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Sunrise swimmer. Boundary breaker. Powerhouse.
Jo made a promise to herself: say yes more often. That led her to solo travel in South America, and to sunrise swims in cold water, every day. She starts each morning immersed in nature, chasing clarity, calm, and the change of light.
Tell us about your family?
I have three children, and three grandchildren. They just really light up my life. They mean the world to me!
What was your career before you had kids?
Before I had my kids, I had a cool job at Air New Zealand. It was a time when they were considering that it was important to give women equal jobs as men. I worked to do all the load allocations for the aircraft. You had about a seven-minute window to do the calculations for the loaded aircraft. And I had to be 100% correct. I enjoyed the pressure, and I think my ego liked that feeling of being able to do a job that was unusual for a woman. It gave me that feeling that girls can do anything... and they should.
Has there been a time in your life where life has challenged you?
About 15 years ago, I was quite suddenly on my own, and was devastated by being on my own. And I realised that this was not only something that my former husband and I would have to get through, but my children would as well. And in trying to be a role model for them, I made a very conscious decision that I would say yes to everything.
How did you bounce back after that?
After making that decision to say yes to everything, I started thinking back to when I was 17 and travelled around Europe for six months on my own. And I thought, here am in my early 60s… and I need to do that again. I need to feel again what I felt then, that lack of fear. So I decided to go to South America, where I flew into Peru on my own, and walked Machu Picchu. I realised I needed to have some difficult times in order to know that I could cope on my own.
What’s something that you do for yourself?
I'm very into taking care of myself. When I read about cold water swimming and its benefits, I decided that I would go for a swim every day. Go every sunrise, so that the beginning of my day would make me feel happy, because there's a lot I've had to turn around to make myself feel happy.
I get up in the morning and make my way down to the water. I just go out in the cold straight away. I go in no matter what. I'm taking in the change of light. Starting the day in a peaceful way, and also getting that ‘jolt’ from the cold. The change of light at the beginning and end of the day is very good for your vision and your mental health, and it’s just good for my soul.
And I'll be like, oh, this is cool. I can just visualize where we are. We're on the edge of the Pacific Ocean and the waves are just crashing in, and it's freezing cold. I'm embracing nature, looking at the beauty around me, and feeling exhilarated. That makes me happy.
How do people describe you?
When people tell me how I am, I'm thinking, wow, who are you looking at? They say things like - you're confident, you're adventurous, you're articulate.
When do you feel most comfortable in your skin?
I feel most comfortable in my skin when I'm just being me. I've decided that I'm enough. I don't feel responsible for what
others may think. I just try to be the best I can be. And I just think that's okay.
Do you use Trilogy? If so, what products do you use?
I use lots of Trilogy products. Probably my favourite is the vitamin c booster, and the rosehip oil – I start by massaging it into the back of my hands and my nails because I want my hands to look beautiful
What do you love about your skincare routine?
I love the whole ritual.
What’s important to you when selecting skincare?
The most important thing for me when I select my skincare is the integrity. I think of the name. Of the brand. I choose Trilogy because of their respect in the market. Because I’m not going to have to search the ingredients to see if any of them are bad for my skin. It’s trust. Yeah, it's trust.
What does force of nature mean to you?
That there's more in life than what I can change. And it's important to observe what's going on and learn how to flow in the same direction.
