I Tried Cacao for 30 Days and It Changed My Life

Last year, I joined the 30 day Cacao Challenge with Lucia from Healing Hands on what can only be described as a whim. What followed genuinely changed me. I had been drinking cacao, not to be confused with cocoa, for about a year and I really wanted to know more about it. Why were people praising it? And why did my PT use it with meditations and for healing sessions? Did it really have all of the health benefits that it claims to have? I wanted to find out, so I signed up for the challenge.

 

 

What is Cacao?

If you don’t have a clue what cacao is, it’s much more than a healthy hot chocolate (although that thought is what drew me to it in the beginning). Cacao is a plant medicine said to help with heart and brain health, blood sugar levels, low mood and more, meaning that is has held sacred status in many cultures, particularly in South America for hundreds of years - and rightly so. When taken ceremonially (large dose) with meditation or therapy, it has been known to have huge benefits in emotional blockages and producing clarity. It is a plant medicine without any psycho-active elements. It also tastes delicious and feels like a real treat. A hug in a mug, you might say.

 

What is the 30 Day Cacao Challenge?

It is a group challenge where you sign up to drink cacao every day (buy it or use your own), basically. You are added to a group chat (on Whatsapp) with everyone else in the community. Each day you set an intention for the day and enjoy your cacao. You also learn much more about cacao, including the history of it & the culture behind it as well how to prepare it, when best to drink it alongside various recipe ideas and the ways in which it can help in your day to day life. There is also a weekly group call involving a short chat and then a group card reading, some independent guided journaling exercises and a group meditation. All participation in the chats and calls is at your discretion. Take it at your own pace, say as much or as little as you like. If you can’t make them, that’s fine - it’s your journey! My advice would be to give it a go though as it really enhances the experience.

 

 

Here are 5 Things That The Challenge Did For Me:

 

1.  It made me aware of my nervous system.

This is far and above the biggest thing that I got out of the challenge. Within days, I was calmer, I was happier. Other people noticed a change in me. I was just a better version of myself. Before the challenge, for months I would crawl or count down to Tuesday mornings for a mental break and then feel panicked because I only have 3 childcare mornings a week and then caffeine up and get a bit manic and ultimately crash again. By week 2, I realised I didn’t need a mental break. I could just drop the kids off and then get on with what I needed to do. It has made me so aware of my reactions and has taught me to catch myself before I get worked up, to maybe turn down a coffee, to stop scrolling my phone as a means to relax and to take a deep breath. I wasn’t the only person saying this in the group chat either. Here are just a few snippets of my notes to the chat:

“Morning. Day 18. I’m still in awe of how calm I’m going through daily life. 8 days of solo parenting 2 under 3 plus everything else I have going on with business and house and lots of events coming up would have sent me into a crazy rage two months ago.” 

“One moment I feel calmer - I touched on this yesterday but it’s after drop off and before pick up. I used to feel overwhelmed and like I didn’t have time. Now I’m just accepting and it’s making me more productive and not rushing.” 

“One shift in my day to day reactions - when both kids are crying at the same time. I don’t have to pause and take a breath and make myself feel calm. I just deal with it & calm them. I’m thinking better.”

This is why I felt it was life changing, because my day to day life actually changed. What I thought was just my stage of life and my personality to a degree wasn’t true. That was a big moment of clarity for me. I had never been this calm, focused and productive. And positive. It affected every area of myself. 

 

      

 

2.  It nudged me to cut out caffeine.

I would NEVER have given up caffeine if it wasn’t for the cacao challenge. I didn’t even realise that I had to when I signed up (and that was probably for the best as I never would have signed up during one of the most sleep deprived periods of my life!). I was sitting with a cup of coffee when the message on day 1 came in telling me it was a caffeine free challenge. “Well are you actually going to do that?!” said my friend who was staying with me. It was a good question. I thought maybe I’d cut down but actually, there was something in me that had been considering that it might be a good thing to do for a while. 

“Honestly… the clarity I have that comes without caffeine and with the cacao has made me much calmer so I’ve been out and about with my kids and haven’t felt overwhelmed and snapped once! Yay for nervous system regulation.”

