Original Recording
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[00:00:00] Welcome back to another episode of the wild and wild collective. Today's guest not only has an incredible brand, but an incredible story and health journey to go alongside it. Sharina is someone who has established her business called Sharina Noel active wear and wellbeing in 2015 during a period where she was personally overcoming so many challenges.
And I'm excited for you to hear her story. Story. She released her first range of active wear in New Zealand in 2017 with sustainability being a huge part of her mission. Not only are the clothing that she produces locally and. Made in Tamaki Makaurau in Auckland in small batches, but the fabric actually carries sustainable certifications.
Since 2017, her brand has evolved to include biodegradable resort wear and eco homeware. Through her brand, she's able to host beautiful wellbeing events, such as outdoor walking, yoga sessions, mindfulness coaching. And she's actually an advocate [00:01:00] for the mental health foundation, one that is Truly close to my heart as well.
She advocates for endometriosis and the awareness of it through her brand. She's also able to sponsor NASA, which is the nurses of Auckland university student association. She is a woman who is an absolute powerhouse. I am in awe of how much she does and how she shows up day in, day out. So without further ado, I'm excited for her to come on and share her story and the magic that she brings into the world.
Welcome, Shareena.
Welcome back to the Wild and Wild Collective. Our very special guest today, Shareena, and I met at a really cool event not so long ago, and after talking to her and speaking with her energy, I was like, okay, we have to get you on the podcast because you truly embody what it means to live wildly well, but you also have such a powerful story.
And I would love it if we can start there. How is health such a big part of your life and what has your journey [00:02:00] been?
Thanks so much. And we're lovely to see you both today. That's such a big question, isn't it? Health and well being. In my life, it's always been there from day one. And I think it's one of those interesting relationships that you have that you keep going back to it when sometimes your body basically signals to you, go, Hey, you know, something's wrong.
Let's do something about it. Kind of thing. Or it might come in a, an alarming type of rate, or it might just be something you need to feel. To get a connection back into it. And so I think just over the years I've gone back and forth to, to understand my own health and my own wellbeing and my own needs of my body.
And yeah, it's just, it's always been there, but just, yeah, certain life events have made that become, become more apparent really. Yeah. Cherie mentioned that you had a history of endo endometriosis and that kind of propelled a lot of your path in life. I would love because I think a lot of people do struggle with that and it can be a really frustrating diagnosis.
I know that people many times women live with it for years and years and [00:03:00] don't know a confirmed diagnosis until much later in life. And I'm really curious and I think our listeners would love to hear too. What was your journey with that from symptoms to just getting a diagnosis and how you really kind of, How that has propelled you into where you are today, even in business and the routes that you went.
Absolutely. So my relationship with endometriosis started many years ago where I basically would just get sharp shooting pains. And I'd be just sitting at the dinner table, for example, and I'll just sit there and I'll just get this massive pain. And it was so crippling that I'd have to sit on the floor and it was just constant notions like that.
I'd find, you know, certain things. I couldn't eat bread, couldn't eat, have dairy in my diet, anything would just make my, my body bloated and I'd feel sick and it's just this constant feeling of just pain and tiredness and fatigue. And it was just going off many, many years.
And I actually didn't know what it [00:04:00] was because nobody was really talking about it. A couple of years ago, it wasn't really a thing to talk about. And it was just like, all these women would have very similar symptoms, but nobody would talk about it. Nobody knew what it was. And it was only until That I wanted to understand more about my health and my own body in terms of like fertility, for example, that a specialist said to me, he's like, Oh, I think you've got endometriosis.
And I was like, really, what's that? And so I had to discover it. And as I started to discover what it was and then kind of hitting towards, I know a lot of people want to take the holistic kind of path and treat, to, I guess, treat endometriosis. Why I say treat to lessen the symptoms with food and diet and exercise.
I couldn't bear it anymore. and I had to Do surgery. And I feel like it has helped a lot. But as I went on that journey, I felt I could connect more with women and talk about it. And so a couple of years ago, I partnered up a little bit with with Endometriosis New Zealand and tried and started to [00:05:00] advocate for women's health and to talk about it.
