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Sarah built her footwear brand, Bronwyn, while raising two boys - balancing the demands of entrepreneurship with the joys of motherhood. She’s driven, passionate, and proud. Her story is one of hustle, heart, and heritage.
What lights you up?
My two boys light me up. And I love being creative, so that lights me up as well.
How would people describe you?
I think people would describe me as a creative. I'm very passionate about what I do. I'm really career driven. But being a mum is my favourite role that I've ever had.
Beautiful! Tell us about your boys.
So having two boys, they're very active. We're often out bike riding or playing sports. They've both got really into drawing and becoming creative as well which is really cool to see.
How did you get into starting your own business?
I've done footwear design for about 15 years now, and when I was on maternity leave with my second son, I started thinking about that idea of starting my own business.
What’s the inspiration behind the name of your business?
I think naming a company is a lot like naming a child. You want it to have longevity, but you also want it to mean something. I lost my mum in 2016, and when I was trying to come up with this brand name, mum's name popped into my head – Bronwyn. And I just thought, it's just perfect. It meant so much to me, which holds so much power.
How would you describe your mum?
My mum was a real force of nature. She was the biggest inspiration for me. She was just the best mum. Such a nurturer, a warrior as well, but, a nurturer. We've always called her our wāhine Toa because she's just been such an incredible inspiration to everyone in her life.
What do you think your mum would think about where you are today?
I think she would be pretty proud of the mum I've become and the brand that I've created in her honour. I think she'd really love that.
And what do you think your kids would say?
I think my kids would say that they're proud of me too.
Where do you get your inspiration from when creating new pieces?
I take inspiration from so many different places. When I'm designing collections I always think about how I operate my daily life, and how busy so many women are. I want to create a collection of footwear that serves a purpose for women like me.
How do you manage running a successful business as well as care for two young children?
The hardest thing about owning a business and being a mother is the juggle, thinking about 100 things at once, you know, doing the school drop off and then coming back and thinking about when you're going to do a photoshoot, planning or designing the next range. But while it's been really challenged, it's come really naturally.
What’s something that you do for yourself?
I'm very into taking care of myself. When I read about cold water swimming and its benefits, I decided that I would go for a swim every day. Go every sunrise, so that the beginning of my day would make me feel happy, because there's a lot I've had to turn around to make myself feel happy.
I get up in the morning and make my way down to the water. I just go out in the cold straight away. I go in no matter what. I'm taking in the change of light. Starting the day in a peaceful way, and also getting that ‘jolt’ from the cold. The change of light at the beginning and end of the day is very good for your vision and your mental health, and it’s just good for my soul.
And I'll be like, oh, this is cool. I can just visualize where we are. We're on the edge of the Pacific Ocean and the waves are just crashing in, and it's freezing cold. I'm embracing nature, looking at the beauty around me, and feeling exhilarated. That makes me happy.
How do people describe you?
When people tell me how I am, I'm thinking, wow, who are you looking at? They say things like - you're confident, you're adventurous, you're articulate.
When do you feel most comfortable in your skin?
I feel most comfortable in my skin when I'm just being me. I've decided that I'm enough. I don't feel responsible for what
others may think. I just try to be the best I can be. And I just think that's okay.
