Beautiful Inside · 10 October 2024
Ashaya Founder Jodie Matthews on Perimenopause and Ayurveda
Jodie Matthews, founder of ashaya, returns for a deeper conversation on how the ancient principles of Ayurveda, from balancing the doshas to tending your digestive fire, helped her navigate perimenopause naturally.
Listen to the full episode here
Welcome back to Beautiful Inside. I am so happy to have Jodie Matthews, founder of ashaya, back in the studio. In our earlier conversation we talked about the surprising symptoms of perimenopause and why this life stage so often goes unrecognised. This time we go deeper into the ancient system that became Jodie's anchor through it all, Ayurveda.
Why Ayurveda
After years leading some of the biggest names in beauty, including MAC, Jurlique and O&M Haircare, Jodie devoted herself to studying naturopathy when her own body started to change. What she kept returning to was Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of life that treats the body as a sacred home to protect and nurture. It is the philosophy that gives ashaya its name and its heart, and Jodie founded the brand with Siobhan Fildes and Sarah Ward to bring that wisdom to other women.
Understanding Your Doshas
One of the most grounding ideas Jodie shares is that there is no single right way to feel well. In Ayurveda we each have a unique constitution made up of three energies, or doshas, Vata, Pitta and Kapha. When you understand which one is dominant for you, you can start to read your own imbalances and choose the foods, rituals and herbs that bring you back to centre. For Jodie, this was a revelation during perimenopause, when the old rules stopped working and her body needed a more personal approach.
Tending Your Digestive Fire
If there is one practical shift to take from this episode, it is the Ayurvedic idea of Agni, your digestive fire. Jodie stopped fasting in the mornings to support her Agni, leaned into organic whole foods, and reduced alcohol to give her liver room to clear hormones gently. She also kept moving in ways that felt nourishing rather than punishing, with yoga, walking, paddleboarding and Pilates. None of it is about restriction. It is about working with your body instead of against it.
Jodie's Daily Herbs
Out of her own experience came ashaya, and the herbs she now takes daily. She reaches for Curcumin to support inflammation, Ashwagandha for libido and energy, and Saffron for mood, all of which she has woven into the ashaya Re-Glow Perimenopause Relief. She is honest that there are still days she struggles, four years in, but the natural approach has given her a sense of being more prepared, connected and positive about this season of life.
Jodie's Sacred Six
These are the six products Jodie reaches for again and again:
- Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF50+ Luminising Skinscreen
- M.A.C In Extreme Dimension Lash Waterproof Mascara
- ashaya Re-Glow Perimenopause Relief
- ashaya Kansa Wand
- ashaya In-Flow Face Oil
- Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturiser SPF30
Follow Along
With thanks to our season sponsor Qure Skincare, we offered five lucky subscribers the chance to win a Qure Q-Rejuvalight Pro Facewear LED Mask, with a 10% discount available through that link. Subscribe to the show on YouTube and comment to suggest guests and topics. Follow Jodie and ashaya on Instagram. Follow Sigourney and Beauticate on Instagram, and Beauticate on Facebook.