127: Glow from the inside out, ft. Shahnaz Cola-Wrensch

Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Cani Crystals the podcast. I hope that everyone listening is well. This week I am joined by a guest She is a mother, an award-winning business owner. She is a huge advocate for mental well-being. She's a podcaster, and she helps to infuse spiritual wellness into everything she does. So please welcome Shanaz Kaulavrench to the show. Hi, Shanaz, how are you?

I'm very well, thank you for having me. Very excited to be here.

You're very welcome, Shanaz. I'm very excited to have you as well and have this conversation. So just for anyone else listening, would you mind just, you know, introducing yourself? Tell us a bit about your spiritual journey and how you are where you are today.

Okay, so in COVID, as I think most people just had, like, with me, I had kind of a physical— I feel like a physical breakdown. I think all the years of any trauma, anything that happened in my life previously, all just exploded. Um, and I stopped sleeping. I started having these panic attacks, and in that I decided to launch LumiGlow. I don't know, I must have been mental. Um, but I had launched— I think I'd launched LumiGlow. It'd been going for a few months, and I was part of this marketing consultant, Ailish Lucas, and she had these live calls. And Vicky from The Manifestation Collective was on the call, and I was thinking, should I do the call? Should I not do the call? I thought, I'm going to go on, on the call. And I was like 'Oh, what is this? What's manifesting?' Or the vision boards, all the stuff. Like, I mean, I'd meditated maybe a very long time ago, but I hadn't really realized that, 'Oh, this really resonated with me and I need to do this.' So I then got COVID 2 days later. I've never been so ill in my life. I had long COVID for 2 months. But I was sitting in my room in isolation creating vision boards, listening to Vicki, thinking, 'Oh my God, there's this whole world outside and there's this way that I can maybe change my life,' because I was living in I was a makeup artist before. I've done lots of stuff. I never really, like, felt connected with what I was doing. I felt really unhappy. Beautiful family, amazing husband, great children. But me personally, I just felt a bit stuck, a bit— not dead inside, but just like, I just didn't feel me or aligned or connected. And I felt like there's more to life than this. And finding this spirituality and all that comes with it, it's totally changed my life. Um, and then my mum gifted me a one-on-one with Vicki. So I did the Soulful Coaching with her, and then that started incorporating— listen, I'd never listened to podcasts in my life. I thought podcasts were for idiots. I was like— and then I started listening. That's how I discovered you. That's how I discovered then Juke. So I was like, oh, oh, oh. So I was taking in all the podcasts, all the stuff, all the spiritual— I found Fran as well— and totally immersed myself in it. And it has saved me. I don't think with all the stuff that I've gone through, all the stress I've gone through, I don't think I could have done it without this community and being spiritual. I'm not religious in any way, but that there is this energy, there's this higher power, there's all these people connected together, um, and I can improve my life. And I've, you know, this— the way I am now, the stuff that's going on my life now, I've had a lot of— I've had a very stressful year, but I'm being able to manage it because I have this amazing spiritual practice and all these incredible people in my life. So yeah.

I find it absolutely fascinating that, you know, a lot of people had their spiritual awakenings during COVID because obviously it was kind of similar to mine. Obviously my granddad passed in 2019, but it wasn't until the pandemic set in in 2020 when I kind of like took that step back and thought, do I just want to do this for the rest of my days and just work a 9 to 5? Surely there's got to be more out there. And just like yourself, you get into this kind of a rabbit hole, don't you, of information. And I love that you started off with Vicki as well. Obviously Vicki's been a podcast guest on the show before. She's fantastic.

She's the most beautiful soul. I absolutely adore her. And I got to actually physically meet her last year because we've done all these calls and I'm part of her group. And then we met. No, she's amazing. And through that, Jude, and you know, all these incredible people I would never have found. And it was that, that just, shall I go on that live call? And it's changed my life. Like, I can't to say how grateful I am that I have had this experience and I'm part of all these amazing people. And now I can share it with other people, that I can give them what I've learned through my podcast, through just interacting with every day the people that are around me, to help them improve their lives and feel better, you know, and give them the confidence. I think for me, ultimately, I had so many limiting beliefs. They were like— I was drowning in them. And even when I launched Lumiglow, I was like 'Oh my God, I'm never— this is never going to happen.' Oh no, you know, the whole time. And I've kind of working through it bit by bit by bit. Um, and your group also is amazing. Every week it gets me the chance to really like focus on the different things, and it always kind of comes at the right time. So I've really— I really enjoyed that. I think being part of a community where you can do that with like-minded people is so amazing.

It is. And I do think that community kind of gives you that accountability as well, doesn't it? And it keeps you going, it keeps that momentum up. Because I I think spirituality can be quite lonely, can't it? And especially like, you know, you're so far disconnected from everyone because you're in South Africa as well, and a lot of my community are in the UK, for example. So how, how is that? Obviously that must help you as well with your own spiritual growth by being able to connect with people digitally as well.

