Biohacking Beauty: Jessica Clarke On Mushrooms, Mother Made & The Future Of Functional Wellness

If biohacking once conjured images of Silicon Valley execs tracking their fitness data their way through meetings, Jessica Clarke is rewriting the narrative – with mushrooms, not machines, at the centre of it.

A former fashion insider who became the first New Zealander to walk for Victoria’s Secret, Clarke spent over a decade operating at the sharp end of an industry obsessed with performance, polish and pushing limits. But while her career unfolded on global catwalks – from Calvin Klein to Dolce & Gabbana – her real education was happening behind the scenes: learning what it actually takes to sustain energy, focus and radiance long-term.

“I spent over 15 years working in fashion, and during that time I pushed my body to its limits both through my career and through sport,” Clarke tells The Modems. Like many women of her generation, she initially bought into the wellness shortcuts of the era – protein bars, meal replacements and “fake health” fixes – only to discover they didn’t work.

So she went back to nature. Drawing on Māori traditions from her mother’s side, Clarke rebuilt her health through sleep optimisation, gut repair and natural supplementation. “Slowly, I rebuilt my health, my gut microbiome, my immunity and reduced my inflammation ten fold,” she says – not to chase aesthetics, but to feel genuinely well.

The result is Mother Made*, her functional mushroom brand which launched in 2021, now expanding from New Zealand into the UK. The brand makes 100% organic mushroom supplements “designed to support sleep, focus, energy, and beauty” and reflects Clarke’s tech-adjacent approach to wellness: measured, intentional and sceptical of overhyped gadgets. She embraces tools like orange-lens glasses to block blue light, red light therapy for skin regeneration, and data as guidance – not gospel.

*Good news for The Modems readers: use code MODEMS to receive 20% off Mother Made through the end of March.

“I’m a firm believer in the power of potent herbs and natural ingredients to support focus, energy, and overall wellbeing,” Clarke says. In an industry addicted to reinvention, her version of biohacking is refreshingly grounded – blending ancestral wisdom with modern science, and proving that sometimes the smartest beauty tech has been here all along.

Biohacking Beauty With Jessica Clarke:

I started Mother Made because…

I spent over 15 years working in fashion, and during that time I pushed my body to its limits both through my career and through sport. I played competitive netball throughout high school, representing my country, and learned early what it truly takes to perform at a high level. Later, I became New Zealand’s first Victoria’s Secret model, and wellness naturally became a focus for me. Unfortunately, I turned to what the health and wellness industry was promoting at the time – protein bars, meal replacement shakes, and heavily marketed ‘fake health’ products. They didn’t work for me. So I went back to what I knew. My mother is Māori, and natural remedies were something I grew up with. I returned to simplicity: whole foods, good sleep, proper hydration, and when I needed extra support, remedies from nature.

The reason I got into biohacking is…

Slowly, I rebuilt my health, my gut microbiome, my immunity and reduced my inflammation ten fold, not just to look good, but to genuinely feel good. Mushrooms became the natural supplement I fell in love with. I take them every day and have never felt better. Now, I simply want to share that with the world, well, the other half of the world that hasn’t already been using them for millennia.

One wearable I can’t live without is…

At the moment, it’s my orange-lens glasses. I put them on as soon as it’s time to wind down. I’m not going to pretend I’m disciplined enough to stop using my phone after 8pm – this just stops the blue light that keeps you awake. Highly recommend.

The most useful app in my wellness routine is…

The Yuka app, I’m fully obsessed with it. You scan food labels and beauty products and it tells you if they contain any naughty ingredients. The number of things that land in the red zone is genuinely shocking. I’ve had to part ways with some very expensive face creams. 

My morning routine starts with…

A Hatch alarm clock, which gently wakes me with ambient music. It can guide you through a short meditation or breathing exercise, and you even get to choose the voice that wakes you up. Definitely better than the fog horn alarm I relied on for years.

Straight after that: Mushroom Coffee. I genuinely can’t wait for it – it’s my favourite part of the day. I run downstairs in my organic cotton pyjamas and make it the exact same way every morning: one part oat milk, one part AM: Mushroom Powder, one part MCT powder, and a single shot of coffee. I pour it into a mug, take it back to bed, and jump into my emails.

After a short workout and a shower, I finish with six minutes of red light therapy on my face. I recently got a LED device from Shark. I don’t always remember to use it, but more often than not I do and I think I’m starting to notice the difference… TBC.

My wind-down ritual is…

Everyone already has the built-in bedtime alarm on their iPhone, so it’s nothing groundbreaking, but I actually loved having that structure. It’s really helped me stick to a routine, and most nights I’m in bed before my bedtime reminder notification pops up. 

