Alexis Matthews-Frederick is pocket rocket Entrepreneur, and the Founder / Director of an array of companies, in the diverse fields of Retail, Health and Wellbeing, Education, Finance, Technology and Social Enterprise. Alexis is also involved in supporting her local community as the: Vice President for the Logan Chamber of Commerce, Board Member of Regional Development Australia for Logan & Redlands (a Federal Government initiative); a Board Member of LERT – the Logan Education Round Table (a Logan City Council initiative) where she represents Homeschooling and Industry; as well as a Member of RSIP – the Regional Schools Industry Partnership Reference group (a Department of Education Qld initiative).
Alexis has studied Natural Health and has a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology & Sociology, specialising in Organisational Psychology. She has over 20 years’ experience in the corporate arena, managing Human Resources and Training & Development for companies such as CIMIC group on the Gateway Upgrade Project, Volvo, and Century Yuasa Batteries; and through her own companies, trains Introduction to Workplace, as well as coaching and supporting people on their health journeys.
As a Vietnamese refugee, she has a unique perspective and broad cultural experience that is invaluable in her business and corporate relationships. Alexis has a passion for getting different people and diverse groups, working together for common goals.
Can you please elaborate on the concept of ‘True Health’ and why you think it’s important for us to embrace this?
The purpose of me retraining as a natural health practitioner was based on the concept of true health. For me it’s the three pillars of health, being the mind body and soul.
The mind is your perception, in the way you look at situations and your self-talk. It is your emotional blockers and trauma that you may have experienced.
The body, is all about the physical – what you eat, drink and how you move i.e. exercise.
Your soul is your connection to the universe, however you perceive that – whether you speak to the universe, God, Jesus, Allah or another source, this is about your soul.
The combination of these three areas and how they align to you leads to true health.
There are so many different types of diets that are out there these days; vegan, keto, paleo etc and there are so many claims about what’s ‘healthier’, what is your take on these types of diets?
My take on different diets is that we are all unique in every way. So there cannot be one way to optimum health when it comes to food and nutrition. Our cultural heritage, our environment all play a major part in our physical health.
My supplement company Think Feel Thrive came to fruition as a result of this understanding. The concept of supplements is not to replace your food but to supplement the missing or lack of vitamins and minerals in our food ecosystem.
This is nothing new as we can see that over farming has taken a lot of the nutrients out of our soil and therefore doesn’t exist in the food that we’re eating at the levels that it needs to be. In addition to good nutritional health – it’s also about detoxification.
When you’re removing toxins that we drink eat breathe, you are eliminating the burden on the body and helps with health optimization. Replenishment of nutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals in conjunction with detoxification leads to optimum physical health.
Your Mum, Lyn Nguyen, is also a successful entrepreneur in the beauty industry. Can you please share with us how she has influenced your journey as a WOC founder?
We arrived in 1981 as Vietnamese refugees and most refugees and most migrants who have come from developing countries, understand the reality of arriving in a country with nothing and having to work extremely hard to establish themselves in their new country.
My parents had to do the same. My mother is someone I look up to as she still has her strong work ethic and tenacity. Both my parents worked extremely hard to provide for myself and my 2 siblings. Unfortunately, my sister passed when she was 16 and it was very difficult and everyone in the family dealt with it in their own way.
Overcoming adversity, escaping from a war torn country, establishing a new life with no understanding of the language or culture, losing a child and providing for not only your immediate family here in Australia but your extended family in your country of origin, demonstrates the type of hardworking, resilient people that my parents are.
This influenced me immensely and makes me who I am today. However, this is not an uncommon story for most refugees.
You’re also the VP of the Logan Chamber of Commerce, can you please share with us a little about your work with the community of Logan and why this is important to you?
The success of the Logan Chamber of Commerce is a team effort. The committee together support local business by keeping them up to date with latest information and events from all tiers of government.
We also act as advocates in supporting our community where required. In my role as Vice President, I represent the Logan Chamber of Commerce on a number of boards one being the Logan education Roundtable (LERT) bringing information from industry and connecting them with our local schools to create connectivity and collaboration to help students transition into the workforce in a meaningful way.
What are some of your favourite things to do outside of business?
I have two favourite things I do when I have down time.
Firstly, I love cooking. It’s very easy for me to get into the zone when I’m making a beautiful meal. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and have a real drive for great food. Also coming from a Vietnamese background food is something that is enjoyed immensely.
Secondly, I do really enjoy my pyjama days. This is where the entire family stays in their PJs for the day lots of cuddling on the couch and doing practically nothing.
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