Meet Stylish Pro-Age Enthusiasts Caroline and David LaBouchere

Today I am joining my friend Brenda from 1010 Park Place for our monthly Ageless Style Series. I am so delighted to be interviewing Power Couple David and Caroline LaBouchere. I think you will find them fascinating, compassionate, balanced and down-to-earth. You have seen Pro-Age model Caroline grace the pages of many fashion magazines. David is a high-performance coach. Let’s meet stylish pro-age enthusiasts Caroline and David LaBouchere.

Please share your story with us. How did you two meet, how did you end up in Dubai, and where have you been along the way?

CAROLINE: I was working with someone whose husband was in the army. The men were currently on course together and a dinner party was arranged. David walked into the house near Cambridge wearing a yellow cravat. My first thought. “What a plonker.” David was head-hunted by the UAE army and the option of being an advisor in Dubai or staying in England was too good to say no to. We have lived in 18 homes in 32 years, living in India, Canada, USA, Germany, England and of course Dubai.

DAVID: We met in July 1990 at a dinner party. This was many years before dating apps when most connections were made through friends. It was pretty much love at first sight. And in real terms, we married very soon thereafter. I was away on operations (Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East), and we communicated with old-fashioned airmail letters. Once married, we spent our first two years living in apartments in Germany – Caroline a long way from her old support network. We only really had each other. Babies did not come easily, both our children (Max now 28 and Mimi 26) are IVF. We were traveling extensively for HM the Queen and lived in several more homes on different continents. But parenting and moving worked well enough and we had a high-quality family life, interspersed with boarding school education for the children. My career was relatively long and interesting, and I ended up leaving on promotion to Brigadier, having fought in every major and almost all minor military operations that the UK was involved with over thirty years. Caroline supported me throughout. She was the glue that held us all together, despite the Service trying to keep us apart. Dubai was offered as an alternative to yet another Command. And it was Caroline who made the family choice. Dubai was interesting, unknown, under-developed and exciting. We said we would do a short contract; two, perhaps four, years. Thirteen years later we are still here.

You both are fitness enthusiasts – what are each of your go-to routines and how have they changed with age?

CAROLINE: We have both always exercised. David is consistent with his swim, bike, run. I have led him off on some extremes like a 100 km running race in England. The cycle from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. David’s World Championship races in Hawaii where he is regularly placed. I have slowed down, but with a challenge in mind, doing the splits for the first time. I’m stretching for the first time in my life.

DAVID: Caroline has a balanced approach to exercise based on health and wellness. She is a role model for women of her age and takes ‘best-practice’ very seriously. She prioritises sleep first, a balanced, close to nature diet second and movement third. Caroline trains at least five times a week in a formal setting and moves well, eschewing ‘help’ whenever possible. She will always take the stairs if time allows! She has always been fit but we go through phases. Caroline has tried a Triathlon but didn’t love it, and Ultra running and did, but it took too much time. Now she uses stretching and ballet to keep her muscles long and strong, her bones dense and her mobility fluid. I prioritise competitive performance and am a little more extreme. I aspire to be the best in age. I train twice a day most days. I get up at 4 AM on weekdays and a little earlier on weekends, as I think that the athletes that will beat me will be up then. My sport is endurance triathlon and I sometimes win. I have been to eight World Championships (third in the World in age at IM70.3 WCs in Lahti, Finland on 27^th of August 2023) and have completed more than 20 full Ironman competitions. As I get closer to ‘the best’ I train harder, more intelligently and with a greater scientific and technical resource pool. I am now in the area of the limits of what is humanly possible for my age, and this means that small gains make a huge difference.

You are always on the go – in life, with family, and in business. How do you stay in your best shape – both mentally and physically, with your busy schedules? What do you prioritize each day that helps keep you both on track?

CAROLINE: I prioritise gratitude. From the moment I open my eyes. Checking in with people, just saying good morning sometimes. Coffee. Exercise.

DAVID: We both prioritise gratitude and connection. It is people that make the most difference to ‘happiness’. Caroline’s work is meaningful, and she is excited with every opportunity to help others. This contributes hugely to her mental wellbeing. Physical exercise is consistently prioritised in our diaries. We are deliberate and focused on desired outcomes to our training. Sleep, nutrition, exercise, connection. We both spend time with each other and great communities of others. We are lucky to have room to do what makes us and others happy!

