This March is all about celebrating women—between Women’s History Month, International Women’s Day, and Mother’s Day, it felt like the perfect moment to show some love to the amazing female-founded businesses we’ve been lucky to work with, and the brilliant women behind them.
Having founded businesses ourselves and been immersed in a world of work which is so often dominated by masculine energy, we know there’s still work to be done when it comes to recognising the value and vital nature of women in business. We’re deeply passionate about supporting women in business on every level; from the women who champion slow living, sustainable style, and diversity in their businesses, to those who make it their purpose to create mindful products, or support women to support themselves. Furthermore, as we have discussed before (and will keep on discussing) women are more likely to consciously give back to their communities, with 90% of women reinvesting their income back into their community. So by supporting small female-founded businesses, not only are you supporting them; you’re making a difference to their families, their community, your community, and ultimately the world you live in.
As the saying goes; "We're strongest when we cheer each other on". So, let us introduce you to the women we want to cheer and celebrate this month (and every month), the brands they’ve founded, and how they inspire us every day…
Hannah Beaumont: Beaumont Organic
Beaumont Organic exists to nurture a more mindful future for fashion; one rooted in sustainability, wellness,legacy and transparency. They consciously choose natural, responsibly sourced materials that honour the body, the earth, and the generations to follow, and are committed to creating timeless, sustainable pieces that can be worn, loved and passed on. Launched in 2008, founder Hannah Beaumont is a true trailblazer when it comes to mindful fashion, and has been pioneering slow living and conscious consumerism for over 18 years. Her items feature GOTS certified organic cotton, alongside other sustainable and eco-fabrics such as linen, lyocell, tencel and non-mulesed wool.
Why she inspires us: We love Hannah’s continued commitment to slow, mindful fashion in an industry that is notoriously challenging to succeed in, and in the midst of a world of fast fashion and instant gratification. Her integrity shines through every lovingly made piece, and she inspires us to stay true to our own values and ethics. She reminds us that meaningful work takes time, patience, and courage, and that choosing intention over convenience can be a powerful act of self-expression and care for the world around us.
Fiona Cross: Fiona Cross Management
Fiona Cross Management was established in 2017, and is a busy boutique agency that is fully committed to their core focus of creating a safe and creative space for actors. Fiona strongly believes that diversity and inclusivity is essential to creating compelling and authentic stories, and she’s proud to represent actors from all backgrounds. Since setting up, their actors have achieved incredible success since joining the agency, landing lead roles in feature films, day player roles on major TV shows, and touring the world in brilliant stage productions.
Why she inspires us: As a mother and woman-in-business in a predominantly masculine world, Fiona Cross shows us that women really can succeed at anything they put their minds to. She champions diversity and uses her platform to represent people from all backgrounds, and in turn inspires us to seek out and celebrate diversity in every area of our lives too. She is also one of the most fantastic human beings and greatest friends.
Rachel Campbell: Gooseberry Fool
Gooseberry Fool creates ethically handmade, heirloom baby clothes and gifts crafted from GOTS certified organic cotton and natural fibres. Designed for comfort, durability, and timeless style, their collections are all about slow fashion, sustainable living and conscious consumerism. Rachel is the founder, who has always loved making and creating, and leant into this passion after having her youngest child around the same time as her mother’s death. She found working with her hands with crochet and creating clothes for her children deeply therapeutic, and now makes simple and honest designs using natural materials for little ones, all dedicated to her mother. Rachel supports the work of two charities through her business; Community Seva Centre who are working in rural communities in southern India to provide children and young people with the tools and opportunities to build a better future for themselves, as well as Harmony House, a charitable organisation who are working to address the needs of street children in India. They support over 450 children and women by providing them with vocational services and training programmes
Why she inspires us: A mother of four who personally inspires us on a daily basis as a parent, Rachel is one of the most kind and giving people we know. She works with multiple charities, including personally reaching out to older people at Age UK on a weekly basis, fosters guide dog puppies, and is heavily involved in community initiatives. She inspires us to give back in whichever ways we can, whether it’s to our loved ones, our community or globally, and to always lead with love.
Funmi Wilkes: Conscious Craft
Our go-to place for non-toxic gifts and craft materials, Conscious Craft have an incredible sense of integrity through their conscious materials, Waldorf-style open-ended-play toys, non-toxic art supplies and personal generosity. They believe that children instinctively create and live in an imaginary world, and that by giving them the right materials, they’ll make and play in a natural and intuitive way with toys and materials that last a lifetime. A husband-and-wife team with two children of their own, Conscious Craft are on the edge of the Ashdown Forest and personally use and test all of their items themselves, so they can be on-hand to support and guide customers with first-hand advice.
