“I just feel like I’m living my absolute dream honestly,” so says 22-year-old Helayna Lucas as she soaks up the late morning sunshine out the front of her very own store on an island in Queensland. Inside the walls are lined with clothes and crystals, along with herbal teas and self-made silver jewellery that create a sense of calm.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Helayna became a self-taught silversmith in isolation. COVID-19 continues to impact countless local businesses, but in this case time away from the regular rhythm sparked a life-changing decision.

Her new hobby of making rings and necklaces gave her the inspiration she needed to take the leap and start her business. “I didn’t think that it was achievable at such a young age, but it is: anything you set your mind to you can do,” she says.

When opening her business, Helayna wanted the vessel she’s in to be strongly grounded in the earth. That notion combined with her passion for feminine embodiment is how Earthly Feminine was born.

“Everything that’s in here is just every part of me … I’m passionate about it. I don’t sell anything that I don’t like,” Helayna says.

From seeing a vacant store in Woorim on Bribie Island to transforming it into an alternative, mystical boutique in the span of 10 days, Helayna vividly remembers the surreal emotion she felt on opening day in April. Earthly Feminine didn’t truly feel like it was hers until the bills started kicking in about a month later.

Earthly Feminine stocks the products of 13 local businesses including organic and sustainable t-shirts from Alchemy, candles inspired by different locations on Bribie made from The Bribie Creative, and local paintings. Helayna says Bribie Island is a beautiful place to have a business because of the support in the community.

As a young adult, a big challenge for Helayna has been the business being full time and constant. “When I first came into this, I was like ‘I can’t wait to be my own boss and, you know, have days off…’ but there’s no such thing, so that is probably the biggest struggle is that you let go of your social life.”

Opening a boutique as winter was approaching also caused Helayna to stress about if her business would succeed. Some days she opens the store, and no one comes in for two hours and that’s when she starts self-sabotaging.

“But it’s mind over matter always, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel,” Helayna says.

Helayna infused passion into the business which has transformed it into a reflection of her. She still constantly considers what is next and focuses on the business side of Earthly Feminine. She is also a fully qualified Reiki master. “Reiki healing is energy healing… basically tapping on different points… on your body and bringing up different emotions and different traumas and letting that go.” Helayna says that she does Reiki by appointment in the store before opening hours.

When Helayna was younger and her Mum introduced her to crystals, there was an instantaneous connection. She knew she wanted to incorporate crystals in the store because of the belief that they can take people to different places through manifestation.

Helayna manifested her dream career her whole life and now that is exactly what she has.

“It’s not until I think you have an experience with a crystal for yourself that you go ‘oh wow this does work and does do something’,” Helayna says.

Crystal gridding is important for Helayna’s manifestation and intention setting. She uses her store as an avenue to teach her passion and instil its power into the minds of others through a crystal gridding workshop held in the store after hours. “It was so good to teach people something that’s helped me a lot within my spiritual path and then pass… that information onto them.”

Helayna plans to continue integrating her business with her passions through creating a women’s circle out of Earthly Feminine, consisting of meditation, breath work classes, yoga, and sound healing. “A lot of my Reiki clients I feel like are looking for a sense of community with other women and that was what my intention was when I opened up here.”