Hey guys,
For those of you that don’t know me that well already I've done a bit of everything to bring me to where I am now from growing up in Tipperary, Ireland living in NYC, Capetown and further it’s been a wild ride. I have a food blog called Natural Born Feeder, 3 cookbooks, a hiking community called The Hike Life & a Podcast called Bite Back.
My Background
I grew up on a farm on the foot of Slievenamon Mountain & as a child I would always say I wanted to be a “cooker”. I was big into hiking and well anything I could do outdoors. I went to college at age 17 in Dublin and from there I started to model part time.
I ended up winning Miss Universe Ireland at 19 & coming 7th at Miss Universe in Vegas representing Ireland. I guess it’s something I never imagined I would do but I got to have such a unique experience and got the chance to meet so many women from all over the world.
From there I ended up being signed to agencies in NYC, Capetown and London and spent a few years modelling & living in different places. I now live back in Dublin, out by the sea with my little rescue dog Wilko a.k.a Willay.
Body Image
It wasn’t all rosy! I struggled with my natural physique and fluctuating weight as a model. I felt the huge pressures of society and the industry to be stick thin with zero imperfections, my one role in life became “being skinny”.
My love of food and cooking took a hiatus and in my early twenties. I developed a really negative relationship with my body and food. I’m not sure was it something that would have always eventually happened or it was propelled by the industry but I really began to resent my body for not being natural equipped for the job. I am someone who has tried ever fad diet, quick fix out there.
I’ve battled with disordered eating and wasted years feeling I wasn’t good enough because of what weight I was. I eventually decided to go get help at 24 & 25, I guess I was tired off hating myself and feeling guilty over every bit of food I enjoyed and punishing my body.
It was also a pretty tough year personally, my sister Rachel had got diagnosed with CML (chronic myeloid leukemia) we’re best friends and similar in age so It made me re-look at what was important in life and how amazing our bodies really are and they are more than just for show.
I started counselling, after 2-3 years of doing courses and re visits, some relapses I finally came out the other side. I look back at how conditioned I was to find flaws with myself and how ingrained I had become in diet culture and think wow, what a waste of time and energy!
That’s where BITE BACK came from a podcast which is the voice I wish had when I was in my early twenties to help guide me through and realise that I am enough no matter what size.
Natural Born Feeder
So where does Natural Born Feeder fit in to all of this? NBF is my baby. Food has always been my biggest passion and I guess going through a turbulent relationship and cutting it out for a period only highlighted just how much I really enjoyed creating recipes.
As a kid baking was my favourite past time, my parents didn’t complain with nightly desserts, well except for the mess I would leave! Lemon soufflé was my speciality.
I started NBF in the thick of modelling when I hadn’t the best relationship with food or my body. I shared mostly “guilt free” treats and “low carb” dinners. Building a community that depended on me for recipes and food inspirations was a huge part of why I went and got help because well, I didn’t want to a hypocrite and I was creating something people really enjoyed and I wanted to fully enjoy it myself too.
My food blog has grown so much over the years and it has really always shadowed how I eat myself ,nowadays there's no “healthy” “good/bad” “guilt free” talk it’s just Tasty food!
I am mostly plant-based so my blog really champions vegetables with lots of easy desserts because I have a sweet tooth! I am on my third cookbook- can you believe it! The latest book is called No Fuss Vegan, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. Ps. Cook one of my recipes here.
The Hike Life
We live in a world that’s fast, so fast you sometimes feel lost or not you. As someone who has grown a profile and business online I understand how important it is to switch off from it and feel alive and present.
Hiking has always been my escape and I’ve been so lucky to do it from a young age and all over from Kilimanjaro, Ecuador, Dolomites, Scotland, Azores, Yosemite and the best- Ireland! I started inviting people to come hike with me through my online channels and over the past year or so it’s become a by weekly event.
Every 3-4 weeks I have a hike somewhere in Ireland where people sign up for free, we hike and raise some money for a local charity. It’s been really cool setting up events that encourage people to get out in nature, get off their phones and engage face to face.
One of the best things you can do in life is share your passion and I'm so lucky I get to dot that on lots of different platforms whether it’s someone tagging me in a recipe recreation or reaching the summit of a Hike Life.
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