AN INTERVIEW SERIES - In honour of this Mothers’ Day, we’re interviewing the Super Mums behind Pure Zone’s family-focused eco friendly Bedlinen, Bath & Home products. In this first interview of the 4-part series, we get cosy on the couch with Pure Zone Brand Manager, and Mum of 3, Lisa.
Tell us a little bit about yourself…
Hey!! I’m Lisa - Pure Zone Brand Manager. My husband Mark and I are proud parents of our three littlies - Eden, Macy and Sonny. The kids keep me (very) busy. I am very hands on with them and love being part of their activities, schooling and everything in between. Having a loving family home is really important to us, creating an environment where everyone feels welcome and loves to hang out. And decorating it is my passion.
How did your work journey bring you to Pure Zone?
Pure Zone is our family business, dating back 3 generations. My grandfather was involved in the original business and my Dad is still Managing Director today. We work together with our awesome team to create beautiful, affordable, natural homewares for Australian homes.
I started working with Pure Zone many, many years ago (without showing my age), when my friends and I would spend our school holidays as Christmas Casuals working in Pure Zone Retail Stores. We loved the buzz and busyness of the retail environment, and most importantly, we loved chatting to customers.
Fast forward a few years, I rejoined the business back in 2011 as Marketing and Brand Manager and absolutely love getting involved every step of the way. From colour trends, exploring new natural fabrications, product development and chatting to customers.
I love the involvement of all aspects of the business and how quickly we can respond to changes. We spend a lot of time listening to our customers and knowing what they want, developing collections that we would be proud to use in our own homes.
I’m so proud of where the Pure Zone brand is now and excited to share what lies ahead.
Where were you in your motherhood journey when you joined the Pure Zone team?
I joined the Pure Zone Team before my kiddies came along, but I’ve had a few years of maternity leave intermittently over the past decade. But as it’s our own family business, I was always still involved in some way, and stayed in the loop whilst pounding the pavement getting babies to sleep.
In your experience, what do you think is the biggest challenge faced by mothers in the workplace?
I think the biggest challenge for Mothers in the workplace is the juggle, and acknowledging you can’t do it all. I wish I could say I was better at this but it’s certainly a work-in-progress. The old saying, it takes a village to raise a child is very true to me. We want to be good at everything but we can’t do it solo. I’m very lucky to have an incredibly supportive husband and family who are always willing to help. This is something I am forever grateful for.
How do you feel supported by Pure Zone as a Mum trying to achieve that healthy work-life balance?
We’re a family business so we just get it. Family is everything to us, in fact we refer to our Head Office Team as a family too. We don’t want anyone to ever miss their kids’ school concert, be late for a pick up, miss an assembly or not be the one to cuddle their kiddie if they’re home unwell. We support our Pure Zone Team to be exactly where they need to be at that given time.
Lots of professional mothers feel “mum guilt”. Do you feel this and how do you deal with it?
Oh no! I’m the worst with ‘Mum Guilt’ but I have to say I’m trying to get better at this. I think I’m a pretty level headed person so I always focus on being gentle on myself and remind myself, I am trying my hardest.
Do you have any advice for mums thinking about starting their own business?
We can always find excuses why the timing is not right or why it won’t work, but my advice would be just to bite the bullet and start! It’s never going to be a perfect time (does that even exist?!?). That initial leap is scary, but it will be worth it.
How do you switch from wearing your “Boss” hat to wearing your “Mum” hat when you’re with your family?
Haha definitely a work in progress but I try hard not to be attached to my phone/emails/work socials when it’s family time. I use dedicated time to attend to this so when I’m with the kids I am fully present.
I also come into the Head Office to work during the weekdays, there are way too many distractions from home, (a basket of washing to fold, dinner to prepare), plus I really love being surrounded by my team. I find it very inspiring to be surrounded by the Pure Zone family.
What does self care look like for you, and how do you prioritise this?
Dedicating more time to Self Care is really important to me. A quiet coffee in the fresh air, a long walk with a girlfriend down the beach or listening to an inspiring podcast is important to me and certainly makes me a better person.
During the past few years of lockdowns, I started doing weekly Sunday night home facials which has been a really lovely way to finish the week.
What's your most loved/used Pure Zone item at home?
This question makes me feel like I’m picking my favourite child! I couldn’t possibly pick just one hahaha.. So I can only share what is my most loved and used Pure Zone products this week. We have just pulled out all our cosy knitted throws and colourful cushions to add extra warmth and texture to our rooms as overnight temperature starts to drop.
We are using this gorgeous 100% Cotton Throw for family movie nights, and a few cushions for added comfort. My pick for the season is the Arabella Cotton Tufted Throw in Olive Green - it looks stunning on the couch.
And in my bedroom - we are using the Sala Cotton Coverlet Set for an extra layer of warmth over our Bamboo Linen Quilt Cover Set - it adds depth and a subtle pattern and I absolutely love it.
Next week we get to know Pure Zone Mum and incredible Customer Service Provider, Gen Senn.
Shop gifts for Mum this Mothers’ Day in our specially curated Luxe Collection - and use the code MUM for a further 20% OFF for a limited time only!
Comments will be approved before showing up.