If I’m honest, I had been in fight or flight mode as a new mum for a couple of years and fully leaning on caffeine thinking it was the only thing keeping me going. Turns out it was doing the opposite. Removing caffeine and adding cacao reset my nervous system and made me a calmer person overall - a better mother, partner, business partner etc. I was on multiple cups of coffee, tea, matcha etc a day, so the first few days were pretty difficult, but honestly once I got over the withdrawals, my energy just picked up - and stayed there, On the days, I was tired, I just had to accept that as the stage of life I was in. Sometimes I had a nap, sometimes I went for a walk. I was no longer masking it with caffeine and I quite liked that feeling of knowing where my energy levels were at. 

 

3.  It helped me to find focus and clarity.

With the caffeine hangover finally gone, I felt clear and much less foggy. I wrote to the group,, “I’m so proud of myself for doing this because sleep in this house is all over the place at the moment and I get overwhelmed but I think I recover faster in the moment.”

The house was tidier. I was on top of laundry. I got out with my kids more and didnt get overwhelmed with what was waiting for me at home (or that they may do something toddlers do!) I got so much work done. I sometimes went back to my computer for an hour in the evenings to clear some emails or write something because I felt like it. It was such a contrast to just existing every day and collapsing in a heap every evening. I found myself doom scrolling a lot less - which sometimes led to me not always taking a picture of my cup for the group daily update (we didn't all manage it - there's no pressure!) because I was instead enjoying my moment of peace without my phone in my hand. Even writing this now is making me want to feel like that again, which incidentally is why I’m joining Lucia again in March - join us here!

 

 

4.  It reignited my creativity.

My creativity is back in abundance and I’m finding time for myself in small pockets. It was noted by others too. My father in law called me to say he’d noticed I was writing more and seemed happier in myself. I got a message from Lucia mid-month “I’ve also noticed you seem to be showing up more on socials and writing more lately. Is that correct? You seem to be on fire atm. but also deeply resting and listening to yourself too.” My reply? “Yes and it’s coincided with my little one sleeping much less, a lot of solo parenting, a lot coming up with both girls' birthdays in December and everything else, but I’m just way more in flow so I just go about my day.” 

For me, it’s that thing about pouring more good into yourself. Adding in more of what you need in life rather than crashing. I wrote on Substack about Emma Gannon’s work on ‘existential burnout’ - sometimes you need to do more of what makes you feel alive rather than doing less of stopping. Energy giving activities instead of energy sapping ones. That’s why I wrote, I journaled. I organised areas of my house that were driving me wild every time I walked past them (and it took me no time to do it!). I watched movies instead of short videos on social. I read. I just did more ME things again in the downtime I didn't realise I had. Things before I became a mum and life got really busy. 

I’ve been a little slow on the messages here but sipping away in the background. I’m definitely a water, honey & cinnamon girl.

 

 

5.  It put me back in touch with my body.

I’ve already mentioned that I was better at recognising when I needed to rest and when I was actually tired and should sleep. I went to bed earlier. I also realised when I was stiff and I needed to stretch or walk. And most importantly, I believe that all of this contributed to my cycle coming back post-baby after 20months and I dealt with that quite well too despite it taking its toll on my body. I welcomed it as it felt like my body was returning to itself again. 

And now? Have I kept it up? Well yes - and no. I recently went away for a month where I didn't have any cacao and I had a few coffees and on my return, I didn't realise how much I’d missed it (and needed it!) until I came back and got back into my routine. This is what I wrote towards the end of the 30 day journey.

“Day 28. I can’t believe how normal this has become in my life. Especially the lack of caffeine. The single moment I’m grateful for was when I realised that I could handle more without the caffeine and I had always thought it was the only thing keeping me going. The single habit I’m taking forward is keeping a small daily quiet ritual for myself. Especially in this busy season. I’ve learnt how to find time for me. And how it makes me more productive the rest of the day if I pause first.”

Just a note on the ‘community’ element of it - if you are put off by that. I found it really helped for accountability. It was such an open and honest group. It’s also not all local - I didn't know anyone in the group, bar one person I’d met briefly. There is no pressure to share or overshare, but being me I often felt that I wanted to! I was relatively active in the whatsapp group with my mug pics and my intentions for the day. I opened up in a few lines maybe once a week. I only managed to make 2 out of 5 of the weekly calls, but I thoroughly enjoyed them because they were opportunities to have a group card pull, do some journaling and reflection and a meditation. (I wish I’d been able to make more!) Again, there was no pressure to share or have your camera on but by the end of the month, we were all much more willing!

 

 

How Do I Join?

The next 30 Day Cacao Challenge starts on 1st March 2026.

Lucia isn’t doing another one this year, so this is really the only time you can get to know cacao in this way with her so that you can move forward with the knowledge to create