In this heart-centered conversation with Fernanda da Silva Tatley, scientist and skincare entrepreneur, we explored the deep connection between skin, health, and self-care 💖🧴🌿

💡 Key Takeaways:

• 🧠 Skincare impacts hormones, neurotransmitters & gut health
• 💆‍♀️ Mindful application = stress relief + endorphins
• 🧼 Minimalist routines with just 3 key products are often enough
• 👩‍🔬 Education empowers you to choose clean, effective ingredients
• 🌸 Aging is a gift—wrinkles = wisdom, not flaws

This episode is your reminder that beauty is about glow, not perfection ✨

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Episode Summary:

Key Takeaways

• Skincare is deeply connected to overall wellness, impacting hormones, neurotransmitters, and gut health
• A minimalist approach to skincare (3 core products) is often sufficient; many marketed products are unnecessary
• Caring for skin mindfully can be a form of self-care and stress relief, with physiological and emotional benefits
• Education empowers consumers to make informed choices about skincare products and ingredients

Topics

Fernanda's Background and Business Philosophy

• Born in Portugal, lived in South Africa for 22 years before moving to New Zealand
• Has a PhD in Medical Molecular Microbiology from Cape Town University
• Developed skincare company focused on clean, effective ingredients after feeling conflicted about starting it in South Africa
• Aims to simplify skincare routines and educate consumers on ingredient safety/efficacy

Skin-Body-Mind Connection

• Skin is the body's largest organ, closely tied to overall health
• Stress impacts skin through cortisol production (both adrenal and skin-produced)
• Mindful skincare application can trigger positive neurological responses (e.g. endorphins, oxytocin)
• Gut health significantly impacts skin health through the gut-brain-skin axis

Minimalist Skincare Approach

• Recommends just 3 core products: cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen
• Additional targeted treatments optional but not essential for most
• Cautions against marketing pushing unnecessary products
• Emphasizes patience - skin renewal cycle is ~4 weeks

Natural Aging and Self-Acceptance

• Aging is a privilege denied to many; reframe wrinkles as "earned wisdom"
• Focus on overall health/glow rather than chasing youthful appearance
• Be wary of unproven anti-aging technologies or ingredients

Next Steps

• Listeners encouraged to email Fernanda with skincare ingredient questions
• Melissa to include 25% discount code for Fernanda's products in show notes
• Both emphasize importance of education in making informed skincare choices

About the Guest:

I was born in Lisbon, Portugal but after finishing school in 1975, I moved to South Africa with my parents where I lived for 22 years prior to moving to NZ in 1999. 

I have also travelled extensively to Europe, Africa, North America and Asia Pacific and whilst I am a New Zealand citizen, I consider myself a citizen of the world, though my language proficiency (English, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish & French) and my love of culture, literature and art inevitably reflect my European heritage.

While in South Africa, I went to Cape Town University, where I became as scientist. I was awarded a Master of Science in Zoology (Distinction) in 1985 and a Doctorate - PhD in Medical Molecular Microbiology in 1992. 

After completing my PhD on mechanisms of transmission of antibiotic resistance in bacteria I became involved in a global molecular research program on virulence factors in tuberculosis, Glaxo-Welcome Action TB. It was this work that led to my invitation to join the Cancer Genetics Laboratory in the Biochemistry Department at Otago University, as a Marsden Post-Doctoral Fellow on a investigation of Listeria monocytogenes receptors in gastric cancer cells. 

But, by 2001 the chief scientists in the Cancer Genetics Laboratory decided to set up a biotechnology company, Pacific Edge Biotechnology Ltd (PEBL), and I was asked to join them as a senior scientist. My research focused on microarray technology to identify key genes in endometrial and bladder cancers that could be used as diagnostic tools.

During this period, I became more interested in the importance of marketing scientific applications to the public, so I left PEBL in 2004 and joined a scientific equipment distributor as a territory manager, from Wellington to Invercargill. This was my first sales and marketing exposure, achieving the sale of the first Roche Diagnostic GS20 Sequencing instrument in NZ ($1M). A few years later this combined science and market expertise paved the way for me to rejoin the University of Otago, in a unique role as an Enterprise Manager to facilitate the links between Otago researchers and the bio-pharma industry in NZ. While exposed to working in marketplace, in my spare time, I...