And they say one in 10, one in 10 women have endometriosis, but Reality is it's more like one in six and it's almost like one in everybody, so many people I talk to have endometriosis or some kind of form of that. And so it through my business gave me a platform to be able to raise awareness about it and where to get resources and help.
So it was one of the I guess in some ways it's good that I had my brand to be able to do that. I think I wouldn't be able to reach so many more people if I didn't have the platform that I have now. Yeah. So that was one component, but the main component of why I started my brand and training a well was because I'm going through another health aspect that I was going through a really hard time in my life.
And this is back in 2014, 2015. I was very low mood. I just come out of a really bad relationship. I was suffering from depression basically. And I hit rock bottom and I was thinking, gosh, I've Got to get myself out of this. I've [00:06:00] got to change my mindset and I've got to do it through diet exercise.
And there was just something in me that wanted to get back into the notion of exercise and eating well. And I've always been pretty, fit and healthy and into sports and stuff like that. And then there was one stage in 2014 that I just stopped doing everything. And that was so out of character.
And and then I started to go into the gym a little bit more, getting my confidence back a little bit more. And and then I just started thinking, why can't women's, it says it's women's, so women's active wear, for example, be fun and flirty and sexy. And why can't it give us the motivation?
To go to the gym, to exercise, to do yoga, to do Pilates and just get outside and get fresh air. And that's where I started designing. And it just went from there. That's amazing. And I think there's two, two really big themes that are coming through but both really strongly informing our listeners and really that you're sharing is like coming back to your health and coming back to your body and through your own needs and your own journey.
You've been able to propel yourself forward and then obviously serve and [00:07:00] support the community around you, whether that's through the endometriosis awareness or through starting the brand that you have. And so I think if we think we talk a little bit more about the endo side of things first, I'm curious in terms of.
What after the surgery? And again, there's absolutely never any judgment here. We're always, and Kristen, I have a very integrative approach. It's important to do what works for you and your body. And so I love that you brought up the fact that actually, yeah, the diet and lifestyle is a component of this, but there's also a huge factor that.
That was, that could only do so much and you did need to go through the surgery. And the more people you do talk to, I still remember the first time I heard about endo was from one of my friends who came to the gym and she was 17 at the time. And she walked into the gym and she burst into tears.
And she's I've just been told I've got endo and I now have a 70 I have a 70 percent chance that I will not be able to have children. And that was where she'd Being told that was it, that she'd just been left there and there was no guidance, there was no [00:08:00] support, there was no nothing.
It was like, this is just your diagnosis. And so with part of the advocacy that you have, and obviously you've got the beautiful platform to be able to utilize and, use your voice more. What do you start doing or what do you suggest to the woman when you're having these conversations and you're working with endometriosis, New Zealand, like.
What kind of support and that can you offer? Cause I think people feel really alone with this. Absolutely. And I guess I've always left my door open and I've always said to my followers and just people that I met, I said, I'm always here and I get. I get phone calls, I get messages all the time and I get women coming up to me and go, you know what, your symptoms that you've described actually relates to something that I'm going through.
And then they go to the doctor and then they get diagnosed with Indo. and they're like thank you. Thank you for being out there and talking about it, being so open about it. No. But I think it's just the more knowledge. And I know that we can get so overwhelmed with so many resources now that we've got, Google and everything.[00:09:00]
It's, it is very overwhelming. But I think honestly, the most thing that we, the thing that we can really do is to empower ourselves and empower ourselves with knowledge and just by talking. And then also, with diets and things, there's always going to be, no one size kind of fits all.
It's always going to be different for every, everybody's body and the way they do things. Yeah. Yeah. So how do you keep, let's transition a little bit to. You're a busy person. You have your own business. You you also teach. It's all right. You also educate. What's your correlation with texture as well.
Yeah. So there's a lot going on. And I know before we record, you were saying, it's a calendar. Like you've got to have everything really scheduled out. But tell us a little bit about how you maintain health and a very busy schedule as an entrepreneur as a very ambitious.
I think the key is to know your limits, so I do start to, so my limits are when I get overwhelmed, when I know that I'm taking too much on my body tells [00:10:00] me and that the way it tells me I start to get headaches. Or a little bit of a migraine coming through and I'm like, okay, now I've got to pause.
