about Sophie

Hi, I’m a 35-year-old mum of two living on the South East Coast of Hampshire.

It was health reasons that pushed me towards sustainable living.

10 years ago, I quit my busy theatre job to volunteer in Africa even though I was in debt (hi undiagnosed ADHD).

My doctor sent me overseas with half a pharmacy in my suitcase, but guess what? I didn’t need it. The air was clean, no products were making me sick.

I found beauty in their slow way of life. Yet they were stuck in poverty with no electricity, no plumbing, no internet. I learnt a lot from the community in Tanzania. More than I ever taught them, I’m sure.

I experienced reverse culture shock when I returned home and felt overwhelmed by how much stuff I owned. I realised how disconnected we are from the people making our products.

I started experimenting with homemade cleaning and beauty products. Adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle helped me get out of debt for the first time in my adult life.

Education

I have a degree in dance, but I was no longer interested in working 16-hour shifts as a stage manager.

I changed my career to natural health, where I studied vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements and received a level 3 qualification in Body Systems.

Later on, I began studying environmental sustainability, which has given me insight into corporate sustainability, waste, and energy management.

parenting and community

When I fell pregnant with my first child, I was shocked by the amount of products I was told to buy. I had no idea what I was doing (with my baby or my cloth nappies!)

I was lonely, craving connection, and feeling so much eco-anxiety over my child’s future.

When my child was born, premature, unwell and with additional needs, I didn’t feel that online zero waste groups or cloth nappy communities were inclusive enough.

There was a message that it was “simple” and “easy.” But as I struggled to fit my low-birth-weight baby in newborn cloth nappies, watched my bamboo plates crack one by one, and failed miserably to transition to a shampoo bar. Sustainable living felt anything but easy.

Once I remembered my work in Africa, how sustainability isn’t just buying eco-friendly products, I was able to let go of the pressure to keep my trash in a jar.

Once I learnt to slow down and simplify my life, I began to feel the benefits of a sustainable lifestyle.

Why I started this blog

Since returning from Tanzania, I have focused on reducing my environmental impact and buying products that don’t harm people overseas.

To avoid being greenwashed, I’ve had to contact brands to find out exactly what is in their products and where they are made. This kind of research is time-consuming, and I know most people don’t have the time or the energy.

I share my product investigations to help others make informed choices, and these have been extremely popular.

I initially created this blog to connect with people struggling with eco-anxiety and to share more inclusive tips for green living. But after getting diagnosed autistic and with ADHD, I realised that connecting with people online the usual way didn’t come easily to me.

It is still my goal to create an online community, but right now, it’s a work in progress as I want to be able to live slowly and work flexibly.