Our People: Rebecca Wadey's Daily Rituals
In our busy lives, where women juggle many roles, daily rituals help keep us grounded and refreshed. Learning from others is just as important— embracing their wisdom can lead to growth and positive change. By incorporating these lessons into our routines, we can live a more fulfilling and balanced life.
Meet Rebecca Wadey, the Co-Founder and Partnerships Director of Ensemble. With a long career in fashion, media, and wellbeing, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003 at the age of 26. Rebecca has written about the experience for publications including Vogue Australia, and been an ambassador for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
Morning Ritual: What's the first thing you do in the morning to set a positive tone for the day?
Most mornings my alarm goes off at 5.25am so I can go and work out. I have to workout before I’ve had a chance to wake up and think about it; I roll out of bed and into the bathroom where I’ve carefully placed my workout gear the night before. I used to do mostly yoga and pilates and I still adore those practices, but as I move into my late 40’s I am now more focused on strength training, and functional movement to keep me agile and mobile, longer. I’m home by 7am and usually starving, I have the same breakfast every morning (except for in the dead of winter) which is basically a chocolate milkshake consisting of some or all of cashews or almonds, Brazil nuts, cacao powder, maca, ashwagandha, protein powder, collagen, reishi, MotherMade AM mushroom blend, honey, tahini, water and ice. I try to make the most of my 15 minutes of peace in the kitchen before the rest of the household takes over and the nagging begins.
Daily Inspiration: Could you share a daily practice or routine that keeps you inspired and motivated?
As someone who works full time with two teens, a dog and a husband who travels a lot, daily rituals can be hard to manage in a way that doesn’t set me up to fail. Instead I have weekend rituals. Saturday I like to do a yoga class followed by absolutely nothing, maybe some time with my jigsaw puzzle or a book, or I potter around the garden; this is my day to recharge and restore. Sunday I have rituals that set me up for the week ahead; the usual cleaning and shopping, then I bake something for the school lunches and make a jar of creamy, protein-filled salad dressing to have in the fridge for the week ahead (current faves are the Little Bird tahini dressing and Gwyneth Paltrow’s carrot, cashew and ginger), toast some seeds to put on everything I eat, that kind of thing.
Evening Ritual: How do you unwind and practice self care in the evening after a busy day?
After dinner I like to walk the dog around the block with my husband, more to chat about our day than the exercise. I also love to spend some time on my jigsaw (I always have one on the go, and a career high was definitely creating our own for Ensemble, with the awesome folk at Lettuce). After that, it’s not particularly inspiring, but I love TV. We used to watch a lot as a family and it’s an awful thing about your children growing up when they suddenly no longer want to do that. But my husband and I take our TV watching very seriously.
Favourite Product: Is there a specific product of ours that you love?
I love Kindness; mainly because I love the name and the idea of treating yourself with kindness. I think that’s something that is hard for many people, particularly women. I had a hysterectomy earlier this year and after my dressings were removed I surveyed my Embodyme Nurturing Body Oils to see which one I thought would be best rubbed on my wounds and I was very taken by the idea of Kindness.
Words of Wisdom/Words to live by: What's a piece of advice or words of wisdom that you might like to share in relation to self care or finding time for yourself?
Being diagnosed with cancer in my twenties, before having children, I bring a pretty different perspective to parenting. I will always apply my own oxygen mask first, by which I mean I have no problem prioritising my own self-care and wellbeing over that of the family as I know how important it is to do so. I like to call myself an eternal student of wellbeing, and love nothing more than trying and exploring various modalities and practices. But I am very fussy about messaging and have no time for practices or people who trade in shame and judgement. For me wellbeing is as much about fish and chips on the beach with your family as it is green juice and mindfulness. It’s about balance, and a life well lived.
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