Meet Katrine van Wyk – our new Muse & Heroine Brand Experience and Wellness Expert.

Katrine has spent the last 10 years guiding clients worldwide through dietary and lifestyle journeys that fit into their busy and high-profile lives. Along the way she has written three books to help people add more nourishment and wellness to their lives with easy recipes, how-to’s, and fun facts about adaptogens, greens, superfoods, and more! 

Moreover she worked closely with and has trained with functional medicine pioneer Dr. Frank Lipman at his practice in New York City and at THE WELL.

 

 

Journey is definitely the right word :) It’s surely not a traditional one and I joke to my son that I'm still figuring out what I want to be when I grow up! 

After high school ( I was a drama student) I started modelling while also attending university. The travel was what truly appealed to me. I went backpacking and ended up meeting my now husband on a beach in Thailand (please don’t hate us ;) and we travelled a lot together while I was also modeling and studying. Eventually we ended up in NYC where I worked full time as a model before going back to school and getting a Liberal Arts degree in media. I started working in PR and marketing after finishing my degree.

 

It became crystal clear to me that my health was in dire need of some attention after all the years of modeling and studying.

 

I started researching nutrition and healing modalities and I discovered a nutrition school which I ended up attending. I quit my day job and have worked as a Health Coach ever since. 

 

In New York I had my own practice seeing clients one on one as well as working alongside Dr.Frank Lipman at his wellness center. Here I helped guide his clients with diet and lifestyle changes by making the changes practical and applicable to them. 

 

I wrote three books along the way with tips and recipes to help people incorporate more healthy foods - including greens, herbs, adaptogens and mushrooms - to optimize their health and wellbeing. 

In 2019 I went on to join THE WELL as their Lead Health Coach and was part of the original launch team. When the pandemic shut New York down, we decided to move our family back to Norway where I continued to work for THE WELL as well as consulting for clients and brands. And now I’m beyond grateful to be part of the Muse and Heroine team as the Head of Brand Experience and Wellness Expert! Phew. 

 

What led you to work in the beauty/health industry?

My passion for so-called “alternative medicine” started already in my teens. I have alway been a bit of a seeker I guess. As a model I had to learn the hard way how to properly take care of my body, hair and skin. There was constant pressure - meantaly and physically. There was no lack of people talking about me in third person while in front of me (and telling me to fix my teeth and go on harsh acne products!) Once I decided to put modelling work aside and go back to university I also started to focus on rebuilding my health. I was underweight, depleted and my skin was out of balance! Through acupuncture, nutrition, yoga and a lot of self reflection I started healing myself.  My journey to feeling better began. For me that is a never ending quest that makes life interesting and rich. I love to learn, grow, try new healing modalities and share what I’ve learned. And while I am certainly someone who loves and owns too many beauty products, tools and gadgets, I firmly believe that beauty starts with your health and how you look at and talk to yourself. 

 

What is your approach to clean beauty?

The term clean beauty means different things to different people (and brands and marketing agencies!)  To me clean beauty means using products without harmful chemicals, whether it is found-in-nature ingredients or made in the lab. Clean products need to be safe, effective, packed with purposeful ingredients only and without  pointless fillers or being harmful to the body or environment. I also think transparency is key and a willingness to disclose your sourcing and methods. 

 

What are your thoughts on aging?

Aging just means you’re a little further along on your journey and that you have more experience to pull from, more stories to tell and a bit more wisdom to share. It’s OK that our body shows some signs of a life lived! I also think we can care for ourselves holistically and in a preventative way throughout life, rather than waiting for aches, pains and ailments to take action. Aging doesn’t have to be dreadful and I think we’re all waking up to that now. 

 

What is your daily and weekly beauty regimen?

Oh my! It changes with the seasons and how much time I have available. There’s the ideal routine I wish I had and then there’s the mom-reality that I live. I have a few non-negotiables though, which make me feel well inside and out; exercise, sweating, sleep and nourishment (food + supplements!)

