It’s said that in the waves of change we find our direction, and this can be taken in the literal sense for Victoria of The Beach People.
Inspired by their family, friends and seaside lifestyle, The Beach People, co-founded by sisters Victoria and Emma, launched in the summer of 2013 with their now cult-status round towel. Fast forward to today, and The Beach People is a globally admired brand that offers seaside luxe essentials that enhance one’s living spaces and life experiences, from the beach to home.
As a mother, wife and successful entrepreneur we admire Victoria’s true sense of authenticity, and love how her inherent beauty, and benevolence is reflected in the The Beach People brand. Obviously Victoria agrees that life is better at the beach, so we had to find out how this beautiful mumma manages to find balance in her life, stays looking divine, and successfully maximises family time at the beach. And Victoria shares some of her favourite recipes of the week with us!
We hope that you enjoy this beautiful Q&A…
Victoria Beattie Founder of The Beach People, wife to Jesse, and mumma of Theodore - tell us, is there another role that you dream of one day adding to your bio?
Goodness, that’s a fun question! I would LOVE to work with animals and produce one day. Either a hobby farm or perhaps when I am retired, I could volunteer at the Zoo.
I also love philosophy and theology. So perhaps if anyone was interested in listening to a podcast/channel with conversations shared i.e. me asking interesting people their thoughts on world matters.
You founded The Beach People with your sister Emma, and as successful entrepreneurs there’s obviously the risk of business invading every moment of your family time. Have you needed to establish boundaries around talking shop?
Absolutely! We actually rarely discuss work outside of work… ha! We are very much best friends and sisters before anything else. To be honest we are very good at keeping the boundaries in place and treat it as sacred. It’s something that we established when we started and we’re super proud of!
The Beach People began with the cult-status round towels, and has since gone onto to create divine bed linen, stonewash bath linen, and accessories that complete the beach house aesthetic. It’s clear that the brand DNA is an extension of your lives: how do you see the brand evolving from here?
We have soooo many ideas, we want to keep providing beautiful extensions in each of the Beach, Bath and Bedding categories. We have a beautiful collection of bags releasing in February next year and this Summer we’re launching our Tableware Range which includes linen napkins, table clothes and coasters. We basically think about the things that we love using and design our own versions of them… it’s pretty fun!
As a successful entrepreneur, mumma and wife, what’s your philosophy on maintaining a healthy work / life balance, and can you share the stress-reducing tricks that you can’t live without?
Sure. For Em and I, it starts with the idea that we are in control of our lives. No one else is going to schedule family time, time to meditate or exercise for us… that’s on us. We realized straight away in this business, that it’s never going to slow down… if anything it keeps speeding up so instead of saying “one day” we started saying “today” today is the day that I go on a date with my husband, today is the day that I take a holiday, today is the day that I am more present with my kids… not one day… today!
I want to be here in 20 years with stable children who love me, married to the same guy and healthy ya know? I want to enjoy the journey not endure it.
A few quick tips are these;
* Treat the family time as crucial as a board meeting.
** If you schedule in a date with your man… keep it.
*** I have no devises in the bedroom and turn my phone off/stop working from 6pm-6am.
I get around 9-10 hours of sleep a night and listen to my body/mind when it needs a break… treat yourself… rest is the new work… ha! Then, when I am working I am on fire cause I’m healthy, rested, productive and know that at the end of the day I am going home to a happy house.
We know that you were raised with a wellness-centric approach: how has this influenced the way in which you are raising Theodore?
We were raised in a very entrepreneurial, adventurous, and Christian family. All these elements have shaped and molded my worldview and I hope to raise Theodore the same. Man oh Man I hope I do a good job at raising him more than anything. I hope he treats all people with respect and love, women as equal and dreams big. All things I was raised to believe.
What are your insider tips for packing the essentials that ensure relaxing family time at the beach?
Fun! I keep a big wet bucket of all our beach stuff by the door so that it’s ready to go as we are at the beach most days! In the bucket I include the following:
* A Jute Bag with sunscreen, floaties, toys, goggles and swimsuit for the bub (at the moment I am using Zulu and Zephyr Mini collection for Ted). Then I can throw my wallet, keys and phone when we leave the house.
** A Roundie for me and a Roundie for him.
*** I always take fresh water and fruit for snacking.
**** If I am staying all day I take a shade and a speaker for some beachy tunes.
***** One of my biggest tips is I always cover all humans head to toe in sunscreen before we leave the house, this includes zinc on my face and Ted’s (even my puppy dog gets zinc on his nose) There is nothing cool about a (real) tan… or skin cancer for that matter. Sun safety all the way! If you want brown skin fake it… ha!
Having spent so much time at the beach in the harsh Australian sun, tell us about your wellness and beauty tips that keep your natural beauty shinning.
* Wear sunscreen daily – zinc on your face when you are at the beach.
** Shave your legs in cool water it lasts longer.
*** Book in your waxing every 4 weeks so you are never sprung at the beach.
**** When in direct sun, cover up!
***** When I go surfing I lather my hair in treatment or conditioner and braid it. That way when I come out it’s not crazy damaged.
****** Keep your Aloe Vera in the fridge for a good time.
******* Take fresh water to the beach and stay hydrated!
Summer soirees are upon us: what are your go to recipes for entertaining with little ones?
Here’s some I have done this week –
The 'Nice-Cream' Sandwich from Magdalena Roze's book Happy & Whole
What is one of the most treasured moments you have shared with Theodore to date?
I LOVE doing a themed morning where Theodore leads the way. We recently went to our local beach where he hoped on my back and we went for a swim exploring rocks and looking at tropical fish. Then when we went home, we read books about what we had seen and did some drawing of the animals we had discovered. If I am very organised I will plan some craft or discovery activity around the theme like setting up water play when we get home with some figurines of the animals, we saw in the water. This particular day I taught him the song “under the sea” from ‘The Little Mermaid’ and now he sings it when we go swimming. These are my favourite mummy moments! Going on adventures with him and discovering the beauty of nature… heaven!
For you, happiness is…
When my home is filled with love, joy and peace. Even in the rough times we can hold onto those things.
CREDITS
Featuring: @mrsvictoriabeattie
Styling: @thebeachpeople
Photography: @themessyhome