20 Questions with Kylie Meeks: Sun-kissed Gypsy Spirit and Founder and Owner of Conscious Craves Raw Food.
Last year I worked on a feature film in Perth and through a new friend I made on the film I found out about Kylie who was doing amazing things with raw, plant-based foods and had single-handedly created a successful and growing (and legitimately healthy) product from very humble beginnings.
When I finally got to meet Kylie, it was obvious to me why the products have been such a success. What struck me the most about her is her knowledge of and complete passion for what she is producing. On top of that she is a very cool chick with this complete 70s free-spirit vibe. I noticed that everything she does is done with complete conviction and passion and with such natural joy.
I had such a great time hanging out with Kylie and getting to know her story. What a fantastic journey this blog is taking me on and the incredible people I am getting to know!
C: Where were you before you moved to the area and what initially brought you here?
K: I am a true blue Californian girl. I first came to Australia in 2008. I travelled and worked on the east coast. In 2011 a little thing called love and fate brought me to the beautiful and magical Southwest. C: How long have you lived in Yallingup?
K: Going on 5 years! Wow that sounds crazy when I say it out loud! My partner at the time is a Perth raised gal, she didn’t waste anytime introducing me to ‘The land of love’ aka Yallingup. I was blown away by the natural beauty and energy of the region. I don’t think I went back up to Perth for an entire year! I guess it was love at first sight! Not to mention is was a mini mecca of health and wellbeing which is a must for the type of lifestyle I choose to live.
C: What in your opinion is the best thing about living in the South-West?
K: To me the best thing is the natural beauty and purity of the land, ocean and air. You can truly create a life of simplicity and wellness here. It’s an easy place to surround your self with like-minded health conscious people or enjoy days of solitude in nature finding balance and creativity within. C: Since you’ve been here what are the biggest changes you have noticed in the area?
K: I own a natural food business so my mind is very focused on observing the community and their choices in regards to health and wellbeing. It’s been so awesome to watch the people of our community over the last 5 years embrace a more healthy lifestyle. There is a lot of awareness here and it really drives me in what I do and motivates me to continue creating food that people not only love the taste of but also are benefiting from! C: What sparked your interest in wholefoods?
K: One of my best friends Karinne who is 10 years older than me first introduced me to wholefoods and creating a more natural lifestyle for myself when I was 18. I soaked up the knowledge like a child and became obsessed with living a pure life! Growing up in America in the 90’s was hard for any kid. Fast food, artificial colours, refined sugar in literally EVERYTHING, preservatives and much more bad stuff filled the bellies of most of me nd my friends. Sometimes I wonder how I am still alive at 27! HAHA I realised the suffering that many people in there 20s onward were facing and I am pretty convinced that much of disease is to do with lifestyle so therefore I aimed to eliminate anything unnatural in my life. I am a pretty extreme person so at 18 I went cold turkey and flipped my life upside down (in a good way!) I realised how much I cherished life and instead of feeding myself harmful unnatural foods and using harmful products on my body I wanted to give myself the best possible. I was fortunate to have a great influence in my life who made me want to be the BEST version of myself and for that I am forever grateful!
C: How long did it take to get Conscious Craves from conception to where it is now?
K: I moved to WA in June and the business was up and running in July. Remember in the last question I answered and said that I am very extreme? Well here is the proof! I have travelled many places and worked many different types of jobs. Taking every opportunity the universe threw at me! Worked on multi-million dollar yachts that belonged to the worlds wealthiest cruising around the Caribbean, bartended at a surf camp in Africa, bussed tables in one of Southern California’s top restaurants at the age of 14, worked at my parents restaurant from the age of 8, gave the little girls in my neighbourhood skateboarding lessons at 16. I could go on and on! The point is that I knew I wanted MORE, I wanted a job that satisfied my inner most being. I wanted a job that truly benefited others. I wanted to create something for myself. Looking back I see now that I was destined to be an entrepreneur.
C: Over the weekend you opened your first shop at The Shed in Abbey – how was the experience of having a shop and will it tempt you to open another or a chain of shops?
K: YES! This amazing opportunity came my way when The Shed Wholefoods market opened in Abbey (between Dunsborough and Busselton) The Shed consists of 12 permanent shops inside an old engineering shed. I was asked if I would like to bring Conscious Craves into the equation. Here we can sell bulk wholefoods, natural grocery items and of course the whole range on Conscious Craves RAW food snacks! For now The Shed will be our main wholefoods outlet. Next year we will open our new factory and wholefoods grocery store in Dunsborough. Very exciting stuff to come!
C: Apart from Conscious Craves what are your other passions?
K: I am an extremely passionate person with many different passions but at the moment my focus in to continue to spread the word and expand with Conscious Craves, focus on retaining a balance in my personal growth through meditation, yoga, exercise and of course love. In the near future I plan to venture into my next big thing ‘Conscious Kidz’. CK will be a non-profit organization teaching kids the benefits of growing your own food, eating a natural pure diet, and creating foods. My vision is to start on a small level by running fun Conscious Kidz workshops at The Shed once a month and then eventually start working with schools.
C: What drives you in your work?
K: OPEN MINDS! I love meeting people who are open for change and open to bettering themselves in every possible way. Mindfulness and awareness can do amazing things for people and can open so many amazing doors if you allow it!
C: Tell me one interesting fact about yourself.
K: I love gardening in the nude! C: How do you like to relax?
K: Hiking, Bush walks, beach walk/runs, creating yummy food, yoga, meditation, gardening, building, watching good films, spending time with my partner and family and hanging with my handsome Rottweiler Brutus!
C: What do you think has been your greatest achievement?
K: I feel that creating my life to exactly what I want it to be is my greatest achievement. I feel so blessed to live the life I love and to constantly have the awareness and ability to continue to create what I want. It’s hard sometimes in a world where success and happiness are based around materials and the amount of money you make. Once you break free from the attachments that are holding you back from living the exact life you want you can truly experience freedom. C: What is your craziest or most interesting travel experience?
K: Traveling to Africa at 17 was probably the most eye opening experience, teaching me about simplicity and cultural awareness. The most exhilarating and vulnerable experience was when my cousin and I took a solo mission on a dingy from the main land to the small island off the coast of Panama where my dad lives. Twenty minutes into the boat ride one of the craziest storms of the year came through! I seriously thought my life was over! Neither of us having much experience getting a small boat through an open stormy ocean we eventually beached ourselves onto a small island until the storm passed! Shivering and shaking we sat there for 4 hours, getting back to my Dad just before midnight! Seeing my dads face after experiencing that was the most incredibly safe feeling I have ever experienced! C: “If I could I would love to trade places with… because…”
K: A snake, just for a day, I love snakes! C: Who is your greatest style influence or inspiration (local/international)?
K:Justin Beiber- LOVE those Drop Crotch pants! haha C: How would you describe your style?
K: Tom-boyish but still fem with a slight swag Haha! This is a really funny question. I don’t really try to follow any style in particular. My whole life I’ve always been a tom-boy. I still really dislike dresses or anything too girly with the exception of super tight skinny jeans. C: What is your greatest indulgence?
K: My greatest indulgence would be the sunshine and nature! I am a child of the Californian desert, which is probably another reason why the universe brought me to the southwest. C: What is the one item you can’t live without (apart from mobile phone!)?
K: Tooth brush, pretty obsessed with brushing my grill! C: How would you like to be remembered?
K: I would love to be remembered as someone who inspired others in a positive way! C: What is the one word people would use to describe you?
K: Passionate.