You launched Mother Made earlier this year, can you tell us a bit about the product and what inspired this?
Mother Made is a collection of our favourite mushrooms! From Lions Mane to Reishi these medicinal mushrooms have been used for thousands of years to support beauty, health and wellness.
My business partner/bestie Emily and I ran into them on our journeys overseas. There was a shroom boom in New York where Emily was and they were also really big in LA, London and Sydney where I was. You could get a mushroom latte at pretty much any store. While over there we sore a shift in demand for natural products and found that they made us feel better than the man made products. Hence the name Mother Made.
Covid happened and we found ourselves back home in NZ with one mission - to spread the mushroom buzz around NZ.
What initially drew you to the wellness sector? What is it about this industry that makes you tick?
Modelling I guess. Modelling comes with its challenges. I once flew France-Sydney-UK-France then Sydney again in one week. When I finally landed in Sydney at 4.30 am and my hotel room wasn't ready so I had a shower in the lobby then headed straight to set after no sleep. The point of this long story is that I was forced into the wellness industry haha.
If you didn't know how to look after your body it would be near impossible to survive the crazy work schedule.
Anyway after years of tweaking and getting to know my body I've realised it's actually kind of simple. Just try to get some sleep. Hydrate and feed your body with the good stuff, It’ll love you for it. There are no shortcuts but Mushrooms being a superfood gets pretty close.
What are some important lessons you've learned throughout your career and launching Mother Made?
It's always important to learn, be a sponge. Learn from everywhere and everyone. Travel (once we can). Experience many worlds and see life from different views. Gain perspectives other than yours. Laugh a lot, Love truly. And most of all believe in yourself and dream big.
In short, just grab your life by the horns and run with it. You really can do anything with a little self-belief and hard work.
What else keeps you busy aside from Mother Made?
I mean I play sport and love hanging out with my friends, I would love to say secretly I'm part of a motorbike gang but I really don't have time for anything that doesn't involve mushrooms.
That's the joy of running your own business I guess.
What is your daily routine?
Mushroom coffee baby. Every Morning. It's a game-changer. Then sit down on my laptop and do emails. I go for a run/walk/workout. Talk to Em on the phone or see her in person.
By midday we do meetings, grab lunch together then come home to brainstorm. We always pop our brain capsules and get creative. At MM we never stop working on something new or developing what we have. Mushrooms are the biggest new health trend and we are stoked to be at the forefront of it but you have to stay on the ball. We are so grateful for our loyal customer base, we thrive off their energy.
How do you keep your hair in peak condition?
I have curly unruly hair so I tend to leave it alone. If I touch it with a brush it looks like I got electrocuted by pikachu. What my hair does love however is lots of hydration and the hair oil is a godsend because I can apply when it’s dry and it smoothes out any frizziness.
CZH pioneers clean haircare - how have the products changed your hair?
Clean is good. My hair knows somehow and it just behaves better.
What are your favourite aspects of the silk hair balm?
The hair oil is everything but recently I’ve been putting the CZH balm in my damp hair post-shower. I know you're supposed to wash it out but it totally works. Anything to tame the mane.
CZH champions sustainability and we are always striving to make sure all our practices reflect this - how do you work sustainability into your daily lives and hair and beauty regimes?
Sustainability is so important. For so long we just made products not considering the longevity of what we were making or the waste after. I don’t buy a lot of stuff and keep it natural most of the time which reduces my waste. If I do buy something hair/beauty I'll buy from a brand that is sustainable and natural. There are some fantastic brands out there you just need to do a little reading.