(Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart or TuneIn)

 

What are the hidden costs of the beauty industry?

Do natural beauty products truly match the efficacy of harsh, chemical-filled alternatives?

And what does it take to establish a natural beauty company grounded in integrity, transparency, and sustainable practices, especially when competing against mainstream brands that often don’t care about these things?

Get ready for an eye-opening journey as we dive deep into the world of natural beauty with Montana Lower, the visionary founder of Bluem, a stunningly sustainable skincare brand. In this enlightening conversation, Montana exposes the truth behind mainstream beauty products and reveals the realities of ethical, natural, and sustainable product development. 

Tune in to learn: the challenge of bringing truly ethical products to market, why you need to be aware of “clean washing”, debunking the myths surrounding natural beauty products, the alarming trend of young individuals succumbing to harsh beauty pressures, how she incorporates cyclical living into her business and personal life, skincare tips for achieving a gorgeous natural glow, and the exciting new natural beauty ingredients to keep an eye on.

Whether you’re intrigued by natural beauty, dedicated to sustainability, or simply seeking top-tier skincare advice, this episode is an absolute must-listen. Press play now: your skin — and the planet — will thank you.

About Montana Lower

Montana Lower is an environmental engineer, artist, activist, devoted mother, and founder of ‘Bluem’ (Holistic Health and Wellness), the Australian natural skincare brand committed to rewilding the beauty industry to heal the people and the planet. 

Launched in 2020, Bluem’s profit-for-purpose model combats climate change and fosters a connection with nature, inspiring change among its 250,000+ strong conscious community. Montana’s diverse journey, from environmental engineering to international modeling, has been enriched by her global explorations, exposing the realities of foreign trade and the dark side of the beauty industry. These experiences have shaped Bluem’s essence, redefining the narratives of beauty and paving the way for truly sustainable skincare.

In this episode we chat about:

• The fascinating origins of her journey into the world of beauty (3:29)
• Her groundbreaking mission to rewild the beauty industry (7:09)
• The eye-opening truths that everyone needs to know about mainstream beauty (10:24)
• The ethical considerations behind crafting natural and sustainable beauty products (12:07)
• The challenges of bringing natural products to market (16:42)
• The must-have app that unveils the hidden toxins lurking in everyday products (19:15)
• How to avoid falling prey to “green washing” and “clean washing” (21:04)
• 3 epic skincare secrets for radiant, glowing skin (22:57)
• What she’s teaching her children about beauty and the unrealistic standards in our society (25:31)
• Beautiful tips for cyclical living and its transformative power in your daily life (26:57)
• Essential advice for launching a successful beauty company (31:39)
• The surprising thing that she’s changed her mind about (35:13)
• Empowering strategies to navigate mama guilt (36:19)

Episode resources:

• SheLaunch (join here)
• Mastering Your Mean Girl by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Open Wide by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Comparisonitis by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Time Magic by Melissa Ambrosini and Nick Broadhurst (book)
• Bluem (website)
• Finger Lime Repair Serum (shop)
• Buddhawood Face & Body Oil (shop)
• Kakadu Plum Radiance Serum (shop)
• Hydrosoul Cleansing & Toning Mist (shop)
• Montana Lower (Instagram)
• Think Dirty® Shop Clean – Clean Beauty App (website)
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (book)

Prefer To Read?

The following transcript has been automatically generated and not checked for accuracy.

Melissa: [00:00:00] In episode five, six, seven with the divine Montana Lowry, we’re talking all about natural skincare, motherhood, self love, cyclical living, and so much more. Welcome to the Melissa Ambrosini show. I’m your host, Melissa, best selling author of Mastering Your Mean Girl, Open Wide, Comparisonitis And I’m here to remind you that love is sexy, healthy is liberating, and wealthy isn’t a dirty word.

Each week I’ll be getting up close and personal with thought leaders from around the globe, as well as your weekly dose of motivation so that you can create epic change in your own life and become the best version of yourself possible. Are you ready beautiful? Hey, beautiful. And welcome back to the show.

I’m so excited about this episode because Montana and I have been Instagram friends for a really [00:01:00] long time. And I have absolutely loved following her, watching her conscious mama hood journey, watching her evolution into being a business owner of a beautiful, holistic skincare brand. So I am so excited to have her here.

And for those of you that have never heard of Montana, she is an environmental engineer, artist. activist and devoted mother and founder of Bloom, which is her natural skincare brand committed to rewilding the beauty industry to heal the people and the planet. Now this launched in 2020 and Bloom’s profit for purpose model combats climate change and fosters a connection with nature, inspiring change among Montana’s 250, 000 conscious community.

Now Montana’s diverse journey from environmental engineering to international model. Has been enriched by her global explorations, exposing the realities of foreign trade and the dark side of the beauty industry. Now, these experiences have shaped Bloom’s [00:02:00] essence, redefining the narratives of beauty and paving the way for truly sustainable skincare.

And she envisions Bloom evolving beyond skincare, offering sustainable self care for everyday needs that are long term healing solutions, uniting self worth and wellbeing of the planet in harmonious, Synergy. Hmm. How beautiful is that? Now, for everything that we mentioned in today’s episode, you can check out in the show notes and that’s over at melissarambrosini.

com forward slash five, six, seven. And now let’s bring on this beautiful, incredible, conscious mama, Montana Lowry.

Montana, my beautiful fellow Aussie. Welcome to the show. I’m so excited to have you here, but before we dive in, can you tell us what you had for 

Montana: breakfast this morning? Oh! Okay, I had a chicken soup that was very brothy, it’s [00:03:00] getting a little bit warm, colder here at the moment and I’m just really restoring myself for the very foundational level so I’m just on broths all the time at the moment.

Yes, 

Melissa: it is definitely, that shift in the weather really does call for us to nourish. Warming. I love that In Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. It’s all about warming foods when we go into the fall and into the winter season, so I love that. Now, honey, I would love to go back in time. I wanna share your origin story with everyone.