Why she inspires us: Funmi is a mother, maker and founder, and also writes beautiful, provoking and personal posts on the Substack page as well as sharing incredible craft ideas which as homeschool parents is a real gift! She inspires us to continue to be mindful of the materials and creative tools we offer our children, not to push them in any particular direction, but to allow their own intuition and passions to guide them in their own right direction.
Megan Landreth-Smith & Naomi Partridge: HOLOS
HOLOS was founded in 2018 by a small group of friends in West London, UK. The business was born from a desire, as long-time kombucha fans, to drink quality, all-natural kombucha and to make a positive impact in the world. Now HOLOS HQ has a busy, expanding facility in West Sussex. HOLOS exists to break the cycle of exploitation through employment creating paid work placements for survivors of exploitation and trauma through every box sold. These opportunities provide a stepping stone towards financial independence and renewed hope to support survivors of exploitation and trauma in rebuilding their lives. Their charity partners ensure housing, psychological, legal and physical needs are met, and when they feel ready, survivors of exploitation and trauma can access HOLOS’ work placement programme. Here, they learn new skills and do meaningful work in a place they belong. Female founders Megan and Naomi met Maya- trapped in exploitation on the streets of Cambodia - whilst travelling for charity work. It was this moment that began HOLOS. Naomi and Megan learnt that Maya had a passion for nail art. They supplied her with a start-up nail kit and arranged for Maya to do paid manicures in the hotel lobby for guests. Using this, Maya turned her life around. She took the opportunity with both hands, and her business started to grow. A year later she was off the streets, and her children were in school, safe and happy. A cycle had been broken.
Why she inspires us: Meghan is a dear personal friend and fellow home-schooling mum, and inspires us to not only seek out the people we can lift up and support in our own lives, but to look to the wider world and how we can contribute to making it a little better in whatever way we can. As a family, they are giving and generous and spending time with them is to stand in the presence of faith and love.
Paulina Krzywosinska: Organic Zoo
Organic Zoo holds similar core values to The Simple Folk who most of you know was our previous business and they are truly a value-focused business. The perfect personification of a woman who uplifts others, founder Paulina is one of the most collaborative women we’ve ever met. Organic Zoo believes in a simpler, kinder world for our children to enjoy and inherit, creating timeless 100% organic clothing that’s better for little ones and better for the planet. They recognise that making and selling clothing has an impact, and their aspiration is to encourage customers to make more conscious purchasing choices. Their values include Always Organic, Timeless Designs, Well Made, Living Simply and Circulating Fashion through a buy-back scheme. You can read more about Organic Zoo’s values here.
Paulina was born and raised in communist Poland, the middle of 3 sisters. Daily life for her family was hard, and she remembers as a restless child, standing in line for hours, holding her mother’s hand, as they waited with their coupons to buy basic supplies of bread, milk, butter and eggs. A simple life, she says; “Our mum was resourceful and taught us to appreciate what was useful and meaningful. Our clothes were second-hand or handed-down. Her classic and timeless style meant we were dressed in simple, effortless clothes always ready for exploring and playing. Clothing made for adventures, and to be lived in. She raised us to see the beauty in simplicity.”
Why she inspires us: Beauty in simplicity is exactly how Paulina inspires us. As a kindred spirit in the children's fashion world, she encourages us to slow down, strip-back and be present with the here and now, rather than chasing the next moment or the next goal. She inspires us to forge ahead with a simpler, more sustainable way of living that is inherently beautiful in itself.
Bryony Deery: Pilates by Bryony
A local lady, we adore the community element of Bryony Deery’s online Pilates platform, as well as the most fantastic Pilates classes online. She has a unique way of bringing women together to move and breathe. Rooted in classical method and reimagined with purpose, Pilates by Bryony is a practice that strengthens from the inside out; empowering you to feel better, move better, and step into your future self. Her online platform of on-demand classes, weekly live sessions, guided challenges and expert-led programming is designed to support you in building strength, consistency, and a practice that evolves with you. It’s not only Pilates on offer though; entirely inclusive and accessible, you’ll also find meditations, sound baths, journaling reflections, breathwork sessions and recipes to inspire a healthy lifestyle as well as a gorgeous and inspiring book club. The Method was born from personal experience. After a road accident at 17, Bryony was advised by doctors and physiotherapists to try Pilates as a way to rebuild strength, restore mobility, and support long-term healing. It became more than a recovery tool; it became a way of life. After over a decade of personal practice and study, Bryony pursued classical certification, determined to understand the method at its core and share it in a way that felt both accessible and transformative. Her classes cover every aspect of the body from head-to-toe, and you can choose from quick sessions less than 15 minutes long, to 35+ minutes of me-time and even pregnancy classes too.
