In Conversation with Jaimi-Lee Fitzgerald of LAND Essentials
Today, we speak with Jaimi-Lee of LAND Essentials about her burning passion for health and wellness.
Thank you for taking the time to share a little about yourself and your journey with us. We would love to know what makes up your world and fills your days.
Thank you for having me. I’m the founder of LAND Essentials, a complete lifestyle brand built on the principle; Ritual essentials for wherever you LAND. This consumes my thinking most days, and I’m fiercely obsessed with building consistent rituals and dreaming up ways that will help others create and maintain a regular ritual practice. I am also a Pilates Instructor, teaching Reformer and Mat Pilates both locally and online. I move daily, love coffee, and spend a lot of time with my partner in our beachside town ~ swimming in the ocean, hiking, sipping margaritas, and listening to good music.
You have a burning passion for health and wellness, can you share where this passion pulls from and why you believe wellness is so important to prioritise?
I do! My passion for health & wellness started from a really young age. My parents were always active people, playing sports, going for walks, and this ultimately meant that I would be highly involved in sport growing up. My love for sport ran deep (and still does), and naturally this came hand-in-hand with healthy eating. When I finished school I actually wanted to work in sports science and nutrition, however a decision to move to Byron Bay in my early 20’s and then an offer to work at a fashion brand turned my life on a completely different path. I’m passionate about prevention over cure, and I believe in the healing power of eating healthy food, regular exercise, management of stress, and connection. Over the course of the last few years I have completed my Diploma of Health Science, to assist in gaining a deeper understanding of the formulations I create for LAND and also for my own health. Overall, I do my best work and I’m my best self when I take a well-rounded approach to my wellness ~ it’s this that drives my willingness to prioritise it on a daily basis. Small healthy changes or implementations sustained over a period of time can change your mental and/or physical health for the better.
Land Essentials has seen great success in the short time since inception, can you speak to your why and share a little of your business journey thus far?
Thank you! It’s been quite the journey, one that isn’t short of ups and downs. I started LAND to fill a genuine need in my own life. During a time when I was travelling almost weekly for work, and finding it hard to maintain my health and wellness rituals while changing timezones ~ I dreamt up the first product {the Rise Ritual Lemon Juice Powder} and it unfolded from there. Being a solo business woman is hard, it’s long nights, tears, hard work, and mistakes. However, every win is worth all the hard times, every stockist enquiry, every new product idea that comes to life, every sale through the online store ~ the journey has been a combination of obstacles and celebrations! It’s been 1.5 years since launch and I’m slowly seeing the brand become more recognised in the market but it’s a long game and I’m here for it!
Prior to Land Essentials, you worked as both a creative and marketer for some of Australia's great fashion and lifestyle brands. How has your industry experience influenced Land Essentials and its trajectory?
I’m incredibly grateful for my industry experience and thankful to the brands that supported me as a part of their team. These brands have seen great success, and I was apart of the start-up or high growth phases. This has allowed me to 1. Manage my expectations in business (there is so much involved, and so many responsibilities on business owners). 2. Create a strong skill base that I can apply to my own business (thank god I know how to use Shopify and Meta!). And 3. Create incredible relationships with other brand owners, and industry people, that I know are there should I ever need advice. I’ve learnt a lot about customer behaviour, what works for brands and what might not ~ and applied this to LAND. Overall, while it was clear that business wasn’t easy ~ working for others really set the tone for my dream of wanting to run my own successful brand (and see similar amazing success).
Where are you today and what does your day look like?
Today, I’m sitting in my home office in Salamander Bay, NSW, in our cute little beach shack by the coast. I’ve had a dip in the ocean, and done my daily Pilates practice in my home studio. I’m packing orders, updating email flows, counting and updating inventory, and catching up on emails. At the end of the day I will head 5-mins up the road to the local studio and teach a few Reformer classes for my amazing clients. My days are long, but often finish with a dinner cooked by my partner and an organic red wine over some good TV.
Rituals are an important part of your daily life. Can you share how you incorporate Marloe Marloe into your routine?
Rituals are essential to me, each and every day. I use Marloe Marloe pieces in so many parts of my life. The Vanity Box in Lava & Bone lives on my bathroom vanity & houses all my skincare, while the Vanity Tray on my desk supports the chaos of my daily stationary {think pens, post-it’s, room spray, staplers!}. Throughout my home I have Stevie & Lully rotating between shelf, table, & bedside table ~ depending on the florals. The most important Marloe Marloe in my home is the repurposed vanity tumblers that have become coffee mugs. Each day myself or my partner will make our pour-over coffee & sip from the tumblers over conversation in the sun (or on a walk).
What is consuming your creative energy at the moment and what is next for you?
I’m currently planning a packaging refresh for LAND, and working with our branding partner to bring this to life. Alongside this, we’re about to release our travel sarongs and I’m mood boarding our campaign shoot & pulling together the creative team to bring this to life. What’s next? So much! LAND is about to take the step into lifestyle & adventure wear, travel accessories, and we have some beautiful & nourishing new travel powders coming later in the year.