Dec
01
2019

A little more than a year ago, a beautiful Singapore brand reached out to me, asking if I would consider photographing their next lookbook. In amongst projects and a serendipitously planned personal holiday in Singapore, a window opened with just enough free time while in town to meet one of the co-founders of The Mindful Company and some of the (kind) faces behind the brand. And it wasn’t long before the seed of collaboration started to grow.

Instant friends; kindreds even – it was clear how aligned we were with the intentions behind our brands. A team of beautiful inspiring humans, I immediately loved how The Mindful Company chose to call their products ‘reminders’ – rather than jewellery. Everything comes from love, imprinted with simple, special words to bring you back to the present.

As we have brought our collaboration to life over the past year, the process has felt so effortless and aligned, I really do feel like this collection (and our connection) was always meant to exist.

Together we have created limited edition, stainless steel + 18K rose gold plated reminder cuffs with our signature typography on the engraved on the front, with coordinating pocket journals, available individually as well as in bundles. Of course, we have also woven in many tiny surprises and little details to delight, all wrapped in beautiful packaging.

We hope this collection inspires you to find beauty in the unknown, to fall in love with your uniqueness, and to bring you back into the moment.

You can shop our Emma Kate Co. x The Mindful Company limited edition collection here.

Our worlds and lives become richer for the stories and journeys we share, so today I would love to introduce you to Ling, co-founder of The Mindful Company and to share some more of the story behind the brand…

+ Take us back to the start! When did The Mindful Company begin? And how did you come to be where you are right now?

The Mindful Company started as a side project when Ciara (my co-founder and friend) and I were both working in the corporate sector. We wanted to find a way to encourage the people around us and the first product that came to mind, was the Reminder Cuff. A simple, subtle cuff with an encouraging word on it. We designed the Cuffs, had a small batch produced and thought, let’s create a website and see if anyone buys them. I mean, how difficult can it be? (Haha, it definitely wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be!)

From there, it was a combination of taking one step a time, making some big decisions, a lot of hard work, having an incredibly supportive network (spouses, family and friends), a great work team and a bit of luck!

Ciara and I feel so incredibly blessed to have such a great TMC community. Seeing people gift, wear and love our products has been so special.

+ Why did you start?

The Mindful Company was inspired by the personal journeys of our families, friends and peers – the joys, the struggles the tragedies. We wanted to find a way to encourage others to consider what’s important to them and not let life slip by on auto-pilot. The Mindful Company is our way to start conversations around what matters, mental wellbeing, and what it means to be kind.

+ What big decisions along the way have brought you to the here and now? The ones where courage conquered fear.

I think I speak for Ciara and myself here, it would the decision to leave the corporate world. After 11 years, I felt like I finally knew what I was doing plus I had great colleagues and there were good career opportunities where I was. I was comfortable and I’d just had a baby (little Georgia Mae) so it was a safe place to be.

Although it was a calculated risk for both Ciara and myself, it was still scary. I remember telling my boss and colleagues that I was leaving and what I intended to do. I’m pretty sure some of them thought I was crazy. (haha)

Balanced with fear, there was excitement: we knew that for The Mindful Company to really kickstart and achieve what we had in mind we needed to dedicate our attention to it. Aside from financial risk, entrepreneurship can be a very lonely road but Ciara and I were lucky enough to have each other.

Since then, there have a lot of decisions that we’ve had to make with some courage. From placing our first large order wondering if we would be able to sell it all, to locking in a long-term office lease, hiring a team to support us, the list goes on.

+ Talk us through what typical day in your world might look like.

Oh my, where do I begin. Unfortunately, there’s no typical day so I’ll use yesterday as an example.

Like most days, it started starts with a visit to the gym followed by the mad rush that is, getting Georgia ready for school. Following drop off, we grab a coffee. One of our favourite spots is the apartment, which happens to be the amazing spot where we photographed your beautiful self, with our Emma Kate x The Mindful Company collaboration products.

