Laura Di Mambro on living a conscious life
If you had told changemaker Laura Di Mambro 15 years ago that she would be the founder of one of Queensland’s biggest and most successful conscious living expos, she would not have believed you.
Following a degree in architecture and a successful career in interior design in England, Laura moved to Australia, intending to continue her design journey here.
But things didn’t go quite as planned. A series of traumatic events were the catalyst for what Laura calls an “awakening”, leading her to question what was important and reassess where she wanted to focus her energy.
Building a community
Trusting her instinct, Laura began putting notices up around the community, inviting like-minded people to come together and talk about their businesses in coffee shop gatherings.
Within three months, Laura identified that many of the natural and alternative therapies business owners she connected with were seeking new avenues to promote their services. They also had a lot of knowledge to share with the community.
And so Conscious Life Events was born, starting with a small expo and several author events. More than 10 years later, Laura has organised hundreds of events including the annual Conscious Life Holistic Wellness Festival which will this year be held at Lake Kawana on 15-16 May.
Following her passion
Laura said following her passion felt like a huge weight she had carried all of her life had lifted.
“As I child and teenager, I was always connected with my intuition, just didn’t know that’s what it was at the time. I had a good career, was happily married and could travel anywhere in the world but I wasn’t fulfilled and didn’t understand why,” Laura said.
“I became pregnant soon after I moved to Australia then lost my mother who was still living in England, not long after my little boy was born. When I returned from England, I knew in my heart I had to set up community groups of like-minded people.”
The vision for Conscious Life Events was to bring people together and promote what were then described as “alternative” ways of living and healing - kinesiology, chiropractics, aromatherapy, massage, reiki healing and other modalities.
Holistic health is now the norm
Laura has seen a significant shift in interest over the past decade, as more people embrace holistic wellness as part of everyday life.
“Holistic health is now the norm here on the Sunshine Coast. It’s become mainstream as people seek more sustainable ways of living and therapies that are complementary to conventional medicine,” Laura said.
“The festival has evolved too, now showcasing a wide range of businesses related to health and wellbeing, environment, sustainability, organics, eco-friendly options and chemical free or low chemical living.”
Conscious Life Holistic Wellness Festival 15-16 May
After a year of uncertainty, the timing seems perfect for this year’s Holistic Wellness Festival which promises to help you “stress less and find your truth with two whole days of clean nourishing food, workshops and seminars, live music, exhibitors and market stalls, meditations and massage, intuitive readings, alternative therapies and loads of new natural health modalities.”
The Festival utilises the entire Venue 114 space at Lake Kawana with indoor exhibitions, food marquees by the lake, back to back meditations in the breakout rooms, a kids tent and outdoor market stalls.
There’s also a full program of inspiring speakers including sessions on food, nutrition and the environment. Sunshine Coast Council’s Living Smart program is supporting several small space edible garden sessions presented by the Micro Gardener, Anne Gibson.
Positivity and resilience
Reflecting on her own journey, Laura said she has learned much about the power of positive thinking and the importance of stillness.
“It’s really amazing how your life can change just like that. I’ve had to go through a lot of sadness to get where I am. What keeps me going even in the lowest times is knowing that everything will be alright, that I will be alright and that I wouldn’t be doing any of this if I hadn’t been through the tough times,” Laura said.
“This has given me a new perspective, resilience and strength. I truly believe I can do anything now. We are so powerful, we just don’t know it. I think everybody has an inner strength and the capacity to self-heal through our thoughts and attention. If you quieten your mind and listen, then act according to your intuition, eventually it becomes an automatic response.”
*The Conscious Life Holistic Wellness Festival 2021 will be held at Venue 114, Lake Kawana on 15 and 16 May from 9.30am to 4.30pm. Weekend passes are $15. One day passes are $10. Entry fees include access to all talks, meditations and activities. Kids under 15 are free.*
