Thanks for your time today Kai! Tell us about your background and career leading up to now.
I haven’t really had any formal training; I finished Grade 12 and went straight into work life. My husband and I bought into his family business “Dolphin Surf Craft" in 2003 which we are still running today. I worked as an account manager at Billabong for 7 years.

That must've been such great experience and insight before getting into the swimwear design world yourself. How exactly was Kaisea born?
Kaisea was born in the summer of 2016/17 on Fingal Beach in North New South Wales. Daniella (my business partner) and I were chatting on the beach while the kids played, and I mentioned there was a gap in the market for children's swimwear.

Can you tell us about your partner, Daniella Ciano?
Daniella and I met working at Billabong, and she has been in the swimwear industry for over 20 years. I
am so grateful to have her as my business partner. Her talent, wealth of knowledge and experience is the foundation for the quality and design of our garments.

Was it always your desire to create your own label?
Yes, over the years Daniella and I always spoke about starting something together. We knew that we would work so well as a team, as we share the same work ethic, love for fashion and the beach lifestyle!r

It seems like your children were the inspiration behind Kaisea - can you tell us more about your family?
I have three children, twin 6-year-old girls Navah and Eden, a 2 year old boy Knox, and a labrador puppy Inca.
My husband and I were married in 2005 and we
had a long fertility battle starting our family. We did 8 rounds of IVF, one miscarriage and then finally a miracle natural conception with our boy. It was an
emotional road and we are so grateful for the little family we have created.

That sounds like such a difficult journey Kai, we are so glad you're all happy and healthy!

Do you have any tips for balancing family and a business?
Balancing family and business is tough, having your own business means you are always working, (especially in this social media era) and there isn’t a clock off time. My husband and I are running two businesses between us, so its hard to juggle the
work life balance.
We eat together at the dinner table every night and we talk about the best and worst parts of our days. This is really important for us as a family, as life is so busy and it’s our time as a family to connect. We have always put our kids to bed at 6:30pm (this is why they are up at 5am!) It is so good for my husband
and I to have time alone without the kids. We usually spend half an hour on our phone catching up on emails and social media, and then we watch Netflix or some trashy reality TV show.

Thanks for taking the time to chat to us Rachael. First off, congratulations on your recent engagement! How are the wedding plans coming along? Can you give us any sneak peeks?

Thanks so much! It’s definitely an exciting time for us, at the moment we are mainly just focused on getting through these final months of our pregnancy and finding out how long the baby will be in hospital for before we make too many plans.

We are are planning on something small and intimate, potentially somewhere tropical so we have a little family getaway at the same time. I’m all about the flowers so there will be a lot of those!

It seems like major life events are abundant for you right now - congratulations on your third pregnancy, too! What did you wish someone had told you before having your first baby?

Not to listen to anyone who tells you your baby should be in a routine by a certain age! All babies are so different, and you just have to embrace that some sleep, some don’t. Enjoy them while they are little enough to let you :)

Don't listen to anyone who tells you your baby should be in a routine by a certain age! All babies are so different.

Enjoy them while they are little enough to let you

You have two gorgeous daughters, and another baby on the way – what do you think are the most important lessons you’ve learnt about having children young?

To always trust your instincts and put your child and yourself before anyone else. Never do anything or let your child go anywhere that you’re not comfortable with!

Your fiancée, Brett, is clearly a huge part of your life – how did you two meet?

Haha I’m not proud to be saying this, but on social media :)

Nothing to be ashamed of at all! Social media is the new "we met at a pub".
What’s your number one piece of relationship advice?

Communicate communicate communicate! You can never know how one another is feeling unless you express it in some way and let the other person know your wants and needs as a partner.​​​​​​​

Your social media is filled with stunning photos, how did you get into photography?

I definitely wouldn’t class myself as a great photographer, I would just say I work with the cutest models Lailah and Zaylee! They’re so much fun, I love taking a million photos of them all dressed up but also photos and videos that no one sees. Special little family moments.

They always say never work with children and animals - what are your tips and tricks for getting such beautiful shots of your girls?

I would have to say bribery haha. My girls are also really, really close so they kind of love playing together and having their photos taken.

A lot of women struggle with maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle when they have a family to care for, have you managed to find a way to balance these?

Oh I have zero balance, I definitely am not in my ideal place with my body, but this is my third pregnancy in 3 years so I try to not beat myself up too much. This baby will be my last, so after that I will take time to look after myself again.  

How old are you and what’s your favourite animal?

I’m seven and my favorite animal is a turtle because they have a nice cozy shell to hide in and when they are swimming in the ocean and if a shark attacks they can turn their back to the shark and they can’t eat them because of their hard shell!

Who is in your family and do you have any pets?

My mum and dad, my two brothers Sonny and Tex and my cute sister Scout. I have two dogs Chad and Boss, three chickens called Brown Sparkles, Beyoncé and Whitey (unnamed) and a blue tongue lizard called Puff.

You’ve been doing a lot of modelling this year, what do you love most about it?

I love going to new places and meeting new people. And I loooove clothes!

What’s your favourite food?

I really like Italian food, my Dads spaghetti Bolognese is the best! Oh and hot chocolates and mango.

Your favourite outfit ~ Pretty dresses or Jeans and t-shirt?

Jeans and T-shirt

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to be a make-up artist like putting make-up on people just before they go on stage for ballet.

Where is your favourite holiday spot?

I have a few favorite camping spots like the Flinders Ranges, Scott’s Head and Pebbly Beach buy I love going to Yamba as well.

What are you looking forward to most this Summer?

Holidays!!! Swimming at the beach and picnics.

What advice would you give other kids thinking about doing modelling?

Just be yourself and be natural.