Yeah, it's made a huge difference, but I'm kind of converting people here slowly, slowly. I'm like, you got to be doing this. So I've started like my glow workshops Yes. Um, and in that I'm teaching women— no men have actually joined yet— but teaching women how to take care of themselves and kind of the things that I do and kind of incorporate into my life to just help them make themselves feel better. So that has been really nice for me to do that. Um, but yeah, everything for me is literally online, so all the groups I'm part of are in the UK. Yeah. Um, and but it's okay. I mean, but my lots of my close friends are overseas as well, so I kind of just manage it. And it's a lot of my friends that I've got, a few of my friends to come to yours and Fran's night, and they were like, come on. And they were like, you know, because I didn't realize so many people actually from who I might have been friends with 10 years ago reconnect with a friend. She's like, oh my God, we're on the same path, and I love it. Really into all that, you know, the manifesting and all the things and just wanting a better life and being spiritual and meditating and all that. I feel like everyone's kind of you know, going that way. And online, that's another thing I think with the pandemic, it forced us to then now be online. And it's changed my life because I've— I can now communicate with people all the time, so I don't have to be alone. I can always be part of something. And I think if someone is feeling really very alone, join a community. That's why I say like be part of something, because you can share stuff. Like with Fran's group, you can share anything and no one's ever going to judge you. If you can't talk to your mates you know, then you can share with these communities. And it's incredible. I think it's so amazing, and it's going to change so many people's lives.

Yeah, I totally agree. And just going back to what you touched on there with mine and Fran's one night stand as well, obviously you attended. You actually came up on stage because you had come and traveled from the furthest place around the globe. So you'd obviously come from South Africa, and we were like, oh my God, someone has actually come all the way from that side of the world to come and see us. And that just felt— it felt phenomenal to think that, you know, we're reaching these people. And like you say, it's because of the pandemic that things have been forced online. But it's so weird, even when I look at my podcast stats on a week, like sometimes someone will be listening to me in the Caribbean and I'm thinking, how we get your shorts and t-shirt on and go and sunbathe while you're listening to me, you know what I mean? It's just a bit— it's, it's, it's very surreal, I think. But it is nice that we're all interconnected through spirituality. And I love that.

I think with you though, you're very— you make it, you break it down, you just kind of simplify it. You listen to a lot of people and they're like, you know, and you just keep it— it's, you know, it's understandable. People can understand it and they can relate to it. I think that's why you've got people in the Caribbean listening to you.

Oh, thank you. Do you know what it is? Like, I always look at— I look at information and I think, is this too complicated or is this overcomplicating things? Because there are some books that I'll read and I'll think how can I put this in layman's terms? And I think that's why people kind of connect with me, because I just kind of simplify it as much as I possibly can, because I'm not the brainiest person. People keep on thinking, oh, he's an amazing businessman and stuff like that, but in actual fact, I'm, I'm not. I'm quite unintelligent, and sometimes I'll have to break something down time and time again. So I always think, well, if there's someone out there that's a bit similar to me that can't really take in that high context, then I'm going to break it down and help them as well. So I want to know as well, Shannaz, so we talked about LumiGlow there briefly. How did that come about? Like, what was your inspiration behind the brand?

Okay, so I— so when I got pregnant with my daughter, um, I was doing an awful job. I was in commercial property for about 5 minutes. I'm like, I'm gonna die, I can't do this, this is awful. I can't be pregnant feeling miserable, right? I want my child to be born happy. And in that, I, I met a makeup artist and a stylist, and I thought, oh, I like this. So, you know, doing makeup, got to shoot with magazines like Elle and Marie Claire and Cosmo and, and all that kind of stuff. But it's there where I fell in love with skin. I also trained in England, I think, I think it was a Gemma Kidd makeup school or one of those Kidd sisters, and I did like a one-on-one. I was like, I really want to learn skin, I want that beautiful kind of catwalk skin that I can then emulate it and work. And that's how I got my work, and I could see I could transform somebody somebody with stressed-out skin, somebody that's been on a plane, you know, because lots of models would come from all over the world and they'd get in my chair and I can make them feel beautiful. And then it would translate in the camera, they feel good. I could nurture them, look after them, was a, you know, mummy, take care of them. But being a makeup artist actually made me feel very anxious because people would nitpick everything. You'd have to do hair as well. So that, I was like, I kind of lost the joy in it where everything is, you know, being looked at and I just wanted to be fun. Um, always wanted to launch my own skincare brand. I was also— I won Best Beauty Blogger in 2013. I don't know how I did that with the magazine here. I look back at it, I think my blog was so shit, but I was, I was, I was sharing stuff that I was learning on set and just giving— it was for friends really, tips and tricks. And then I won, and that allowed me— opened me up to all the brands like Chanel and all those kind of people were sending me products. Um, I was in like a Dermalogica— they had this like artist program, so I got to play with so many ingredients. I had really sensitive skin as well, and a lot— some of the stuff wouldn't agree with me, some would. And I learned a lot about the ingredients and that kind of stuff, what works. And I wanted— so I wanted to launch, and then again, pandemic kind of kicked in, and it was like, oh my God, I need to change my life. Yeah, I cannot live like this. I'm not enjoying what I'm doing. I am not sleeping. I'm really just— I feel unhappy inside. And it doesn't matter how amazing my family is, I'm not finding the joy. And one night my friend was like, you have got to do it. I've got this amazing manufacturer. You've just got to do it. So I was like, okay, all right, let's get the logo. Let's do that. Let's get the packaging. And I launched with one product and a month before I was about to launch, I was like, shit, I've got to do a website. Oh my God. Like, because I'm in burnout at the moment. I don't even realize. So I was kind of living in like white-knuckling life, trying to like do this, knowing I had to do it. Because if I didn't do it, then I would never— I would just wouldn't have done it. It was like, feel the fear and just do it.

