People Who Inspire: Bronwen Lodato – Artisan Jeweler – Bronwen Jewelry

Here’s an interview I did with an amazing woman I have known for more than fifteen years. She is every bit as beautiful as she is talented, adventurous and inspiring. Now is a perfect time to shop for all the people in your life with our awesome partnership you can use the code: Wellfit25*Don’t forget about the men in your life. She has some of the coolest pieces for men I’ve seen around.Bronwen Lodato – Artisan Jeweler – Bronwen JewelryBronwen Lodato has been making jewelry for as long as she can remember. Her inspiration stems from a life lived in motion. Whether she is sailing the Tuamotus in search of pearls, cycling country roads with her toddler or stand-up paddling the river of her Bend, Oregon home, adventure fuels her creativity and world travel informs her collections. Her jewelry is equally lovely worn on a yoga mat, the local farmers market or a beach in the South Pacific.How and when did you decide to start Bronwen Jewelry? Did you always know you would be an entrepreneuress?I didn't always know I'd be an entrepreneuress but I've always taken initiative and gone my own way, even as a little girl. Now, after having run my own business for seven years I acknowledge that entrepreneurship is an excellent fit for me and I can't imagine my work/life any other way.In my 20s I was leading back-country expeditions and noticed that, like me, many women love to wear jewelry even when they are being active. There wasn’t any jewelry out there that was sexy but sturdy enough for women to wear for travel, work, and play so in 2007 I designed a line of jewelry with this woman in mind and brought it to market. These days my style is more sophisticated and urban but I still design with a strong function component and much of my collection is appropriate for active lifestyle.What is your proudest accomplishment?Easy: my daughter, Una. Being a mother, I've never experienced a greater hardship, which is eclipsed entirely by the reward. She is my ultimate work; she is my ultimate joy.Where are your top 3 places you've ever visited?(Not in order of preference)

1. Tuamotus Atol, French Polynesia, as explored by three-week trip on a small sailboat.
2. Colorado River, Grand Canyon, rowing a raft 22 days on a private trip with siblings and close friends.
3. Fernando de Noronha, a conservation-protected archipelago of tiny islands off the coast of Brazil

What inspires your jewelry and creativity?Travel fuels my creativity and designing jewelry is my outlet. Like many designers making a living in creative fields, I tap an inner source that ebbs and flows and use my experience and skills to design pieces I find beautiful and interesting. My designs are informed by the color, texture, pattern, shape and memories of the countries I’ve explored and my business is truly a labor of love. My customers are the loveliest human beings on earth and I've made many meaningful personal connections through jewelry - this is easily one of the most inspiring aspects of my work.What has been your most profound a-ha moment up until now?The moment I discovered I can trust my own cadence.It happened when my daughter was just a newborn baby and I was struggling to maintain both control of my growing business and the desire to be fully present mother to my baby. I would sit in my glider chair for hours nursing my daughter while furiously dictating emails to my very capable and empathetic assistant. It was stressful beyond measure; the days would pass by and I repeatedly felt disappointed by how little I'd accomplished. Then I began listening to an internal voice asking, "what is more important than what you are doing right now?" Since then I rush less, I breathe more, I set goals and deadlines for myself that allow me to work on my business full time but also to be fully present for my family and myself. I've found a cadence that works for me and my life has been more balanced in every way since I learned to trust in it.What is your personal relationship to silence/quiet/meditation and what have been some of your lessons from time alone?I am a shameless silence seeker. I don't have a formal meditation practice right now but my favorite moments are when everyone leaves the studio and I can be alone in silence in a beautiful space. It is only in total quiet that am I able to drop into a space of creativity to design or write. One of my favorite things to do is hike alone in silence and I find this is the time when I hear myself most clearly and I have my most profound ideas or realizations so I seek out these opportunities. Everyone in my studio has been begging for an iPod docking station but I'm holding out!In three words only, describe yourself: Don't think. First 3 words. Be honest!PlayfulWillfulReliable*Bronwen Jewelry is giving our Wellfit community an opportunity to shop for everyone on their holiday lists this year! Including cool pieces for men and children, as well as the special women in our lives!For TWO weeks, please use the code Wellfit25 when shopping at http://www.bronwenonline.com