Enter the office and the work day begins! Yesterday, that included briefing the fulfilment and packing team, interviewing candidates to join our team, discussing delivery timelines with our partner, lunch with the team, reviewing new pages on our site for an upcoming product launch, all with internment random discussions/laughs with the team. I prepare the to do list for tomorrow and I’m out the door, on a 20 min train ride home!

Now dinner is always fun. If Georgia hasn’t napped at school, we’re probably dealing with a melt down over the dining table (*insert crying face*) on why we aren’t having chicken and broccoli, or why all her cutlery isn’t pink. Oh the joys! But once that’s over, we have a good 20 minute dance sesh in front of the TV before the girls head to bed.

+ Down time, and the work vs. life balance deal. How does this vibe with you? How do you make it all work?

For me it’s quality over quantity, having a plan, being present and letting go of the guilt. I struggled a lot with this especially since we started The Mindful Company the same time Georgia was born. (lol, can I recommend not having a baby and a new business at the same time).

Good news though, I think I’ve finally found my groove in this space in the last year. (hooray!) This year, I started creating monthly calendars for Georgia. She crosses out each day before she goes to bed and knows what’s happening when she wakes up. If she asks ‘’is it a school day today’’ or ‘’is it swimming day today’’, I’ll ask her to check her calendar. While it’s a major win for me (haha, those with kids will know how many times we get asked such questions), it’s also really helped me to pre plan activities and be intentional about spending quality time together.

I also remind myself that ‘me’ time, whether it’s going for a run, out with friends, my time at work- this is me. Doing what I love, to fill my tank, to be at my best. And if I’m not at my best, I can’t give my best to my family.

+ When you are creating, what is non-negotiable?

Staying true to the ethos of the company. As we’re a mission driven company, the messaging always comes first. We think of a message or a theme that we want to share or encourage people with, and think about how we can translate that message into a design that will be a meaningful addition to someone’s everyday life – timeless, subtle, well made, and at an accessible price point.

We’ve received countless requests over the years to release our signature Cuffs and Braids without reminders etched on them to allow customers to customise the product. While we could have done this, we’ve always refrained from doing so to ensure that an intentional reminder comes with all our products. But we love feedback and with this, we introduced a personalisation service (additional engraving) so that customers can add a touch of personalisation to one of our Reminders.

+ Highlights and radical moments: what has been your most rewarding project/range/creation to date, and why?

Our charity collections. A large part of who we are and what we do, is supporting charities in the mental health space through various initiatives with the aim of evolving the conversation on mental health and wellbeing.

One of the ways we collaborate, is through our annual/bi annual charity collections which are inspired by the stories and the work done by the non-profit organisations and their beneficiaries. Witnessing the personal growth of young beneficiaries and the non-profit teams we’ve worked with has been so rewarding. Also, and seeing media and influences willingly support these collections is such a beautiful reminder of humanity and the joint desire to support the communities we live in.

+ What three key lessons have you learnt in your entrepreneurial path, which continue to carry you forward?

1. Be generous
2. Be authentic
3. Keep learning

+ If you were to hop on a plane tomorrow, where would you go? And why?

Back home, to Perth. Funnily enough, we’re actually hopping on a plane next week and that’s exactly where we’re headed. My family are in Perth and since I don’t get to see them often, it’s currently always my destination of choice. The girls love it there and we always build such precious memories while we’re there.

If we were leaving the kids behind, Japan. We’ve been wanting to head there for a while now but haven’t been able to make it work. I absolutely adore Japanese food.

+ Finish these sentences…

Right now I feel… incredibly blessed.

I believe in… the power of words. Choose to speak life and love.

Secretly, I wish… my kids would stay at this age for ever (3.5 and 1.5 years old)

You might not know this, but… I’m petrified of injections and blood tests. I still close my eyes and pinch myself to divert pain.

I couldn’t live without… WhatsApp. It’s my way of constantly staying in touch with family and friends on a daily basis.

