Working Well: Laura Fele, Creative Director of CPRESS

Working Well: Laura Fele, Creative Director of CPRESS
Laura Fele is the Creative Director of cult London juice brand, CPRESS. Originally hailing from Italy where she obtained her Master of Arts in Product Design, she now lives in London where she is able to combine both her passion for design and all things green at CPRESS.

What does wellness mean to you?

My approach to health and wellness can be summed up by a pearl of wisdom my mom probably doesn't even remember sharing with me a while ago. When she saw me applying moisturiser on my dry legs she said: “it's pointless to polish the leaves if you don't water the plant.” In all fairness, I wasn't interested in drinking my two litres of water per day at the time. Fast forward to today, I am a strong believer that food is medicine and I am an advocate of remedies that treat the whole person, not just the single symptom.

You’ve had an impressive career so far – what activities/practices have helped you maintain your mental and physical wellbeing while progressing in your work?

At the very beginning of my career I used to believe that my worth would be measured by the hours of work I dedicated to my job. As a result, I would skip meals, eat fast food, work late and skip the gym more than I'd like to admit. Then I had a forced wake up call. I developed several digestive issues that were considered very unusual for my young age. When your body gets sick, sometimes that's the first red flag that you need rest! After that, I threw myself into researching nutrition. My father is a doctor and his insight was invaluable - we continue to have very long conversations on the best practices to stay healthy. 

Now I wake up at 6:30 am every morning to go to the gym, meditate, eat a hearty breakfast, do my skin care and take all my supplements. At 9 am I arrive at my desk and it doesn't matter how late I work, because I know that I've had at least one healthy meal and a workout under the belt for that day. This morning routine - inspired by the book Miracle Morning - allows me to have a much more productive day, and that's priceless.

COVID has upended the way that we work and forced many of us to work digitally/remotely. How do you keep motivated amidst the changes?

I've been working from home for years now, well before COVID. It definitely has its pros and cons. I love how productive I am when I am by myself and value the extra time I gain by not having to commute for work, and it allows me time to squeeze in things other than just work during the day. I've started using a Fit Bit and I am very mindful about taking breaks and going on walks. The flip side of the coin is that I spend most days by myself and I sometimes don't interact with other people for 2/3 days in a row if I am on a tight deadline! But every time the sun's out, which is not that often in London, I take it as an excuse for a walk during lunch (the best time for vitamin D absorption) and sometimes I treat myself to a decaf cappuccino or an almond matcha latte.

What's your top mental health tip?

Daily yoga and meditation are a must for me during stressful times. But for when anxiety hits, I use a trick a friend introduced me to. It's called 5,4,3,2,1 and it consists of going outside, even just on a balcony and name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can physically feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. This grounds me and allows me to breath and be in the moment.

To see more of Laura's work, visit CPRESS here.

If you liked this article, you might like The Healthy Habits of Successful People and how to Channel them.

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Inessa Team

Our team pull together science-backed information to bring you up to date health and wellness insights.


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