Miranda Brady, or better known to her loyal foodie followers @clean_treats, captivated me not only by her beautiful food photography and love of wellness, but also by her responses to my #career pressing questions. In this interview, Miranda shares the truths behind what being an accountant really is about and how it is so much less to do with numbers than some may think, how her health journey went from alcohol to loving exercise and the reason behind her love of food photography - even as an accountant! I absolutely loved Miranda's responses and resonated so heavily with them I couldn't wait to share them with the world. I'll stop typing so you can see exactly what I mean!
Could you tell me a little summary of who you are, what you do and what you’re truly passionate about?
I am 26 years old, born and raised in Perth, working as an accountant which people always seem really shocked about when I tell them! People have this idea that accountants sit at their desks all day with a calculator (which I do, haha) but my interest in accounting is more about helping people understand and grow their dreams and businesses. While I am a numbers girl, I am truly passionate about nourishing my body through food and fitness and spend all of my spare time creating healthy versions of everyone’s favourite foods so that I can show them that living a “healthy lifestyle” doesn’t mean only eating kale salads and drinking lemon water.
Why did you start your Instagram @clean_treats?
I started @clean_treats so I could find inspiration for healthy food and used it as a place to post my recipes, so that I could refer back to them later. I used to hate finding a delicious recipe and then when you want to make it again, you can’t remember where you found it!
Tell us a little bit about your health and fitness journey. Where did your love for it begin?
I have always exercised, but around the age of 18 when I began drinking alcohol and eating less wholefoods, exercise became a way to “burn off” the bad foods I was eating on the weekend. From 20 onwards, as I was working and studying full time, the exercising habit continued though I wasn’t drinking as much. Exercise gave me the energy to concentrate and relieve stress. I guess I became addicted to the way eating well and exercising made me feel – healthy, motivated and energised rather than using it as a form of punishment for the food I ate. Posting food and recipes started because I needed an outlet from accounting – working and studying in the same field meant accounting consumed A LOT of my time. Food was creative and fun, something left-field for me, but exactly what I needed.
Like myself, you are a massive foodie and love to cook delicious meals. What does a typical day on the plate look like for your working week? Ooo I love this one! I wake up at 5.45am and workout from 6-7am at which point I’ve probably drunk about 0.5L of water. Then I take my greens powder and get ready for work. I eat my breakfast at my work desk, which I know isn’t the best thing to do in terms of mindful eating. But it’s better for me than scoffing it down in 5 minutes and my digestion suffering for the rest of the day! Anyway, back to the food haha..
Breakfast (8.30am) - is typically oats with chocolate protein powder, extra cacao, heaps of berries and a peppermint tea.
Snack (11am) – almond milk flat white and usually corn thins with banana, cinnamon and peanut butter (I’m addicted!!)
Lunch (1.30pm) – this varies a lot depending if I’m having leftovers from dinner, but it is usually built around heaps of veggies made into a nourish bowl with either tuna or falafels (which I make myself with hummus and avocado).
Snack (3pm) – peppermint tea and some kind of protein treat I’ve made (like bliss balls, protein cookie dough, or protein brownies). It’s usually sweet, and always has some source of protein because that keeps me full until dinner!
Dinner (6.30pm) – salmon is my absolute favourite protein so usually a fillet of salmon with lots of veggies and brown rice. Although lately I’ve been having heaps of curries because they are super warming.
Dessert (8pm) – I always have a cup of tea after dinner! It really helps me wind down and relax and sometimes I have dark chocolate or some berries- if I’m still hungry.
For all the aspiring accountants out there, could you talk to us a little bit about your transition from #unistudentlife to #fulltimecareer and what your position entails?
The shift from Uni to full time work was quite a big transition for me as most of my friends took gap years, so they were either still at Uni or working casual jobs and travelling. This was the first point in my life where I didn’t have any friends who were going through the same things as me which made juggling the pressure of full time work AND full time study (Chartered Accountant is additional to a Uni degree), keeping up with my social life, a new love interest and managing my health/fitness extremely overwhelming. Being a Chartered Accountant requires standard 8.30-5pm work days where will bill every 6 minutes of time to a client and then going home to do more study. This was only for 2 years, but it is soooo worth the struggle and I’m extremely fortunate that I was able to live at home and have a supportive family. Doing this young has really given me the ability to travel with my degree, has given me the knowledge to start my own business or build my way up in the accounting industry.
If you could pin point one time in your working career where you were made to feel empowered for the work you were doing – what would it be?
Going back to the idea of what an accountant is probably ties in with this one. I regularly get told that my ability to communicate with people is my strength and I guess I really under estimate this! The fact that I can build a relationship with my clients that gives them the knowledge and drive to achieve their dreams is really empowering!
What are some daily rituals/thoughts you perform to promote happiness and wellness within your life?
There is a quote I heard years ago and whenever something happens that I could let ruin my day I think about it - “if it’s not going to matter in 5 years, don’t spend more than 5 minutes being upset about it”. It’s simple but it’s so easy to let silly thing get you down that really aren’t worth it and this thought just allows you to focus your energy on things that make you happy. In terms of wellness, I just really try and focus on how I feel. When I feel good, emotionally and physically it’s hard to not be a positive person and for me feeling good is moving my body every day, listening to podcasts and eating nourishing food. For others it might be reading a book that makes them feel good, but whatever it is find it and do it every day.
Where can we find you #letsbesocial?
You can find me on Instagram @clean_treats where I love sharing my passion for food and exercise and just give out positive energy to help promote people to live an all-round healthy lifestyle.