How do you get into the work that you now do? How did you create bloom? Where did this all start for you? 

Montana: Okay, we’re going right back to the start. I mean, I’d been on a journey for some time with my natural healing, which, as I mentioned just before we got on the podcast, really started with, [00:04:00] let’s stick to your podcast all of these years ago.

Yeah. And I’d say my journey really started here. I was working as an international model and I’d finished my degree in environmental and civil engineering. And I was traveling the world and I was working with. companies to be the ambassador for the ethical impact that they were having on the world or environmental impact or, yeah, a mixture of these things.

But it was very much not in tune with my inner rhythm and cycle and was not supportive of me having a baby. So when I started this journey to regulating my hormones and I actually had never had a regular cycle in my whole life until my mid, well, early 20s. And yeah, I started listening to your work and working with natural medicine [00:05:00] to balance out my hormones in and I guess my inner landscape and my outer landscape followed.

So yeah, I guess it all started when my natural healing journey started. And then my work from the, my studies combined. Fast forward a couple of years, I’d gotten my period. I fell pregnant. I had my baby. She was six months old. And I don’t know about you, but when I was pregnant, I was filled with so much creative energy and so much force to really bring about change in the world and to do that in a way that supported me as a mother and as a woman.

And so I brought all of these things together and found myself. I was really looking for a skincare solution for myself that would support me throughout pregnancy and motherhood while [00:06:00] I was, you know, going the more natural path and not having any of the toxic things, I guess, or the more harsher chemicals.

And so I found out for myself, then I was like, yeah, okay, I’m going to share this with my friends. And then I started doing like a DM to purchase five on Instagram. It was very small. I never intended Bloom to be what it is now, but it took off very quickly. And Yeah, when we first launched, I didn’t even have a website.

It was just like, I found this thing, it’s really working for me. And then everybody, you know, word of mouth spread like wildfire. And all of a sudden I was like, okay, I gotta get a website. I gotta get a dispatch center. I can’t do all of this shipping things on my own. And yeah, and then bloom, my natural skincare business was born.

Melissa: I love that. So many businesses, it always comes from a [00:07:00] personal story or a personal journey, and I just love that catalyst because it means it really means something to us. Like it’s really heartfelt. So I love that. And one of your missions is to rewild the beauty industry. Now I started my journey in October, 2010, which is when I ended up in hospital.

And that is when I literally detoxed every area of my life. I went into my bathroom at the time with a massive big black garbage bag and I literally just scooped up everything and binned it all. Now I’m that type of person where I’m like, I’m all in. If I’m all in on something, I’m all in. And I was a professional dancer and I did acting and TV presenting and modeling and I would get given and sent so many products, all toxic, absolutely woeful for your hormones, for everything.

And so I literally just had shelves and [00:08:00] shelves of it. And then I had a cupboard full of it. And so I got rid of all of it. And that is when I began on my journey to healing from the inside out. And I’ve discovered so many beautiful, amazing products, skincare, makeup, hair care, all of these things that are now so accessible.

Like back then in 2010, there was like one makeup brand that you’d buy from like the health food shop that was really dodgy and there wasn’t as much available. And now we’re so lucky to have so many options. and especially beautiful companies like yours that are sustainable, that are clean, that are toxic free, and that are rewilding the beauty industry.

So what does that mean? What does rewilding the beauty industry mean? 

Montana: Yeah, thank you for sharing your story. It was pretty much the same for me where I just walked in and cleared everything out and then did it [00:09:00] again when I was pregnant when I read the sign of print and it was like, do not use if you’re pregnant.

And I was like, wait, I thought this was natural. Like, why can’t I use this? when I’m pregnant and if it’s not good for my baby, then is it really good for me? So it like, it just keeps going, right? And you keep going, shedding away all of the layers. So rewilding the beauty industry for me is really about connecting people to real ingredients and recognizable ingredients.

And very small ingredients lists at that. So we’re going for really focused, single use native plants because we’re on Australian soil. So I love to work with what is naturally growing here because I can have a local impact and working with the plants in that way. But yeah, rewilding the beauty industry for me is just about, you that connecting to the real plants, real, [00:10:00] yeah, ingredients and the real impacts on our skin and building that relationship in ourselves for like a real foundation of self love and healing.

Yeah, 

Melissa: I love it. It is an act of self love, like when you choose to Put toxic free makeup and skincare on your body and hair care. Like it’s an act of self love. It’s a reverence to yourself. And I love that. What would you like consumers to know when it comes to the mainstream beauty 

Montana: industry? Oh, that don’t believe everything just because it comes in a green packet and says eco.

If you turn it around and read the ingredients list and you can’t recognize what they’re talking about, I would be questioning why. And it’s not even just about what is in it, it’s also how these products came to be. So, you know, there are a lot of natural products where [00:11:00] the potentially real ingredients are farmed in a really nasty way, which is really harmful for the soil, or no fair trade efforts have been put into place, so it’s really nasty for the humanitarian side of things.

And plants, as we know, like water, carries vibrations. Not to get too hippy on this, but It’s legit, like it is science, you can look it up, how we treat the plants and the bioavailability of them in their end source is really impacted by its journey from seed to skin. So rewilding the beauty industry for us is also about connecting to the origin story of the plant.

you know, going to the soil, going to the community surrounding that plant and really emphasizing the importance of this because it’s carrying codes and we’re putting them on our skin and it’s an opportunity to connect with community and nature [00:12:00] in a very deep way. and closed loop cycle way. Yeah. 

Melissa: Yeah, absolutely.

It’s so beautiful. Can you talk to us about the ethics, natural and sustainable product development? Like how 

Montana: does it work? It is such a minefield out there. I thought it would be a lot easier, but unfortunately, the, you know, the businesses that have been set up to help bring beauty products And I’ll just speak on beauty, but this can extend to pretty much every industry.

