A Mother's Day conversation with our founder

A Mother's Day conversation with our founder

This Mother's Day, we turned the journal lens on our own founder, Belinda. Bondi Wash brand manager — and Belinda's daughter — Jemma sat down with her mum to talk motherhood, starting a business, and what it looks like when your kids grow up and come to work with you.

A Mother's Day conversation with Belinda

For the last twelve years, I've had a front row seat to something I didn't fully appreciate at the time. Aged fifteen, Belinda - our mum - was in the kitchen most afternoons, mixing oils, recruiting whoever walked through the door to try her latest blend. The three of us kids were not particularly impressed.

But at some point things shifted. The brand we once dismissed as 'Mum's homemade plant potions' became something real - stocked globally, mentions in Vogue, a store in Korea. Two years ago I joined the business and now lead Bondi's Australian brand and marketing strategy. I've had a front row seat ever since of just how much goes in to creating something that looks effortless.

This year for Mother's Day, I interviewed her. I am, by most accounts, probably not the most objective interviewer - but I might be the most informed. I asked her about motherhood, starting the business and the lessons learnt along the way.

- Jemma, Bondi Wash Marketing Manager & Belinda's Daughter

Jemma: Let's start at home - what kind of feeling at home were you trying to create for us?

Belinda: I wanted you to feel supported with the same sense of freedom and love as I had growing up. Perhaps the absolute opposite of the so-called tiger mum – plenty of playtime and dreaming time. I was very influenced by my own parents who were involved but also very laissez faire. There were few rules and I rarely got in trouble.

I wanted to create an environment where the 'doing' mattered more than any kind of achievement. Finding joy in creating, being. I didn’t want you to feel the weight of academic, or extra-curricular pressure from me.

I was the opposite of the so-called tiger mum – I wanted you to have plenty of play and time to dream.

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Jemma: Yes, finding daily joy is something you always come back to - what does that look like for you right now?

Belinda: Work-wise, this year it's really been about slowing down to find the joy again. Running a business is not always easy so I'm consciously making time to get back to the parts I love most: creating new fragrances, developing products I've wanted to make for a long time. That's where I find the most joy. Outside of work, a weekly sauna has become a very joy-filled ritual.

Jemma: You started Bondi Wash in our kitchen, with three fairly skeptical teenagers around... What were you actually hoping to build back then? Did you ever imagine it would become this?

Belinda: I never thought very far ahead. I'd always wanted to build something of my own, but it wasn't until I found something I was truly passionate about that it felt right. The product was always what I cared about most - I wanted to make something I couldn't find anywhere else. Natural, beautiful to use, beautiful to have in your home. It was a problem to solve. I think if I'd stopped to think about how hard it would be, I probably wouldn't have started.

The mother-daughter relationship has shifted to something more equal. That maternal care is always there - but I feel you support me now too.

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Jemma: Two of us kids are now working alongside you. How does that feel?

Belinda: It's been a blessing seeing up close children blossoming in a professional sense. I think perhaps working alongside you both has shifted the mother-daughter relationship to one on a more equal footing. That maternal care is always there but I feel you support me in many ways now too. It’s actually lovely and I feel lucky to have such wise children.

A Mother's Day conversation with our founder

Belinda: You've taught me to stay current and not to get too set in my ways! It's definitely pushed me to keep evolving and stay open to change - it's a really good thing.

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A Mother's Day conversation with our founder

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