Our Health Journeys

When we hear people say to us, “Wow, you must be so proud of Soulistic,” we smile and think… if only they knew.

When it comes to Soulistic and the drive behind what we’ve created, it’s a long story.

Soulistic is a new product, but the history behind it dates back to when we were kids.

And it’s not like we were 12 years old with an intense passion for bone broth or cacao.

No, we were just normal kids, eating “healthy” food and still experiencing weight gain, acne, fatigue, brain fog, mood swings, and injuries that wouldn’t heal as we moved through our teens.

Just to preface, we didn’t know each other until we were 23, yet we all seem to share a similar story when it comes to our passion for health and eating real food.

Here they are:

Eliza: I grew up on a sheep farm. Animal products were at the centre every meal. The classic Aussie plate. Meat, carbs, veg. A good healthy meal. I never really thought about food. Until I was 16.

This was peak Kayla Itsines bikini body guide era. If you know, you know. I begged my parents for the program. Eventually… they gave in.

From that point on, I was locked in. Training in my bedroom. Chickpea cans as weights. Desk chair as a bench. My “bikini body” became my North Star.

And slowly… food became something I had to control. Not what I was eating, but how much.

This followed me into my 20s. Years of calorie deficits. Tracking everything, except actual nourishment. Training 6 days a week. Sometimes twice a day.

Food was something I saw as a weapon. Something that could either make me… or ruin me.

Then at 23, I came off the pill. Everything changed. Painful periods. Skin completely flared. I did what I always did, I tried to control it.The typical outside in approach.

More discipline. More restriction. But nothing was working. Then one day at the gym (shocking, I know), I bumped into a colleague. She looked different…she looked healthy!

We got chatting and she mentioned she’d just finished a parasite cleanse. That night, I bought it. Did I need a parasite cleanse? Probably not. But I’m so glad I did anyway.

Even though I didn’t pass any parasites, for the first time, I was learning what real nourishment actually looked like. Everything I believed flipped. Food wasn’t the enemy. It was the answer.

I started cooking properly. Shopping at farmers markets. Drinking bone broth for breakfast. Simple. Real food. And my body responded.

My skin cleared. My periods became pain-free. But more than that, for the first time in my life, I felt like my body was on my team. Not something I had to fight.

For me, I want Soulistic to be that reminder for you. That food is medicine, and it’s something to be enjoyed, not controlled.

Jesse:

I grew up here on the Sunshine Coast, and my life revolved around sport. Rugby, athletics, swimming. I tried it all. Yet no matter how many times I trained per week, I never felt fit. I got sick more often than not and wondered why I could never get in shape (I really wanted to be shredded).

Growing up, my diet looked a lot like most kids' packed lunches full of chips, biscuits, processed meats, and fruit rolls. Ultra-processed food was just the norm, and I didn't think twice about it.

Towards the end of my school years, I needed two major knee operations within 18 months of each other. Both on my meniscus. It took me away from what I loved most. Playing sport. In hindsight, I always wonder: if I'd taken care of my body nutritionally the way I do today, would those injuries have happened? Would I have gotten sick less? Would I have been fitter? My second surgery brought me to a dark place. Overthinking took over. I remember lying in bed, crying at the thought that I'd likely need a knee replacement by 40. That I wouldn't be able to be active with my kids.

But something shifted after that second operation. My knee would flare up after activities, but what really struck a chord was noticing it ache after eating something sugary. A gelato, for example. A feeling I'd never experienced before. That was the start of my awakening. Like, what have I actually been putting in my body all these years?

Eliza and I switched to a whole food diet and never looked back. We started reading ingredient lists religiously and made nutrition our number one priority. Eight years later, at 27, I've never felt better. Physically, mentally, or emotionally. My knee doesn't ache. I have more energy than my teenage self. And my relationship with food has never been healthier.

What you put in your body matters 100x more than how much you move it. That's something I wish someone had told me ten years ago.

And that's why Soulistic exists. To bring the good stuff to people who are finally ready to listen to their body.

Maya:

My story began when I did my yoga teacher training at the ripe age of 15. I had always been a “healthy” kid, mainly eating home-cooked meals. But the new world I was exposed to during my yoga studies led me down the vegetarian and vegan path for nearly 10 years.

I wasn’t a healthy vegan. I was the packet of chips and a hummus dip full of seed oils for dinner kind. Back then, I believed I was the healthiest of all the people I knew.

But I would nap for two hours a day. My moods were unpredictable. My energy was constantly low.

Then, when I came off the contraceptive pill, I gained 10kg in five months, acne covered my face, and I was lucky to go to the bathroom every second day.

I battled this for years. It seems I had tried everything except eating truly nourishing meals made with real food and not pretend meat.

One day, a colleague told me I should try a supplement containing beef liver. She said it made her feel amazing.

Skeptical, and honestly a little grossed out because ew, beef liver, I gave it a go.

My story after that wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies because yes, I felt so much better, but it challenged everything I believed in.

I hadn’t consumed animal products in years. This couldn’t be the thing that actually worked.

But you can’t argue with the facts. Over the next year, I slowly changed my diet. Whole foods, real ingredients, organic grass fed meat, bone broth, and organic fruit and vege. I felt renewed.

So for me, Soulistic represents that shining light into a new world of health and vitality.

It tastes delicious, but it’s also good for you.

And through all my health struggles, I wish someone had put that beef liver supplement in front of me sooner.

So now I’m here, with a similar concept, but the same mission.

To challenge what we think “healthy” looks like, and bring people back to what actually works.