But yeah, cosmetics, the businesses that have been set up to support cosmetics coming into from development to final product, unfortunately, They’re still learning a lot too. And there’s a lot of catching up to do in that regard. So we, you can have the best intentions and working with who is everyone has highly [00:13:00] recommended is like the best lab who does the most sustainable things.

But then coming in with the perspective of. You know, civil and environmental engineering, as well as what I would say, like the lens of a conscious consumer where I’m not coming at this from an approach of a business owner who just wants to make a bunch of money. I’m like, I’m a consumer that just wanted something better for myself.

And I’m just wanting to make that more accessible for other people. So when you’re coming at it from that lens. It’s really easy to see like, hey, wait a minute, this, like all of these things that you’ve recommended are eco and passable and meet the standards actually aren’t very good at all and I think we can do a lot better and they’re like, what do you mean?

I guess I’ll go into this with my journey of trying to develop a sustainable sunscreen, right? So sunscreen or sunblock. is necessary in Australia. I mean, we don’t use it that often. We use a lot of shade [00:14:00] moderation and clothing and things like that, but. When you have little kids that are running around in the sun all day and sometimes it’s unavoidable, it’s good to have that protective layout, especially in somewhere like Australia.

And I’ve been on this journey to creating a natural sunscreen for about three years now. And I found this product. a product that I really liked, but thought it could use some improvements. And so I found where that was manufactured and it was like, you know, the most recommended 10 out of 10 stars in the environmental community.

This is the best sunscreen. I found out where it’s made. I look at the first ingredient. I’m like, okay, where is this sourced from? And straight away, it was like, not fair trade. not traceable, and then also some really questionable ingredients in there. And so I was like, okay, this is the best sunscreen and this is what’s happening here.

And then I go to the next one and it kind [00:15:00] of continued on like that. Whereas now I feel like even though I’ve done all of this work and almost got to the end of the line in bringing a product development journey to fruition. I get to the end and I’m like, oh, there’s this, still this other thing that hasn’t even been considered by the beauty industry yet, but I’m not prepared to bring something out until I’m sure that it is.

the best of the best that I can offer with what I know. And that’s obviously constantly evolving. But yeah, product development when you’re so committed to your values can be extremely challenging and has been a big reason why we’ve taken so long to release anything through Bloom. You know, for three years we were just doing two serums because that’s what we knew and that’s what we could back and, you know, and it’s also a really simplified approach to skincare as well.

Melissa: Yes, simple is my way. I don’t [00:16:00] want 50 things that I have to do. I’m not one of those people that likes to stand in front of the mirror and do like a full regime that takes 10 minutes. Like, I am just like simple and as quick and as easy as possible. So I love that. And I cannot wait for your sunscreen.

Like that sounds amazing. I’m really excited about that. I’ve only recently just started wearing it on my face because I’m going up in the age scale and I can definitely see some squinting wrinkles along my eyes from squinting in the sun and things like that. So I’m like, Okay, it’s time. It is time to start wearing it on my face, my friends.

So talk to me about the main challenges that you face bringing an ethical and natural and sustainable product to the market that mainstream products. don’t have to worry about. I 

Montana: mean, the main challenges is trying to find ingredients where [00:17:00] that have a traceable supply chain. It’s really hard. You would think that it’s as simple as being like, okay, I’m using finger lime.

Where are the finger limes grown? Okay, there I can go to the farm and I can check it out. That works in my case because of the journey that I’ve been on and now I know where to get the good finger limes from. But like, Is when you’re working with preservative systems or if you’re trying to add anything that’s changing the texture, it can be incredibly difficult.

You know, the journey with the sunscreen is trying, the base has been coconuts and to find traceable, fair trade coconut supply is absolutely. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. So yeah, that’s quite challenging. And then also finding natural preservatives that will work with the product and keep it fresh and potent enough for us to access it in a realistic timeframe [00:18:00] has been quite difficult.

You know, mainstream businesses will just put the most hectic preservatives they can find because they know it works without considering the cost. the long term impacts that has on our health or skin, really. Yeah, 

Melissa: absolutely. Our skin is our largest organ and whatever we put on it gets absorbed directly into our bloodstream.

So when you know that, like why on earth would we put toxic chemicals on our skin? Like it’s just wild to me. Like when I realized that, I was like, Okay, that’s crazy that anyone would know that and still do that, you know what I mean? But I think there’s this misconception that natural skincare and makeup, like they don’t perform as well.

Same with haircare, like I’ve had people say organic haircare, it doesn’t perform as well. Now, 10 years ago, that may have been true, but it’s not the case anymore. Like, I use [00:19:00] all organic makeup, all organic skincare, I use organic haircare, and it performs really well. So I just wanted to put that out there because You just have to find, maybe test a couple of things, but find what works for you.

There’s also an incredible app and you might know some other ones, but one called Think Dirty, and I’ve spoken about this before on the show, where you can literally type in your products. It will give you a rating, like a green, a orange, or a red. It’ll give you a number. It’ll tell you the. chemicals in there to be concerned about.

And I always just love putting things through there and seeing how they rate. So I love that so much. Do you have any others like that you would 

Montana: recommend? To be honest, no. I think a lot of my stuff these days is made by myself or my friends. So I’ve got like things in the works or, you know, I’ve got a bit of a plant community where like [00:20:00] my shampoo and conditioner at the moment has no label because my friend made it for me and brought it for me and she’s made it from home from local ingredients.

So it’s like, unfortunately, I don’t. I 

Melissa: love that. My friend made me a coffee scrub the other day and gave that to me, which was so delicious. And so I just, Love that. Yeah. It’s just homemade. And that’s how it should be for me since I hit rock bottom in 2010, since that moment always turned to nature first, that is always my first point of call now, like whether it’s for myself or with my daughter, I’m always going to turn to nature.

