IRDs top Christmas picks - Part 4: Ilona Marchetta

Read - Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, by Dr Joe Dispenza

Read - Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, by Dr Joe Dispenza

I’ve had a huge focus this year on mindfulness, compassion and what makes people tick, so I was instantly drawn to this book by its title a few weeks ago and I haven’t put it down. Dr Dispenza is able to explain the mind – body connection in a way I haven’t heard before, and, most importantly, how to uncover and then short circuit subconscious beliefs and attitudes that might be ruling your life, and form new neural pathways for better outcomes. You’ll see yourself in a completely different way and might gain a new appreciation for meditation.

Music – Dope Lemon radio on Spotify

I’m a bit late to the party as Dope Lemon, (another incarnation of Angus Stone) actually came onto the scene in 2016. The sound is less pop and more folk, blues and trip-rock. My tip is to skip the albums and go straight to the artist radio for the perfect sound accompaniment to road trips and hot summer afternoons!

Go-to summer breakfast: Strawberry smoothie bowl

I’m obsessed with smoothies right now! I recently took part in a fitness challenge and had to get the bread and oats out of my morning routine (many a tear was shed), but I invented this smoothie recipe and now I’ll never go back to stodgy carbs for breakfast. Using coconut milk instead of almond milk is filling in a way that doesn’t leave you bloated. I like mine super thick so I don’t use too much liquid and use frozen berries.

  • Half a cup of coconut milk
  • Handful of frozen mixed berries
  • TBSP of peanut butter
  • Small wedge of lemon (you can leave the skin on)
  • TBSP of ground flaxseed (good if you can’t tolerate a lot of fibre, like my weak digestive system)
  • I add a tsp of slippery elm for extra digestive support

Throw in the blender for about a minute – delicious!