The best advice I’ve been given is… It’s not a function of time. It’s a function of priorities.

What’s your inspiration for this collaboration?

We’ve always only focused on collaborations with non-profits but after a few interactions with you and our content collaboration last year, we knew that if there ever was a product collaboration outside of our Charity Collections, it would be with you! And here we are today.

We see the underlying desire to inspire and encourage embedded in the Emma Kate Co brand and I think it’s this common purpose, and natural brand alignment (plus our love for simple yet beautiful aesthetics) that’s almost organically bought together this collaboration.

Not surprisingly, when we separately had a think about messages that would resonate with our respective communities, we quite quickly identified these two- You Are Magic and It’s Written In the Stars.

What are your hopes for this collaboration?

That our communities will love them as much as we do! That these Reminders, will be worn and used all over the world, inspiring its keeper to document their reflections, hopes and adventures.

What’s your favourite piece from the collection?

You Are Magic Pocket Journal in burgundy and rose gold foil. There’s something so magical about Emma’s lettering and combined with my current favourite colour plus a reminder to celebrate me for me, makes this my favourite.

You can shop our Emma Kate Co. x The Mindful Company limited edition collection here.

Nov
29
2019

Almost 9 months ago, the beautiful Gemma Peanut reached out to me, describing a vivid dream about how we had co-created a Baby Journal. We hadn’t met. We didn’t even know each other. But it sparked a conversation, there was immediate alignment, and so we decided to meet for coffee. We had barely made our coffee order before we knew that dream needed to be chased together.

And, what has followed since has honestly been the most beautiful adventure…

Month after month, we have dreamed our little dream into existence. Over weekly Skype calls we have drafted, co-created, finessed and lettered our way towards tonight, often finding fleeting moments to decide on a fabric swatch, a ribbon colour, add in a special feature, or finish off a chapter along a spectrum of various timezones and locations that our businesses and lives have required us to be.

There’s been lots of messy thrilling life thrown in for good measure along the way, including an engagement (me!) AND fittingly, a pregnancy (Gemma!)

And then suddenly, it was October, and I found myself in Mosman (Sydney), sitting beside Gemma – and with two grateful hearts we launched our Little Dreamer baby journal collaboration into the world.

New babies are a cause for beautiful celebrations, and Gem and I decided that our collaboration also deserved to be welcomed to the world in a very special way. Somewhat impromptu, we found ourselves with forty mumpreneurs together at The Fernery, for a breakfast with a difference. At our baby shower, we got to shower our guests with gifts.

It’s been said it takes a village to raise a baby [journal], so here’s a special shout-out to our village. We put the word out on social media, seeking to partner with some select, like-minded and aligned brands to celebrate and support our beautiful guests. To the incredible brands who eagerly shared their love (and beautiful products) with our guests for this special event, THANK YOU.

Let me take a moment to introduce our wonderful brand partners for this launch event:

The Nappy Society – modern mums need simple solutions done well. We love what The Nappy Society brings to the baby bag game; your favourite tote gets to come on the Mum journey with you – with a whole secret organisation insert to keep you on track.

Tilda + Moo – celebrating Australian design makers, these are bibs with serious cuteness factor. Not to mention, they are handmade by founder Amelia in the Mornington Peninsula, meaning there’s a quality and care in each bib that you can literally feel.

Arlo & Co – a divine husband and wife team who are huge believers in locally owned and made, they too love being in and contributing to community. Personalised bespoke gifts are what they bring into the world.

Krystal Knight Jewellery – because *sparkle*! Australian designed, ethically sourced and produced, Krystal Knight creates genuinely timeless pieces that are never taken off, letting the gems shine through your days.

Toots + Co – full grain Italian leather handbags that can still meet the needs of a mum on the move. What’s not to love?

Bellies + Beyond – all about the softness, we are a little bit in love with the wraps, cot sheets and other goodies that Rebecca offers, as well as her incredible candour about motherhood.