Look at homeopathy. I’m going to look at nature first. And you know, of course there are circumstances where you do need to go out and get other things. But like. Always look at nature. It knows you can make some of the shampoos and conditioners [00:21:00] in your kitchen. You know, it’s just, it’s so cool. So I absolutely love that.

But I want to talk about greenwashing and I’ve spoken about this before on the show. Greenwashing is a marketing spin that companies use to convince consumers that they’re more eco friendly or more quote unquote green than they really are. And in the beauty industry. It’s called clean washing, where companies try and convince consumers that their products are more clean and natural than they really are.

What are some things that we can look out for to avoid buying products that are clean washed? 

Montana: Clean washing, I actually haven’t heard of this one and I did want to say this before, like there are so many complex databases that you can look at where you reach for an app or you search it up online. But.

Like, if you’re ever stuck, you just come back to, okay, what’s local, what looks real, and that to me is the biggest indicator of something that’s natural, is just, yeah, really going local on things. And so, things to look out for with [00:22:00] clean washing and green washing, I think if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

That’s a big one for me. There’s a lot of businesses out there that are like claiming very big claims. And, and then you’ll see in the fine print, you’ll be, we’ll be starting doing this in 2035 or something like that. You know, it’s like, here’s this amazing thing that we’re doing in 2035. And it’s like, really looking at the fine print and seeing what they’re doing now.

And, again, yeah, just really being able to recognize the ingredients on, that are being listed is, it does more than you think, and it’s harder than you think as well. With all the like, oxybenzones and the complex words, if you can’t recognize what it is, it’s probably synthetic or unable to be traced, so.

Yeah. 

Melissa: What about someone who’s [00:23:00] experiencing, like, trouble with their skin? Where would they start? What are the top three things that you would tell her to do? 

Montana: Okay. Four. I mean, obviously we have so many amazing women and men, girls, boys not so much, but girls definitely approaching us and saying, you know, I’ve tried everything.

I don’t want to just buy another thing and use it for a couple of weeks and be really disappointed. Like, how do I know this is a better track for me? And my answer is always like, you don’t, because. Not everything suits everyone and the journey to finding something that works for you is a very personal journey.

The cleaner it is, the more likely it’s not going to have a negative impact on your skin. I think number one is to simplify. So people are using all these [00:24:00] different products and they’re wondering why isn’t this working? And it’s actually because the skin is very overstimulated and it’s purging a lot. So simplify your routine.

To anyone with problematic skin, I just put them straight onto finger lime because it is a water based light serum that is designed to heal the skin barrier. So if You, basically, finger lime is like, if you’re getting things like dehydration or impurities, even, yeah, like fine lines, things like that, it’s because your skin is like a bucket, and it, there’s a hole in the bottom, and so anything you’re putting in either won’t absorb, or like it just has so many things to do before it can actually start working its magic.

So coming in with the finger lime and healing the skin barrier actually gives it a chance to hold the nutrients that’s in the serum and [00:25:00] create a stronger foundation for your skin to move forward. So number one, simplify. Two, use clean products. And three, drink a lot of water and look at what you’re eating.

You know, healthy skin really starts in the gut and inside and we can do everything on from the outside. But as we know with things like self love and two, it all starts from within. So yeah, that would be my three things. I love it. 

Melissa: Now you’re a mama, what are you going to be teaching your beautiful daughter about skincare when she hits those teen and tween years?

Montana: Oh, we’re already doing skincare because she, because it’s my life. She comes to work with me, she sees me go to the apothecaries, we’re always making tinctures and balms and she’s I’m thinking, I wonder what this will do to my skin, what this will do to my hair. You know, she’s been raised with a very intuitive knowledge, which I [00:26:00] think most kids are.

Like, I remember being a kid, she’s been raised with a very intuitive knowledge of looking to plants for solutions. And I think that most kids are. I remember being a kid and mixing up potions and doing all of these things just for fun. And all, you know, it was play, but like now it’s my grown up job. And so I was like, I had to do a whole re route to find myself back there.

Yeah. What I’ll be teaching her is to look after herself holistically and to look to nature for answers for healing. 

Melissa: Mm hmm. So beautiful. Yeah. Such a gift, you know, such a gift to give our little angels to tune in with nature, to turn to nature first. Like I didn’t have that growing up, but I have it now, which is amazing, but it’s going to impact them for the rest of their life.

And I know something that you’re really passionate about that I’m [00:27:00] also really passionate about, which is cyclical living. It’s such a huge part of my life and I know it is for you too. So how do you structure your business to allow for this? I would love to hear your thoughts on 

Montana: this. Oh, this is ongoing.

It’s a big question. How do I show up in a business that does rely on pretty much constant availability? You know, people, we wouldn’t have a very happy customer base if they could only. order their skincare on the week that I’m osmulating. So I think for me setting up a team around me where there are things that we’re able to stagger in terms of their timelines and deadlines and working on a project basis as well.

So yeah, my team is mostly women. I have my amazing brother who stands beside [00:28:00] me really holding the masculine charge down for the business, but also very intuitive and understanding of female cycle as well, which is why I trust him in leadership. And it’s great in this way. And there’s none of this is like exclusive to like, females or males, we can identify with these different polarities within us, which I’m sure you have a bunch of episodes on.

But for us, it did really serve us to really, pretty early on in the business, I brought my brother on because he could hold that masculine consistency. And then that allowed me to continue with my feminine flow. And so I’ll have, you know, a day, a week that’s devoted to my work, regardless of where I’m at in my cycle.

If I am bleeding and unable to do that, I will obviously move it. But I think it’s about looking at your cycle, mapping what your unique rhythm is. You know, not [00:29:00] everybody’s bleed is there in a winter. Like they say, sometimes bleeding can be a very creative time with a lot of energetic output and a lot of ideas that come through.