Just go.

I have no plan in place. I don't know what I'm doing. I did a marketing degree a million years ago, you know, because I'm now going to be 48. So that was like the dark ages. Now we're on social media, everything's completely different. But I did it and I was like, let's just do this. And then it's kind of snowballed from there. That first kind of year, 2 years, I didn't really know what I was doing. Now, because of my mental health and taking care of myself, I've— it's opened me up. And having Jude last year as my mindset coach was incredible. So she's helped me put systems in place and just become more organized. And then working in all my stuff and being more intentional with my spirituality, you know, it's helped me. Um, you know, won some awards, so which is great. Won 2 Women in Home Holy Grail Awards and won a Glamour Award for my beautiful moisturizer, which you love. But it's been blood, sweat, and tears. It's hard, you know. And launching in England, it's still— it's very difficult. I'm, I'm like swimming in a very massive ocean. So that's something I need to tackle, but I just keep persevering. I love what I do. I love helping people. I want everyone to glow. I want people to glow from the inside out, outside in, and through the skincare and bringing out skincare that's healing my skin, basically, because I get eczema, I've got pigmentation, and I've seen now that my skin is really getting healed with the products that I'm launching. So really, it's all about me, and if I can heal me, heal everybody else, because it's like you know, I had this stressed out skin, and so I want to be able to then give the love through that to other people.

So something that you said there really struck a chord with me, and it was, you know, you felt the fear but you did it anyway. And I love that motto because it's almost like, you know, you've got to step out of that comfort zone. And it's something that people always say to me, like, I'm not growing or I'm not developing myself. And I'm like, but you've got to take that first step, step out of your comfort zone. And then I think the growth, it kind of hits you exponentially, doesn't it? And it just kind of snowballs and takes away. Um, I know we spoke briefly about this just before we came on this call, but it's something that I want to know because obviously being an entrepreneur is very, very demanding. And I know your workload is just as hectic as mine is. So how do you balance that? And how do you balance your mental health, you know, with your personal life with your self-care routine? How does that all kind of integrate and fit in with each other?

So I wake up at 5 o'clock every morning. I am part of the 5 AM club. You have to. So now you've got a baby, so I think you're, you're still going through the, oh my God, I haven't slept. So it's very difficult, but I forced myself. Even if I'm so exhausted, I get up, I go and do my meditation. I do whether it's my gratitude or my EFT tapping or whatever it is. But I have that 45 minutes before anyone comes downstairs. It's for me. That has saved me. I think without that— because my— I'm very high energy. I've got a new coach now, um, and she works really— she works with Human Design as well, and I have 11 energy points, which explains everything. But I'm like, uh, you know, crazy all the time. So for me, it's calming the nervous system down, and then kind of like I can set myself up for the day, or listen to affirmations as well. So you're like 'Come on, I've got this, I can do this,' you know. And I listen to different apps, and it's just like, even when there's lots of stress going on, because I've built this routine, it's built resilience. I'm like, 'I can handle anything, I can do anything.' But I also have help. Living in South Africa, it's much more affordable. I've hired my old au pair, she's back full-time, so she helps me with LumiGlow, the packing stuff. She drives here, there, and everywhere. She cooks for me. She, um, food shops. She does all those things so that I can focus, because I was trying to do everything by myself, trying to write blog posts, trying to like the newsletters, all the things. So I have an amazing assistant, and I know you have help now as well. Finding those people that were the stuff that you're not good at, finding them. I've just hired a new social media agency because TikTok and all those things, it's like, oh my God, it's like a whole world out there. So it's really pulling in people that can help you, that are aligned with you, that you can just be yourself with. And, you know, I want to swear, I want to be crazy, whatever, that they're like, they totally accept me. But it's really having that process in place, the people in place, and saying, right, I can't do this, I'm not good at it, asking for help, kind of putting it out there, you know. And so growing that team, you know, in the beginning it costs a lot of money, but it's having the social media team, having the help with your child, Having the help, you know, and so that it frees you up. Because without, without having the help, you're just going to be, you know, freaking out, crying in the corner, or drinking loads of bloody rosé, or whatever, you know, and not taking care of yourself. And I know when I'm not taking care of myself, I feel that, oh, and my coach says, just pattern interrupt, stop yourself for a minute and go, right, what is going on? Like, what can I do to change it? Like, so those things, it's listening to your body as well. I'm really— my Human Design is a manifesting generator. It's to go with your guts. I'm really trying to like go with that, like, what do I need? What do I feel? How can I— do I need to walk away? Do I need to— I don't know, whatever. But that's really helped me, is just listening to myself. Um, it's been— yeah, yeah, it's a year of transformation this year. It is.