Biologi – A beautiful Byron-Bay-based {from sourcing to production} business and a 100% active plant-based serum range, we were proud to be able to share these minis with our guests.

Canon – Thank you for generously contributing a Selphy Printer, as a name tag prize for one lucky winner. Fun!

MYK Events – Huge gratitude for the artistry of Mykaela on the morning of our launch, helping Gem and I look as glowy as we felt on the inside.

Besotted Grace – Grace, my beautiful friend and talented photographer, thank you SO much for capturing these moments from the morning so (so) beautifully.

And last but not least, thank you to our incredible teams (the three beautiful women standing next to us below) – Bella, Sim and Corinne – without your brilliance, we never would have pulled together such a beautiful launch!

Gem, I’m so grateful for you, and I’m so proud of us. Thank you for creating this with me. xx
It’s amazing how dreams can {literally} come true.

To find out more about our Little Dreamer collaboration, hop this way!
And you can shop our baby journals here. 

Sep
01
2019

As Melbourne shifted from late Autumn into the early days of winter, the cloud 9 floating thrill of getting engaged also shifted into project “let’s plan a wedding“. My dear friend (and newly appointed bridesmaid) Jody and I barely had to mutter the words ‘Grace Loves Lace’ and ‘girls trip’ before our flights were booked and a little East Coast adventure fell serendipitously into shape.

We hopped on a plane and headed in the direction of sunshine. To us, there seemed only one hotel worthy of such a special occasion for this short but very special trip away to the Gold Coast – the dreamy and inimitable Halcyon House.

Barely a 20 minute drive south from Gold Coast airport, nestled right on the beachfront in the sleepy town of Cabarita, I had been lucky to rest my head at this beautiful and Instagram-famous hotel once before, but returning felt exactly as special I remembered – even more special than I remembered.

First time or not, as soon as you set foot inside this beach-chic destination unto its own, the rest of the world promptly falls away. Cue ocean breeze, instant tranquility and unparalleled luxury – but in a beautifully understated, completely unpretentious, Mediterranean-meets-Aussie kind of way.

Welcomed by the warm reception staff like we were long lost family, we were invited to make our way to our room – with our luggage and welcome drinks to follow shortly. With no two rooms exactly alike, it was exciting to take in the details of our own bespoke home away from home. We delighted in our cornflower blue walls (upholstered in fabric), floral brocade bedhead, eclectic artworks and other miscellaneous paraphernalia, all styled just so (hat tip to the hotel’s lead interior designer Anna Spiro).

With top floor bragging rights and a view of the ocean layered just above the poolside below our feet, we sunk into our private balcony seats and let out a collective sigh of calm. With our welcome fruit platter set between us and gin & tonics in our grasp, we whiled away some hours deep in conversation.

Before long, we noticed the afternoon sky tint towards a soft shade of pink – so we quickly layered up and bundled ourselves down to the ocean, just in time to sink our toes into the sand for a sunset beach walk.

Later in the evening, we were treated to a delicious three course menu and bespoke cocktails at Paper Daisy, the hotel’s own 2 hatted restaurant under the helm of Jason Barratt (previously Head Chef of Raes on Wategos). Driven by an ethos of sophisticated simplicity, local produce shines bright here, with all ingredients sourced within 100km of the hotel. Right from the first bite of house bread (with lashings of butter), we were in foodie heaven.

The next morning, after a leisurely wake up and beautiful breakfast at Paper Daisy, we hopped in our hire car and made our way up back up the coast, bound for sparkling wedding gowns!

I had barely stepped inside the Grace Loves Lace boutique and the idea of forever suddenly felt very real. Before being engaged I had long lusted over the free spirited, wanderlust-soaked, ethereal vibe of this label.