So yeah, a lot of intimate inquiry into what our unique rhythm is. And then, yeah, I’ll just schedule things like if we have a photo shoot and I know that my bleed is about to start that following week, I’ll be like, we can’t do it that week. We have to do it the following week or ideally I’ll be planning in advance and I’ll be like, okay, I’m ovulating this week.

I’m happy to do the podcast, the photo shoots, the writing, the, all of these things. And then. I’ll schedule more of the refining tasks and the contemplation for either just before or after my bleed and then the contemplation for while I’m bleeding so I can have that time to really retreat, take my time, feel how these ideas set in my womb.

[00:30:00] I give myself the opportunity to react from a place of intuition instead of, you know, urgency or anxiety or rushing. And this is all ideal, right? And it’s definitely not that way all the time. I’m doing this podcast now just pre plead, so I’m a little bit lost for words in ways, but That’s just life sometimes.

You’ve just got to go with it. So, yeah, I think that’s a big one is just like working cyclically doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s about like the compassion that comes with that and really just acknowledging, okay, if I’m not feeling in flow of this right now, I don’t have to be myself up. I can actually just be kind with myself.

See if I can reschedule this or just show up in a way that’s compassionate to where I am now. Because. If everyone only shows up in their ovulation in this summer, then we’ve got, we’re just perpetuating [00:31:00] that cycle of, oh, women are just full of energy, they’re, yes, they can do everything kind of people, but then, you know, the voice of a woman when she’s ovulating and the voice of a woman when she’s bleeding is very different.

So, and we need that voice as well. Yeah, it was a roundabout way of answering that question. 

Melissa: Yeah, I think that’s another beautiful thing that we can teach our children as well. It’s just living in tune with the natural cycles, your cycle, and then the cycles of the season. And I think that’s just such a gift to teach children from a very young age.

So for someone who would love and has a big dream to create their own skincare company one day, what is three pieces of advice you would give them for if they were really wanting to pursue this? 

Montana: Yeah, I mean, number one would be get to know [00:32:00] the plants, follow a relationship with the plants, whatever that looks like for you.

If you’re going to be doing natural skincare, it’s going to be made of plants. and each plant comes with their different healing properties. So the more you know about the plants, the more of a unique perspective you’re going to be able to bring to the world. Number two is I really see anyone entering into this space already existing in the space of natural healing and natural skincare as being in collaboration, not competition.

So we really need to acknowledge that. Natural skincare is still in the minority when it comes to the bigger picture and in that comes, you know, we’re creating the supply chain, we’re creating the fair prices, we’re creating the wages and we’re redirecting the energy back into paying fair wages and being respectful to the land.

[00:33:00] And for as long as we’re a minority, this will also always be expensive and almost inaccessible depending on how far you want to take it. So the more that we can collaborate and join forces, especially with small business owners, the more we make this dream possible. And I think with skincare, if there was a one size fits all approach, there would be no need for any new ingredients, like any new products to ever be made because surely it would be already made.

It’s like, But that would be like saying, Oh, there’s already all the music in the world. We don’t need any more songs. You know, I find skincare is a very unique expression of our art and our perspectives. Like when I came in to the industry, I was like, I just want to work with single ingredients. And everyone was like, nobody does that.

Why would you do that? Like, it’s really common for everyone to put. this from this plant and all these other things from this other plant and combine like 20 plants together. And I was like, that’s really [00:34:00] busy. I just want to build the bridge where I’m connecting people to identifying even just one plant, like the finger lime or the cockatoo plum, and just forming a healing relationship with one plant.

And so that was my unique perspective, but that isn’t to say that there aren’t an infinite number of expressions. So yeah, collaboration, not competition. And then number three would be to start your B Corp certification early. B Corp for me has been the only certification I’ve found that covers pretty much all bases from humanitarian to environmental to community to, yeah, it’s a really holistic picture of a business’s impact.

And if you’re doing this at the start, it’s completely free process to Be going through the tools from start. And if you’re doing that while building your business, you’re not gonna have to change anything. [00:35:00] It’s basically gives you a manual of how to have an ethical and sustainable business. And yeah, doing that from the get go will save you a lot of time down the road.

Mm-Hmm. , 

Melissa: absolutely. What’s something that you’ve changed your mind about? 

Montana: Something I’ve changed my mind about, I think, is about having my daughter with me all of the time while I’m working. When I first started my business, I was really passionate about, you know, never being away from her to work. And I had all of these stories and guilt, which I think a lot of mothers experience.

about working around her. Whereas the older that she gets and the more I develop in my business journey, the more I realized I actually really enjoy sectioned time where I just get to focus on the thing that I’m passionate about outside of everything else. [00:36:00] It’s just, I just have this time to devote to my practice.

And if I do that, I am a much happier mom later on. So yeah, that’s something I’ve changed my mind about. 

Melissa: Yeah. Beautiful. How old is your daughter now? She’s 

Montana: four. So 

Melissa: cute. So, so cute. How do you deal with the mum guilt? Talk to me about that. How do you reconcile that within yourself? 

Montana: It’s so strong. It’s still so strong.

You know, I think that juggling being a working mom is. In a lot of ways, I want to say unfair because mothering is a really full time job and we live in a society that doesn’t see it that way. It’s more kind of like a hobby or something. I don’t know. I don’t know what I thought mothering was before, but it’s definitely a lot bigger than I expected.

And so if we’re trying to [00:37:00] fit in anything outside of that, it’s, yeah, it’s a lot to put on ourselves. So with that comes mum guilt, because there’s this urge to want to be available and present for your children all of the time, but that’s not really realistic. in the way that we live. And I’m not sure if it’s really sick anyway, if we’re going back to village times, it was never just one mom at home raising all the children on her own.

It was, you know, at least 10 adults to one child. I just, think about how different our lives would be if there was even four adults to one child. In my situation I would love if there was even two adults to one child. So yeah, the mom guilt is big. I think that I just continuously come back to it’s not me that’s broken, it’s the system.

