KRISTEN PAVEZ

Wife | Mum | Foodie | Whole food educator | Founder 'the appleroom' & 'the wholly nourished hub'

How many identities do you have? 

I have multiple identities, and quite often I have to think about which one I am on each particular day haha. I am wife to Pedro, Mummy to Cruze and Hugo, owner of Kristen Pavez, Health Food & Lifestyle: where I teach healthy cooking, fermenting and reducing the chemical load in the home, I also co-own a function and co-work space 'The Apple Room', as well as being the facilitator of my new online membership community "The Wholly Nourished Hub". 

Tell us a bit about your story and how you’ve got to where you are now in business? 

I was a Corporate Law graduate, who knew when I left uni that I'd never work a day in that profession. I was conditioned to follow a Corporate path from a very early age, and never thought to question if that was what I really wanted to do. I remember people asking me "What would you like to do"? I remember staring at them blankly. 
Soon after I finished university, I got married to Pedro, we travelled for 7 months around the world, and this was my AHA moment. I realised that life was about living, being happy and doing something that fulfilled my heart. BUT, I didn't know what that was, or what that looked like, so I went back to what I knew, and worked in the Corporate world. I dreaded going to work, and really wasn't a good employee, now that I look back. Thankfully I fell pregnant (unexpectedly) and left to have Cruze. When I was pregnant I started to look into all the chemicals in my environment and food, because I didn't want to pass these on to him. Unfortunately, during pregnancy, carbs and I became REALLY good friends, and I put on 30kg during pregnancy. After Cruze, I unexpectedly fell pregnant again with Hugo (6 months later) and continued my learning journey about removing toxins in our food and environment and implemented huge changes to our home diet and the products we used at home. I swapped out all the processed foods, chemicals, and substituted them with whole foods, ferments and low tox options. 
After making those changes our family thrived. We went from being on antibiotics frequently, to enjoying great health. I also managed to lose the extra 30kg I was carrying, by making these small swaps, the most notable being swapping my Cadbury Chocolate addiction to Raw Chocolate. My love for Raw Chocolate was and still is DEEP! I love how I can have a few pieces of this nutrient rich chocolate, and be satiated. This led me to make this Chocolate for everyone, and anyone, and then I thought maybe I should start selling this, seeing as I'm making so much of it! So I started to sell Raw Sweets commercially, under the name of Healthful Treats. I made these sweets and sold them wholesale to cafe's around Perth for 2 years, but as this was 7 years ago, it was fairly cutting edge, and it wasn't meeting my personal needs being stuck in a kitchen for days on end, while I still had 2 babies. So, I decided to start teaching what I knew, and my recipes to the wider community, and have been doing so for four years now. I've been teaching classes and been asked to guest speak all over Western Australia, but predominantly in Perth. 

What has been your most challenging moment in life thus far? 

The most challenging moment for me in life was listening to my heart, and taking that plunge to get out of the corporate world and follow my heart, which always belonged to food. Once I took that step, the rest fell into place. 

How have you grown as a person, mentally, emotionally and spiritually since starting your own business?

Ohhh this is a big one! I've completely changed from the person I was when I started my business. Before I started my businesses I doubted myself, was extremely self conscious, I lacked confidence and didn't know how to nurture my mind, body and soul like I do now. Emotionally, it's really taught me resilience, and not to take things personally. I've had to grow a rather thick skin in business haha. 

How has motherhood changed you as a business woman?

Without my children, I would have never had the courage to pursue what my heart desired. They taught me unconditional love, and whilst that sounds cliche', it taught me to unconditionally honour and love myself. When I make decisions in my business (and in life), I always check in with myself to make sure that these decisions align with my values. 

How do you plan to leave your mark in the world?

By empowering as many women as possible with the knowledge they need to live a life that is free of toxins. Toxins in our food and our environment are the root of disease in this world, and by making small changes we can gain back control and live healthier, happier and more vital lives.