The Conscious Space - Our morning routines: Kate Macdonald and Anna Weatherlake, Váhy
Kate Macdonald and Anna Weatherlake are best friends, and the founders of boutique natural fragrance house Váhy – the genre defining brand making sophisticated luxury fragrances from natural plant extracts. Learning about the chemicals so often found in the fragrances so many of us depend on, Kate saw the space for a natural alternative, and asked Anna – a PETA cruelty-free ambassador, passionate about clean living – to join her on the journey. Váhy was born, and the brand has gone from strength to strength – redefining how we think of fragrance, taking out the chemicals but not compromising on quality.
Inspired by their ability to turn their hands to anything – from corporate careers to brand building to parenting to animal rights activism – we spoke with Anna and Kate about how they start their days.
Kate
Ritual 1:
My morning ritual is usually waking to the sound of my 1 year old son singing (sometimes screaming) “mama”. Straight out of his crib he enjoys a morning milk bottle while I enjoy his gorgeous morning cuddles.
Ritual 2:
My self care morning routine then starts and I enjoy a home grown lemon infused water followed shortly after by a soy latte – because life’s all about balance, right?
Ritual 3:
My next ritual is to check what emails have come in overnight and plan out my work day. Perhaps it is because of my background as a lawyer, but I find great inner peace in having all of my action items for the day listed and their priority set out.
Anna
Ritual 1:
Every morning I am often woken by one of my rescue dogs and the first call of the day is a big walk with them. I love starting my day off with some form of movement. It clears my mind and gives me time to think about my day ahead. Once home, if time allows I will often slip into an online pilates class. Due to so many lockdowns, we have become very familiar with doing classes from home and I’ve personally tried to keep my routine going, where possible. Easier said than done sometimes!
Ritual 2:
Once my movement is done for the morning, I make myself a strong filter coffee and check the Váhy social media and what emails have come in overnight.
Ritual 3:
Finally, I make sure I am presentable for the day. Again, it has been quite easy to fall into the working from home comfort trap, but I personally feel more focused when I am dressed properly for a full working day. Hair done, makeup done and of course, my scent of the day. I choose my perfume based on my mood, however my favourite at the moment is our Dusk Amour scent. Its a beautiful full-bodied scent with notes of ginger and citrus and I really enjoy the complexity of how it evolves on my skin throughout the day.
To browse Anna and Kate’s creations, visit vahy.co, and for a perfectly styled organic mood board, you can follow them on Instagram @vahy.co