And if I can do little steps every day [00:38:00] that help rebuild our connection to community. I know that I’m inevitably creating a better reality for my daughter. My mom just moved onto the land in her own little cottage. I can see her cottage through the trees down there and having this intergenerational living is the most help that I have ever received in my motherhood journey.

And it’s being a life changer, life saver. So I guess how I process the mom guilt is just by surrounding us with loving and supportive communities so that I can step away when I need to and feel really good about it. Definitely. 

Melissa: It takes a village. You know that saying? It takes a village and It’s true.

I’ve had friends that have moved back home so that they have the support. I’ve had friends that have had parents move in with them. I’ve had [00:39:00] all sorts of things, but I get it, especially if you’re working. Like it’s just, yeah, for me, I’m like, I don’t know how people don’t. Have any support, like in my heart, literally, I’m like, I remember my early postpartum days.

Like I just, when you’re super emotional, I remember this one day where I was wailing and I just turned to Nick and he’s like, what’s wrong? And I was like, I feel so sad for all the mothers that have to do this on their own. Like I just, my heart was just like, Oh, aching for them because Well, firstly, it’s so beautiful to share it, you know, especially that early, you know, couple of months you’re getting to share that with someone, but.

Just having other people love your children. I remember my midwife saying to me, and I’ve shared this on the podcast before, she said, Melissa, let other people love Bambi. Let other people love her. And I was like, Oh, but like, I just want to kind of cocoon her and like, keep her safe [00:40:00] and protect her. You know, I don’t want her to be indoctrinated by society.

And, you know, she was like, but you can let other people love her, like let her grandparents love her, let aunts and uncles love her, let friends love her. And I was like, yes, and it’s been so beautiful to witness that showering of love from other people to her. It’s really beautiful. So thank you for sharing that and for that beautiful reminder.

And truly, like if you have stuff come up about receiving support, you need to go and work on that. And get over it because it’s just your inner critic, your inner mean girl that’s like, Oh, I have to do this all on my own and I shouldn’t have to ask for help. Like, seriously, just get over it and like, receive, receive, because people want to support.

Like, I bet your mum loves playing with your daughter. I bet she 

Montana: loves it. Oh yeah, it’s given her a whole new [00:41:00] lease on life. Exactly. Yeah, but for sure an ongoing journey with the receiving thing. It’s like, okay, like, what else comes to us? What if I ask and I’m just totally rejected and they never speak to me again?

And I’m like, fine, I’m just going to have to risk it because I need some help right now. I think that’s where it got to for me. I was just like, I can’t do this all on my own. I’m continuously humbled on that journey, but. Yeah, I’m really grateful for creating a business with the perspective of being a mother because I think if I didn’t have her, I would have really perpetuated that I have to do everything on my own.

Whereas having her, it was just a very real tangible reason why I needed to start outsourcing and receiving support as soon as I possibly could. So like from the minute I could pay for help, I did, and it’s just been continuously doing that. And it’s the reason why Bloom is able to [00:42:00] maintain consistency while I retreat into my cocoon and just focus on mumming or self healing or whatever is going on.

Yeah, I feel so grateful to do that. So many people live in a world where there’s no space for their actual life. There’s no space for grief. There’s no space for It’s amazing, euphoric experiences. It’s just like Monday to Friday working and then Saturday catching up on all the life admins, Sunday exhausted, it’s Monday again.

And yeah, that’s really difficult. And I can’t imagine how I would raise a child in those circumstances, which was a huge motivation for Bloom. And I’m so grateful that it worked and is working for now. Yeah, 

Melissa: absolutely. Now, let’s pretend you have a magic wand and you could put one book in the school curriculum of every high school around the world.

What book would you choose? It could be on any [00:43:00] topic. 

Montana: Huh. I love Braiding Sweetgrass. It’s so good. Have you read this book? 

Melissa: I haven’t, but I’ve had people recommend it to me, but I haven’t read 

Montana: it. Yeah, it’s this beautiful story of a Native American woman and her journey to reclaiming her ancestry and more of an insight into what went on with the land going from free land to owned land and wild harvest to monocropped.

And, and this journey that she has from wanting to work with plants, but also wanting to be a poet and everyone’s saying that’s not possible. But then she’s written this. incredible book that every single word is like poetry to the plants. And I’m also sorry if I botched that whole interpretation out, but that has been my interpretation of it.

Yeah, and I think that [00:44:00] story can be so applicable to anywhere you are in the world in terms of gaining respect for the indigenous people of the land, the indigenous plants of the land. and regaining that connection and communication with nature in whatever way feels authentic to you. 

Melissa: Beautiful. I love that.

We’ll link to that in the show notes so everyone can go and grab it. Now, I would love to hear about a typical day in your life. And I know this is probably going to be different for different phases that you’re in your cycle, but can you kind of talk us through a typical day from what time you wake up to when you go to bed, all of your routines, your little rituals, all of your little life hacks that you do.

I would love to hear. Talk us through a day in your life. 

Montana: I really have to admit it changes a lot every single day. Yeah, I, I don’t have a lot of routine. Do you 

Melissa: know what human design you are? 

Montana: I’m a [00:45:00] generator and I definitely like do thrive with having routine. I’ve just had a lot of things going on in my life.

That’s really thrown all my routine up into the air. And I’m just like, okay, I’m just going to do what I can. But my, I guess if I was to generalize it. Wake up with my daughter, we’re still co sleeping, so we wake up and lay in bed if the sun’s not up yet and we wait for the kookaburras to start singing and that’s when she knows she’s allowed to get out of bed.

Up until then it’s compulsory cuddle time. It’s likely she’ll go grab a book or something that she was playing with the night before and we’ll continue reading or expand on I’ll grab Hone breakfast Pretty much immediately, as soon as we get up, we’re both very vata, so we’re looking to food to ground us and warm food.