Talk to us about heart health and brain health – two areas you are both very passionate about.

CAROLINE: I had no idea how learning about heart health would effect me. Knowing my heart is happy was quite emotional. Sharing heart health information is actually saving people’s lives. A simple stress test is all you need. Please, please do this. Then there is the visceral fat around your organs. It is not ok to carry your fat in the middle of your body. Brain health, my grandfather and Aunt died with early onset dementia. I really need to learn more about this.

DAVID: Heart health is mostly influenced by what we eat and how we train. Brain health by who we meet and how we help. To have the energy to be there for others, we must first look after ourselves. Put your own oxygen mask on first before you try to help others!

Caroline: you are widely known as a gray hair ambassador yet growing up, you had a different approach to beauty. How has growing older helped you embrace true beauty at any age?

I never felt beautiful, not even on my wedding day. We were not taught to stick out, we were elegantly boring. Growing older has stopped me comparing myself to others. I am me. Still learning about me. There is so much to learn. My beauty is my creation and I love it.

Caroline: you became a model at the age of 53. Tell us about that journey and how it came about. Did you ever think you would be where you are today, 15, even 10 years ago? What are some of your most unforgettable photo shoots?

I wanted to be a singer as a teenager, it was kind of in my genes. I was never tall enough to compare to models. Actually, I hated cameras. When my daughter contacted me about a Modeling job in London, I was a school receptionist. I got the job which put me in a full-page British Vogue campaign eight times in one year. I didn’t look back. I was hooked.

David: you are a High-Performance Coach but are also a retired, senior British Army Officer. Tell us a bit more about what you do along with what type of training you do personally. How did serving in the army impact your drive and training techniques?

I look after those that I term Very Important Top Officers (VITOs!). VITOs are usually high achievers from all walks of life: Partners, owners, C-Suite corporate leaders, etc. They are sometimes less confident of their decisions and position than they might appear. We termed this ‘the loneliness of command’ in the Army. As a coach I do not need to know their businesses in detail, but I do need to know what questions they need to answer in reflection. These guide high-performance which I define as ‘doing the best you can, with what you have, now’. On training I read a lot, listen to a lot of audiobooks and podcasts, and ‘borrow’ ideas that I think may have value and impact. I train physically seven days a week, often twice a day and sometimes three times. I work with a variety of performance professionals including coaches. The Army taught me the value of consistent behaviours, practiced on ‘purpose’, and precisely scheduled.

Talk to us about your diets! What works, what have you gotten rid of over the years, and what approach do you have towards supplements? (Are you all for them, and if so, share some of your favorites.)

CAROLINE: I have been low carb for many, many years. More strict as the years move on. It works for me. I truly believe the trick to longevity is no processed foods. I go through phases on supplements. I love trying things, but I have to see results. Two things I have stuck with are Bioactive, Collagen gel (Health Nag) (editor’s note I don’t believe you can purchase in the US), and a Complete meal shake by Hlth Code.

DAVID: For us it is a case of ‘when?’, ‘what?’ and ‘how much?’. We use scheduled fasting (including intermittent fasting) and don’t normally eat outside of a 16/8 window. This is not a rigid discipline, but we use our own guidelines. As for ‘what?’ and supplements, we believe that we should get all our nutritional needs from a balanced diet. However, depending on the pressures of the day (Caroline has run several Ultra distance races and I compete at long distance too) we will supplement as an insurance policy. We are omnivores and watch the arguments for Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescan and even Carnivorous diets carefully. We will try them all, but measurement of results is unscientific. We trust our guts! I sweat a lot so minerals, particularly in the Dubai Summer are very important. And I sleep better if I add magnesium to my diet. Finally, we use portion control to avoid overdoing our intake! Every plate has a purpose.

You both talk a lot about listening to your heart and being with the people you love. You recently celebrated 32 years of marriage. How do you make it all work after all these years and what tips do you have for couples as they get older together or are entering into new(er) relationships? Especially when things get hard, because that’s when strength in a relationship matters the most.

CAROLINE: Surrounding yourself with like-minded people is most important. Having the same values but also feeling safe to say whatever you feel. Honesty. We have both changed and accepted the changes. I am happy to go through whatever life throws at me as long as David is with me.