I've got to just stop. And with me I try and balance it as such by putting gaps in my day. So I have gaps to, walk outside, go for a walk, go to the gym. I make it a priority. So even though I might have a mountain of things to do, like at the moment I am teaching architecture. So I'm teaching in the school of future environments at Auckland University of Technology here in Auckland.
And It is a very demanding course. Cause I teach at the moment, four different subjects or four different papers, it's a lot to juggle that as well, but I love it a lot. It's a lot. And then and then I've got other bits and pieces that I do as well. And then obviously my brand, my business. But it's just a matter of just allowing for, just that healthy eating, like I always make it a priority.
I always try and eat in rather than. out. So I always meal prepping, for example, making sure I'm nourishing my body with beautiful, healthy foods that are going to make [00:11:00] me be, be sustained for those busy days. And I think it was just about pre planning in advance. If you can meal prep in advance and you can schedule, and I don't really like the word schedule and program, but I guess you have to do a little bit of scheduling to make everything kind of work.
But just allow those little moments to have you time, like me time and at nighttime to kind of slow things down, turn off technology and just be with yourself. So I think mindfulness is definitely a massive technique that I use.
It's a lot that you pack into your day. And if you're, for all the students that may not have coordinated all of that, like you are lecturing, you are managing a business. You are managing a brand. You're also showing up and looking after your health and wellbeing. And, something like endo is actually.
Like you say something you have to continue to manage as well. And so it does become where are my priorities, but I love what you mentioned about knowing your limits. And I'm wondering if we can unpack that a little bit there. Like you talked about some of the symptoms that come up. But as being like such an ambitious woman, when you feel like there's so much momentum or there's so much excitement, or you've got so [00:12:00] many things on your plate, but then maybe those symptoms show up.
Like, how do you. Manage your own expectations of yourself because I know even personally that's something that I'll be like battle with. I'm like, Oh, but I want to do all of these things and I don't want to miss out on anything, but I also need to respect and honor my body. What are some tools or techniques that you use?
I know you said mindfulness. Yeah. Mindfulness meditation just including like yoga, for example, it's just beautiful and the body loves it. But I think it's just, yeah, just allowing yourself to have you time. I think that's probably the biggest thing that I can recommend is just allowing you like schedule me time basically in your day.
Yeah, that's it. Yeah, exactly. And then just another thing as well is just to know that the world's not going to end. If you don't finish something, it's not the world's not a game over kind of thing. There's always another opportunity. And I think just to be open and transparent, like I'm open and transparent.
I say, Hey, look, I can't do all this by the stage that you want me to do it. So I have to say what's good for me as well. And I think it [00:13:00] just being open and being honest with people if your workload is too much, just explain to them and just go, Hey, look, I've got a lot going on.
Do you mind if we just shift it? And, most of the time people are quite willing and happy to shift things across. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's interesting. I had a patient here recently who said, she's a little older. Her kids are adults. And But she works full time still.
And she said, I looked over at my boss and I saw that he had he had, soccer games. He had, all of his kids schedule on his own calendar to mark off for work. And she just had this aha moment of if this were about a child of mine, I would mark my calendar off.
So why am I not doing that for my own Physical health. Like, why am I not taking time to take a break, go to the gym, leave early on certain days, et cetera. And I think it is really important to recognize that in order to be a high achiever successfully, I should say successfully not only [00:14:00] in the outside world, but also internally, as far as your health goes, you do have to prioritize yourself.
And I think there's something I always ask my patients is what is your perceived level of stress, because. That's really ultimately what matters. Of course, some people have greater capacity for what they're able to accomplish without feeling really taxed, but I think it's important to acknowledge when your perception of stress is coming out.
And I think it's really neat the way that you said your body tells you, because it is true. Our bodies will tell us. And I think being aware of symptoms and not ignoring Your body such as headaches or fatigue, or those symptoms of burnout of constantly feeling overwhelmed. Those things are really important, I think, to have sustained success.
I think the other thing you mentioned that I really want to drive home is scheduling the me time in. And. I know even personally, and I see this all the time, it's we fill up our schedules and just like the example you share Krista. But [00:15:00] then we'll, if we've got blank space there and we haven't actually allocated the blank space, it ends up getting filled with the busy work and it ends up getting Oh I'll just, I'll do this or I'll work extra, or I'll just allow this to run over time, or I'll spend the extra time on my business or whatever it is.
