Casey Donovan's Journey to True Health

Casey Donovan is no stranger to the spotlight. First capturing the nation’s heart as a 16-year-old on Australian Idol, and later taking on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, the singer, songwriter, author and actress has always lived her life in the public eye.

Today she’s touring the nation as Deloris Van Cartier in the smash musical Sister Act, and rehearsing for a tribute tour later in the year with Marcia Hines where they’ll be singing the late, great Donna Summer’s biggest hits. But behind the bright lights and accolades, Casey has been navigating personal struggles with her body image, health, and weight too.

Now, Casey is entering a new chapter in her journey, by partnering with Juniper as an ambassador to promote a healthier, more compassionate approach to wellbeing. In a sit-down chat, the 36-year-old shares how her views on health have evolved, the challenges she’s faced, and why Juniper’s science-backed approach to health resonates with her so deeply.

A Journey of Self-Acceptance

From her early days in the entertainment industry, Casey has been at the receiving end of public scrutiny, especially regarding her weight. But over the years, she has come to a profound understanding of her own body and health.

"Everyone's going to have an opinion, and that's OK,” Casey says on using Juniper’s  weight loss service. “But it's my body, my choice."

This mindset has guided her through the ups and downs of her journey, especially with the support from Juniper’s health coaching and the community that encourages each other along the way, as she navigates the pressures of diet culture, stigma, and societal expectations.

The Pressure of Diet Culture

For Casey, the media’s focus on her weight has been one of the most challenging aspects of her career. In reflecting on her experiences, she recalls, “I feel like after the whole Paulini gold dress situation with Dicko, the Australian media were a lot kinder to me because I was 16. We all go through that 16-year-old chubby phase, which you either grow out of or you stay in.”

As she grew older, however, the scrutiny intensified. “People can’t just live their lives and enjoy their bodies because there’s always judgment, or someone looking for a scoop,” she says. “It’s just a vicious, vicious cycle.”

Casey speaks candidly about the toll that diet culture has taken on her, and countless other Aussie women, leaving feelings of guilt, shame, and frustration in its wake.

“The disappointment of doing things, putting my name to things, and then it just being another bad diet where you don’t get to carry it throughout your life... it’s like, ‘Go be free,’ and then you’re like, ‘Oh, no, I don’t want that.’”

But there’s more to Casey’s story than the judgments cast upon her. She’s also dealt with the emotional side of being a larger woman in a world that often doesn’t offer compassion.

“When you’re the bigger girl, you’re always the funny one. You’re always the one making jokes. But at the end of the day, we have feelings. We’re not always funny. We’re always struggling with something behind the scenes.”

Shifting the Focus to True Health

Through all these challenges, Casey’s view of health has shifted away from the idea that it’s all about a number on a scale, and towards something far more holistic and personalised. She found Juniper’s approach a refreshing change.

“What I love about Juniper is that it’s not just about the number on a scale,” she says.

“It’s about the percentage. It’s the first program I’ve ever seen that does that. The number on the scale isn’t a true representation of your body. It’s the percentage that matters, and I have thoroughly enjoyed using the Juniper app to track my progress, as well as having access to meal plans that support my goals.”

This holistic approach, which prioritises understanding the whole person, not just the weight, is something that resonates deeply.

Finding a Sustainable Approach  to Weight Loss

For Casey, Juniper isn’t only about shedding kilograms, but about finding a healthier, more balanced way to live. The program offers a blend of health coaching, personalised meal plans, and emotional support, which she describes as all-inclusive.

“The wraparound care is what elevates [it]... it’s about pulling everything together: applying what I’ve already learned while also learning new things,” she says. “Understanding how those new insights interact and how to make them work for me is the best part.”

This holistic model offers not only  professional care but a sense of community that has made a big difference in Casey’s ability to approach health in a way that feels sustainable. "Having people at your fingertips through access to recipes, chats, the Juniper app, and a supportive community; that’s what elevates the experience" she says.

