Amanda Foubister’s honest approach to nutrition

“I’ve got lots on so I’ll just skip my workout tomorrow morning to get to work earlier”

‍“I don’t have enough time in between meetings so I’ll skip lunch”

‍“The kids always come first, I’ll squeeze in what I can”

Sound familiar? Sometimes it feels like we’re caught between our wellness goals and life’s daily demands. That’s why we developed Chia Sisters drinks to be nutritional, energising, and – crucially convenient.  A rewarding part of our work is meeting like-minded people who use our products to empower others.

‍We caught up with Amanda Foubister to learn more about how she helps clients achieve and maintain wellness alongside their demanding lifestyles and careers, and how Chia Sisters functional drinks perfectly support this. 

For more than 20 years, Amanda has worked as a movie stunt double, pro bodybuilding judge, and nutritionist for celebrities, CEOs, and professional athletes. Her approach is built on science, wisdom, and accepting that change is the only constant. Her plans are deeply personalised to each client, but they all start with a wake-up call:  “Let’s be realistic!”

‍People usually come to Amanda when cookie-cutter wellness plans aren’t working.

Amanda believes that many wellness routines fail because they’re not built to withstand the periods of change or pressure that people regularly deal with.

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“There are some good programs out there but at the end of the day, the mechanics of them will be very much the same – calories in versus calories out. But the kicker is that people will only see success if their program fits into their lifestyle at the time. And it might work once! But that out-the-box program won’t deliver the same results a second time when you’re in a different stage of life.”

The people seeking Amanda’s guidance are often perfectionists. This “all or nothing” mindset may have fueled their careers, but it can become the Achilles’ heel for their long-term health and wellness. Amanda’s clients often think restriction is the answer, only to beat themselves up and fall back into old habits when the wheels inevitably fall off. Here’s how she tackles it:

“My approach is first to strip back that thought pattern and encourage honesty. Because you’re not going to get up at 4.30 am to make a smoothie when you’ve got a plane to catch, you need that extra 30 minutes to sleep!  They might seem like little challenges, but when each one triggers cortisol, our stress hormone, it’s a domino effect that leads to burnout. I find ways to chip off aspects of stress from these micro-patterns so clients are setting themselves up to win.”

Amanda’s approach to wellness is built on four pillars.

Mindset

Years of experience have shown Amanda that wellness starts in your mind. Though clients might expect rigorous meal and workout plans right off the bat, she encourages them to reflect on what’s brought them to her in the first place. “I have to ask the right questions to see what problems look like from my client’s point of view. For me to coach them, I first need to understand what their barriers and triggers are, as well as the thought patterns that lead them to make certain decisions.”

Goals

Then it’s about putting the clients' vision into context. Nine times out of ten, their goals are so much more than a number on a scale. “It’s not just losing 10 kilos. It’s asking: what does wellness look like to you? It might be achieving a personal best or winning a competition, or it could be something deeper, like healing from a health issue or regaining confidence.”

Body

A specialised nutritionist, Amanda understands the complex science behind what’s in our food, and how that interacts with our unique bodies. Part of what makes her plans so effective is how deeply personalised they are – not only to someone’s mindset but to their biological makeup. “Once I’ve passed the preliminary discussions, we dive deep into physiology and biochemistry. We take a look at their hormones and bloodwork, and this helps us come up with a meal plan that ensures they’re getting the macro and micronutrients that are going to work well with their body.”

Behaviour

With just the first three steps, Amanda’s clients are stoked with their results. But she goes a step further, bringing in the fourth, and arguably most important, pillar of her approach – behaviour. “My goal is that clients become more self-aware, to the point where they can identify their own problems and patterns. I want to get them to the point where they don’t need me anymore, they can listen to their body’s cues and follow a more intuitive practice.”

It’s not easy to teach an intuitive approach to wellness. For one thing, clients come to Amanda for immediate answers. She shares that the first problem she has to treat is decision fatigue – “just give me the plan!” “So I give my clients a routine at the beginning to satisfy that preliminary need. That also gives me time to delve deeper and adapt the solution that not only fits their lifestyle now but can also grow with them.”

The other major challenge is that our relationship with food and fitness is deeply ingrained, often at a generational level. So to empower her clients to make their own wellness decisions, Amanda has to help them rewire certain behaviours or patterns that they’ve subconsciously developed or inherited.

It takes bravery, patience, and persistence, but the testimonials speak for themselves. Amanda has helped people achieve life-changing results.

The secret? Self-awareness.

With access to external tools and knowledge, plus a deeper understanding of what’s going on within themselves, Amanda’s clients can achieve long-term wellness. Through Amanda, they learn resilience and the ability to adapt to change. We think that’s pretty epic!

Our drinks help Amanda’s clients stay nourished and energised – no matter what life throws at them.

Amanda’s challenge of making nutrition convenient links back to our origin story. Our co-founder, Chloe Van Dyke, is a neuroscientist and expert in herbal medicine. She spent two years developing the first Chia Sisters formula to create the best fuel for her dad, a world champion swimmer, and her sister Florence, a triathlete.

There were so many challenges to overcome. For example, chia seeds must be individually hydrated to ensure we’re absorbing their protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and micronutrients. So Chloe partnered with Callaghan Innovation to develop custom technology that would ensure that our drinks unlocked the nutrients in every chia seed.

Chloe perfected the formula, leading to the small yet powerful Chia Superfood drinks that caught Amanda’s eye in the supermarket. “Honestly, it’s the convenience factor that sells it for me. Homemade smoothies sound good in theory, but no one representing clients in court, catching flights, or leading corporate meetings is going to put a Nutri Bullet mug on the table – it’s too intrusive! 

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"But the Chia Superfood drinks are in a convenient 200ml format. All that nutrition is packed inside a small glass bottle that fits in your handbag or even your pocket. That convenient source of healthy energy and satisfaction is the difference between feeling run-down and stopping to get fast food on the way home from a big day.”

As a nutritionist, Amanda was impressed by the ingredients list as well… “I love Chia Sisters because the products have clearly been developed by people who know their stuff.  I see that there’s malic acid to help fatigue, magnesium to help combat stress, fibre to help control blood sugar levels, and protein for satiety and to take the edge off the insulin release.”

We’re so grateful to Amanda for sharing her wisdom with us – we hope you enjoyed her insights, too! 

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