That's keeping you occupied. And whilst there's nothing wrong with that, it does tend to mean that it's. You don't actually get that time to tune in to actually see am I reaching my limits to actually listen to my body. And so that me time isn't just about going and getting facials or massages or, doing the fun stuff on the outside.
It's actually about, this is some uninterrupted time that if I actually need a nap here, I'm going to take it. Or if I'm going to go and get sit outside and have my lunch and be present, I'm going to do it. But. It's a really important point that you brought up to pop it in your schedule, because otherwise if we see I find personally, anyway, free space in the calendar, it just gets filled with other things versus the first thing being like, actually it's about me and I need to make myself a [00:16:00] priority here.
I was just going to say, you just prompted me just as you're having your cup of tea and things just now just thinking just that little smoke, small pockets of little, me moments of a cup of tea or something, even just to break up your day.
Yeah, I was just going to add, I'm super curious. We mean we're talking about managing a business, running a business, and you've obviously got a job as well on top of that and managing a brand. Can you tell us a little bit more about your brand? I know you mentioned the inspiration behind it, but I think when it comes to activewear, one thing that really stood out to me as you were talking was like, it is a big when it inspires so many women to go to the gym or it inspires so many people to go and reignite their fitness routine.
When you do get new activewear, you do feel really confident and sexy and feel like it's real fun. Can you talk to us a little bit more about the whole process around it and the brand itself? Absolutely. I'm so passionate about keeping things local and that's why I guess my architecture and my fashion relate because it's all about regionalism and community.[00:17:00]
But yeah, no, my, my brand as I was mentioning that I started sketching and drawing back in 2014, 2015, I then started prototyping and different various shapes for different activities. And then in 2017 I did quite a big launch in Auckland and I've always been a driver for sustainable and ethical fabrics.
I've got active wear like performance wear, for example, that uses reprieved fabric, which is made out of plastic bottles from the ocean. So they repurpose those plastic bottles. And then. Spin it into fiber and then they create fabric. Yeah, it's pretty cool. It's like we're doing something good for the environment as well.
So that's like a win situation. And so that's the performance kind of range and it's what they call is a circle economy. So it just goes around and around so you can repurpose that fabric and keep reusing it, which is brilliant because we know that Plastics and things will last hundreds and hundreds of years.
It doesn't decompose. And so it's just one way of taking that out, rubbish out of the ocean. And then yeah, I've always worked with fabrics that are good for the environment and my, I've got resort wear now. [00:18:00] And so that's using tensile fabric, which is made from eucalyptus tree bark.
So it's taking that back and creating mulch out of it. And it's all FSC, what they call is forest stewardship council certified. So it's helping the communities and those local areas. It's helping to replant forests again. And it's just another great initiative. So yeah, sustainability has always been at the core for fabrics for me.
And getting inspired by nature as such. We are nature, humans are nature. So good look after nature, good look after each other, one another, the animals, the planet. And that's what I teach in school, future environments and Auckland as well. It's all about. Working with the colleges, working with our bodies and what's good for us and what's good for the planet in a nutshell.
Yeah, that's awesome. What was the path like from the. Just to stay on the topic of business, because I think, some of our listeners too, they're ambitious people and some of them, they already have their own business. Some of them might be aspiring entrepreneurs, but what did that path look like for you?
I [00:19:00] think it's always interesting. We hear, Oh, entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster and it's just interesting to hear what is that rollercoaster actually? What is that? There's highs, there's lows, there's amazing. And then there's challenges. to it. I would love to hear a high overview of your experience in the idea of what you wanted to where you are now.
What was that path like for you? Absolutely. I think the biggest thing is to dream big. I think to list down your goals and your achievements. So have a really good plan in place. And I think that's one of the things that I probably didn't do. So I, I just rode the wave because I didn't know where it was going to go.
I thought, okay I'll just design some clothes. I love designing. I love clothes. I love fashion. I love, health and well being. I love fitness. So I was like, okay I'll combine the two. So I didn't really have a plan, but I knew in my head what I was going to do. But I tell people now have a concrete plan in place because then you know where you're going to go.
