AMANDA CHANTAL BACON'S EVENING ROUTINE

The wellness industry has a morning routine ‘kink’–what is this perverse obsession with getting women to believe you have to wake up at 5am, drink warm lemon water, followed by a cold plunge all the while muttering affirmations?

Don’t get me wrong, I love a healthy start to my day but –gasp!–sometimes I miss pilates class, most mornings I want coffee instead of matcha…and I sure love it with a splash of cream instead of oat milk. AHHHHHH!!

I know…I’m a terrible wellness girlie.

But here’s what I’d like to start hearing about instead: as an insomniac, I’ve always been fascinated by other women’s wind-down routines. Maybe because as a crappy sleeper I think they have some kind of magic secret to chilling out that I can glean.

So if you’re a voyeur like me, then you’ll love this series “Steal Her Wind-down” where you get a glimpse into the evening lives of CEOs, public figures and wellness influencers.

I’m kicking it off with one of my girl crushes, Amanda Chantal Bacon, the founder and owner of Moon Juice — she single handedly started the adaptogen craze in North America (check out my experiment with adaptogens in my last post).

She’s a self-proclaimed night owl which is so refreshing to hear in the wellness space. “I like when the world is asleep and everything is dark and quiet,” she says. “I’m finally free to let my mind roam and explore.” CEOs, they’re just like us!

What I love about Amanda’s routine is that she sees her rest as an extension of her role. She goes as far as to count sleep as one of her work habits: “Feeling better on the inside can start with the most basic human staple: sleep,” she says, “I’m not good without eight hours. The no sleep in my 20s was fine but as I’m approaching 40, it’s different.

She actually sets an alarm to signal its time to start tuning out.

Her wind-down officially begins with a two hour Kundalini yoga class. After 7pm, she abstains from blue light (but admits she sometimes ‘cheats’ with a blue light blocker on her phone) and indulges in a luxurious hair treatment, taking Brahmi Hair Oil and stimulating her scalp with a brush, which she says “is extremely relaxing, puts the day behind me and encourages luster.”

She then spritzes her body in magnesium oil, lowers all the lights in the house and whips together one of her signature tonics:

⟡ Magnesi-Om with L-theanine

⟡ A cup of Dream Dust in warm water

⟡ Tea and raw chocolate made with heirloom raw cacao, and chaga mushroom, sprouted brown rice protein, and coconut oil. “I love chocolate—and on some evenings, I don't want to deny the indulgence,” she says.

And here’s a new one: she sometimes lies on a biomat that combines soothing far infrared rays, negative ion therapy and ”superconducting” amethyst.

She credits her husband with encouraging her to start sleeping 8 hours and not feeling guilty for wanting healthy boundaries around her self-care. I think that’s one piece of her routine that all women can take onboard.

Now, she says she always takes “a much needed 30 minutes to an hour of personal time and space to think about whatever I feel moved by.”

If she’s not nodding off after 15 minutes, she listens to the Pele Reports, “this kooky weekly astrology report that I’ve listened to at bedtime for over 10 years. I really recommend starting to build equity in listening to audio before sleep. It could be a song, a particular person’s voice recording, a sleep meditation, or if you are really having trouble, find a hypnotherapist and have them make a tape for you to listen to nightly. This really works.”

If that’s not enough for you, she waves a selenite wand over her face and body to counteract a day of screen time. Clearly, this woman loves her crystals!

As for late night cravings? She’s been known to tiptoe to her kitchen for some Medjool dates dipped in stone-ground almond butter. Excuse me as I put back the Ben & Jerry’s.

So what about Amanda’s routine feels possible for you? And has anyone had any luck dozing off to astrology reports, or lying on an amethyst biomat?

Psst. What (dirt cheap) kitchen ingredient doesn't Gwyneth Paltrow put in her bath every night? Find out.

Design the evening routine of your dreams...I’ve taken inspiration from wellness girlies like Amanda and compiled 40 wind-down ideas + a free planner so you can prioritize self-care tonight. Click here.