Rosanna Davison has had many careers. What’s next for this ambitious entrepreneur?
She famously won the Miss World competition in 2003, and it seemed that overnight, Rosanna Davison became a household name in Ireland. Today, Davison is more into fitness than fashion and, following on from her number one bestseller in 2015, Eat Yourself Beautiful, the UCD graduate has just penned her second number one bestseller, Eat Yourself Fit.
Niamh Linehan sat down with Davison to discuss diet tips for stressed out entrepreneurs, the challenges she faces as she grows her brand and what the future holds.
NL: You have had a successful modelling and TV career to date, why prompted you to make a move into business?
RD: Developing my brand and moving it more into the area of business has been a natural progression for me. I spent three years studying nutrition and wanted to use the qualification to grow into a new space. Day to day, it means more decisions need to be made and more time spent in my office than being out and about, but I’m enjoying the process.
“I took favourites, including Banoffee pie, cheesecake, brownies, biscuits, sticky toffee puddings and chocolate fudge cake, and made them using whole foods and without refined sugar.”
NL: Can you tell us a little bit about your new book and the inspiration behind it?
RD: Eat Yourself Fit is the follow-up to last year’s book, Eat Yourself Beautiful, and it’s more focused on fitness foods. It contains over 100 healthy recipes, from smoothies and juices to breakfasts, main courses, fresh snacks and decadent desserts made with healthier ingredients. I took favourites, including banoffee pie, cheesecake, brownies, biscuits, sticky toffee puddings and chocolate fudge cake, and made them using whole foods and without refined sugar.
There’s also a seven-day fat loss programme, advice on losing weight, building muscle tone and visible abs, boosting your immune system and energy, and improving your sleep. It’s based on the premise that nutrition is thought to be up to 80% of fitness and what you eat before and after a workout can help to make your workout work harder for you.
“The book is for busy people who want to look and feel their best from the inside out. It’s designed for everyone from beginners to seasoned gym bunnies.”
NL: Can you share some diet tips for busy entrepreneurs to help them eat well while leading hectic and often stressful lives?
RD: I’m a big fan of homemade smoothies made with plenty of leafy greens, such as spinach, with berries plus nut butter, seeds or avocados for healthy sources of fat. Smoothies are an easy and quick way to get plenty of energising nutrients and antioxidants into your system first thing in the morning.
“Proper nutrition can make an enormous difference to mental clarity, energy levels and brain function.”
NL: How important is a diet in relation stamina and creativity?
RD: In my experience, proper nutrition can make an enormous difference to mental clarity, energy levels and brain function. I overhauled my diet about five years ago, cut out processed foods and sugar and increased my fruit and veg intake, and couldn’t believe the difference in how I felt in just a few short weeks. My sleep and fitness are improved, my energy levels soared, and my skin looked better. We are what we eat, and it’s important to make positive health and lifestyle choices to look and feel our best.
“I have a collaboration with an international brand planned for January 2017, in the area of nutrition, fitness and health.”
NL: What challenges do you face as a businessperson?
RD: Trying to keep my brand out there amongst everything else going on is always a challenge. That’s where social media and public appearances help. Driving it forward, continuing to expand and grow is another challenge.
NL: What can we expect to see from you next?
RD: I have a collaboration with an international brand planned for January 2017, in the area of nutrition, fitness and health, which will also involve some travel. I hope to continue with my cookery demos and workshops around Ireland, as I enjoy meeting my readers and answering their questions.
Images courtesy of Rosanna Davison Nutrition.
