Today we speak with the inspiring Brie on shopping for lovely Thea, sustainability, motherhood, and more! We deeply admire her many achievements at work and at home, passion for life, and commitment to live sustainably. Thanks, Brie, for sharing your wisdom with us! Follow Brie @briebenfell.
1. How do you select clothing for little Thea? What are some of your favourite brands?
I love to support local brands! A few favourites are Le Petit Society, Cottage Ollie, Lil Pine Tree and Château de Sable. The most important thing I look for is the material and to see if its Singapore friendly. Material that is nice and breathable for Thea in the hot hot heat.
2. Have you ever shopped pre-loved? What was your experience like, and would you encourage fellow mums to do the same?
I haven’t shopped preloved for Theadora until now but Thea mainly wears hand-me-downs from friends. We all know once we have a little one how quickly they grow and clothes don’t fit so buying preloved items and accepting hand-me-downs is simply the best and it also saves you a lot of money!
3. What values would you like to impart to little Thea growing up?
To be kind, be brave and to be fearless. My best friend and I live by the quote ‘move forward without fear’. I hope she walks through life with confidence and believes in herself like I believe in her.
4. Is sustainability a big part of your life? Could you share with us some of the ways you incorporate sustainability in your daily living?
I try very hard but need to be better! My friend Yumika Hoskin is a sustainability advocate and I learn so much through her. I use my reusable hydro flask everywhere I go and I bring my peco bags (reusable bags made out of plastic bottles) everywhere. We try to not have any food waste in our household and most days I don’t eat meat. We have gone paperless and we donate clothing too. Something I am excited about is that I am hosting ‘Little Green Warriors Eco Camp’ for children to learn the fundamentals of air, land and water pollution. TEDxSingapore, Susgain, VertVegies, Eco-lititude and the Green Collective SG are all involved too!
5. How do you juggle all your various responsibilities as a mum, model, actress and the many other roles you play?
After having Theadora I respect my time more than ever before. I choose very wisely what I do with my time. Google calendar is my life saver. I was never a planner but with everything I do I must be organised. I get so much more done than ever before. Theadora is now sleep trained and it makes my schedule even easier to juggle. Thank you, UpChild! (This isn’t an advert, I paid and it was the best decision ever for our family).
6. What is your favourite thing to do with Thea?
So many things! I love to dance with her. We dance every single day together and she adores it as much as me. My husband and I love to show Theadora as much as we can so we explore. We love the outdoors and nature. We love taking her to the zoo, bird park, river safari and the aquarium. My parents got us annual passes for her 1st birthday and we have already been several times!
7. Who/what helped and supported you the most during your pregnancy and motherhood?
I have been separated from my family my entire pregnancy, Theadora’s first year of life and still have no idea when they will meet their first grandchild but they have been with me every step of the way and I would be lost without out our FaceTimes. I have a solid group of mamas that I have met whilst creating a new company that is launching soon, Anjea (a digital platform bringing trimester based advice and guidance from experts throughout motherhood). I also love my Instagram mama friends who love and support me from afar! I feel very fortunate to have such incredible, inspiring mums around me!
Thanks once again for sharing, Brie. We love our local brands too - check them out now!