Before visiting I had poured over the bridal collections extensively and been instructed to select up to five gowns to try on for the appointment (not an easy task to narrow them down!) But… two gowns in to trying on the dresses in real time, we had arrived. Stepping out from my little change area, there were instant squeals and much excitement. Jody’s face beamed bright and confirmed what I already knew – “Babes, this is so you. You belong in this dress!” And, the third dress too, as it turns out.

Luckily for me, with much of Charles’ family residing in Indonesia, we will be having both an Australian wedding, and Indonesian wedding. With more than one wedding celebration ahead of us next year, there are multiple celebrations planned and with it, plenty of opportunity for me to wear more than one dress. Which I am very grateful for, because it felt impossible to decide on just the one white dress.

Thank you Cyndi and to the team for the most divine bridal fitting experience. I am too excited for the dress(es) in the works with Grace Loves Lace! I cannot wait to twirl my way into happily ever after… x

Thank you so much to Halcyon House for welcoming us as guests of the hotel (as always, all words and opinions are authentically our own).

Aug
12
2019

Photos and Words: Ellen Morgan + Emma Kate 

In early February, less than one year on from our last adventure [read here] my best friend Ellen and I packed up five hefty suitcases (and around ten coats) and hopped on a plane to New York to exhibit at NYNow – a key international tradeshow, and chase that dream for a second time.

This time around, we descended on New York in the middle of winter. Like last year (and like we do best), we booked in some time for adventures after the tradeshow had wrapped, and spent a few days revelling in a very different kind of magic…

It’s the city that never sleeps, and while many cities around the globe go into some sort of hibernation over the cooler months, the Big Apple stays true to her reputation. Streets bustle with people from dawn to dusk, New Yorkers and eager travellers not letting the bitter temperatures and chilly winds ruffle their coat-tails too much (quite literally).

Even in the depths of the famed ‘polar vortex’ from February this year, the city didn’t skip a beat, the pulsing drum of the traffic, lights and crowds never ceasing to amaze two (very) bewildered and chilly Australians.

Arriving to ‘temperatures that could damage the lungs’, we couldn’t have possibly been prepared for the cold to come. Opening the freezer, jumping inside and not leaving for 10 days is about as close as it comes to an accurate description, but we soon forgot the numb fingers for all the ice-covered romanticism and rugged up beauty of New York City at this time of year. After all, the chill is nothing a big woolly scarf, a big bowl of udon in a basement or an extra-salty margarita on a cosy rooftop can’t fix.

Here’s our top picks for winter in the city.

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Feb
17
2019

Over the past few weeks I have been sharing behind the scenes of some core small business moments, with the support of Olympus. [You can catch up on Part 1, following a day in our studio here – and Part 2, where I took you over to China, to see the manufacturing of our 2019 planners].

Today, I take you back to our warehouse in Melbourne, into the very thick of our 2019 planner fulfillment!

It’s the third year we have done this in-house, and every year proves to be our most crazy, immersive, exhausting and satisfying week our little brand has enjoyed (and endured) yet!

This year, I captured daily some small moments on both video and camera, and whole spans of time using the timelapse feature of my OM-D E-M10 Mark III along the fulfillment journey. Watch it below!

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Feb
08
2019

With the support of my family at Olympus, I am back to share part 2 of this blog series, taking you behind the scenes of some core small business moments. Late last year, I shared with you Part 1 – behind the scenes of a day in our studio and warehouse [ – if you missed the post, you can catch up on it here].

Next up? Come with me to China.

In September last year, I spent 24 hours on the ground in Shenzhen, China, overseeing the manufacturing of our 2019 planner release. It was a flying visit, that saw me flying out the morning after our studio-warming celebration, and returning to Melbourne, only to hop on another plane to Europe (everything happening, all at once – as is often the way of a small business calendar!)

This was my time visiting China solo – but joining me on the adventure was my OM-D E-M10 Mark III. Small and never-not leaving my grasp, it allowed me to capture some video footage of this time in China in a way that feels unpolished, and very real. Watch below!

