There was a time when I thought being busy was a sign of success.

For more than thirty years, I built my career in the beauty industry. Along the way, I worked with some of the world’s most respected beauty brands, owned my own beauty salon and trained in holistic therapies. Each experience taught me something different about beauty, wellbeing and the importance of caring for ourselves.

I loved the industry, the people and the opportunities it gave me. Like many women, I took pride in being capable, dependable and someone who could always be counted on to get things done.

Over the years, my responsibilities continued to grow. More retailers, more projects, more meetings, more travel and more responsibility. I was fortunate to enjoy a successful career, but somewhere along the way, working long hours became normal.

Sixty-hour weeks were not uncommon. On office days, my alarm would ring at 5am so I could begin the two-hour commute into London. I would often arrive home around 8pm, only to open my laptop again and continue working late into the evening.

At the time, I told myself this was simply what success looked like.

Looking back, I can see that my body had been trying to get my attention for some time.

In December 2024, I was sitting at my desk when my vision suddenly became blurred. Everything in front of me seemed out of focus. The episode lasted for around ninety minutes and left me feeling nauseous and shaken.

The following day, after developing sharp pains down my left side and into my arm, my GP sent me straight to A&E. Thankfully, I wasn’t having a heart attack, but I was advised to rest.

Like many of us, I took comfort in the fact that nothing serious had been found and carried on.

A few months later, I became seriously ill.

What I initially thought was flu turned out to be viral myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart caused by a viral infection. What followed was months of tests, scans, monitoring and recovery.

Looking back, it became clear that years of running at full speed had finally caught up with me.

At the same time, I found myself at a crossroads in my career.

After more than three decades in the beauty industry, I suddenly had the opportunity to pause and ask myself a question I had never really stopped to consider:

What did I want the next chapter of my life to look like?

At the time, I didn’t have the answer.

What I did know was that my body was asking me to slow down.

For the first time in my life, I had no choice but to listen.

Recovery wasn’t quick.

It took around six months before I truly felt like myself again. There were days when even the simplest tasks felt exhausting. Yet during that period, something unexpected happened.

As my body slowed down, so did my life.

For the first time in years, I wasn’t rushing from one thing to the next.

I began taking daily walks.

I returned to exercise gently.

I paid more attention to my skincare routine, not simply as a beauty ritual, but as a moment of care.

I spent more time outside, taking long walks with my dogs Molly and Romeo, who rarely left my side during those months.

I listened to my body instead of pushing through it.

And I realised something important.

The things helping me recover weren’t dramatic.

They were small.

A walk.

A candle.

A few minutes of quiet.

A nourishing skincare ritual.

A warm bath.

A moment to pause.

Growing up in Denmark, I had always understood the importance of hygge: creating warmth, comfort and connection in everyday life, often gathered around a table lit by candles and shared with family and friends.

Somewhere along the way, I had lost that.

During my recovery in 2025, I found it again.

Looking back, I can see how every part of my career contributed to the creation of Lykke & Lumen.

My years in beauty taught me the science of skincare and fragrance.

Running a salon taught me the importance of human connection and customer care.

Training in holistic therapies deepened my understanding of wellbeing and the importance of caring for ourselves as a whole.

What I didn’t realise at the time was that one day all of those experiences would come together to shape Lykke & Lumen.

The idea began with fragrance.

I have always loved fragrance and candles. There is rarely an evening in our home without a candle glowing somewhere, and I have long believed in the power of scent to change how we feel.

During my recovery, I found myself wanting to create fragrances that captured the sense of calm, comfort and restoration I was searching for in my own life.

My husband Guillaume, who is a scientist, encouraged me to create them myself rather than searching endlessly for something that already existed.

So I began blending fragrances in our kitchen.

I ordered perfume oils from Grasse in France, the historic heart of perfumery, because I wanted the very best ingredients I could find.

To my surprise, creating fragrances felt incredibly natural.

Years spent working alongside some of the world’s leading beauty and fragrance brands had taught me far more than I realised.

What started as curiosity quickly became a passion.

As the idea grew, so did my vision.

I began researching British manufacturing partners whose values aligned with my own. I spent months testing products, refining ideas and learning everything I could about creating a brand that genuinely reflected what I had learnt through my own experience.

I tested more than forty skincare products before carefully selecting the six that would become the Ritual of Rest collection.

Nothing was rushed.

Every product was chosen intentionally.

Every ingredient, fragrance and formulation had to earn its place.

Because Lykke & Lumen was never created simply as a skincare brand.

It was created to support wellbeing through everyday rituals.

The name itself reflects that intention.

Lykke is the Danish word for happiness.

Lumen means light.

Together, they represent a belief that wellbeing doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it can be found in life’s simplest moments: moments of comfort, calm and connection that bring a little more light into our days.

Lykke & Lumen is also deeply rooted in the two cultures that have shaped my life.

I grew up in Denmark, where hygge taught me the importance of creating warmth, comfort and connection in everyday life. Not as something reserved for special occasions, but as a way of living.

Through my husband Guillaume and his French family, I have also come to appreciate the French art de vivre: the belief that life is to be savoured, that beauty can be found in everyday moments, and that taking time to enjoy simple pleasures is never time wasted.

Lykke & Lumen brings together these two influences: Nordic calm and French elegance.

A belief that wellbeing is not found in perfection, but in the small rituals that help us slow down, reconnect and find joy in everyday life.

Lykke & Lumen wasn’t created because I wanted to start a business.

It was created because I rediscovered a way of living that I didn’t want to lose.

Today, when people ask me what Lykke & Lumen stands for, my answer is simple.

It is a reminder that rest is not something we earn once everything else is done.

It is a reminder that small rituals matter.

It is a reminder that wellbeing is often found in the quiet moments we are tempted to overlook.

If you had told me a few years ago that one of the most difficult periods of my life would eventually lead me to creating a brand of my own, I would never have believed you.

Yet today, I am grateful for the lessons it taught me.

It showed me that wellbeing isn’t found in grand gestures or perfect routines.

More often, it lives in the small things we do consistently.

A walk in fresh air.

A candle glowing on the table.

A few quiet moments at the end of the day.

A skincare ritual that encourages us to pause rather than rush.

These are the moments that inspired Lykke & Lumen.

And my hope is that, through our products and the stories we share, we can help you create a few more of those moments in your own life.