But I think just with any business and we've got, recessions and things we've got to deal with. And So it is a up and down kind of manner. And I guess that is just a roller [00:20:00] coaster ride, but I guess the biggest thing is once again, is to arm yourself with knowledge knowledge.
There are so many free resources out there that you can get that knowledge from community groups. For example, there are local businesses. We have what we call is a chamber of commerce. So it's a networking platform that entrepreneurs or, established business owners can be part of.
So I think just associating yourself with other groups really does help. And that's definitely helped me. So I'm part of all kinds of organizations and groups, and we just talk and that's been the biggest support. Like you'd be surprised how many people going through what you're going through as well.
And some of the challenges. That you face, it could be a financial impact. It could be just trying to source fabric. Like for me, it took me many years to try and find good fabric that was good for the environment. No, it didn't hit chemicals in the, in our waterways, for example. And yeah, it can be challenging.
So fabric could be, it's challenging. Distribution is challenging. Sometimes you might not have availability, like people should actually [00:21:00] help you make the clothes. So I have pattern makers and I've got a sewer as well. And sometimes you've got to work in the. Their kind of schedule. So I think maybe because we're in a small country, New Zealand's not very big and we don't have that many resources.
And that's what some of the big challenges for me have been, is to find someone that could help you sew the clothes. Yeah. I think it's, sorry, go ahead. I was gonna say, I think it's beautiful with what you're sharing because All through this, you can hear how much your values you have to stick by.
Like when we think about the sustainability, when we think about the challenges that you face I can also imagine getting the certifications and the, even the. The approval of the awareness around, okay, this is actually a sustainable fabric and going through all of those processes to have the product you do that there's a lot of companies out there, especially in the active work space that would just be like, Hey, that's a too hard basket, or I'm just not going to deal with that.
And I'll just cut corners [00:22:00] here. And it's not again, putting those companies down by any means, but it really speaks volumes about you, that you had this, obviously this bigger vision and this bigger mission. And you're like. Even if it takes a couple of years, or even if I have to go around a lot harder corners, or if I'm struggling to find the resources because we're in a such smaller country, it doesn't matter because this is what's important to me, and this is what I'm showing up for, and this is what I'm advocating for, and I just, I think it's absolutely beautiful that you've stayed so true to your mission and to your values.
Thank you. Yeah, it was very important to me to to make it locally as well. Like I know a lot of big brands are going overseas and there's nothing wrong with, making things overseas. We've got some really fine craftsmanship overseas as well, but I thought why not look at our local, why not look at our own , backyard basically and give jobs and opportunities to those families that are living here in Auckland and New Zealand.
And that's why I wanted to keep things local and work locally in manufacturing here. So going back to the tie between business and health. I'm really curious [00:23:00] about this. There's talk around athletic wear and the toxicity. A lot of women wear no underwear under yoga pants.
Why would you don't want the panty line and it's more comfortable to not have it. And so that there has been discussion around the safety, of, things that could be in the fabrics that now are, in contact with areas of our body that could be highly absorbable. What is your take on that?
And how do you, yeah, is that something that you find legitimate? And is that something that you've taken into account? Yeah, no, absolutely. And it's something that's been a bit of a hot topic at the moment. So it wasn't quite apparent about that. I am very, I'm quite aware of that, especially with having, endometriosis as well that my aim in the future is to move all my fabrics especially the performance ranges from using, recycled plastic to more of a bamboo kind of approach, but I'm just trying at the moment to find fabrics that are not going to tear and that's a problem I've got is trying to, it's that situation where we want to look after health, but [00:24:00] also we need clothes also that are going to be able to perform the function and be durable too, because you don't want people to return clothes and go, Hey, I can't actually use it for yoga, or it's not really working for this kind of thing.
And like I have been told. Why don't you use Will or Marino, but I'm like It doesn't quite work in like hot kind of situations like hot yoga. I am definitely working with that and my advice for people is to just be careful with fabrics. Don't wash it so much because it's also one more thing you're putting pollutants into the environment, into the waterways.
But it's just, it's one of those things that many of our clothes are made of polyester and nylon and synthetic fabrics. And I would love the industry to shift and if we could just have more manufacturers making materials that are, better for health. So I absolutely agree. I believe that.
