The 'Beyond the Bump' co-host has conceived a chic coastal abode in Tweed Heads for her growing family.
Inside Podcaster Sophie Pearce’s Chic Family Home on Cabarita Beach
The 'Beyond the Bump' co-host has conceived a chic coastal abode in Tweed Heads for her growing family.
Welcome to The Makers. Each week, we’re celebrating innovators, artisans, and crafters of all types, taking you on a private tour of their creative spaces. For this instalment, we tour the creator and host of Beyond the Bump podcast, Sophie Pearce's home.
In a saturated market like podcasting, finding your point of difference is crucial to your success. For Sophie Pearce, leaning into an area she's passionate about – motherhood – and focusing on creating content that makes women feel good and understood was a winning formula.
Sophie studied medicine and worked at a local hospital as an intern and resident doctor for two years. During her maternity leave, she pivoted her career path, grew her Instagram account, and began designing a coastal Airbnb called 'Grounds of Cabarita' in Cabarita Beach, Northern NSW. During her second pregnancy, she launched the much-loved podcast Beyond the Bump, alongside co-host Jayde Couldwell.
"Our whole premise for the podcast is to try to make women, mums-to-be, and mothers feel lighter and more understood," she shares with Bed Threads Journal. Each episode focuses on less-discussed areas of womanhood and features an expert or someone with personal experience in that area to share their knowledge.
No stranger to creating a beautiful house, Sophie and her husband built their family home in the Tweed Shire from scratch. With no distinct style in mind during the design process, the abode is an amalgamation of aesthetics. "I couldn’t even give you a succinct description of what the style is, haha. It's kind of retro, industrial, a bit coastal… nah I don't know," she says. One thing it is for certain though is stunning.
Polished concrete floors and a steel staircase give the home an industrial edge that's softened by sheer curtains and warm timber furniture. The open-plan living, dining, and kitchen area is perfectly designed for a family. The living area features a '70s-style conversation pit and a freestanding fireplace that's perfect for cosy family gatherings. The kitchen boasts a curved central island and chic kit kat tiles in a soft peach hue.
The main bathroom is swathed in blush-toned tiles which inject the space with warmth. Here, a luxurious freestanding bath makes for the perfect spot to unwind at the end of the day before retreating to the soothing primary bedroom with its Sage & Olive Stripe and White linen set against a wavy bouclé bedhead.
We took a tour of Sophie's stylish home and spoke to her about Beyond the Bump and the importance of pursuing a career that feels right for you.
Hi Sophie! This series is called The Makers. What is it that you make?
Thank you so much for coming over! I make a podcast for mothers and women called Beyond the Bump with my beautiful co-host Jayde, I make content for social media, and I made my lovely children with my husband too haha.
How does the act of “making” relate to your personality and who you are?
It’s funny cause prior to this period of my life I would never have described myself as a creative person! I always felt that I was a traditionally academic person with a type A personality, so it has come as a surprise (a very pleasant one) that this is where my career path has ended up!
Tell us about your career journey to date. Did you always know you wanted to pursue this line of work?
Yeah absolutely! I moved up to the Gold Coast from Melbourne when I was about 19! I started studying medicine, finished that degree and started working at a local hospital as an intern and resident doctor. After 2 years of doing that, I left to go on maternity leave and I actually haven’t returned since! During this time my Instagram page was slowly growing and had also started our Airbnb as a bit of a side project. A year after having Poppy, we decided we were nearly ready to start to try to conceive again, and after having had hyperemesis gravidarum with Poppy, I couldn't fathom returning to “normal” full-time work again if I was about to be pregnant again and feeling similar, so I took further time off. During my second pregnancy, Jayde and I launched our podcast Beyond the Bump and it really took off! And yeah that's what I have been doing ever since and still at this stage I don’t know if I will ever return to medicine. Never say never, but I am absolutely loving what I am doing right now!
Talk us through your creative process. Where do you start?
I just like to create content that makes people feel good and understood! Our whole premise for the podcast is to try to make women, mums-to-be, and mothers feel lighter and more understood. So we go into each episode thinking, what is an area of womanhood that isn’t talked about enough and who can we talk to who’s an expert in that field or had a personal experience with that journey that we can speak to.
