23/08/2026
And Then Came Ma & Me
Sometimes the hardest chapters of our lives quietly lead us towards something we could never have imagined.
When I began changing my life after cancer, I certainly wasn’t thinking about starting a business.
I was concentrating on learning.
I wanted to understand nutrition, wholefoods and how I could support my own health. I was also thinking about health coaching and how I might one day help other people on their own journeys.
But while I was doing all of this, something else was happening.
Jess had started creating desserts.
Long before Ma & Me existed, Jess began experimenting with recipes and making her own wholefood desserts.
Her very first dessert was Caramel Swirl, and her little business was called Love Bites.
Jess was a single mum of three, doing an amazing job raising her children while also having the courage to start her own little business.
I would help her at the markets, selling her desserts and cheering her on.
Looking back now, those little market days feel so special.
We had absolutely no idea what was ahead of us.
We were just a mum and daughter, doing something we loved.
Jess had become passionate about wholefoods after watching my journey. She wanted to eat well, but she also wanted to be able to enjoy a beautiful dessert without feeling guilty about it.
And she was really good at it. ❤️
While Jess was creating delicious desserts, I was busy researching, learning and thinking about how I could help people with their health.
Eventually, our two paths began to come together.
We both studied Integrative Nutrition, and we absolutely loved it.
We realised that instead of having two separate businesses, perhaps we could bring our passions together.
And that’s exactly what we did.
Ma & Me was born
And the name?
That was actually much simpler than you might think. 😂
My grandchildren were always saying, “Ma and me…”
And Jess would say the same thing to her children.
Those three little words had become part of our everyday family language.
So when we decided to bring our businesses together, it just felt right.
Ma & Me.
It wasn’t just a business name.
It represented us.
A mum and daughter
Family
Food.
Health
And a whole lot of love
We started running workshops together.
Jess was amazing at teaching people how to make delicious wholefood desserts and showing them that eating well didn’t mean giving up the joy of dessert.
And me?
Well…
I was usually behind the scenes and proudly held the very important position of Chief Washer-Upper! 😂
But eventually, we started weaving my story into our workshops too.
We would talk about the ingredients we were using, why we had chosen them and what we had learned about nutrition and wholefoods.
The workshops became about more than just making desserts.
They became about sharing what we had learned
Sharing our passion
And sharing a little bit of our story.
And then something happened that neither of us could have imagined when Jess was standing at those early markets selling her little Love Bites.
Ma & Me grew
The little business that had started with a single mum of three making Caramel Swirl…
The mum who helped her daughter at the markets…
The two of us running workshops and washing an awful lot of dishes… 😂
Eventually became a business whose desserts were stocked in every health food store in Dubbo.
Sometimes I look back and think
Who would have thought?
Who would have thought that one of the hardest seasons of my life would eventually lead me here?
That my journey into health would lead me to nutrition.
That Jess’s passion for creating beautiful desserts would meet my passion for wholefoods and wellbeing.
And that together, we would create something that became so much bigger than either of us imagined.
Looking back, I realise Ma & Me wasn’t something we perfectly planned.
It grew out of our lives.
Out of my journey.
Out of Jess’s passion.
Out of family.
Out of food.
Out of health.
And most importantly…
out of the love between a mum and her daughter. ❤️
And perhaps that’s the most beautiful part of the whole story.
What began as a journey to find my way back to health eventually became something that allowed Jess and me to help share what we’d learned with other people.
And that little Caramel Swirl that started it all?
Well…
she certainly had a lot to answer for. 😂
Love Ma x