That there are plastics out there that are not good for your body. And I do, they have researched and things they found plastics and all kinds of parts, in your body parts. Basically, there are things like a research coming out like that, but it's just unfortunate that industry, the fashion industry and clothing textile industry [00:25:00] hasn't quite caught up yet.
Until I'd love to have a massive pot of money that I could just create my own fabrics from scratch. That would be my ideal. And then I have to deal. Yeah and just do it myself but it's just it's hard with limited resources and that's why I've started to shift away from using synthetic type of plastics which was the only thing that's available right now to move to more towards tensile fabrics which is my resort where which is the biodegradable tree bark which is you know better for your body and doesn't And causing a chemical kind of, reactions or anything so far that we know because it's all, it's coming from nature.
So nature for us. Yeah, no, absolutely. I think just as soon as the industry moves, that's when we're all going to be out there as well. It's just, it's hard when the industry is a little bit far behind in terms of textiles. We just need them to chase up a little bit and then, yeah. They do their happy days.
It's so interesting too, because we think about it and it's something that had never really hit me. And we think even if I tie this into endo as well, endometriosis is typically, there's a higher level of [00:26:00] estrogen floating around in the body. And we go, we sweat, we stick in our, we, we're in our active wear.
And then so many of us. And I was guilty of this for a number of years, we'll sit around in, and as gross as that sounds, in our smelly activewear, in our like sticky activewear for, the next few hours, if not the whole rest of the day, because you're like, oh I'll just let the sweat dry and that sort of thing.
But what happens is, All of those toxins, like what is sweat? Sweat is a way to detoxify all of those toxins then reabsorb into our bodies and you're now walking around for the rest of the day, reabsorbing a whole lot of the things that could be causing issues or leading to high levels of estrogen or contributing to your endometriosis symptoms being worse.
And it's similar when we think about active where I know I, when I first started using the sauna. I would sit there in my activewear and then I was like, started to understand that there was actually a lot of toxins inside the activewear itself. Not only are you sweating on those, but now I'm probably absorbing [00:27:00] a lot of them in into my skin.
So now when I go into the sauna, it's like as little as possible. And. You're not having that kind of toxic burden or that toxic load. So I think it's amazing that you are at the forefront of this and you've recognized that there's an issue. And like you said, we do have to wait for there to be a little bit more of a trend behind it because it can be a hard movement to make on your own.
But it's just also bringing awareness. People around this that we want, we should shower straight afterwards, even though that sounds like it would be common sense, but you should always be showering right after active wear and being aware that the clothes that you are putting on your body can be increasing your toxic load.
Absolutely. I think although I do love active wear and that I'm always making sure that I'm in something comfy after I work out. And And I think choosing, products and materials that are made of like cottons, natural fibers, bamboo, cotton, for example even just around like private areas underwear, for example, kind of underwear, I always stick to cotton cause that's just better for your body.
But it's really hard though. Cause sometimes like with [00:28:00] elastic you notice elastics made of synthetic fibers as well. So it's all around us that everything we do our shoes, for example, even in bedtime, I'm not sure what people wear, PJs or whatever, a lot of that's made of synthetic.
So it's all around us. And until the industry shifts, then I think then health and it's going to catch up with them a little bit. And it's just, it's like the next thing, like I remember advocating for sustainable fabrics that was good for the environment, back in like 2014, 2015, and nobody was really doing that.
And and now the industry is it caught up a little bit now and then I'm just waiting for the next first where there's gonna be better fabrics available and they're better. I've just waited and I'm pushing for it. I've been asking for it, but it's just so difficult in New Zealand when you're just, we're such an isolated country.
We just need some big guys basically to come in and help us out in New Zealand. Yeah. I think just like any other industry, there is a huge lag between knowledge and implementation. And also money. I think [00:29:00] these more sustainable fabrics maybe even healthier fabrics for the body are probably more expensive.
Whether that's with manpower, with resources, etc. And unfortunately, Who knows, even, it might still just be a more expensive endeavor to buy fabrics that are healthy, but I think what's cool is that you're aware of it and you're a designer that, as soon as it's available to you would promote that.
And I think that's what it takes, I think about that too with, with big pharma, not that big pharma altogether is bad, but we overuse some of these things. And I think we're never going to tackle big pharma, big food, big clothes, whatever it's going to be individual basis that you really educate and and even educating, other designers on, On the reality of some of these things, I think is pretty cool.