DAVID: We prioritise communication. Often that is when there are limited distractions, for instance in the car. We speak our minds but try to do so with empathy and love. You can say almost anything if you do so while demonstrating that you care deeply! As for tips, I’m not sure we or anyone else is really qualified – we are all so different. But if you treat others as they (not you) would like to be treated, then you’ve got a good chance of getting your point across. When things get hard make it about them, not you. We all know that giving (think Christmas) makes us much happier than receiving.

Talk to us about skincare. What products do you love, what products can you live without? Do you prefer treatments in a salon, or would you rather do your skincare regimen at home, or a little of both?

CAROLINE: Since working with Dr Natalia Spierings (dermatologist) I have learnt that less is more. No double cleansing. No facials, although I do like them. A good Retinoid not retinol and whatever moisturiser you like. Anything from Vaseline to Tata Harper. I don’t wash my face in the morning, it isn’t dirty.  My go-to face sunscreen is a tinted factor 50 (editor‘s note you can find it in the US on eBay here.)

DAVID: I don’t do ‘skincare’: no products, no salons, no regimen. I think that my nutrition should prime the system to do what has worked without potions and chemicals for over three million years. I suspect that, like the wider pharmaceutical sector, skincare is sold through fear. I spend hours and hours outside, often in strong UV environments, without chemicals on my skin. I have naturally darker skin and may be biologically predisposed to survive these conditions. What works for me won’t necessarily work for others. I use a simple soap in the shower and pay no more attention to my face than any other part of my body.

Caroline: you can wear so many styles and colors so beautifully – do you prefer neutrals or brighter fashion choices in your day-to-day life? What are five staple items you have in your closet year-round and how would you describe your own personal style?

I have never been a fan of colour, I thought I would try to keep my wardrobe more compact. Some colours have however crept in. This year it’s Orange. I have many white T-shirts. I’m always on the search for a good one. Trainers, jeans, pj short sets.

David: tell us some of your favorite go-to brands and staple pieces. How would you describe your own personal style?

I still wear jeans and T-shirts as a staple. I love formal Indian attire too. I was a Lululemon ambassador, and I remain very loyal to that brand. They produce quality clothing that lasts. I like ‘smart casual’ but err towards simply ‘casual’ and perhaps a bit quirky. Perhaps a rebellion against years of fitting into the ‘British officer’ standard (ironed chinos, collar stiffeners, a Barbour jacket and a Labrador etc.)? My personal style has developed under Caroline’s loving training. I still go my own way sometimes, but when I do I dress for function, not form. This is not a great basis for ‘style’ and Caroline regularly sends me back to my dressing room to try again.

Sleep! We all know it’s important – how do you both make sure you are getting enough?

CAROLINE: We always go to bed together, as David gets up around 4.30 AM we have to go to bed around 9.30 PM. I obviously go back to sleep and get up at about 6.45 AM.

DAVID: Caroline is pretty good at this. I am less disciplined than I should be. I say I would like to go to bed at 8 PM, but Caroline does not get up as early as me and looks forward to our being together and sociable in the evenings. So, I under sleep and we go to bed between 9 and 10 PM. I try to supplement by having an extra snooze in the afternoon if my schedule allows.

What’s one of the most amazing trips you have taken, where did you go, and why is it so memorable?

CAROLINE: Our honeymoon was memorable. We went to a tiny Island in the Maldives; David swam around it every morning. There was no pool, it rained most days for a while, we played monopoly and talked. We didn’t use mobiles back then.

DAVID: We went as a family to Wyoming in 2012 to work on a cattle ranch. It was designed for tourists, but we took it very seriously and rode horses, rounding up and moving cattle, from dawn to dusk. No phones, no screens, hard work and wild open spaces, wild wonderful animals, and slightly thick cattle.  Brilliant. My recipe for a great holiday? Outside and offline doing something with those that you love most.

You have two children – a son and a daughter. What were the hardest differences between raising boys vs. girls?

CAROLINE: We have two children by IVF. I was sterilised after two ectopic pregnancies. Mimi was made in India, Max in Canada, both to English specification. Without a doubt boys and girls are different. There star signs are pretty strong too. Mimi is a Libra and I’m never quite sure which Mimi I’m going to get. Max is Sagittarius, strong and sensitive and steady.

