botanicals is that, when used in their wholefood form, they deliver so many different benefits. We always work with those that have the biggest body of research behind them. For mood, my favourite has to be Aswagandha, which can support our stress response, reduce anxiety, improve sleep and dp a whole lot more! Traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine, this adaptogen reduces cortisol levels and neuronal excitability which promotes a healthy response to stress.

(If you're curious about introducing Ashwagandha, look for Ashwagandha KSM66. It's both the best researched and the most carefully formulated. You can also find it in our 5 star naturopathic capsules Mood Food.)

What is your top tip for someone suffering with their mood?

Short-term tip
So often we waste energy worrying about things we can not influence. Start by looking at what you can control and what is happening outside of you. Grab a piece of paper, Find a quiet space where no one will disturb you. Give yourself just 30 minutes...then:

- draw a circle: on the inside place the things that you can do to make an impact now to how you feel / on the outside list all the things that are impacting your mood but you can't affect.

- list what you know makes you feel better: we forget, when low mood hits, that we've been here before - and we are very likely to know what can help us too. List them all. Then commit to do just one, today - to invest that time in you - and experience the shift.

Mid term tip
Then, we can do alot to nourish our bodies and minds consistently - and this makes us more resilient to low moods. And, even if something does knock us out of balance, we'll feel a sense of agency because we're better equipped to respond. So, my mid term tip would be to really look at how you 'digest stress'. Alongside exploring the food and botanicals that can support your mood, take time to think about your gut health too. The Gut x Brain axis has the potential to really influence how we feel. If low mood is something that occurs persistently, you may benefit from introducing a gentle prebiotic to your daily routine too. Check out the research behind our latest formulation, Gut Instinct, for the herbs that may be helpful to you.

Rebekah has kindly offered a discount to our community. If you enter Coopers20 at checkout, you'll receive 20% of any first time purchase of their blends*

We love Rebekah's tips for improving mood! Let us know what you think in the comments!