This morning it was porridge. She had porridge, I had [00:46:00] chicken soup. Yeah, and so we’ll hang out for the first hour, I might be able to get a sauna in. She might hop in for a sec with me. She might color outside where I, cause it’s a see through door. I can look at her and say, yeah, we’ll do that. And then I’ll drop her off down to my mom’s place and I’ll go to Pilates, which I’ve just resumed for the first time in my motherhood career.

I’ve, it took me four years to start exercising daily again. So if you’re listening to this and. If you still haven’t got to it, that’s, I think that’s totally fine. It’s actually ridiculously hard for mothers to exercise in my experience, because if you’re going to do an at home workout and you have no support with care, you’re doing that workout with a child on your back, and it’s not always enjoyable or good for your body to be doing it that way.

So yeah, I’ve been enjoying getting back into having some time to do Pilates or yoga. [00:47:00] Then I’ll come back, and I’ve been having the morning, so my mum will have Lou from about 8 till 11 or 12, and in that time I’ll probably tidy up the house, I’ll make myself a hot drink, actually sit down and meditate if I can, and then I’ll get into some work things.

And work things can look like doing a photo shoot, planning a photo shoot, jumping on a team phone call, brainstorming, writing random captions in my phone. Yeah. And then. We’ll have some lunch and go on an afternoon adventure. So there’s a waterfall just down the road from my house and I’ve been loving regulating with my daughter through that.

We’ll spend some big time in nature, whether it’s like a waterfall or garden, maybe some weaving or craft, that kind of things like activity [00:48:00] afternoon. And then we have dinner, have a bath. I live with two other women right now, and it’s super sweet, so we’ll often have like communal dinners together, or we’ll all be in the bath together, and it’s a very sweet time.

And then I’ll put Blue to bed, and if I don’t pass out, I’ll stay up and light a candle and just create space for myself and whatever emotions I didn’t get to feel throughout the day. Yeah, so that’s being our rhythm, and that can often flip as well. So I wake up, actually blue, like, actually blue really needs me today.

All right, we’re going to the waterfall straight up. And we’re like hanging out there or to the beach or whatever. It doesn’t have to be a waterfall, but that’s been my access to water because I’m closer to that than the beach where I am at the moment. And yeah, if there’s things that I can’t move around with work, Then I could have my mom [00:49:00] or, you know, I’ll just do these things slower, but often I’ll be shifting and changing things to allow for us to experience our human experience and work and, and the things outside of that can be rearranged.

Melissa: Hmm. Always. It’s beautiful. Since coming back from maternity leave and getting back into my podcast, you know, there’s been times where I’ve had scheduled interviews. And, you know, Bambi’s just hurt herself before an interview or she really needs me and, you know, I’ll jump on and it’s a mama and I’m like, I’m so sorry, like I can’t do this interview.

And they’re like, don’t worry, I get it, you know, go like everyone is just so supportive and really beautiful and they get it. They really get it. So. I love this like parenting code. Like when you’ve got kids, like they just get it, you know? And for me, and it sounds like for you too, like she’s my number one, like she will always [00:50:00] come before anything else.

And it’s my role. I am her rock. It’s my role to take care of her. And if she needs me, like that is where I go, you know, I’ve built my business like you around my motherhood journey. And. that always will come first. 

Montana: Always. Yeah, it’s not always easy. You know, sometimes it’s like, but I really have this great idea and I feel like if I had an opportunity to write right now, I’d be able to write a whole book.

So can you please just play with the Play Doh? It’s like, nah, nah mom. See, this is the season of your life now. All of that, icing on the cake. I am the full cake. 

Melissa: Totally. I find segmenting really powerful as well. So like I’ll either work for four hours in the morning or four hours in the afternoon and we have a nanny come those other times.

So I get four hours or three or [00:51:00] four hours of like laser focus time and that, you know, I get so much done. And then when I’m with her, I can be fully present with her. And then I sometimes do a little bit when she goes to sleep. And then sometimes in the morning, cause she sleeps till sometimes seven. So I can get a little bit done in there as well, if I feel like I need to.

But you know, everything shifts when you become a mother and you have to be flexible. I think I’m one of the most organized people I know. Like I’m so structured. All my friends are like, count on Melissa. She’ll have a book. She’ll have it organized. Like I’m that person. And since having my daughter, I’ve realized just how flexible I am.

You need to be like, I have plans, but hold them loosely because you just don’t know, like what’s going to happen with your kids. And that’s been very humbling for me and new, you know, cause I’m so used to having everything structured and [00:52:00] organized and planned and. It’s been really beautiful and very needed for me to loosen my grip and to flow a lot more and to just go with it and feel the emotions that come up, you know, when they come up for me and around that.

And it’s just been really humbling and beautiful. So yeah, this journey, mothering, it’s big and it’s beautiful. 

Montana: Yeah, 

Melissa: absolutely. All right, babe, I’ve got three rapid fire questions for you 

Montana: now. Are you ready? I’m ready. 

Melissa: What is one thing that we can do today for our health? Just one thing we can all start today.

Charge 

Montana: your phone in another room. From where you’re sleeping, yeah, from your bedroom. Charge your phone in another room in your bedroom. Do people 

Melissa: still charge it in their rooms? 

Montana: Oh yeah, you’d be surprised. I reckon I would love to hear it, but yeah, I reckon. 

Melissa: This is like Sleep [00:53:00] Hygiene 101, but yeah, actually, no, I do know people that charge it right next to their bed, right next to their head as well.

So yeah, I love it. So simple. Everyone can do that tonight. Charge your phone, put it on airplane mode or turn it off, charge it in another room. So I charge mine in my office, which is downstairs. And then I sleep upstairs. That’s the way I want that thing coming with me to bed. No, thanks. Yeah. Okay. Next one.

What is one thing that we can do for our wealth? 

Montana: Being really mindful of how you speak. I think words are spells and. You can pretend that it doesn’t make an impact, but it definitely does. So watching how we speak about our wealth is a really potent place to start. A 

Melissa: hundred percent. I always say money has ears and it’s listening to everything that you say about it.