I love that. Do you know what it is? Um, this year is the year of transformation as well. It's transformation and abundance in numerology. So, you know, I'm here for it. But just something that you said there as well just reminded me of last week's podcast episode, because I did an episode all about streamlining and how when we delegate, we free up that time. It's almost like a decluttering process, isn't it? And honestly, I have felt that my business has grown so much since I've just delegated little tasks here and there, because it frees up my time to be, you know, spiritually aware of what's going on, or to grow, or to develop. And I obviously— my business, there's spirituality plays quite a large part in my business. And I know that you mentioned there that you do a bit of tapping and meditation. How do you kind of believe spirituality plays in your entrepreneurship? How do you feel that it pushes you to the next level?

I think, I think all the stuff that I've learned and all that, like you're manifesting your life and you're tapping into your future self and your future energy, all those things. Because it's really hard at the time when you're like, I've had lots of shit happen this year, it's been a really tough year. But because I've tapped into that, what it's made me do is actually like, right, I can't control that situation, but I can control this. I can show up as my best self, I can align with my values, what I'm doing. And that meditating— so when the meditations I'm doing now are connecting to my future self frequency and I'm visualizing. And, and some of the times I actually just have these tears coming down because I see it. I know where I want to be. I almost like part the waves. That's where I want to be. And so I'm really focusing on those things in the morning, my affirmations, all those things. So it then takes me out of my head. It takes me out of, oh my God, what's going on, to like, doesn't matter, that's gonna happen, it will work itself out. But I'm gonna do those things. I'm gonna tap I'm going to tap that I can pay the bills and it's all going to work itself out, and I love and accept myself, and meditate, affirmations, journaling, all those things, because it frees up all the crap. And then I can be really creative. Like this morning, it's a holiday, but I got up, I did my future self frequency. I then was like, oh, I'm going to do some creative stuff on Pinterest. You know, it's kind of like cleared my mind a little bit. I'm going to do some cool stuff. That's going to help my business. And then I recorded my podcast, then I did my exercise, bounced on the trampoline for 20 minutes, you know. And now I'm here. I love the trampoline, it's amazing, makes you so happy. So it's like when you do your things, it's just— it just— this life for me is the best life. I don't know where I was living before, under a rock. I've changed my life, I've changed my mindset. I just feel like anything is possible anything is possible. I'm showing everybody else anything is possible. I'm positive even when shit's hitting the fan. I've like, it's okay, I can deal with this, I'm not going to be scared, I can handle it, and I'm just gonna do the things that work for me. Or go listen to an amazing podcast that's about spirituality or motivation or whatever, and it's going to help me, you know.

So what's been your most significant moment of manifestation in your journey? To like going into business, you know, with LumiGlow, what's been that most significant key point moment of manifestation?

Last year, um, we're getting into Anthropologie was bloody amazing. I mean, that's like, wow. And also winning an award, you know, I think it's just like that recognition winning. I really wanted this Glamour Award. Oh my God. And I would, I would future gratitude list like crazy. Um, I listened to, um, Jen Gottlieb. Oh yeah, she's like, she takes— yeah, yeah, yeah. And I've started her book, Be Seen. I need to finish that.

It's a good book.

Um, it was like, yeah, and it was just like future, right? Future, you know? And I'm like, oh my God, I'm thanking Glamour for my award. And, you know, and for me it was like, that's kind of changed it for me, you know, having that. It's like that recognition when I go, I've won a Glamour Award. People are like, oh, okay then, you know, she just must be really good. So it's those kind of, those kind of things. Um, you know, when you're like really kind of wish for it, um, and they happen, you know. And from then it will, it will just, it will hopefully just snowball, you know, and just be amazing, and everyone will just be glowing.