DAVID: As a father I would say boys are simple, girls are complicated. Find the things that make a boy tick and stick to them. Max received a ball for Christmas and Birthday for most of his life. Girls need constant reading, a flexible approach, allowances for mood, allowances for environment, allowances for age and development. Mimi is a constant, and wonderfully challenging journey of new discovery. I will never rest.

Your daughter recently got married, and it was an absolutely stunning day. Share a few of your favorite moments with us.

CAROLINE: Mimi wanting to include me was the most special thing. Sharing thoughts in complete honesty when things weren’t going quite as planned. Sitting with Mimi when people were arriving, watching from our room in the villa. Max walking me down the aisle and having David’s hand to hold during the ceremony. I was more emotional than I expected.

DAVID: A few? There are infinite moments that I remember. Mostly I smile. I will share only one of the many: Walking my beautiful daughter, of whom I am so proud, down an isle in front of gods, family and friends to a waiting great man was the most emotional moment I have had since her birth – and that includes all the fighting and war that my service included. This tough ex-soldier was sobbing with happiness.

You both want others to find their true potential through coaching, encouraging, and personal connection. How did your past experiences influence this desire to help others find themselves when they are feeling lost?

CAROLINE: I have always fought for the underdog. Even as a child I remember getting into trouble by standing up for people. I know I can make people feel better, it is my duty.

DAVID: All our experiences, triumphs, failures, hardships and highlights have led us to this place. We are a product of all those decisions, good and bad. We probably didn’t really put others first until we had children, and then it was only them. This is our human journey. Now the children are on their own paths and need us less and less, but we now have more and more to give. So, with a surfeit of resource to share, it seems obvious that we must help others.

You have both done so much both professionally and personally. What haven’t you had a chance to do yet that you would love to do?

CAROLINE: To travel more.

DAVID: There is always more to come. We both believe that we should live in a way that might give us more time too. We have an infinite amount of travel, exploration and helping others to do, and, god-willing, many happy healthy years to do it.

What upcoming partnerships are you most excited for and why?

CAROLINE: I’m obsessed with Asian dramas on Netflix. In particular Korean women have fabulous skin and dress beautifully. I’m on a mission to get out there and find out more.

DAVID: Caroline would probably go geo-political about this and look forward to having relationships with new Continents, Countries and Peoples. What a long way she has come from being the supporting act to an average British officer! I, on the other hand, look forward to the unknown unknown of the next VITO or team.

If you aren’t traveling, or working, what can we find you doing?

CAROLINE: Meeting people, zooming or responding to their questions. I don’t consider this work.

DAVID: We both spend time driving to see others, zooming with others, communicating, sometimes with clients, sometimes with acquaintances, often with strangers. They all present as opportunities and while they sometimes subscribe financially for our time, we generally don’t consider this to be work. This is not as selfless as it sounds. We have come to a place of ‘selfish selflessness’. We know that if we contribute, we will come home full of smiles and satisfaction. It is a very self-oriented fulfilment.

If you could give your younger selves any words of advice, what would they be?

CAROLINE: Do everything you did. You only learn from mistakes.

DAVID: Prioritise growth. Progress is a key part of happiness, pleasure is not. Indeed, the pursuit of pleasure is likely to negatively impact long-term happiness. There is clear scientific evidence (see Robert Lustig) that Dopamine – a hormone released for short-term pleasure – downregulates Seratonin; the hormone that regulates mood, particularly ‘happiness’.

Share your words to live by.

CAROLINE:

Be grateful.

DAVID:

“It’s not about you.”

“Listen to understand before you speak to be understood.”

“Judgement is lazy, be curious.”

“Treat others as they would like to be treated.”      

“What if everyone you meet today is better because they met you.”

Thank you so much David and Caroline for sharing your story with us. You can follow David on Instagram here. You can find Caroline’s beautiful professional portfolio here, and you can follow her insightful Instagram account here.

I hope you enjoyed my post Meet Stylish Pro-Age Enthusiasts Caroline and David LaBouchere. You can find my other Ageless Style interviews here. Now let’s pop over and visit Brenda from 1010 Park Place for her monthly interview. Click on the link below to read.

1010 PARK PLACE