As far as we're keeping it local, we're keeping it, it's on an individual basis. I think where we really make changes versus trying to tackle the big elephant. No, absolutely. And I think there are fabrics stand to become available. So I have sampled in prototypes and [00:30:00] stuff some garments. So some of my original designs out of bamboo, the problem is I can't I need it thicker for like leggings and things. And so that's the only problem we've got where I think that sometimes when people make it overseas, they've actually got those factories that can actually make massive bulk kind of amounts.
But if we were like, for example, like me, I'm a small business owner. And if I'm trying to, if I have to import it from overseas, they ask for massive, like we talk about 500 meters of fabric, which is not financially sustainable. So it's one of those situations where, if there's a surplus amount of money, of course, it will be trying to get something from Europe or America or something that would be easier for our country to bring it in.
But it's really hard to yeah. But if we could, we would, yeah. Yeah, the intentions there. And I think the other thing too, is like you've said throughout the course of this interview is that the education or the knowledge is really the power. And so bringing awareness to this, bringing awareness to the fact that, not only when people purchase your active, where are they getting a sustainable [00:31:00] fabric, but we are, you're moving towards this vision of more of a low tox Type fabric and people just like with food vote with their dollar.
And so even though Krista said, it may be that it's a little bit more expensive, like I still choose to buy organic meat, right? Like that I know is a priority for me and my body. And you've seen over the years that more and more organic meat comes out and there's more and more available. And it's the same thing with.
Back when I was gluten, like when I was first diagnosed with being gluten free, I was 22 months old, there was nothing at the supermarket. Then slowly the stuff came out and I was like, yeah, even gluten free people don't eat that, it tastes like crap. And now, you've got people that just do gluten free living for the sake of it, and then you've got people like myself with the allergies, and because of that, like more people are voting with their dollar, we see so much more, and that eventually brings the cost down too.
I think we're at the forefront of a big movement here, which is exciting and probably really exciting to be a part of. And just keep, keep holding out hope that the more of us that are on [00:32:00] board with this, and also the more awareness we have around it, particularly with things like active wear and then the clothes we're putting on our body, the things we're putting on our body, it's, it is going to start a bigger movement.
No, absolutely. And I think just even with foods as just talking about gluten-free foods. We think about now we can go into a cafe and we can order soy milk or almond milk or o oat milk, for example. And I know there's like pros and cons and things, all these different milks.
Yeah. At least the options there, now you can have alternatives. So I think people are starting to catch on now and understand the health implications and what's good for our bodies and yeah.
Awesome. Thank you so much for just being here and sharing just what a well rounded conversation. I feel like I touched on so many cool things, but I just, I really love how you have used your life's purpose, your life's energy to really follow your heart with things and use things like, let's say a healthy roadblock in your favor and how can you make a stand for other people.
And I think it's really beautiful how you incorporate local community. I [00:33:00] think that's really a lost art in a lot of people. They think that they've got to go and go beyond where they are. And I think it's really cool when people really invest in. A community that they're surrounded with and they can be in person with and I can see that you're making an impact.
And that's just amazing. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to share a bit of your life with us and share what you've got going on in your world. Thank you. It's been great talking to you guys today. And hopefully, your listeners really value some of the conversations that we've had today, but yeah, I'm always here if people want to reach out and ask me questions or get in touch.
I'm always, my door's always open. I always make time for people. I love that. And it was the energy that I could pick up straight away when we met. So where can people find you? Where can they find your activewear brand? Where are they best to connect? If someone's really resonated with the endo part of the conversation, I think we could also pop in the show notes, the endometriosis awareness links and stuff as well, just so that people feel like [00:34:00] they've got some extra support, but yeah, where can people find you?
Yeah, you can find me on Instagram as Sherina Noel or you can go to www. sherinanoel. co. nz. That's where you can find me. You can just send me a message or an email. Yeah, all the details are pretty much on there. Perfect. And we'll pop the links to those in the show notes as well. Thank you so much for your time, Han, and I'm sure I'll see you soon.
Sounds great. Lovely to meet you, Krista, and good to see you, Cherie, and thank you so much. Have a great day. You too. Bye.