If someone out there was listening to you right now and they were thinking about, you know, starting their own business, what would be your top tips? Because obviously it's not all roses, is it? You know what I mean? There are always going to be challenges and setbacks. So what would be your top tips for someone that's thinking about starting their own business?

Have a plan. Don't do what I did and go in there and like have a proper plan. Um, whether you're putting your own money or if you're looking for an investor, you want to put a pitch together. Now with my new coach, um, she's a brand magnetism and like brand, and, and she's like, okay, get me all the stuff that you've done in the past. And I looked at all, I was like, oh my God, have your mission and your vision and what your why is, is the most important. Because if you don't know what that is Really can't be just about making money. Everyone wants to make money, but you've got to know, like, what are you doing? Is there a place for it in the market? Do people need this? How am I going to change their life? Have that plan in place. I did not do that. I'm doing that all now. Um, what else? What else would I say? Like, with me, trademarking. If you're going into beauty, make sure you are trademarked in every single country because they will come at you. Um, and I think it's, you know, for me it's having the people in place. I think if you don't have the money right now, swapsies. If you've got a skill, they go, can you help me with my website? Can you help my social media? Swap it out, because we don't know everything. And I try to do everything myself, and I kind of did it like haphazardly, and it just didn't look great. Now we're like changing everything and making it look amazing. You want someone to come onto your site and know immediately that is what you're doing, like that's what you're selling. So that message is really important and kind of everything that you do, I would say do that. Just always ask for help and take that time, do the work on yourself. If you go in with a million limiting beliefs, you're just not going to get anywhere. So I think if you're thinking of starting it, think like, do I need a coach? Coach is like hands down the best investment I've had I'm on my fourth one now, but they've all done different things, and this one is the right for me now because I'm in the right headspace to be able to share that mission, really dive deep into like what we're about. And then when I'm going to retailer, like, oh my God, I want to, I want to work with this girl, I want to work with this brand, because, you know, women are gonna— or men— they're gonna understand what this is about, and I'm gonna, you know, help them with their pain points. So I think those are kind of the tips, really. Do the work. Do the work.

Yeah, I was going to say, it's kind of like you've had a bit of a baptism of fire, just like I have as well, because we had no idea what we're getting into and we just kind of chucked ourselves in at the deep end and thought, we'll sort this out as we go along. And all of the challenges and the setbacks I've had, I know you've had very similar. And yeah, I wish that I'd had a plan from day one and not just try to wing every kind of possible avenue in my business. It's so hard, isn't it?

It's really hard. But now I think, yeah, I mean, with us, I think it was, we've got to do it, otherwise we're never going to do it. Yeah, like, you had to leave the NHS, I had to just do this, and I'm gonna— it's somehow gonna work itself out. But if you don't want to go the chaotic way, then have— do the— all the, all the tips, have a plan, get a coach, and do some therapy.

I love it. So let's go on to the topic of, you know, skincare and well-being. What are some of the most common issues that you identify as a brand with skincare? Like, what are the top things that people ask you for?

So people, there's a lot of people right now dealing with hormonal acne, with just hormones in general. I think women with their, with the hormones, teens and, you know, women hormonal, that's not really, I think the teen market is now slowly, because, because so many of these teenagers are using the Drunk Elephant, all these amazing brands, but they don't need it. So that's a big thing now is like, what can my teen use safely? But there's also the other side where it's the menopausal women who their skin is like dry like the Sahara. They're getting some crazy, you know what I mean? So they're wanting like, how can I get the help? How can I get the glow? Pigmentation is a lot of, a lot, just dry skin and stressed out skin, like eczema a lot. There's so much stress out there. So with me, I struggled with eczema my whole life. I had it all over my body. And when I got pregnant with Tatiana, it came on my face. I was not glowing. She sucked the life out of me. With my son, I then lost my hair. It's like, I don't know what this myth is about glowing skin, but it's a lie, right? Um, so really with LumiGlow, it's bringing in products that I can help someone— like my sheet masks, I can help them with that instant boost, you know, if you're feeling like, oh my God, I just need to like put this on, have a sip of wine, and just like chill out. But like with my new product, for example, the cleansing balm, it has healed my eczema. It's got prickly pear, and I've never experienced prickly pear before. It's magic. So it's things like that. If I'm, I'm healing my skin as I go along, so I'll test stuff out for ages, I'll give it to friends, what have you, and then I'm like, right. So I don't want to launch something that's trendsetting. I want to launch stuff that is really going to help someone. Having eczema is awful. Having— my daughter's going through the worst skin of her life. She's on Roaccutane. I don't know if they have that, the same in England. And it's now working out like what we can do for her skin. And then, you know, so those are all the things that I'm looking at with the brand because I want to help people. I don't want to be like, oh, I'm just going to copy that one. And I've seen now my skin the last few months with my new product that I'm launching and the balm, that now my pigmentation is less. I don't have to wear really so much foundation, just a little bit of concealer. And then that rocking that no makeup makeup look, so you can walk out the door feeling so confident in the skin you're in. That's kind of where I'm going with the brand, um, and just to feel good. Because everyone, I think, within— previously it was like we have to look perfect all the time, you know. Back in the day when I was younger, you have to look perfect, and if you have bad skin and everyone, you know, and it was like this having to be this way. Now you can be anywhere, you can show anything you want online. If you're covered spots you can show it, and then you can show people how to go from there to there. And I think that's amazing. So that's kind of— I think that's the amazing thing with skincare. I just want products that are going to be able to help people rock the no makeup look.