At night, I’m all about serious sleep moisturisers – I basically sleep in masks. One of my absolute favourites right now is the Hibiscus Night Cream by Irene Forte. It’s rooted in science while still using beautifully natural ingredients, and it’s the only thing I put on my skin before bed – it gives glazed donut but feels luxe.

I’ll have two Mother Made Relax: Reishi Capsules made from 100% reishi to help get me into REM sleep And when I remember, I’ll add a little bit of retinol just on my fine smile lines before bed too – nothing too crazy, just a light, targeted layer.

My favourite biohacking treatments are…

I’ve only had my red light mask for about two months, so the jury’s still out on that one. Nootropics, on the other hand, I’ve been using for the best part of ten years now. I’m a firm believer in the power of potent herbs and natural ingredients to support focus, energy, and overall wellbeing.

Homeopathy is something I’ll always come back to. It’s such a gentle, intuitive way of caring for yourself, and once you experience that shift – more balanced, more grounded – it’s hard not to believe in it. I’ve watched it help so many people around me, and there’s something really beautiful about choosing a lifestyle that works with your body, not against it.

My go-to supplements are…

Mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms. I’ve tried every supplement under the sun but mushrooms are the only thing that have remained consistent for me. I start my day with the AM: Mushroom Powder blend. During the day, I’ll take Focus: Lion’s Mane Capsules when I need clarity, or Relax: Reishi Capsules if my mind feels overloaded and I can’t concentrate.

At night, it’s either the PM: Mushroom Powder blend or Relax: Reishi Capsules to help me into a deep, restful sleep. The only other thing I sometimes add is Vitamin D. I’m from New Zealand, and living in the UK means far less sun, something I’ve learned really affects my mood. Simple, natural, and consistent. That’s what works for me.

I love both cold plunges and infrared saunas…

 There is an infrared on every corner in Bondi and after spending so much time in Australia, I got very familiar with them. I actually prefer them to traditional saunas because I can stay longer. It feels less like being roasted and more like the heat is doing something useful on a cellular level. 

Cold plunges, on the other hand, have been in my life since high school. They were completely non-negotiable after netball tournaments. There was nothing chic about it back then – we’d fill [clean] rubbish bins with ice and water, and take turns jumping in after training. Brutal. Effective. Character-building. Now they’re obviously much more luxurious, but the science hasn’t changed. Cold exposure reduces inflammation, helps with muscle soreness, and then boosts circulation as you warm back up. Simple and efficient. And the dopamine hit? Always worth it. You come out feeling, energised, and strangely calm. 

An overhyped beauty-tech trend is…

One interesting thing I learned from The Modems’ ‘Biohacking Beauty Tech Talk’ was that someone once wore a Whoop band and an Oura ring at the same time and they both gave completely different results. I haven’t tried any of these gadgets yet, but it was a good reminder that they’re best used as a guide, not something to be ruled by. Helpful, yes. Gospel, no.

If I could invent a wellness tech product, it would be…

A blood test you can do on your phone that gives you all your key health data. There are plenty of blood and allergy tests out there, but they’re often time-consuming or expensive. For someone who’s struggling, having easy access to this information could save years of trial and error. I’d love for everyone to be able to access that kind of insight.

The science-backed skincare I swear by is…

Kakadu plum and sunscreen. My dermatologist is super expensive and I alway try push the new anti-aging cream on her and she always responds with ‘sunscreen’ La Roche-Posay to be exact, coming in at £20 pounds. I realise marketing has won as sunscreen truly is the best preventative for aging skin.

When it comes to screens and tech overstimulation…

We are all way too obsessed with screens. Excessive screen use doesn’t just keep us awake – it hijacks our dopamine system with endless quick rewards and crashes, leaving us tired, overstimulated and low. As neuroscientist T.J. Power says in his book The DOSE Effect, “We have now invented a way in which we can quickly satisfy the deep dopaminergic urge within us by simply picking up our phone and opening social media… quick dopamine hits… spike and crash our dopamine system, leaving us feeling demotivated, lethargic, and low.”

 

A lot of products…

Say they’re science-backed when it’s actually based on really small studies, and honestly, it’s mostly just marketing. I wish the industry was more honest that not everything is hard science – and that tradition, intuition, and lived experience play a huge role too.

My game-changing biohacking tip is…

Mushrooms, even before it was my business it was a solid staple in my pantry. I’m truly passionate about them.

If I could give my 18-year-old self one piece of wellness advice…

Don’t diet ever, stop the fake health products and go back to nature. Basic nutrition with real ingredients, water, sleep and remedies from nature to support you. It’s so simple.

The Modems’ Byte-Sized Questions:

*Editor’s Note:

Modems readers can enjoy an exclusive 20% off Mother Made orders using the code MODEMS, valid through the end of March.