Odette Burns is passionate about showing others how they can make small and simple changes to their day-to-day lives to reduce toxicity and become healthier, through healthy treats and essential oils. Here she talks about how she launched her business, Mumma O, and her hopes and plans for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
As a Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor, health has always been one of my favourite topics. I survived the grips of anorexia in my teens weighing in at just 27kg and almost leaving this life with heart failure, so knew it was time to spread the word and help people.
I was craving both chocolate and more information on how to make small changes in our family day-to-day operation to benefit our health whilst pregnant with my first child, so I found an answer for both.
I had been told years earlier that I would never have children, so a few steps to removing a lot of refined sugars, artificial sweeteners and additives found me gaining my period back naturally for the first time in 17 years and then falling pregnant 3 months later.
I am a self-confessed chocoholic so began experimenting with refined sugar-free versions using natural wholefoods, and decided to share my first few recipes with everyone.
I then began thinking about making even more ‘better choices’ for our family and introduced essential oils to our family also in 2013, using many different brands and then finally settling with the world’s biggest and most trusted producer of organic therapeutic grade oils, Young Living in December 2017.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I started my first Facebook page, Mumma O, in early 2013 to share my first few recipes. My followers grew almost overnight which was really awesome and people were sharing my recipes everywhere, making them and loving them. From my first recipe, Chocolate Crunch, then more were added each week to my free Sweet Recipe Album on Facebook and it slowly became a little more than a hobby.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
When I began making my product for retail. I got my residential kitchen approved for commercial purposes. I loved that people from around town could pick up a box of their favourite treats. Cafes placed a few orders and then people were ordering boxes for high teas, staff parties and the like. From there I began penning down ideas for my first e-book and then signed up to be a proud distributer of Young Living Essential Oils. It all just came together and made sense to combine my loves of ‘making better choices’ on all levels.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
It is tough. Being a mum is tough. Being the one who tries to keep the balance and peace is tough when some days you really want to throw the towel in and say that you’ve had enough and are done trying to multitask yet another thing into your day.
But I make it happen. Rather than feeling overwhelmed with everything buzzing in my head, I try to make lists (I did say try!). I set one thing for each child each day that I’d like to achieve. Whether it is taking my littlest to a park, doing reading with my eldest, playing ‘schools’ in the cubby house or baking together.
I also aim to get up an hour before most of the household wakes so I can do my quick 30 minutes of exercise and check emails. I then feel set for the day.