And I love it as well because you kindly sent me the moisturizer jelly, but you also sent me the Dewy Face Glow Mist. But, um, the Face Glow Mist, honestly, I use that and I just feel like it leaves my skin so fresh. But right now, I think with everything that's going on in my life right now, the last 9 weeks have been so chaotic. Obviously, certain routines and regimes that I would do on a morning have kind of gone out the window. So I don't know if you can see there, but I've suddenly come out in a huge patch of psoriasis on my cheek. The psoriasis on my scalp has got so much bigger, um, it's on my eyelids now. And obviously psoriasis is closely linked to stress. So I know it's the stress from everything that's going on in my life right now. So what kind of advice would you give to someone like me who struggles to incorporate self-care into their routine? Like, how do you integrate it into your daily routine? Is it just a case of, you know, get up, get on with it, and bang it on your face? Or can we incorporate it in another way?

So with me, I've carved out time. So you need to try and find, even if it's 5 minutes in the morning and in the evening to carve out that time quickly. So what you can do is stick an eye mask on and then go whatever you need to do, those kind of things. Do you know what I mean? So it's like, because it doesn't move off your face. So now when you've got some dark circles or you've got a little bit of eczema, okay, I can stick an eye mask on and then I can carry on doing my thing. Something like this, the B— that it's quick, a product that you know is going to really nourish your skin. So it's about breaking it down to have maybe 3 or 4 products. It's quick, you can incorporate, boom boom boom, and be done. Yeah, if you've got more time, then that's amazing. So I, I've got my whole get-up in front of me, and I sit here like a queen, and I'm like, I've got my lights and everything, but I take the time out. But I'm not in the same situation as you are in now. You're in the— you're at the beginning stage of a baby where you're like, oh, you know, I wasn't like that then. It's taken time, but you can quickly get in 5 minutes. You know what I mean? And just like, get that moisturizer on, get that thing on, um, and just find that time. I know it's hard right now for you and you're tired, but it's— where am I going to find that time just to calm myself down? And get help. You get some family members, get some friends, get somebody to say, can you help with the baby? You know, just so that you have that time for yourself, because you can't do everything, you know.

No, you can't. And I think obviously self-care and mental health are really interconnected as well, aren't they? So I was going to say, because like there's sometimes when, you know, I won't have been to the gym for weeks on end, or I won't have like had a bath— obviously I have showers, um, but I wouldn't have like been in the bath or something like that— and I will think, because I haven't had any me time, my mental health then starts to take its toll. So there is like this interconnectedness between the two, isn't there?

Yes, massively. If you do not take care of yourself, you literally are going to be just, just falling apart. I think with you, I've listened to your podcast, like going to the gym. I hate going to the gym. I did it.

It is—

do you know what it's like? It's like a rat race in there. You're like, oh my God, I've got to be doing this and I've got to be looking like this. I've now found exercise I can either do at home. So I've got my trampoline, mini trampoline. It makes me feel really happy. I just did a 20-minute workout before I showered and then came on with you. It makes me feel really happy. It's a really good workout. It doesn't strain my body. I'm dancing, I'm listening to music, I'm watching someone online, and it makes me feel really good. So you're kind of hitting two, you know what I mean? You're feeling happy inside and you're exercising. I think with you, you definitely need to find something that you enjoy. I do pole dancing as well. I love it. I love dancing. So for me, it was like, how can I find stuff that I really love, that I'm going to feel fit, and that's going to help with my mental health as well? So it's incorporating those things. We do not need to go to the gym to pump weights. That's not, you know, you can do it at home. There's so many online stuff— Barre Body, yoga, you know, trampolining, whatever, quick, like 25 minutes. And you don't need to do an hour workout. It's 25-minute HIIT workout, boom, done in the morning, you know. And so it's finding those moments that I have to do this to feel better, because when you don't exercise, you're not doing those things, you just feel shit.

Yeah.

