The Heart of the Hills

Why Supporting Local Business is Personal, Powerful & Essential

In every thriving community, you’ll find them. Not the big chains or slick storefronts — but the quietly fierce, deeply passionate locals who turn their lived experiences into something that lifts others up.

You’ll find them dancing through preschool halls with toddlers. Sitting quietly beside new mothers in the darkest hours of the night. You’ll find them showing up — again and again — not just because it’s their job, but because it’s their calling.

And when you support local business, this is who you’re backing.

Take Charlotte Ingram, founder of Whole Family Health. Her journey didn’t begin with a business plan. It started with a baby.

At just 21, Charlotte became a mum for the first time. Like so many of us, she wasn’t prepared for how rocky the ride would be. A traumatic birth. A special care nursery stay. Postnatal depression. Isolation. It could’ve broken her — but instead, it lit a fire.

“I felt unsupported and overwhelmed,” she says. “But deep down, I knew there had to be a better way — not just for me, but for the other families I saw struggling too.”

That spark turned into a commitment: to learn, to heal, and to help others find a way through. Charlotte brought together her training in massage, naturopathy, and breastfeeding counselling, juggling motherhood with solo practice, and pouring every ounce of care into building a service grounded in empathy, evidence, and heart.

Today, Whole Family Health is more than a business. It’s a lifeline. A place where parents feel seen, safe, and supported during their most vulnerable moments. Where healing begins — not with perfection, but with presence.

“Thriving mothers help raise thriving families,” Charlotte says. “And thriving families build thriving communities.”

Meagan - For the Love of Dance

You’ll hear a similar heartbeat in the story of Meagan, founder of For the Love of Dance.

For her, it started with a single uncomfortable moment: watching a preschool dance class where three-year-olds moved to lyrics about makeup, dressed in crop tops. It didn’t sit right.

“There has to be a better way,” she thought. And just like that, she decided to create one.

With four tiny classes in one location, Meagan launched a dance school that focused on joy, creativity, and connection — not costumes, competitions, or conformity. And then, six months in, the world shut down. COVID hit.

Like so many small business owners, Meagan had to pivot fast. But she didn’t retreat. She opened her heart wider. She ran free online dance sessions to help families stay connected, moving, and sane — and in doing so, built a foundation of trust and community that would carry her business into the future.

Now, For the Love of Dance runs classes across six locations — for toddlers, teens, and even nonagenarians. But for Meagan, it’s not about the scale. It’s about the soul.

“If our studio were a person,” she says, “they’d be that vibrant, cheeky friend who lifts everyone up, dances like no one’s watching, and makes you feel totally at home.”

And then there’s Anna, the heart and hands behind hallo mallow.

For Anna, the turning point came on maternity leave in London. Burnt out from a high-pressure media job, disconnected from extended family support, and longing for a gentler pace, she and her husband made the big leap back to Melbourne. With that leap came a quiet dream: to create something sweet, meaningful, and totally hers.

“I think making marshmallows is more fun than working in advertising,” she joked. But behind the lightness was serious intent — to build a business that reflected her values: quality, sustainability, and joy.

It took time. Years, in fact — filled with babies, health struggles, family needs, and moments of doubt. Others launched similar businesses. Imposter syndrome crept in. But Anna kept going. One batch at a time. One idea at a time. And eventually, hallo mallow was born.

Today, Hallo Mallow’s hand-crafted, small-batch marshmallows — wrapped in compostable packaging and bursting with personality — are a hit. More than that, they’re a symbol of what’s possible when women back themselves and build something beautiful from the ground up.

“If hallo mallow were a person,” Anna says, “she’d be generous, comforting, and full of personality — just like a really good mallow.”

These are just three of the countless local legends building businesses from the inside out — with purpose, with passion, and with deep personal roots in the very community they serve.

And this is why supporting local business matters.

When you book a class, attend a workshop, buy a gift box, or recommend a local service to a friend, you’re not just completing a transaction. You’re investing in someone’s story. You’re helping a mother rebuild after birth trauma. You’re cheering on a little girl who’s finally found the confidence to dance without fear. You’re saying yes to a different kind of economy — one where care, connection, and community come first.

Local business isn’t just a nice idea. It’s a vital thread in the fabric of our lives.

Behind every small business is a big heart. A story. A reason. And when we lift them up, they lift us all.