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'The desire to know your own soul will end all other desires.' -Rumi

lara charles kiwi author blogger

Hello there, I’m Lara Charles!

My friend once told me I’m a paradox because I am both deep and reflective, and light and fun. I’m not sure if this was a compliment, but I took it that way! It’s true - my book and my writing can go pretty deep. But, I can also laugh at myself and life too. The inner journey is right here, woven into the tapestry of everyday living, and life is both dark and light, challenging and fun. My kids remind me constantly never to forget the fun.

I didn't always know that truth. My spiritual journey started with a blood cancer diagnosis. (I know what you’re thinking: ‘God help me, it’s another white woman with cancer who went on a spiritual journey.’) I know, it’s such a cliché. I, too, want to gag. So, why read on?

Well, I started out trying to find the cure for my cancer. Instead, what I found was so subtle I didn’t even know I was seeking it. Realisation. Liberation. Freedom. This kind of awakening breaks every preconceived notion about what it means to be a ‘realised being.’ It’s actually super ordinary, found in the every day, and available to everyone - including you. That's why I had to write it down - enter my book, Ordinary Awakenings.

I have written professionally as a marketer and content writer for twenty years. Ordinary Awakenings is my first book.

A few more fun-ish facts about me

  • I have four children (which includes a pair of delightful and dynamic (read: full-on) twins). The mayhem and the magic exist in perfect harmony. Together with my husband, we live in the bushy hills of Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand.

  • I love to laugh and drink wine with my girlfriends. I occasionally curse. My friends describe me as loving and honest. I have an awesome family - they sometimes call me Larzie and fill my bucket to the brim (love you guys!).
  • I’m a truth-seeker. I read (a lot). I listen to podcasts while folding laundry. I meditate. I love the ocean and the bush. And I have fallen in love with the craft of writing.
  • When I’m not writing, I can be found meandering through the bush with my kids and husband. And when I am not bushwalking or making school lunches, I am working – marketing is my profession. I'm a freelance marketer and content writer. More on that aspect of my life over at LinkedIn.
  • I care about the planet, nature, mental health, indigenous rights. I care about the world our children will inherit. I have spent my marketing career in NGO’s, trying to make the world a better place. While I don’t regret a thing, I know now that the fight for a better world will keep on being a fight unless we look inward. The answer to it all is within (another cliché, but true).
  • I was lucky enough to grow up on NSW’s Central Coast - a playground for surfers and nature lovers. Think pristine beaches, glistening bays, idyllic bush surrounding and spectacular coastal walking trails. It is my home and I want to pay my respect to these lands that I love and its First Nations people.

  • Okay, this one is not so fun: In 2013 I was diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia - a rare, chronic blood cancer in which a person's bone marrow makes too many platelets. The diagnosis was equally a jolt to my system and the catalyst for change.
Photo by Rebecca McMillan Photography

My family

Here are my lil loves and my big love.

How epic life has become! Yes, it's chaos. And, it's bursting with love. I've come to realise that motherhood is the process of walking the mountain – relishing in the highlands and accepting the trenches, revelling in my children’s smiles and essence whilst knowing the sacrifices, the exhaustion, and the overwhelm are only temporary.

"Lara's knowledge is no longer conceptual. It is no longer borrowed knowledge from spiritual teachers or teachings. Lara has taken a dive into herself in a true and deep way. Her writing reflects her special inner light of awareness, a light that many can benefit from its clarity in how to live with true purpose and in happiness."

Shikhaa Rebecca Williams, Co-founder, Wisdom of Meditation Centre

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