And then you're like, oh, I feel awful. Oh, I'm gonna put on weight. I gotta do it. Then you're like, your worthiness goes down, then you're kind of back to square one, and then you're like furiously tapping yourself. So it is— I would advise you find the time really like that where you've got 45 minutes where you can squeeze in a 20-minute exercise, you can squeeze in a little meditation, or you can listen— like there's a Superhuman app, they've got stuff you do while you exercise, so you listen to it while you're training. I love the Superhuman app.

Oh, tell me about that. I've never heard of that.

Vicki told me about it. And then you also get these future self emails. They are amazing. And they come up whenever. It's like whatever you're going through, it's so random. Sometimes I get like 2 in a week, sometimes— and then the email pops up. I'm like, how did they know this is exactly what's going on in my life? And they have like small ones, pep talks, ones while you're cleaning, ones while you're exercising. And it's like, come on, get into it. And it's It's a really nice app. Um, there's also Empower You app as well. Yeah, that's got audiobooks, meditations, all those things. But the Superhuman one is lovely. And when you get those future self emails, you're like, oh, that's so nice.

Oh, I'm gonna have to download that. Thank you for the recommendation.

Yes, really, really, really lovely because we all need a pep talk. We all need like, you know, and it's tough being a parent is one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. And you're two guys, you know, the woman is almost— we have it in our tummies, you're kind of geared up. Although when the baby comes, you're not prepared. Like, my kids didn't sleep, they, um, you know, Iris was a bit of a wreck. It's very lonely, you know, and it can be really difficult. And I didn't have all this. Now you at least, you have all that. So now it's like, right, I need to put it back into my life. Because you'll be a better father for it. I'm a better mother for it, for all the stuff. Now I've noticed that my relationship with my daughter is so much better because I'm not getting angry and snappy, and I'm not, you know, not exhausted.

Yeah.

Um, and I'm just taking that time for me. It's not being selfish, it's really important. You'll just— you'll see, you'll be a better dad.

So, so obviously you've got entrepreneurship, you've got skincare, you've got mental well-being Where do you see yourself in 5 years' time? Like, what are your goals and dreams for the future for encapsulating all of this together?

So I want to be a global brand. I want to be in a few countries. I would love that. But what I really want to do, what I find— I don't want to be a coach per se, because I think trying to now be a coach— but I think I've learned so much. I'm really good at making people feel good about themselves. I would love to be on stage. I would love to come and share my story and Inspire, get dancing on stage, you know, bring some of that dancer energy. Like, some of the women I train with, like, they're going through stuff, and I'm like, I could— I know how to, like, you know, because I've learned so much. I'm like, look at you, you're, you're amazing, you're so wonderful, like, you're rocking this, like, why are you doubting yourself? Like, you're fucking queen, just like, you know. And they're like, oh my God, you made me feel really good, you actually helped me with my day or before my performance. And if I can do that and help people, like, I want to grow the podcast, I want to— I just want to help as many people as possible. And I've realized that's through the Human Design, I've realized that's a really important part of me, is that self-care, taking care of others and getting others to that self-acceptance and just to feel good inside, because I didn't have that. And now that— get rid of all that self-doubt, because so many of us are just thinking, well, we're comparing ourselves to everybody else. It's like, no, stop, take a look at yourself, look at your wins, look at your amazingness. So if I can bring more of that, that would be amazing. Well, everyone is glowing at the same time. I would love to— I'd love a— I want to do a festival. I was talking about it with Anna Lewis Davies. She's the most amazing coach. She's— her and Vicki, that's how I met each other. We want to do like a wellness beauty festival. I want to do it in England. So that's something that we were talking about doing, bringing all that in, but bringing the beauty side of it in as well, and the glowing and the workshops and do some tapping and do work, learn about human design and all that kind of stuff. Just make your life more amazing. So yeah, that's what I want to be doing.

That sounds amazing. Hit me up when that happens because I am there for it. I love stuff like that.

I just think we all— I don't want it to be like that, you know, there's lots of the hippie stuff. I went to something recently and I was like, no, I don't want to be eating vegan food. It's crap, right? If I want to have a little bit of bubbles, I want to have a bit of this and I want to have some meat, whatever. I want to go to something where I can learn about taking care of myself with my body and my mental health, and I can go away with these tools and have a better life and then spread it on. Then I'm down for that. That's what I want to do.

I love that because last year myself, Francesca Amber, and Emma Mumford went to Happy Place Festival, and when we got to the food vans, everything was vegan. And obviously I've got a pea allergy, so it's kind of any kind of legume like pea or bean most vegan food is made with like chickpeas or broad beans or pulses. So obviously I got these like what I thought were vegetable chicken nuggets, and they assured me that they had no pea protein in them whatsoever. And obviously I took one bite— they were about £34, I'm not even joking. It was like £34 for mine and Fran's food and two drinks. And I took one bite into it and I was like, Fran, I'm having an allergic reaction. I had a full-blown reaction in the middle of Happy Place. So yeah, I totally agree with you on that one. I'm not like saying, you know, go out there and kill loads of animals or anything like that, but just to have that option would be nice. So it's not too hippie and like, you know, we're going to be alcohol-free, we're going to be meat-free. Just let people live their lives, do spirituality how they want to do it.

