About Ness and Sunbaked Zest
Hi my name is Ness. 🙋♀️✨
So nice to meet you.
I have been a PE, English and Modern History teacher for the past 30 years while also taking time out to run a fitness business and writing for Women's Health and Fitness magazine.
More recently I designed a program, with my title being 'Facilitator of English, Transition and Wellness' for sixth class students.
I went into five different Primary schools on the South Coast of NSW and delivered an innovative program that helped students make the daunting transition from Primary to High School. We discussed so many harrowing topics that were on their minds and I fell in love with their young hearts and openness.
During this time, I realised how traumatised students were by bullying and set about writing a children's book to address some of the issues they were feeling.
I also started thinking more widely about the suffering many of us were experiencing at the hands of others and wanted to do something about it.
My favourite saying is that 'no one rides for free' in this life and I certainly had experienced severe heartache and pain in mine.
My brother died at 15yrs of age in a car accident and my family had to make the decision to turn the life support off, another brother then lost his hand in a work accident and then about a year about that my young 48 year old father was diagnosed with MND and died 5 short years later. This all happened in the late 90's and early 2000's. It was pain like I'd never felt before. I was crushed and our family was left decimated and devastated.
Again in 2020, I experienced ultimate betrayal by people we considered close friends and I thought my heart would die.
I decided we needed tools to help ourselves out of excruciating pain, shame and grief. It was time for my healing process to begin.
I began pulling myself out of the heartbreak by writing poetry, journaling, reading affirmation cards, creating vision boards and reading self help books. I began incorporating my practices into the school programs and the students flourished. They expressed their fears about high school with so much more eloquence and we were able to put practices in place to alleviate fear and build confidence.
Last year, I decided to create my company, Sunbaked Zest, to deliver beautiful written material that would heal hearts all over the world. I wanted people to have the tools that I had to source and find myself readily available, and that these vital tools would pull them out of the darkness.
✅ I wanted to make people feel seen and heard.
✅ I wanted people to know how valued they are in this world.
✅ I wanted to teach people to know how to put themselves first, to know how to love themselves, and to know that this world is a better place because they are in it. I wanted them to know that they are NOT what other people say about them.
💛 So the my company Sunbaked Zest, was born!
▪️ Sunbaked Zest is a safe space to feel nurtured, inspired and truly loved.
I set about creating written material that everyone could access and once they did amazing conversations could take place and healing could occur.
▪️ I wrote a beautiful story about a caterpillar who loathed herself and how a butterfly pulled her back from the brink.This gorgeous children’s book is simply called ‘The Caterpillar 🐛 and the Butterfly 🦋!
✅ This beautiful book is taught in primary schools and explores the concept of self love. It has 10 discussion questions in the back to discuss afterwards with your child. It's amazing when the right questions are asked, what answers are received.
💛 As stated on Amazon, every teacher should have this book in their classrooms and every child and parent should have it on their bookshelves at home.
▪️ Around the same time as I wrote the children's book, I was writing poetry for myself, that helped me express all the pain and devastation I was personally feeling. These 30 poems eventuated into a poetry book titled ‘Soul Whisperer’.
The poems explore the pain of life, betrayal, devastation, heartbreak and love. It is raw and 'out there'...brutally honest. The poems create a safe space for emotion to be explored, with a journal page for you, the reader, to express your feelings, if any of the emotions 🖤 align with you. I'm sure they will.
✅ I have received the most beautiful testimonials about this book with many people buying it as gifts for friends and loved ones. I am truly humbled by this.
📕 Available in paperback and hard copy.
▪️ Another huge process in my emotional recovery was the practice of journaling. I journaled my heart out every day, throwing all my pain and heart crushing devastation onto the pages. It saved me and was so liberating in understanding exactly what i was feeling and experiencing.
** I then created a ‘Heart Clutch’ journal that guides the writer through the journaling process over 28 days. We now also have a 28 day 'Minutes to Memories' journal for men.
✅ So many people have spoken to me about not knowing how to journal and this special ‘Heart Clutch’ addition and ‘Minutes to Memories’ teaches the writer how to do it.
✅ It only takes minutes to complete in the morning or night time.
✅ It’s so easy with inspirational writing prompts to follow and guide you on your journey.
📙 Available in paperback and hard copy.
▪️ I was also reading daily affirmations and found this to be immensely empowering. I created the 'You do You’ affirmation cards that are a little outside the box. These affirmations are sassy and speak directly to raw emotion.
✅ There are 56 cards and each morning or night, pull out a card to guide you through your life.
✅ These cards are like mini pep talks for your heart combined with a strong, warm hug. They create feel good vibes and happiness. I love them.
▪️ My beautiful sixth class students wanted to design their own ‘Forever Young’ affirmation cards. These are very special cards, written by kids for kids, and help children (especially if they are experiencing bullying or have experienced it in the past). I left the cards and designs exactly the way the students wrote them. Only colour was added by a Melbourne graphic designer. They are truly uplifting and beautiful. If you read them they will warm your heart and give you home about our upcoming generation.
❤️🩹 Profits from these cards are donated to suicide prevention in our youth. The students selected the 'Do it for Dolly' foundation for these proceeds to go to. Currently they are available as digital downloads to a phone, tablet or computer. We are in the process of getting them printed.
▪️ We offer three ebooks for $7 each.
- Stellar Rush helps people to find their star power and stand up to bullies. This ebook really gives students the tools to handle bullies. It is invaluable to share with your children if they are suffering at the hands of others.
- Cosmo Jewel helps children become their best self by exploring practices that create successful futures. This came about from observing students who achieved success in almost everything they did. I observed their practices and have put them together in this ebook for all parents and carers to read.
- Organic Shadow explores how to find gratitude and acceptance with the body you live in. It's about finding happiness and appreciation for your body when you look in the mirror, when you go out and when you are breathing. This is such a tough concept for our teens so literature like this for them to read is invaluable
✅ These products are really uplifting and their purpose is to help you feel like you are not alone, that you can get through the pain and that ultimately YOU can thrive in this world.
What's your favourite product? DM me on instagram @sunbakedzest and let me know.
I'd love to know.
Always in kindness.
Much love to you and yours,
Ness :)