My Creative Life: Kris Carr

So excited to share my next Creative Life interviewee with you all today! Kris Carr is a best-selling author, film-maker, dynamic public speaker and all round inspiration. She was diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer in 2003, and with experimental treatments as her only option, Kris set out to find her own way back to wellness, chronicling her journey in the TLC documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer. This week sees the release of her third book, Crazy Sexy Diet, a “kick-ass nutrition and lifestyle game plan for wellness warriors seeking optimal health and vitality.” Yes please, I would like some of that in my life!

Ladies & gentlemen, please welcome the fabulous, Ms Kris Carr…

SC: You are an author, film-maker, motivational speaker and nutritional & lifestyle guru … how do you fit it all in? What does a typical day look like?

KC: Oh child! I get up earrrly, like around 6:00 a.m. The first hour or so is for me to fart around with my spiritual practice and stretch, then it’s juice time and to the office by 8:30 a.m. I break at lunch or at 5:00 p.m. to work out and try to end my day by 6:30 – 7:00 p.m., so I can make a healthy dinner. Because I work from home, I usually nibble on veggies or hummus or green smoothies and some fruit, and then I have a hefty salad and vegan delights at night. I do travel a lot. But I love what I do, so it’s all worth it, even when it’s crazy (and not so sexy).

Have you always been creative, even as a child?

Yes! I had lots of imaginary friends and adventures in the woods. Forts still ROCK and so do Underoos!

I imagine that you’ve faced a LOT of your demons on your path to wellness… how did you/ do you navigate the lows on the journey?

I ask myself whether what I’m experiencing is a fact or a feeling. Then I take a deep breath and drop into the now. Most of our fears aren’t facts, they’re wacked out feelings that spiral out of control. Meditation, visualization, journaling and long walks with my dog all help me to parent myself with love and compassion.

What are you working on at the moment?

Right now I’m on the eve of my book tour for Crazy Sexy Diet. Get this, when my first book came out there was no such thing as Twitter, and Facebook was just for college students! Wow, that made me sound really old. It’s a whole new social media world now, and it’s super exciting to watch my book fly… hopefully to the best-seller list!

If food feeds and heals your body … what nourishes your soul, Kris?

My dog Lola and my husband and my privacy. I really love being with people, but I really, really love being alone with Kris. If I don’t give myself time to think and dream and talk in the mirror, then I get lonely and blue. I need me.

What three things could I do this week to improve my health?

Make green juice! Sweat your ass off! Laugh till your belly hurts!

What books/music/blogs etc do you love?

Um, besides yours? Blogs: White Hot Truth. Danielle LaPorte is a Priestess. Books: I love tween novels. It’s my guilty pleasure. My assistant got me hooked on The Hunger Games recently. OMG! I need light shit too because I read so many science-y books and deep spiritual dives; a girl’s gotta fantasize. Music: Grace Potter, Corinne Bailey Ray, Levon Helm, Ray LaMontagne and anything with a pedal steel.

Could you share your favourite smoothie recipe with us?

Kris Carr’s Green Smoothie

Makes enough for 2 people. You can adjust the recipe accordingly. My taste buds are different than yours so don’t be afraid to play!

-1 avocado
-1-2 pieces of low glycemic fruit: we love green apple, pear, berries & cantaloupe
-1 cucumber
-A bit of kale or romaine or spinach
-Coconut water (or purified water)
-Stevia to taste

*You can also add a sprinkle of cinnamon and some cacao.
*You can also use coconut meat or almond butter or nut milk in place of avocado

What is the message you want to share with the world? (in other words, what do you consider to be your life’s work?)

Prevention is super hot and sexy! Don’t wait ‘til you’re on the ropes to take care of your health, spiritual wealth and happiness. Trust me! I learned the hard way through a really scary cancer diagnosis. You don’t have to. :)

You’re having a dinner party and can invite six famous people from the past or present – who would you choose and why?

Michelle Obama because we should garden together. MLK because I do yoga to his speeches, and he makes me want to try harder and love broader. Stella McCartney because we’re both vegan, and she really should give me some hot schwag. Janis Joplin because she connects me to my inner growl, and I’d like to do a shot of Southern Comfort with her (with a green juice back). My grandma because she never got to see me fall in love with the kitchen, and I want to thank her for loving me so much. Oprah because the first time I met her I had an out of body experience and remember nothing. Yoda because sometimes my light saber jams. Wait, that’s seven!

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“I really love being with people, but I really, really love being alone with Kris. If I don’t give myself time to think and dream and talk in the mirror, then I get lonely and blue. I need me.” <— this last bit made me punch my fist in the air and shout YEAH! Kris, you truly are an inspiration and I can’t wait for my copy of Crazy Sexy Diet to arrive! Thank you for doing the work you do x

[photo of Kris by Allison Smith]