You’re not a workaholic, you’re a lifeaholic’ that’s what my husband says to me,” says Peigín Crowley, laughing.

And he is right – the owner of Ground Wellbeing is as passionate about working hard on the quality of her wellness brand as she is about getting a good night’s sleep.

She wants to set an example to her daughters that women can run successful businesses but equally, she doesn’t want to burn out herself.

Her dreams are big but she loves her little bubble. And even though her products are now in five-star hotels in 20 countries, she confesses that sometimes she feels that they’re scrambling behind the scenes but adds, “sure we’re having a great laugh in the chaos”.

Most importantly, this astute businesswoman is emphatic that the key to success is rest and digest.

That’s been the ethos behind the Ground Wellbeing brand, since it started at Peigín’s kitchen table in the depths of lockdown. “I spent years working in spas, both as a therapist and later creating spa experiences, helping people to relax,” she says.

“Then suddenly, the pandemic hit. So I did the only thing I knew, I started creating products for people to have those relaxing rituals at home.”

Understanding people

This wasn’t just mixing oils and developing scents; Peigín understands people, she understands the body.

“It started with my own body,” Peigín says. “I went into early menopause, and it got me thinking about my own longevity. I have two teenage girls, and I look at the great relationship that my mom has with them, and I’d like to experience that in life.

“I thought, right, how do I do that? I need to move more, lift weights, eat healthy. But it’s not just about living long, I want to live well. We live in an era where our life spans are long but our health spans are not, we’re on medication earlier and earlier in life.

“So I focused on how the body works – I’m fascinated by metabolism, gut health, genetics. And the essence of feeling well and balanced in your body is massively influenced by your ability to process stress.”

There are different stresses – head stresses and heart stresses. Touching her head, she explains, “We have the primary brain, which is like a computer, and highly functioning. It lives in the conscious world and operates on a to-do list – drop the kids to school, milk the cows, brush your teeth. It’s powered by amazing hormones – cortisol and adrenaline. They power up our primary brain but we also need them to wind down.

“Then you have the gut brain. It registers when you feel safe or if you’re anxious or fearful. Think about it, if you’re really nervous, do you get an upset tummy? When this brain feels safe, you sleep better, you digest your food better.

“This brain is just as intelligent as the head brain but it speaks a different language. It registers your energy, your breath and it loves plants,” she explains.

“Energy is the people we surround ourselves with – family, friends, those we feel safe with. And there is the energy of our landscape. That’s why it’s so important to spend time in nature, it relaxes us.

“Plants are an extension of this. We focus on the quality of food we put in our body, but we also need to pay attention to the quality of products we put on our skin.”

That’s where microbiome comes in, she explains. “Our bodies thrive when we take in live bacteria like cultures in probiotic yoghurts for example, we feed the microbiome of our gut,” she says.

“It’s the same principle with our skin, feeding it fermented bacteria. Biome is a bacteria which coats our skin, protecting us from the outside world. It enhances skin function and this is the basis of our new skincare range – our cleansers, serums and moisturisers for the face.”

Other products in the Ground Wellbeing range including the body oils and creams use essential oils from plants as their base. “The quality of these oils are so important. I like to compare it to wine,” says Peigín, laughing.

“It’s like being a sommelier, sourcing lavender from high-altitude fields in Provence in France, figuring out the best harvest for rose, whether that’s from Tunisia one year or Bulgaria the next, ensuring that it is a therapeutic grade so it can send the strongest message to the body.

Peigín created Irish brand Ground Wellbeing.

“When we’re using essential oils, we’re moving our systems back into balance. They go into the skin, passing through the body’s barrier and providing deep hydration.”

Going back to the language of the gut, Peigín says, “Then you have the power of the breath, filling your lungs and breathing in these calming scents. With that you have created a ritual.

“And yes, it is lovely to have our products in spas, that is a big part of our business but by creating a range that people can use at home, you can have these relaxing moments every day.”

“These daily moments of calm, that is what makes the difference and helps people with their stress levels. So you can get up and go, and have a productive day, but you can also wind down, have deep rest, good digestion and sleep well,” she says.

This ethos has led to different ranges within Ground Wellbeing – to help women manage the symptoms of menopause, to ease the side effects for those doing cancer treatment, to calm children, including those with additional needs.

“This was one of the reasons I wanted to set up my own brand,” says Peigín. “Menopause, cancer – these aren’t sexy terms in the spa business. But our products are helping people, and that’s what gets me up in the morning.

“I have an event coming up with ARC Cancer Support soon, to help people going through treatment. And I’m also involved in Soothing Sessions, talks for parents whose children have additional needs on what they can do, through touch and massage, to help calm them.

“Things like that, I get to make a difference. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Mother Teresa,” she says, laughing, “but that’s my wellbeing, what I can give back locally.”

Her business in Cork is now employing 14 people, eight full-time and six part-time. “It started with myself and my mom in my home in Ballincollig in lockdown, and now we have an amazing team.”

However, the reach goes far beyond Cork.

Global brand

“There was a call in the early days of the business that really changed it all. Niamh O’Connell from Raheen in Limerick, I had worked with her over the years. She was based in Hong Kong and was the vice president for wellness for the Rosewood Group, which is a global, nearly six-star hotel chain. She said ‘we’d love something for spas – for jetlag, sleep, the menopause’.

“Although I was focused on retail, getting into spas was like putting on an old comfortable pair of shoes. With that, I started developing treatments, and once we were in the Rosewood Group, it opened doors. Hotel groups like Bulgari and Jumeirah now stock our products.

“We’re in 40 spas globally, in Europe, the States and Asia. This year, we’ll be in Singapore, Tokyo and Mexico. And in Ireland, we’re in the Shelbourne Hotel, Hayfield Manor, Mount Juliet, the K Club, Aghadoe Heights, to name a few. It’s mad, someone rang me recently and said, ‘I saw Ground stocked in the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills’. I burst out laughing, sometimes it’s hard to get my head around it all.

But Peigín says she won’t let it go to her head. “Now I know my health is my wealth. And I need to honour my body – being sound to it, eating well, going for a walk, giving it the sleep that it needs.

“I can’t be in doing mode all day long, I know my body doesn’t have the capacity for it. In the evening, I have to wind down, watch a movie, do a ritual, rest and digest.

“So that the next day I can get up again and be a good mum, a good wife, and run a business that I love, while staying grounded.”

See groundwellbeing.com