Yeah, because everyone's different. Some people want to be vegan, some people, you know, they want to completely incorporate that in their life. That's fine. I don't. So, but I love the spirituality, I love this life, I feel good, but I'm gonna go rock it and have some champagne, and I'm gonna, you know, whatever. And I want everyone— I want it to be all-inclusive, you know. You don't want to be like, oh, there's that one, there's that one. Everybody is welcome. That's what my— that's what I'm trying to do with my brand, that you're all welcome, whoever you are, from whatever walk of life you are, whether you're a high-powered politician or you're whatever. That you can come and just have a great time, learn how to take care of yourself, look amazing, feel really confident, and just— there's basically stuff that we didn't learn in school. Yeah, because school does not teach you any of this. The stuff they teach is complete waste of time, honestly. I say to my daughter and my son, like, why are you learning this crap? Like, honestly, like, unless you know you want to be a doctor or you want to be this, they need to have a path for the rest of everybody else to teach them, like how to manage your money, how to take care of yourself, you know, how to have a social, you know, whatever. It's those kind of things. So it's kind of incorporating somehow that to, you know, I don't know.

It's a great message to have as a brand as well. So what message do you want to leave with my listeners who are on their own journey of self-discovery and entrepreneurship? What kind of advice would you give them? What kind of message do you want to leave where?

I want people to just be kinder to themselves. We are so hard on ourselves. Like, would you talk to your, your friend or your daughter or your mother the way you talk to yourself, right? No. Um, so be kind to yourself, give yourself a break. You're not— not everyone's not perfect. It's just the life that you have. And if you are in a world of pain, there are so many ways and avenues, like with the podcast and things, that you can learn to start your journey, um, to get that self-care routine in, you know, ask for help. It's just— I think it's just being kinder to yourself. And we are so hard on ourselves, and I know I can be like, I should be better, I should be making more money, I should be doing this, I should be doing that, because that's how we've learned. Just— it's breaking those old beliefs and learning new ones and just living it. I just want to be happy. Like, it's— life should be fun and enjoyable and Joyful. So break out and dance if you need to, or, you know, just to have fun and find stuff that you enjoy. You don't need to copy what everyone else is doing. Find what works for you, what aligns with you. Um, yeah, and just have some fun. Don't take life so seriously.

I love it. So how can people find you? How can people work with you, Shannaz?

Okay, so, um, we sell online in the UK, so I need all the help I can get with growing it because it's very hard. There's so many brands out there. Um, so it's www.lumiglowskin.co.uk. You can get— and I'm going to set it up for you— GLOWWITHMART20, so you can get a code using Mart. So you get 20% off. Um, I'm also— Glow From the Inside Out is my podcast. I need listeners. I'm sharing my journey, but I feel like it's very small, and I would like to grow that and just have more amazing people on my podcast. Um, I've also got @shanazlovesbeauty, so that's my kind of glow, my glowing, the makeup, the tips, the tricks, and all that kind of side. I will be coming, I probably will be summertime, I want to do glow workshops. And every time I come, so I'll be there June, July, um, I want to do a glow workshop. I just need to find venues. If anyone knows of a good venues where I can host, um, and I'll be back again in September, there's the beauty show, um and I'll give you the link. There's like a discount. People could come in. We're going to be right by the skin stage, and hopefully I get to go on stage and do a skin demo and a talk. Um, and yeah, lumi.glowskin is the Instagram. So those are the things. But if anybody, you know, I might at some point maybe do online glow workshops. I haven't done that yet. I need to, because Vicky was like, can we do an online glow thing? So I need to work that out. So yeah. That's everything.

Yeah, amazing. And I will also pop all of those in the show notes as well, along with the discount code. Um, and yeah, I must say Glow From The Inside Out is a really great podcast. I love that you deep dive into, you know, people's journeys and what makes them happy from the inside. Do you know what I mean? And I am a bit biased because I have been a guest on there myself, um, but I just, I absolutely love listening listening. So you've done an amazing job, Shahnaz. I'm really proud of your journey and where you've come from. So thank you so much for being on the show.

Thank you for having me. Cheers!

You're very welcome. And for everyone listening, like I say, go and follow Shahnaz at the link in the show notes. If you've enjoyed this episode, please submit a quick 5-star review, which really helps this podcast grow to new audiences. Have a lush weekend, everyone, and hopefully I'll see you all next Friday for another episode. Episode of Canny Crystals, the podcast. Thanks so much for listening, guys. Bye!