Born from a desire to educate and inspire, Clean Compound™ showcases the very best clean skincare, wellness and fragrance brands throughout Australia and the globe. As a home for those looking to live life a little cleaner, and support those purposefully leaving a smaller footprint behind, the vision is underpinned by considered elements, tangible experience, and thoughtful action. We speak to founder, Georgina, about the most sacred time of day ~ her mornings.
Images by Sarah Forgie.
I'm born and bred in Melbourne, currently located in the inner-north which is where both home and work are for me. Everyday is a bit different, our Clean Compound space is open Wednesday to Saturday so on those days you will find me there and juggling family time before and after being in the store. Sundays are our only day as a family of 3, so that day is dedicated to us being together and always starts with the Farmers Market which is a favourite for the week. Monday's are my 'day off' where my daughter is in childcare and the store is closed, so I can run errands, work around the home and try to fit in time for myself. Lastly, Tuesday is my day with my daughter, my partner and I both have a day each week with her solo and it is the best!
We want to know more about Clean Compound. How & why did the store come to life?
After I had my daughter I had a year off from my work in International Brand Management with a very well know global fashion brand. When it came time for me to return to work this career, I had spent a decade building, no longer felt right to me. I briefly returned to the company in a different position so I could go part-time and not have to travel frequently, but I very quickly knew it was time to find a new path. Becoming a mother makes you question every single minute of your time away from your family and whether it is meaningful and fulfilling, and I am grateful for it forcing me to question what I was doing and pushing me to make a change. I genuinely feel that I could have been at that company for life and just continued climbing the corporate ladder.
So, my mind went into dreaming about what I would do if I were to start something of my own. Clean Compound has come partly from a selfish perspective, as I have always deeply respected and appreciated a very considered in store experience and this is something that I think fell away a lot post pandemic which is such a shame. Through a lot of international travel in my previous career, mainly to New York, London and Amsterdam, I would discover these beautiful brands that of course were largely not available in Australia or hard to find. Beauty has always been a big passion for me personally, and I love the act of self care whether it be getting a treatment, or using a beautiful brand at home in your daily ritual. Living a more natural lifestyle has gradually become more and more important to me over the last 10 years, and when I became pregnant and I then had a baby, I was more aware than ever about what I was putting on our skin and using in our home.
My daughter is now 3 years old, and is more often than not the alarm clock in the morning. She tends to wake between 6-6.30 and I head into bed with her for a cuddle before we start our day. One of the main things I could not wrap my head around as a mother, was the insanely rushed and chaotic mornings trying to get everyone ready for the day and needing to be at work by 8 or 9 o'clock. Children do NOT like to be rushed! It's near impossible, so one of the things I love about starting Clean Compound is that the store doesn't open until 10am and our mornings are slow. Even though we somehow still take too long to get ready and I am always arriving at the store right at 10 o'clock, I am grateful for starting our days this way. We can sit and enjoy a really nourishing breakfast together, walk the dog and have a play. I try to squeeze in 15-20 minutes of a pilates/yoga based workout, this realistically happens about 3-4 mornings a week.
I start the morning with a glass of water and the LAND Marine Coconut Hydration Powder, it helps replenish my body after a 14 hour fast, we eat dinner between 5-6pm and have breakfast by 8am, I like to give my body this break from food everyday. I try to get on my mat for even 10 minutes of movement but this doesn't always happen, and if it doesn't I will get my movement from walking the dog, I really need some form of movement before being in the store all day. Lastly, I want uninterrupted time with my daughter to play whatever she likes, when we don't have the day together this is really important for me to connect with her and give her my attention.
How do you incorporate LAND into your daily routines?
My partner and I both love the Marine Coconut (Hydration) powder in the morning, and the Daily Lemon (Ritual) is an essential when we're travelling and something as simple and effective as Lemon Water is not as easy to come by.
You live in Melbourne, can you share your go-to morning coffee spot & what is your order?
Yes! We are of course very proud and very spoilt for choice with our coffee spots in Melbourne, and Northcote is at the forefront of good coffee. Clean Compound is in the Westgarth strip of High St Northcote, and right across the road is Todo Good Cafe who roast their own coffee beans and make delicious Colombian food, this is their third cafe in Melbourne. I am also eagerly awaiting the opening of Yolk Groups latest cafe, Ophelia, which is also right across the road from the store and will be their fifth cafe in Melbourne. I order a large Latte as I head into the store.
And finally, what do mornings mean to you?
Mornings for me are a time to start the day the way you want it to be, I like them to be slow and full of time with my family before we all go our separate ways for the day ahead. I don't take the chance to do this for granted, but I have also sacrificed and made a lot of changes in my life to have mornings this way and it's something I won't ever regret.
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