From Struggling to Thriving

Casey is quick to share that the emotional rewards of her health journey are just as important as the physical ones. “For me, it's just all-around health. And the joy of just being able to walk into a shop and knowing that I can literally pull something off the rack is such a foreign thing,” she admits. “I have to go up to, you know, level 28 in David Jones or Myers, in the back corner, where it's horrible fluorescent lights, to look at plus-size clothing.”

The “non-scale victory,” as she calls it, which she is most excited for, goes beyond fitting into clothes. It’s about breaking free from society’s biases and being able to simply live her life without worrying about judgment. “It’s not even about being "normal." It’s not even about acceptance. It’s just about getting rid of people’s bias. And just being able to live my life.”

Taking Personal Accountability

Through her partnership with Juniper, Casey has gained new insights into her relationship with food and health. She’s been open about her struggles with food noise: the constant, often overwhelming thoughts about what and when to eat.

“After Juniper, I can guarantee you'll be standing in front of a fridge with it open, saying, ‘I don't even know why I'm doing this’,” she shares. “Because I have done that so many times. I’ve opened the cupboard out of habit but I feel like Juniper is going to break all the habits we’ve learned.”

One of the most empowering aspects of Casey’s journey has been learning how to manage these habits and rewiring her thinking about food. “There is no bad or good food. It is food; it is fuel for your body. They're either high-calorie or low-calorie, high in saturated fat or low. It's just learning to change the language because we all want to enjoy our lives 100%, but also in moderation.”

With Juniper’s health coaching and easy-to-use app, Casey is taking responsibility for her health in a new way. “It’s really important: taking accountability for my actions, and also recognising when I eat the wrong things. That’s okay. It’s just that my body puts it in different drawers; the drawers it’s not supposed to go into. Other people’s bodies put it in the right drawers.”

The Role of Genetics in Weight Loss

However, Casey also acknowledges that it's not all about willpower or personal choices. Genetics and biology play a significant role in how our bodies respond to food and weight management. She shares a key revelation she had about the 'famine gene' and how it helped her understand her body better:

“I was fortunate enough, in my line of work, to be able to work with a TV show and I learned about my genetics and the famine gene. Most people in bigger bodies have that gene. If you’re in that small percentage that can do it with mindset and willpower—just stick to it and go, go, go—that’s amazing. But I’m not built like that. Maybe society has let me down, as well as the medical profession, when you walk in and they just say, ‘Oh, your BMI is too much, do this. Eat less, move more.’”

“It was very freeing for me to hear that it wasn’t my fault. It was very liberating. Not a lot of people hear that, because they assume, ‘Oh, you just eat crap and sit on the lounge all day.’ No—I’m busy not eating. That’s my issue.”

Juniper's approach instead recognises the importance of individual needs, offering meal plans and lifestyle coaching that work with your unique body and genetics.

Embracing a New Mindset

The key to Casey’s success with Juniper has been shifting her perspective with the help of health coaching, interactive meal planning, and regular support through the app.“Putting weight on doesn’t happen overnight. So to think it’s going to fall off overnight is just silly. But the knowledge you build and learn is going to stay with you.”

She reflects that just as you would break a bad habit at work, you can break food-related patterns. “It’s like being a workaholic. A workaholic thinks, ‘Just one more email.’ They wake up at 7 instead of 8 to get extra work done. It’s the same thing with food noise. It’s, ‘Oh, I’ll just have one more biscuit,’ the same way someone else thinks, ‘I’ll just send one more email.’ It’s the same pattern, just applied to something different.”

This shift in mindset isn’t just about weight loss; it’s about cultivating a healthier relationship with food, and with yourself.

Get Started on Your Weight Loss Journey Today

Casey’s story is a powerful reminder that health isn’t defined by a number on a scale. With Juniper's app, health coaching, and personalised meal plans, she’s learned that health is about taking small, sustainable steps. Her experience with Juniper has shown her that health isn’t just about the physical; it’s about nurturing your mind, body, and soul.

“To talk openly ... is a great thing. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, I don’t think,” Casey says. “We’re going to rewire, and we’re going to help ourselves, and, in turn, help other people.”

Ready to start your own health journey? Take Casey’s advice: “Lean in. What’s the worst that can happen?”