Chats with a self-love Queen: Body positivity, mental health and fifo life

Currently there is a large focus on self-love and body positivity in our society and in the online realm, you could even say it’s become somewhat of a movement. Women are feeling more and more confident to show off their bodies, share their health journeys and the struggles they have faced with body image. For every woman that shares a piece of that confidence, it inspires another woman to do the same. It inspires another woman to wear what they want. It inspires another woman to enjoy the beach in a two piece. It inspires another woman to go out and dance with friends or workout in a public place or take a selfie for social media where she feels beautiful and comfortable in her own skin.

Self-love Queen, Maddison, caught our attention online, through her constant flow of positive content and real talk posts. We’ve been following Mads for a while now, and have witnessed her incredible mind, body and soul health journey thanks to her transparency with her followers. It’s been a great experience to be able to chat with her about body image, mental health and her experiences as a fifo worker. We hope you enjoy this golden conversation with her as much as we did.

Hi Mads! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us today, we’ve been following your Instagram for quite awhile and have to say that when your posts pop up, it adds motivation to our day. The amount of body positive content you share is inspiring and the message you share is so valuable for women in today’s society. You’re very open about sharing your weight loss journey, fifo life and kicking your goals, which we love.

So at what point in your life did you begin to realise the importance of self-love?

I was about 25/26 when I was going through a rough time mentally and physically and I just knew there was more to life and I had to do something about it. I started listening to Brene Brown, Mellissa Ambrosini, Oprah Winfrey and many of the other great women of the centuries and before long it started to really sink in that I could feel brave and empowered and help other women do the same thing. 

It sounds like that was a pivotal time in your life. Podcasts are such a good way to change your mind set during a tough time. What are some ways that you reward yourself and demonstrate self-love after reaching a goal or completing a challenge?

Does clothes count?! A cute outfit if I reach a health goal or I’ll treat myself to a nice coffee and a beauty treatment. Having my nails done with a cute design and my hair done (so much pink) is my personal biggest form of self-love as it makes me feel amazing every day. 

Pink is definitely a personality trait of yours as we can see from social media! As a fifo worker, how important would you say your physical and mental health is to do the role that you do?

 I think mental and physical health is super important in any role in any industry. Being a long term fifo worker i have found the more I tune in to how I’m feeling mentally and physically the better I feel. I am in predominantly an office-based role but to make sure I look after my physical health I eat a balanced and healthy diet and listen to podcasts on my lunch break that I find interesting.

What are some self-care practices that you’re able to implement whilst working away from home?

 Definitely maintaining a healthy active lifestyle is my biggest self-care practice as it helps when you do long hours and with the roster that I am on it requires a lot of travel to and from site. I find listening to favourite podcasts and music, reading, using my diffuser with my essential oils and minimising my TV time when I am on site helps a lot.

I think we could all use that advice to help us through the daily stresses of life. What is the most important piece of advice you could offer other women that are on their own inner healing/health journey?

Surround yourself with positive and likeminded people, as positive breeds positive, listen to your body and as the great Brene Brown says - talk to yourself like someone you love. 

Thank you so much Maddison for chatting with us about your personal experiences and life in general. We wish you all the best on your journey and look forward to seeing more motivational, encouraging, and raw posts from you in the future. We are so blessed to have the connections that we do and want to thank you for supporting Co Gear and our goal to empower women through their workwear.

Pictured: Mads confidently rocking her Alison hi vis work cargo pants. They can be found here for pre-order (stock arriving mid-late December!)