So every time [00:54:00] you are talking crap about it, you’re talking poorly about it. It’s like, wow, stuff you like. I’m going to be abundant for you. If you’re ungrateful, like it’s listening, you know, listening and money is energy and it wants to be circulated through amazing, good conscious humans, which everyone listening to this is, it wants to be circulated through you.

So allow yourself to be that portal and be grateful and speak nicely about it. All right, last one, babe. What is one thing that we can do for more love in 

Montana: our life? One thing we can do for more love is dropping the story wherever possible and opening your heart. There is no way that you’re going to come, if you have a closed heart and you are engaging with another energy, it [00:55:00] is.

extremely unlikely that others will be able to open with your closure. So I think it really starts with the opening of your heart and the allowing of compassion and understanding and, you know, there’s no right or wrong either. There’s just totally different perspectives and I think as soon as we drop the expectation that we have to be right because we’re so good and we mean well and so how could, you know, this be not interpreted the way that I thought that it would be or whatever.

It’s like dropping all that and just, yeah, opening our heart and yeah, leading with love above all else. Easy to say. Yeah, absolutely. 

Melissa: Absolutely. I’d love to hear, babe, over the past three months, what [00:56:00] is the best purchase that you have made? And it could have been for 10 or 10, 000. What is the best purchase that’s made the biggest difference to your life over the past 

Montana: three months?

I’m trying to think about what I’ve bought other than groceries in the last three months. 

Melissa: Well, that does make a difference to your life. 

Montana: Yeah. Yeah. I I I bought myself, I got my garden happening again. And so that’s been a really big difference in my life. Being able to be like, ah, there’s nothing in the fridge, but we do have a hundred zucchinis in the garden has been a bit of a life changer for me.

So yeah, investing in my garden and then getting my daughter a beading kit that has also changed my life We can now do an activity together for long periods of time, and that’s good for all of our nervous systems, so gardening, [00:57:00] herbs, and beading kit. 

Melissa: I love it. Beautiful. I was literally just looking at one for Bambi for her birthday.

It’s coming up. I love that. Such a beautiful idea. Now, babe, is there anything else that you want to share with us or any last parting words of wisdom? 

Montana: I love it. I feel like You can listen and look up to all the different people in the world, and of course that will help put us on the right track, but if we’re not listening to ourselves and giving space for the intuition of our womb to come through, then we’re never truly going to know ourselves or be in full alignment with what we’re here to do.

So if your journey is looking different to what you thought it would be or what your friends is or what your, you know, your muse or your inspirations [00:58:00] looks like, that’s okay. And also life is so seasonal, so yeah, riding the waves and creating space. or the healing to come through can, I mean, it’s really the only way forward.

You’ve got to feel it. So my parting words is to go feel your emotion. Sounds easy, but it’s also very easy not to. So 

Melissa: beautiful. Yes. I love that. Now, you are helping and serving so many people. You are giving back in so many ways. You know, you’re, I love following you on Instagram, your beautiful products, like the way that you just weave words so poetically, it’s really beautiful.

You’re helping so many people. So I’d love to know how I and the listeners can give back to you today. 

Montana: Or, [00:59:00] you can give back to me by It’s really hard to not send that one right back, hey? I think you can give back to me by, yeah, just checking out what’s in your ingredients list, in your products, and in your food, and yeah.

If that looks like deciding to support Bloom, that would be so incredibly appreciated and an investment that I see not only into the business and the community that I’ve created, but also into the one that, you know, our children will inherit because that’s a really big motivation for me with everything that we do with Bloom.

It’s beyond me, it’s It’s more about the environment that we’re all sharing, so I reckon that’s how you could give back to me. That would be great. 

Melissa: Beautiful. And we’ll link to Bloom and all of your amazing [01:00:00] website and Instagram and everything in the show notes for people to go and check out. And this has been such a delight.

I could chat with you about anything. Natural living and motherhood for days. So thank you for being here and sharing with us. You are such a delight. 

Montana: Thank you so much, Larissa, and to have been listening.

Melissa: I just want to remind you that whatever you put on your skin, gets absorbed straight into your bloodstream, my friends. So please be mindful of the products that you are choosing to use. And remember that you vote with your dollar. So when you are buying products, you are saying that I believe in that company, their ethos.

If they sell their products in plastic, you are essentially saying that you support that. So just be mindful of that. All, just be mindful of that, byproducts that are ethical and sustainable and [01:01:00] good for you and the planet. Yes, let’s do that. Now, if you love this conversation, please subscribe to the show and leave me a review on Apple podcasts, because that means that we can inspire and educate even more people together.

And it also means that all of my episodes will just pop up in your feed. So you never have to go searching for a new episode. Now come and tell me on Instagram at Melissa Ambrosini, what you got from this episode. I absolutely love hearing from you each week when a new episode drops. I love hearing your biggest key takeaways, so please keep coming and sharing those with me.

Now, before I go, I just wanted to say thank you so much for being here, for wanting to be the best, the healthiest, and the happiest version of yourself, and for showing up today for you. You rock. Now, if there’s someone in your life that you can think of that would really benefit from this episode, please share it with them right now.

You can take a screenshot, share it on your social media, email it to them, text it to them, do whatever you’ve got to do to get this in their ears. And [01:02:00] until next time, don’t forget that love is sexy, healthy is liberating, and wealthy isn’t a dirty word.

---

Thank you so much for listening. I’m so honored that you’re here and would be SO grateful if you could leave me a review on Apple podcasts, that way we can inspire and educate even more people together.

P.S. If you’re looking for a high-impact marketing opportunity for your business and are interested in becoming a sponsor for The Melissa Ambrosini Show podcast, please email pr@melissaambrosini.com for more information.

P.P.S. Please seek advice from a qualified holistic practitioner before starting any new health practice.