Why she inspires us: Bryony inspires to move our bodies in a way that is both empowering and nurturing. Her podcast Beyond The Mat is a weekly conversation that cuts through the conflicting noise about health and wellness today, to offer practical, tangible, tips you can actually use. Most of all though, her community is safe and filled with women truly uplifting each other which in my personal experience is hard to find.
Siff Haider: Arrae
Siff Haider is one of the first people to highlight how we can be a woman in business whilst still standing in our true feminine. Co-CEO of Arrae, the wellness supplement brand that surpassed $100 million in revenue this year – Siff founded the brand with her husband in 2020 with two products, Bloat and Calm, and on one simple premise: life can be complicated, but wellness shouldn’t be. Efficacy is at the heart of everything they do, starting with their ingredients. Arrae source high-quality, clinically-backed pure plant extracts, skip unnecessary fillers and artificial additives, and each individual ingredient is FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) tested to confirm its identity and purity before formulation. Like many of the other women we’ve celebrated, Arrae’s integrity is continually inspiring. Siff says; "After struggling with my own health issues for years, I turned to natural remedies as a last resort. I discovered the power that herbs, minerals, and vitamins had in not only providing quick relief, but also addressing the root cause of the issue. The trouble was that I couldn’t find natural, high-quality products that were both effective and beautiful. We wanted to bridge that gap with targeted solutions that worked AND looked as good as they make you feel.”
Why she inspires us: As we mentioned, Siff Haider inspires us with her ability to be a strong and influential woman in business, whilst remaining rooted in her feminine energy. She’s immersed herself in a traditionally masculine world and is thriving without changing who she is. She shares loads of great tips on Instagram with genuinely helpful content to embrace the unique skillset we have as women in business.
Melita Cyril: Q For Quinn
Based in Canada and the daughter of entrepreneurial first-generation immigrants, Melita founded Q for Quinn in 2018, and has been building a better future for all our children, one small change at a time. Melita started Q for Quinn when she couldn’t find socks gentle enough for her son’s eczema. This is when she learnt how much modern clothing contained harsh chemicals like BPA and PFAS. She set out to make safer, softer basics using GOTS-certified organic cotton and responsibly sourced merino wool, crafted in certified facilities in Portugal and India. Now a mom of three, Melita leads a small team creating healthy, comfortable essentials for the whole family. She believes that what we wear should be clean, comfortable, and responsibly made. It should support the health of the person wearing it, the makers who create it, and the planet we all share. Every Q for Quinn product is made in safe, fair workplaces where workers earn living wages and are treated with dignity. For their products made in Portugal, the socks are knitted in Guimarães in Portugal at a family-owned facility. The cotton is milled in a GOTS-certified facility in Portugal and purchased as yarn at partner facility in Guimarães. Their undergarments are knit and sewn in Tirupur, India, a region known for its expertise in soft, high-quality jersey cotton. Manufacturing in India also gives them access to biodegradable elastic trims (made from natural rubber and cotton) and a beautiful range of plant-based dyes.
Why she inspires us: Melita’s business was born from her passion to find a healthier alternative for her children, not stopping until she’d sourced items she truly felt right about giving to her little ones. Her dedication to clothing that is both kind to the body and mind to the planet inspires us to stay true to our own values of sustainability and quality through every small, daily choice we make.
Jojo Barr: House 9 Design
House Nine is a full-service interior design studio dedicated to creating timeless, authentic, and liveable spaces. By blending classic elements with modern sensibilities, integrating antiques with contemporary pieces, and drawing inspiration from nature, House Nine crafts environments that are both comfortable and refined. Founded by Jojo Barr who has over twenty years of experience, she has a deep understanding of how interiors come together, and believes that each element contributes to the soul of a design. By collaborating closely with clients with Jojo’s hands-on approach, House Nine ensures each project reflects their unique vision, committed to using the highest quality materials and passionate about designing spaces that are not only beautiful but also enduring and functional.
Why she inspires us: Jojo doesn’t separate herself from her business, and it’s this that continually inspires us. Her (and our) lives are a blend of business and real life. She’s not just the woman behind the brand; she is the brand inside and out, whether she’s actively ‘working’ or not. We feel that this way of navigating a business as a woman, makes for profound authenticity and greater connection with clients and customers, and it inspires us to stay true to our personal values at home, in business and in life (and the blend of it all).