001 – my best friend is a naturopath

white beans, magnesium, overcommitting, marshmallows and getting to bed by 9:30

I’m starting this series titled, “my best friend is a _”, because I’ve realised just how many of my friends are so ridiculously talented in wildly different fields - and honestly, it would be rude not to share. I’m truly in awe when I’m around them, always with so many questions to ask. I thought this could be a nice space to share their wisdom.

There’s so much to learn from the people around us. You don’t need a blue tick of approval to have something wise, brilliant, or unexpected to say. Sometimes the best insights come from the people sitting right beside you.

Please meet my friend, Olivia

If you ever have the pleasure of meeting Olivia, you’ll quickly categorise her as an angel sent from heaven. She’s kind, thoughtful, nurturing, and always knows exactly what to say. She’ll drop food at your door if you’re unwell and bring the best bottle of wine to dinner. When she walks, it’s like she’s floating - she’s definitely tapped into something the rest of us haven’t.

I met Olivia through our mutual friend Jaimie about five or six years ago. Funnily enough, we actually went to the same school, but never really crossed paths - we were in different year groups. Since meeting, we’ve been having regular dinner parties with a group of girls who now feel more like chosen family.

Olivia is a naturopath, nutritionist, and postpartum doula. But what she doesn’t mention so obviously in her Instagram bio is that she’s one of the most incredible cooks - I don’t say that lightly. Some of the best food I’ve ever eaten has come from her kitchen. She has a way of making white beans taste like they’ve just come off the pass at Apollo Bar in Copenhagen. Her roast chicken is somehow cooked to perfection every single time. And the way she transforms simple vegetables into unforgettable flavour memories - those tastes have stayed with me for years. She does it all with effortless grace, without a hint of fuss. At our dinners, it’s almost always Olivia and our friend Sazz behind the meal, and I swear, my mouth starts watering the moment I walk through the door.

Olivia has an incredible intuition when it comes to food and cares deeply about the ingredients she uses - their source, quality, and how they nourish the body. I’ve learned so much from our conversations about nutrition, herbs, birth, spring water, and knowing where our food comes from. She’s a wealth of knowledge, and her passion for living and eating well is infectious.

Let’s get chatting, shall we?

Olivia Towning: Naturopath, nutritionist and postpartum doula

How are you feeling today?
Quite wonderful. It’s currently winter in Sydney. One of my favourite seasons. The slower pace the season offers gives me a sense of spaciousness that I long for towards the end of the warmer months. I love the cooler days. This morning I had the chance to enjoy some eggs on toast and a cup of coffee in the quiet, before ducking to the markets to grab produce for a job. I love to bookend the day with a walk at sundown if time allows, and then cook something. Lately it’s been lots of stews and braises. I cook everyday, and love to eat both seasonally and locally. Tonight, it’s a classic beef stew. I am already looking forward to slipping into bed to finish reading ‘The Safekeep’.

What led you towards studying Naturopathy?
At 20, I found myself in the thick of persistent gut issues that conventional approaches couldn’t quite resolve. It was my mother, ever intuitive, who suggested I see a naturopath. It was transformative — not only did it improve my wellbeing, but it completely shifted the way I understood the body and its capacity to heal. I had just completed a Property Economics degree at the time, but I knew my heart wasn’t in it. So, I changed direction, and it feels like I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.

When do you feel most connected to yourself?
I feel most connected to myself when I’m moving gently through the world. Perhaps that’s doing something tactile like cooking or sculpture making (a very new hobby of mine) or walking somewhere in nature.

What do you love most about looking after women?
There is something so special about holding space for women. Women carry so much, and often silently. I believe they are often profoundly under supported and undernourished, particularly during times of transformation. I love that I can be someone who is not asking anything of them, just offering care. Quiet, unentangled support. And as a naturopath, I love when women become curious, about their bodies, their cycles, their symptoms, and their inner world.

What do you wish would be normalised?
Postpartum care for every mother. Rest. Asking for help. Saying "no" without needing to explain.

Your ins and outs for Winter?
IN’s

• Soup.

• Socks on feet to maintain warmth in the body. Cold feet brings cold blood to the pelvic bowl and digestive organs, encouraging stagnation and depletion.

• Seasonal foods. I love going to the farmers markets to eat in alignment with the seasons and support local growers.

OUT’s

• Cold foods. For they dampen digestive fire and lead to digestive ailments, weakened immunity and a cold pelvis. Instead, we want to lean on soups, stews, porridges, and herbal teas in this season.

• Burning the midnight oil. I feel this season is an invitation to slow down and rest. Staying up late goes against this rhythm, I love to focus on restoration and renewal. No scrolling past your bedtime!

• Overcommitting.

What is your approach to “being well”?
To me, it’s about small, consistent practices that tend to wellbeing over the day.

What is your wind down routine?
Lately, it’s been a bath with a candle. I love to add magnesium flakes. I’ll take my book in there too. I try not to look at my phone an hour or so before bed. I love having a chamomile tea, some magnesium glycinate and try to be in bed by 9:30 or 10 at the latest.

What are three things you think all women should be doing for their health?

• Eat consistent meals and eat enough.

• Cook most of your meals at home.

• Spend time with your nearest and dearest. Nurture those relationships.

Wishlist

• This 'Pastoral Love ' tea from Leaves and Flowers

• Hojicha from CAP Beauty

• Preserved lemons from Tart Vinegar

• Black ballet flats. I have worn my other pair into the ground and am in need of new. I have my eyes set on these.

• Activist Manuka Honey mask - An empty I need to replace

What herbal teas do you love and why?
My favourites are nettle for cleansing and minerals, chamomile to have with milk and honey before bed, roasted dandelion for that coffee flavour, and peppermint and liquorice after meals. I love to make herbal infusions, essentially just a long-brewed tea with nettle, oat straw and hibiscus. I love weaving herbal teas into my day.

Who are your favourite people to follow on instagram?
Oh gosh, I love Beata Heuman, Jaimie Fitzgerald, Clare de Boer, Amanda Chantal Bacon, Aimee France, Sundara Naturopathy, Tess Madalyn, Rudy Jude, Thank you_okay. There are many more!

You have impeccable style, who or what inspires you?
Thank you, that’s generous. For me, is less about what’s current and more about how something makes me feel. Style is almost an emotional resonance. I’m inspired by the women around me - friends, artists, women who live creatively and dress for themselves. I have always been inspired by women who dress with quiet conviction, not for spectacle but with a deep sense of self. I love classic pieces that have longevity, and my days are often spent in jeans and a simple white t shirt. I love quality over quantity, natural fabrics, and breathability. I also love heirlooms.

What are you listening to when you cook? Do you have a playlist?
It’s varied. I really love classic folk or country music so there is a lot of that, I am a very old soul! Sometimes its jazz or a playlist my friend Molly has sent me.

When are you going to write us a cookbook? (give the people what they wanttttt)
I am hoping to release a book of some kind this year!

Today's to do list:

• Drop my car to the mechanics

• Walk home

• Eat breakfast

• Sculpture class

• Matteau archive sale

• Collect platters from a dear friend for an event I’m hosting

• Initial consultation for a client wanting support with preconception work

• Follow up consultation

• Bath with a face mask

• Stretch before bed

You can find Olivia’s Instagram and website below.
Instagram
Website

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