About Me
Meet the Healthy Shift Worker, Audra Starkey!
My name is Audra Starkey, AKA The Healthy Shift Worker, and I am super passionate about helping shift workers and organisations improve their health and wellbeing.
How the Healthy Shift Worker started
After 21 years of working in the aviation industry, in October 2014 I took a leap of faith and accepted a voluntary redundancy from Qantas, Australia’s largest airline, to pursue my interest in nutrition, with a special focus on shift work health.
This is because when we work shift work, our diet is often the first thing to fall apart, which over the long-term, can have serious consequences on our health.
It led me to enrol in a Bachelor of Health Science degree majoring in Nutritional Medicine from Endeavour College of Natural Health in Brisbane, which I completed at the end of 2016.
However, I have a very holistic view on health.
This is because when it comes to working through the night, or getting up at ridiculous times of the day, sleep-deprivation is usually the catalyst behind a lot of our struggles – and not just the food that we eat.
Do I believe nutrition is important? Absolutely.
In fact it’s even more important when working 24/7.
Do I believe it’s the answer to all of our shift working woes? Absolutely not.
As a population, we are chronically sleep-deprived, and with that comes serious consequences. Sleep deprivation:
affects our nutritional intake, digestion and absorption of foods
disrupts our hormones
impairs our cognitive function
weakens our immune system
affects our mood
makes us prone to accidents
makes us feel way too tired to get off the couch and exercise, and
plays havoc on our family and social life – amongst many other things.
It’s what ultimately led me to publish my book titled ‘Too Tired To Cook – The Shift Worker’s Guide To Working (And Surviving) In A 24/7 World‘ in August 2019.
From there, The Healthy Shift Worker has only grown to provide more resources and supports to the people who keep our services running around the clock. I now host The Healthy Shift Worker podcast, deliver valuable seminars and training to organisations and equip my clients to become their healthiest selves through various course, membership and consultation opportunities.
So if you are new to The Healthy Shift Worker – ‘welcome’. I hope we can work together to help you achieve a happier, healthier life as a shift worker.
Feel free to explore how we can work together below or reach out via the contact page if you’d like to get in touch via email.
Audra x
Audra’s Holistic Approach To Shift Work Health
sleep
Prioritising adequate and quality sleep, recognising its vital role in our overall health and well-being
Nutrition
Movement
Stress reduction
Implementing strategies to reduce stress for improved mental resilience
Mindset
Cultivating a positive and resilient mindset, emphasising the power of thoughts in influencing our health
