7 Incredible Women On The Health And Wellness Practices They Never Skip
From long-distance runs to slow morning rituals, seven high-performing women share the single wellness habit that they refuse to compromise on, even when life is moving very fast. By NATASHA BIRD
Walking my dog, Zeze Millz
Zeze Millz is a British TV presenter, YouTube personality and cultural commentator, known for hosting The Zeze Millz Show. Between interviewing celebrities, joining a TV cooking school or advocating on issues affecting Black women, it’s safe to say her schedule is both packed and varied.
“My wellness practice is walking my dog, Dave. I walk him every day, sometimes two or three times. It’s really good for my mental health. I am getting my steps in, sure, but it’s more than that. Just seeing Dave happy makes me happy. It connects me with nature. Ever since I got him, I’ve become really interested in longer walks and exploring different parks where we can both enjoy the space. It’s a combination of movement, fresh air and just being present with Dave. And the beauty of having a dog is that your routine can never really be disrupted as I’ll always need to take him out. That’s the non-negotiable and it keeps everything else in check.
“Oh, and sleep. I don’t play about sleep. You can’t chase your dreams properly if you’re running on empty!”
Hot yoga, Julia White
Julia White is the global head of a hugely busy arm of TikTok, managing partnerships and innovations across industries. She’s technically based in London, but with a team spread out across LA, New York, Sydney, Toronto and Paris, she spends a lot of the year traveling for work.
“I have a strong gravitation towards temperature, either hot or cold, in order to ground me. I have had times in the past where I have leant into cold water swimming. Now, my current practice that I cannot live without is hot yoga, which I always do twice a week, once at the beginning of the week and once at the end of the week. When I am in London, I do a very specific class at Fierce Grace in Notting Hill, called Deep Core. It’s very mat based. I don’t need high adrenaline or fast movements, and I certainly do not need balance, but what I do need is grounding on the mat in the warmth.
“I love the fact that it makes me sweat and feel like the toxins are draining out. But I also love the fact that it gives me space in my own body to stretch and find calm. That grounded calmness stays with me for three to four days until I do the next one. It’s incredibly effective.”
Journaling, Meaghan Cox
Meaghan Cox is a brand and creative strategist shaping some of today’s most influential names in beauty, fashion and wellness. She is the founder and managing partner of Westview Ventures, where she works with high-growth brands to build their creative and commercial output. She understands deeply the tension between creativity and scale, but also the hard work that growth entails, versus the need to keep space for physical and emotional clarity.
“I carry two journals with me everywhere. One is for work, and one is for my personal life. It’s the closest thing I have to meditation. Recently, I started opening my grandmother’s journal from 1970 to a random page each morning and responding to whatever she was writing about that day. It’s become this strange, beautiful conversation across time.
“I find that journaling gives me perspective. The nature of my work means I am moving quickly and making huge decisions across businesses all the time. From 7am to 7pm, my brain is in overdrive. It’s easy to lose a sense of scale. Writing brings focus and reconnects me to what matters. Slow down to speed up, as they say!
“I’m often traveling between cities for shoots, launches and strategy days. The journals travel with me everywhere, so the ritual can happen anywhere. I try to carve out time every morning or every evening. Without it I feel unmoored.”
Day of reset, Nicki Shields
Nicki Shields is a TV presenter, live events host and YouTuber in the motorsport circuit. She hosts for BBC’s FIA Formula E, as well as F1 TV for Formula 1. As such, she’s constantly traveling from race to race, all over the globe. It can be hard to find any time to slow down and take a minute for herself, which is especially pertinent once you know that she also has three children.
“This might not be considered a traditional wellness practice, but I allow myself a guilt-free day of rest after a race weekend. It doesn’t always work out perfectly, but after an intense week away – often in another time zone – I usually arrive home on a Sunday to complete chaos. The house is a mess, and the kids want all my attention. So, on the Monday, I try to keep my diary clear and, where possible, do ‘nothing’. I used to feel immense guilt, like I was being lazy, but I’ve come to realize that my mind genuinely needs this recovery time.
“Doing ‘nothing’ for me isn’t really nothing at all – it’s a walk in the fresh air to reset, pottering around the house and gently tidying. It might sound small, but having a calm, tidy space really helps settle my mind and then I’m ready to tackle anything! (Well… most things!)”
Gut health, Emily English
Emily English is a bestselling author, founder of the symbiotic supplements brand Epetōme, and the seriously hard-working creator behind @emthenutritionist. Her work is diverse, taking her from labs to TV appearances, Instagram and back again and she’s a walking practitioner of what she preaches.
“There are two things I always come back to. Looking after my gut health and walking. These may not sound groundbreaking or super trend-led, but they are the habits that make me feel most like myself, and the ones that have the biggest impact. Gut health underpins everything for me. I always say that you eat for two every day: you and your microbes. When I am looking after my gut, I feel better across the board. My energy is better, my mood is more stable, I sleep more deeply, and even my cravings feel more balanced.
“As women, so many parts of our health are connected, and I notice a real difference in things like hormones, skin and overall resilience when my gut is in a good place. It is one of the reasons I created my brand Epetōme, because I wanted to make gut health feel more practical, more elegant and easier to prioritize in everyday life.
“From a scientific point of view, gut health affects far more than digestion. The gut plays a key role in immune function, inflammation, nutrient absorption and the gut-brain axis, which is the constant communication between the gut and the brain. That is why taking care of it can have such a noticeable effect on mood, energy, sleep and even the foods you are drawn to.”
Long-distance running, Jade Ang Jackman
Jade Ang Jackman is an award-winning director and photographer, who has made films for Gucci, Nike and more. She also runs a collective called Babes With Blades, which supports women in stunts, martial arts and other sports. Her shooting schedule varies weekly and often involves long hours on location.
“Long-distance running is my way of staying sane. Whatever shoot I am doing, whether it’s in Glasgow, Tokyo or Barcelona, it’s a really good way to see a new city. Also, if you are somewhere that doesn’t have a gym accessible – and when you’re shooting on location, sometimes you don’t – you can always go for a run, you just need a pair of running shoes handy. When I was in Glasgow shooting for UN Women, I went running really early in the morning and it was helpful to get to know Glasgow and the East End better. We were shooting outside so it was useful to understand which locations I might want to use. Plus, running through Tokyo has to be a top ten experience of mine. It’s so much calmer than central London and you get to see lots of cool bikes and cars.”
“I am someone who is quite goal-orientated. I am not motivated to do gym exercise after a long day shooting or working, but if I’ve signed up for a marathon or a 10k soon, I know I have got something that I have to go and train for and that means that I will go for a run even at 1am if I have to. It helps to give me a bit of structure because as a director you can often lose that sense of routine and timing. I have been known to pack three different pairs of sneakers for work trips.”
Morning ritual, Dr. Shireen
Dr. Shireen Ghezel is a practicing physician who has grown a significant social media following on Instagram and TikTok for lots of brilliant health and wellness, as well as mental health and dermatological advice. She’s in a great position to suggest health-related non-negotiables.
“One wellness practice I never skip is creating small, consistent rituals that bring me back to myself. In a busy clinical and personal life, it is easy to overlook the basics, but I truly believe that long-term health and skin quality are built on simple, intentional habits. For me, that is taking a few minutes each day for mindful skincare, often incorporating facial massage and high-quality botanical ingredients. I am particularly drawn to brands like Aroma-Zone, where the focus is on purity and understanding exactly what you are using. It turns skincare into something more meaningful. It is not just about results, but about taking a moment to reset and reconnect.”