Best of Wellness & Self-Care with Alison Wu
I’m honored and thrilled to share my recent interview with an inspiration in wellness, Alison Wu! Alison is the brain, beauty and talent behind Wu Haus, a wellness brand rooted in healthy eating, self-care and whole body wellness. I was immediately drawn to Alison’s work from the stunning colors found in her spectacular culinary creations, and her candid approach to whole body wellness.
Alison provides a magnificent blend of simplified self-care and wellness ideas, with a healthy dose of dreamy aspirations! Scroll down, and we can all dream about her purple bone broth soup. I’ve been impacted and inspired by Alison’s work for years, thru following her on social media, and our interview took my admiration to the next level.
Read on to discover where Alison’s insights on prioritizing self-care, the importance of creative expression and what she’s most excited for next!
What are your biggest sources of inspiration? How do you encourage others to seek inspiration?
I think inspiration is all around you. You just have to be present to notice it. I’m always inspired by nature, in both my aesthetic and recipe development. I also gather inspiration from color, shape, texture, design, human connection and fantasy. If you’re feeling blocked or uninspired, I’d suggest trying to meditate regularly. If you give yourself time to slow down and notice things, ideas may start to flow more easily.
How do you prioritize, or recommend prioritizing, self-care in the midst of our busy lives?
Self-care looks and feels different to everyone. For me, sometimes it’s daily meditation, exercising, hot baths and spending time with myself. Other times it’s drinking wine with my girlfriends, going out dancing, spending the whole day in bed, taking a break from social media. I try to form rituals around my self-care practices when I can. These rituals are grounding, and I find myself craving them during particularly stressful times like these. I think as long as you’re creating practices that you actually enjoy and serve you, you’re more likely to naturally turn to them when you need them most.
Do you see a relationship between creative expression and overall wellness? And how do you explain the significance of this relationship?
Personally, being able to express myself creatively is a huge part of who I am. Expression releases anxiety and stress and helps me appreciate life in a way that’s authentic to me. There are even studies that show a correlation between artistic expression and health, both emotional and physical. I think it’s a powerful, important part of our holistic health.
What are 3-4 simple ways you prioritize holistic lifestyle choices? It would be great to know the everyday routines or choices you make that you feel greatly serve you.
1. Figure out your non-negotiables. Mine include 7-8 hours of sleep, 3-4 liters of water a day and daily meditation. Develop routines and plan your days around your non-negotiables.
2. Listen to your body. It ultimately knows what you need.
3. Be gentle with yourself. Life gets busy and sometimes you’re not able to dedicate as much time to yourself in the ways you may want to or need. Allow those times to pass, be still and ease back into your routine when you feel ready. It will always be there, waiting for you. I hope that one good outcome of self-quarantine is that people learn how to slow down and appreciate the stillness a bit more.
Your recipes are incredible, stunningly beautiful as well as nourishing for the body & soul. Where do you find your inspiration for your new recipe creations?
I gather inspiration from cookbooks, websites, my travels, and what’s seasonally available at the farmers market, and what I’m currently in the mood for.
You are so talented and inspiring to others, but I’d love to know what’s your favorite aspect of the work you do? What inspires you up the most?
Connecting with my audience inspires me the most and is what keeps me going. I love being able to communicate with people from all over through my blog and social media, but I especially love hosting retreats and other events where I’m able to meet and share an experience with my audience. That’s obviously not something I can do in this current moment, but I look forward to when I can meet and hug people again!
What are you working on now that is lighting you up and you’re most excited for?
I recently announced my Daily Mantra T-shirt line with LA-based artist Stephanie DeAngelis that was so much fun to collaborate on. After launching a three-part candle series with some amazing artists last year, I realized how much I enjoy working with other people to create things that are both beautiful and functional. It’s so easy to feel isolated when you own your own business and mostly work from home, but these collaborations have revitalized my sense of creativity and desire to push myself out of my comfort zone. I’m currently living in Mexico City during a very transformational time, both in my personal life and in the world. It’s definitely pushed me to grow and reclaim my independence, and I look forward to channeling that energy into future projects. I’ve been taking Spanish classes to help me continue building community here and eventually open a B&B – a long-time dream of mine that I’m incredibly excited about.