IN HER SNEAKERS with Bridget Paddon (a.k.a @goaldiggersnz)
Happy Monday lovelies! I have just had an epic weekend at the beach, had my first couple of summer adventures, ate yummy food and was surrounded by gorgeous company. One thing I absolutely love about social media is the people you get to meet and interact with. It's actually so cool that you can form friendships with people whom you may not have even crossed paths with just because of the internet!
This is also why I absolutely love this segment on the blog "IN HER SNEAKERS". I just love chatting to these inspiring girls and women. I learn so much from reading their answers and I also love the similarities that I can see in myself. I also really enjoy it because its all about girls supporting girls, some of these gals are in the same field of work that I want to be in or are on a similar journey to me! Whilst I guess you could say in some senses we are in competition, I like to look at it as we are all spreading the same or similar positive messages across multiple social media platforms. We are all different, we may have the same message, but have our own unique way of spreading it. Some of these gals are absolutely killing it and it's so fab to see, we need to be telling them their content is amazing! That they are having a positive impact on our lives and support each other. Building people up and celebrating their success is honestly one of the coolest things you can do! Plus why would I not tell you about all the accounts that inspire me so you can follow them too!!
Anyway, I would like to introduce you to the gorgeous Bridget Paddon, also known on insta as @goaldiggersnz ! I absolutely love Bridget's account, her blog and everything she is about! Bridget works as a goals coach empowering women to smash their goals and live a kickass fulfilling life - sounds pretty epic right? This gorgeous wellness babe oozes positivity and fun! I think what Bridget does is amazing, this gal is all about empowering women and I just love it!
Enjoy reading beautiful people!
Bridget Paddon
1. A little bit about you gorgeous .. who are you, what do you do and what are you passionate about?
I am a 27-year old Holistic Health Advocate and a Goals, Growth and Fulfilment Coach based in Southland NZ, but you won’t see me staying in one place for too long as I am constantly travelling around the country meeting and connecting with a tonne of incredible like minded people.
I coach women throughout Aotearoa to guiding and supporting them to smash their goals and live a fulfilling, kick-ass and holistically healthy life. I have been pursuing my coaching career for well over a year now having gained a magnitude of experience having worked with over 50 inspirational coaching clients.
I live by Goal Digger NZ’s mantra of doing more, seeing more and being more with a focus on self-love, fuelling and loving my body with whole foods and natural products and going on regular active adventures, the most recent spending 10 days in Fiji snorkelling with turtles, soaking up the sun and joining in wedding celebrations as a bridesmaids for one of my best friends
2. What does health mean to you?
I take a holistic approach to health and ensure I have positive habits around my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. I believe that in order to bring the best version of yourself to any situation, relationship or experience that you have to be prioritising your own holistic health. For me this is daily exercising, fuelling my body with the foods it thrives on, regular yoga and meditation, expressing gratitude and living consciouslly.
3. What does a typical day in your sneakers look like?
A typical day for me is waking up around 6am and going for a 30 minute walk followed by bacon and eggs for breakfast. I’ll spend my day coaching clients over the phone or in person, creating content for social media and the blog, answering emails and everything else that goes on behind the scenes at GDNZ HQ. I will also have a strength sweat sesh once a day and mix up between running and yoga. I like to wind down quite early in the evening and finish the day with gratitude journalling, my shakti mat and reading.
4. What does a normal day of eating look like for you?
Breakfast, bacon, eggs and avo
Green Smoothie
Lunch, usually left overs from the night before, today I’m having left over mexican bowl ingredients, mince, salad, pico de gallo (tomato, red onion, garlic, lime juice, cumin, coriander) topped with some full fat sour cream
Post workout protein smoothie
Dinner, I eat very simple, green veges and some kind of meat most nights
5. How do you maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle and your tips and tricks for others?
Morning and evening routines 100% and making sure I’m including things in my daily routines that I love to do which leave me feeling fulfilled.
6. How do you deal with stress and pressure in this fast paced world we all live in?
I like to think I listen to my body and know when to give myself a break. I also believe in sharing your feelings with the people closest to you, not necessarily seeking answers from them but being able to voice your feelings and knowing it’s okay to feel that way.
7. What has been the hardest part of your wellness journey?
Finding a way of eating and training that purely works for me and putting my blinkers on to avoid what’s going on around me. It is so easy to be sucked into what your friend is doing, or what social media is telling you you should be doing. Everyone is different so you have to find something that works for you. For me that is eating a low carb high healthy fat lifestyle (I’m eating more carbs than usual at the moment while I train for my first half marathon) and training that works for me is morning walks, short sharp strength training circuits, yoga/stretching and the occasional run.
8. Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given and from who?
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marriane Williamson
10. Favourite treat?
Whittakers Dark Almond Chocolate - currently ¾ of the way through the block that I bought last night haha
11. 3 foods you couldn’t live without?
Eggs, avocado, dark chocolate
12. Favourite way to move your body
Any kind of strength circuit involving weights.
13. Any last words of wisdom …
Know that every experience we have is neither good or bad - they are just experiences and we choose to put a label on them. Know that whatever you are going through right now is happening for a reason, you are learning, it is all part of the journey, just embrace it. Nothing lasts forever, so be present in the good times and resilient in the bad times.
Bridget is such an inspiration to me, if you haven't seen her page, you really need to! I'm sure she will inspire and motivate you too! Her blog is amazing and I am loving her segment on the contraceptive pill at the moment. Find Bridget here
As always
Love and Health,
Charlie xo