BORN AT DAWN FOCUS: EVE SIMMONS, NOT PLANT BASED

November 17, 2016

BORN AT DAWN FOCUS: EVE SIMMONS, NOT PLANT BASED

Our BORN AT DAWN FOCUS this week is on Eve Simmons. We heard Eve Simmons speak at a GRL PWR GANG event a little while ago and we were so inspired.

As we know, many women suffer with body confidence issues, particularly as teenagers. These days there is an increasing amount of “wellness” bloggers and influencers on Instagram and our other social media platforms telling their followers what to eat and how to exercise. Some know what they are talking about and put health first but others lack full knowedge and don’t have any qualifications yet are putting themselves forward as an expert. This can lead to them promoting fad or unhealthy super restricted diets to vunerable people.

Eve, a writer and journalist, suffered with an eating disorder a few years ago which she felt was made worse by false information she received about food. When she met Laura @norakook they bonded over their troubles with eating in the past but sheer love of it at the same time which led to them launching @notplantbased. Its aim is to provide a safe, healthy celebration of ALL food and ALL women. With the help of qualified, experienced experts and the UK’s leading eating disorders charity, B-EAT UK, they want to change the food conversation for the next generation; teaching them to love themselves just as they are.

We chatted to Eve about her life…

Describe yourself in 3 words…
Weird, worried, forgiving

How do you personally define success?
That's a tough one. I'd say fulfillment - being truly satisfied that my everyday provides enough of all the activities or purposes that I feel are important. I could be a super rich lawyer but I'd probably never see my husband and have to employ someone else to look after my kids- to me, that's definitely not success. Ideally, true success comes from finding a career you love and earns you enough to pay the bills and not have to worry too much about money.

What makes you happy?
Boozy dinners with my wonderful group of girlfriends - in which we dicuss bad botox, Justin Bieber and blow jobs. Spending time with my boyfriend and my mum and big brother - he lives in LA so his visits are always extremely precious.

Who and what inspires you?
I don't think inspiration necessarily has to come from something particularly spectacular - like saving the world or adopting a refugee. For me, the most inspirational moments are the mundane, everyday flickers of strength and unwavering love when life propells a truck load of shit at you. It's seeing someone bother to stop and chat about dogs with a homeless guy, begging on the street; watching a mother battle the elements and juggle pushchairs, lunchboxes and three small children - all for a trip to the library. It's people with tragic or frightening stories who steal manage to put a smile on other people's faces. Those are the things which give me the 'feels'. Oh, and Nelson Mandela/ Nigella.

You are obviously very busy… how do you juggle it all?
I don't! Most of my work -out of office - is done either a) on a train or b) on mornings before I start work and after returning home from a late shift (i.e 12pm finish). Hence, lots and lots of typos.

What have been your biggest lessons?
I once went to a talk with the editor-in-chief of Red Magazine, Sarah Bailey, in which she told us the mantra she has always stuck by is; "take the meeting". It's been a really valuable bit of advice for me in my career so far - even if you think it's not worth it/doesn't apply to you/can't be bothered, go and take each and every opportunity that comes your way as you never know where it may lead.
Oh and my mum always told me to say "I am a strong woman" from the age of about 2 so that pretty much set me up for life.

Check out www.notplantbased.com  if you are interested in finding out more about Evie and Laura's project.




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