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Dec
20
2018

This article is written in collaboration with Expedia.com.au

Tiny in size, but packing a mighty punch, Singapore is far more than a stop-over for long haul flights, it’s a melting pot of culture and a veritable destination in its own right. When I think about Singapore, a few words immediately spring to mind. Clean. Friendly. Cosmopolitan. Steamy. And, Green… a lush, thriving, vivid, every-direction-your-eyes-wander level of green.

Tropical, culturally diverse and abundant with places to explore, in July we hopped on a plane to properly thaw out from an unforgiving Melbourne winter. Bound for sunshine, laptops (temporarily) closed, and cameras at the ready, here’s how we spent 48 hours in the Garden City.

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Dec
09
2018

We are bringing back our 12 days of #EKCdoesChristmas giveaway for a second year – with TWELVE days of fun!

While we can’t really believe it’s [already] December – we certainly ARE fully feeling the enormity of the year that has been. We are so very humbled and grateful for 2018 – for the far-flung adventures, collaborations, creativity, uplevelling, and new places it has taken our little brand. You’ve all so generously welcomed us into your hearts, hands and homes. And without you, there is no way that we would be where we are now, one year on.

Thank you for your constant encouragement, for your orders, for completely blowing us away with the response to our 2019 planner release. Thank you for your sweet emails, for the joy and kind energy you’ve brought to us in person at design markets – and for your love spread in the digital space, here, via Instagram. It’s surreal and constantly leaves us awestruck by how greatly we feel loved and supported by you, our community.

And so in the spirit of generosity, now we’re here to give a little love back. A lineup of beautiful brands [friends] have joined us, to make this a REAL deal, next level celebration. We have a prettttyyy amazing lineup of prizes in store.

Whether you’re in party mode, or ready to find a whole other level of relaxed, you’re in for a treat!

12 days :: 12 brands :: 12 giveaways

We can’t WAIT to bring this to you. See you on Instagram! xo

 

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Dec
06
2018

With the launch of our brand new website, I’m feeling the pull to show up here on the blog a little more often and share more of the real story, and less of the highlight reel. For you, and also for me.

You see, in the opening days of this year, I started to feel into what 2018 could look like. What might come next, for this 2-and-a-half-year-old brand and business? As I always seem to do in those rare spaces between, I wandered my way back through my digital folders (and more folders) of photos from the year just passed. 2017 was BIG. I vividly remember it as a year full of leaping out of comfort zones, growing, scaling, flying here, there and almost everywhere, and SO very much hard work.

But, then I noticed: every single flight, city and travel-related adventure was captured, edited and archived meticulously. But where was the rest of the picture? Where were photos of our collection vision boards, year road mapping, product manufacturing, creative processes, trade shows, team dinners, and the other everyday moments of running this business?

In between travels, my camera had rested safely in our bedroom wardrobe, awaiting the next adventure. And aside from a handful of hurried, photos snapped on my iPhone here and there, for everyday business moments, there was only memories.

Around that time, I also put the call out to you, our readers and our customers asking what would you like to see from me next? Far more than anything else was the request to share more of the behind the scenes of Emma Kate Co. What it takes to run this brand, and what it really looks like.

Suddenly, it’s December, and the year has largely swallowed me up. But this year, something did change. Rather than my camera sitting pretty in the wardrobe, awaiting the next trip, more often than not it’s been in my handbag; joining me at meetings and travelling alongside me during the mundane as well as the amazing.

With the support of my family at Olympus, over the next few weeks, I’m going to be putting together a 3-part blog series, taking you behind the scenes of some core small business moments from this year, all captured on my OM-D E-M10 Mark III.

This small but powerful camera seamlessly weaves into every day at Emma Kate Co. – from the daily routines of the studio, to product manufacturing visits, from breakfast meetings to wine meetings and moments in between.

First up? Let’s start with a real day at work (Monday 14 October, to be precise) in the studio at Emma Kate Co. – photo diary style.

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