This Bedtime Routine Helped Lisa Wipfli Overcome Years of Insomnia

The mother of three shares how she eases into the evening.

Welcome to Bedtime Stories, an interview series where we ask inspiring individuals to share their nighttime routine and sleep secrets. For this instalment, Lisa Wipfli shares the morning and night rituals that help her stay grounded.

Lisa Wipfli is no stranger to success. After building an incredible career in marketing and advertising, Lisa had two babies in 16 months and took a step back from the hustle and bustle of corporate life to embark on a new journey of motherhood.

A lover of all things beauty, fashion, and interiors, Lisa decided to direct her attention to sharing her passion with her loyal Instagram audience. With three kids to look after, as well as being the ambassador for Australian skincare brand PAR OLIVE and charity organisation Ronald McDonald House Sydney, every day of Lisa’s life is a busy one.

Once a victim of insomnia, Lisa shares with us how she overcame this debilitating sleep disorder, and how she navigates her mornings with three kids and a business to oversee.

Can you walk us through your bedtime routine?

I went through a really bad stage of insomnia when our children were babies so my nighttime routine is extremely important to me. I had to introduce some really strict rules about winding down my brain and body before I go to sleep.

I try to be in bed most nights by 9 pm. I start the process by winding down with a cup of herbal tea on the couch before going up to bed. I then set my alarm and avoid looking at my phone after this. I absolutely love reading and without fail read every night for at least 20 minutes or half an hour.

After reading, I turn the lights out and will do a 10-minute guided meditation and focus on my breathing, and clearing my mind. This calms my whole nervous system, and then I find it very easy to drift off to sleep.

What sleep or beauty products do you swear by that you won’t go a night without?

I love the Calm Essential roll-on oil and Sweet Dreams Mist from The Good Night Co. In terms of beauty products, I never go to bed without doing my Rationale routine. Cleansing, then using 5 serums, and finishing off with 6 moisturisers.

What is your solution for those nights you simply can’t fall asleep?

I’ve certainly had a few of those, and gosh it can be so hard and really takes its toll on you mentally and physically. Here are few tips that I have used in the past:

Don’t ever start using your phone. Avoid it at all costs.
Start doing guided meditation.
If you have been tossing and turning for a while, get up and go for a walk to the kitchen or around the house to try and reset your body and mind.
I have a Zen Chi machine that I use regularly to help put me into a very relaxed mindset, this definitely helps with insomnia.
I also find that spinning around and sleeping the other way on the bed has worked for me (I know this is weird but don’t knock it until you try it).
I keep some melatonin in my draw for those nights that I need extra help and none of the above works.

What are your tips for a well-styled bedroom and making it sleep-friendly?

Having a decluttered bedroom is a must for me. I keep our bedrooms very simple, a tonal decor colour palette, a very comfy bed, practical and chic bedsides, and soft lighting. I’m such a mood lighting person, so every night when I get all of our bedrooms ready for bedtime (the ‘mum turndown service’), I turn off the main lights and put our bedside lamps on. I really dislike walking into harshly lit bedrooms just before bed.

What are three things (besides coffee) that help you when you’re too tired to function?

Ha, coffee certainly helps. However, I only have the one double shot mid morning and no matter how tired I am I don’t ever have anymore or feel like one for that matter. My three things are:

Exercise is a must for me. When I’m particularly tired, a walk in the outdoors is always the best way to wake me up and clear my foggy mind.
Like everyone, I get the mid afternoon slump and my ritual is religiously to have a matcha. I usually make it in my keep cup and take it on the school pick-up with me, ready for the hectic afternoons of homework, cooking dinner and the bathtime routine.
Drinking lots of water is also key. Whenever I’ve had a particularly bad night’s sleep, I try to make sure I drink a lot of water to keep me energised and give me clarity.

What time does your alarm go off in the morning? Can you walk us through your morning routine?

6 am - 7 am

I start the morning by making my bed and all the children's beds. I then spend 5 minutes stretching and doing some breathing exercises. I wash my face and brush my teeth and do my skincare routine. I then come downstairs, make myself a pot of green tea and open my laptop to respond to any urgent emails. I then begin making lunches and prepping the children’s breakfast

7 am - 8 am

The children and I sit down together for breakfast and then we begin the hectic process of getting them out the door for school. This is the ‘hour of power’ where I have to be very organised in order not to forget anything and get out the door at 8 am on the dot.

8 am - 9 am

Ted, Jack and Francesca are all dropped at school.

9:30 am

I will do a pilates class to clear my mind and energise my body to set me up for the day.

What do you normally eat for breakfast to kickstart your day?

I’ve been intermittent fasting for the past 5 months which I find gives me clarity and helps with mindful eating. I found myself eating all the kids' crusts at breakfast and starting the day with mindless eating so I have found intermittent fasting really helps me. I have my last meal at night at 6 pm and then I don’t eat the next day until 10.30 am. I usually have a banana and a coffee at 10.30 am, and then at 11.30 am I have a large brunch with eggs, seeded bread and avocado.

What does ‘self-care’ mean to you and how do you practise it?

Self-care is a word that can have so many meanings and the term does get thrown around a lot. Essentially for me, ‘self-care’ means anything that fills my cup mentally, physically and spiritually.

Self care is so personal. My ‘self-care’ activities that I practise regularly are exercising, especially walking or pilates, meditation, having an infra-red sauna, stretching, facials, getting my nails done, reading a magazine and having a cup of tea in peace and quiet.

How are you able to find time for yourself as a mother of three?

It certainly is hard, especially now that I’m working a lot more. However, I do prioritise it in my week because when I’m a happy and relaxed version of myself I’m a better mother and wife. I make sure that I can get to pilates at least twice a week. On the days that I have the children, I will wake up earlier to have some time to myself or to do a work out. [My husband] Mike and I are also very good at supporting each other to have time on our own, even if it’s just 30 minutes for a quick work-out.

I now treasure the most basic and shortest amounts of time to myself. Like having a shower on my own or reading my book before bed in silence.

Can you please share a little bit about your career journey?

It certainly has been a journey and I’ve loved every minute of it that has got me to where I am today. I studied Marketing/Advertising, and got my first at Courier Mail in Brisbane working as an Advertising rep in the sales department.

At 24 years old I decided to move to London for some life experiences and I started working at the Financial Times as an Advertising Sales Rep. I was then promoted to Advertising Manager of one of the teams.

After a number of years I moved to the DailyMail where I worked in their press team and then moved over to their digital division a few years later. This was pre-GFC so we would have long swanky lunches in the best London restaurants with clients most Fridays, and we were getting nice commission cheques.

After a relationship break-up I re-evaluated my life in London. I decided to move back to Australia after 5 years. After living in London however, I was worried Brisbane would feel like a small town, so I decided to take a stab at living in Sydney.

For a while I was still working for the DailyMail selling their Australian online inventory to local Advertising agencies. I was then poached to work for a tech start-up also in the digital space where I managed their sales team. After a couple of years in this role, I found out I was pregnant with our first son, Ted, so I went on maternity leave. I then very quickly fell pregnant with our second son Jack and decided to hang up my full time career boots in the advertising world.

I dialled everything down career-wise whilst I was deep in mum-life and just focused on being with my babies who were 16 months apart in age.

In this time I started creating more content on social media and over a number of years I’ve grown my following and I now collaborate with a lot of like-minded brands. I now have a manager and have quite a busy schedule creating content. I’m very fortunate that I can do this job without it impacting my most important role as a mum. It also allows me to be creative and control the level of work I want to take on.