When it comes to skin care I love to exfoliate 2-3 times a week as my pores clog very easily and I’ve been loving the MZ skin Cleanse & Clarify cleanser and mask combo a lot lately. I use my Slim Cera every day, the Agent Nateur Vitamin C and In Fiore Serum Cerate every morning and incorporate the U Beauty Resurfacing and Hydrator throughout the week too. Some nights I’ll sleep with an overnight hydrating mask if I’m extra dry and other nights I’ll use a simple retinol. I love doing some face massage, Gua Sha or using my NU Face whenI have the time. 

 

Has your beauty regimen changed much over time?

For sure! I have tried so many different products and changed to clean beauty products about 13 years ago - before there were a lot of options! I don’t think they were as effective back then, but I’m glad I saved my body from a lot of endocrine disruptors over the years. 

 

What are your favorite beauty products?

My portable IR sauna, Slim Cera and In Fiore Serum Cerate are current obsessions! 

 

What`s your favorite way to workout?

Covid has brought my workout routine into my living room, so I love the LEK Fit method that incorporates rebounding ( trampoline) and strength training. I am a certified yoga teacher so yoga will always be very close to my heart and I can't wait to get back to an in person practice again.

 

What do you do to relax?

Cuddle with my kids and watch TV, go for a walk, sip some tea or do a guided yoga nidra meditation. 

 

What is your favorite way to pamper yourself? 

I love a thorough facial with lots of face massage and have been incorporating some skinpen/microneedling treatments as I’ve gotten older… But really, I pamper myself a little bit every day, whether with a cup of hot chocolate, a warm shower, a sauna session or a walk in the park. 

 

First thing you do when you wake up?

Cuddle my dog, pee, scrape my tongue, and check my Oura ring to see how my little one disrupted my sleep…(smiley face). 

 

Last thing you do before bed?

Warm tea and a cuddle. 

 

What is your go-to breakfast?

Breakfast is often a bit of a rush with two kids who need to get ready and four lunch boxes that need making… Sometimes it's a gluten free waffle and some fruit, sometimes just a cup of matcha, sometimes avocado toast. 

 

You feel a cold coming. What`s your plan of action?

I hit the supplement drawer hard for some liposomal vitamin C, vitamin D, NAC, elderberry and a propolis throat spray, then lots of warm ginger tea brewed with lemon and honey and rest! 

 

What is your favorite supplement?

Gosh, that’s hard! But I think for how effective, underrated and important it is today vitamin D. 

 

Life changing book you've read?

I read Breath by James Nestor recently which was truly eye opening. But the book that first opened my eyes to true health and healing was actually Clean by Alejandro Junger. 

 

What does self-love mean to you?

It’s kindness and respect for your entire being - mind, body, soul and spirit. And an acceptance yet encouragement to keep seeking. 

 

Tell us one of your personal best kept beauty secrets?

Sleep.. Sorry, I know people don’t want to hear it but it’s the truth - and it’s free! 

 

Do you have any sleep tips?

Your whole day sets you up for your night - so exercise, movement, stress (especially stress) and what you eat and how your blood sugar is throughout the day will also impact the quality of your sleep! It’s also great to create a wind-down routine that you truly enjoy and that gets you ready for sleep and it’s so so helpful to shut off the screens an hour or more before bedtime… ( I wish I was better at this!) 

 

Your favorite holistic destination?

Well, I love any beach and have had some lovely visits to Costa Rica. My friends at THE WELL just opened a gorgeous Wellness Center at an Auberge resort in the jungle there so I hope I get to visit it soon. 

 

Are there any beauty secrets that your mother or grandmother passed down to you?

I remember my mom telling me about mineral oils and their effects on the skin and both of us trying out new products and switching to jojoba oil as a makeup remover when I was 16. I have never used a traditional body lotion since. That realization that the skin is an organ that absorbs what we put on it truly changed the whole skin care and beauty game for me. My grandma was careful with her sugar and cake consumption and lived to 99 so I am to follow in her footsteps and hope to live even longer ;)