What’s been the single most crucial tool or strategy you’ve used to further your career?
Just doing what feels right rather than what I “should” be doing! I have had so many people completely shocked that I “studied for all that time” and am not working in the field. But right now working as a doctor doesn’t feel right for me and that just gives me fire to give even more to the more unconventional path that I am currently following.
What’s been the most challenging lesson learnt so far in your career?
That if you’re going to talk about things that are meaningful you are going to have people that disagree with you. I am a massive people pleaser and hate confrontation, and have had to come to terms with the fact that the space of birth, parenthood, and pregnancy comes with lots of strong opinions from people and that is okay!
What’s been the best thing that’s happened to you since you started your career?
The connections I have made with other women through producing the podcast that we do. Whether that be guests or listeners, it is an absolute privilege to speak with people and have them divulge such personal (often shared) experiences.
It has also created such a flexible work life that I will be forever grateful for in these precious young years of my babies’ lives.
Do you have a single piece of advice you’d give to your younger self or someone looking to pursue a similar line of work?
To my younger self – as I said earlier, just do what feels right for you, not what people think is right for you! To someone looking to get into the podcast space, do something DIFFERENT haha. It is such a saturated space now but there is room for everyone! You just have to think about what you can give that is unique.
Now, the home stuff. How long have you lived in your home?
We moved into our home in April 2022.
How did you initially know this was the space for you?
We built it, so we created it to be for us haha. We bought the block of land when I was pregnant with Poppy (who’s nearly 5), so five and a half years ago. We actually did a letterbox drop around the area that we wanted to buy in. We put a note in about 40 different houses' letterboxes, thinking we’d hear back from approximately 10% of the people, even if just out of curiosity. And we heard back from NO ONE! After about a month, we finally got a single call back from the lovely man who owned our house before us and we ended up buying it from him. We did plans for two lots of renovations, then a set of plans to knock it down and build a single dwelling for us and then finally did our plans for a duplex which is what we went with and now very happily live in!
Did you do any renovations or make any big changes after moving in?
Yes, we built it from scratch!
What was the thought process behind the way you’ve styled the interior?
Honestly, I don't even know! We just went for what we liked. I couldn’t even give you a succinct description of what the style is, haha. It's kind of retro, industrial, a bit coastal… nah I don't know. But that's the crux of it, all our furniture, styling pieces etc. have been chosen cause that's what we like, nothing more, nothing less.
What are your favourite pieces in the home?
The sunken lounge is definitely one of my favourite features! It was built out of necessity because we needed a set down somewhere on the lower level, but then fast became the best “must” ever. I also absolutely adore the folded steel staircase. I fell in love with a set of stairs on Pinterest but didn’t know if they were going to be actually possible in terms of construction or finances and they ended up better than I could EVER have managed.
Do you have any special décor pieces you’re looking to add?
We are still currently looking for artwork for a few walls but that's something that we don't want to rush. We would love to add some more colour to the walls!
We are also about to order a custom-made Den Holm bench seat for our bedroom which I cannot wait to see (as I am in love with our ‘KitKat’ coffee table from him) AND we have just ordered a custom outdoor setting from Fearon, that should arrive before Christmas, so I cannot wait to spend many summer evenings out there very soon!
Which is your favourite room in the house?
Ohh that's hard. I would say the downstairs kitchen, dining, and living area. It was important for us that this was all open and flowed into one another which I think we have achieved really well. Nick is really into cooking and we entertain a lot so we wanted to make sure that no one ever feels “stuck” in the kitchen and that it's just a continuation of where everyone is mingling/chatting.
What are your top tips for a well-styled bedroom, and home generally?
I think to start off simple and with forever pieces then add from there. Add bold/bright touches in pieces that can be changed/moved about i.e. bed linen, cushions, homeware items, and artwork. And just buy things that you like rather than what you always see on Instagram or are trending at the time!
Do you have any projects coming up you want to talk about?
Yes, I am currently baking a baby haha. She’s enough of a project for now right?? We are due to have our third baby girl in January 2023, so I think that will keep my hands full enough for the time being but check back in soon, we are always scheming something new!
For more from Sophie follow her at @svpearce @beyondthebump.podcast
Photography by Lynden Foss. Styling by Audrey Won.
