Tell us about your family. How Many Kids?
I’m Rebecca Jarvie-Gibbs, co-founder of earned-led culture agency Example and host of Fine Form. I’m married to my husband, Gary, and we have a two-year-old son, Otis.
He’s a total rockstar — calm, charismatic, self-assured and full of joy. A true Libra who thrives on connection. Watching him move through the world with such openness and confidence is the greatest privilege of my life.
Adjusting to motherhood..
Realising that my time and energy needed to be allocated far more deliberately.
Motherhood made my priorities crystal clear.
It also showed me that my nervous system helps shape someone else’s emotional world. That awareness changed how I make decisions, set boundaries and show up.
It asked me to move through life with more intention — and more self-compassion.
How do you manage the juggle?
I don’t really subscribe to the idea of “doing it all.”
I think you can have a full, expansive life, but you can’t give everything all you have, all at once. For me, it’s about getting clear — on a macro level — about what matters most in this chapter of life, and then on a micro level, day by day.
Discipline, boundaries and structure are what create ease later, so I’m intentional with how I plan my time and try not to get swept up in urgency or panic.
Especially in business, it’s easy to mistake doing more for doing it right — I’ve learned that’s rarely true.
I also think it’s important to communicate with the people closest to you, so expectations are clear and resentment doesn’t build. Just as I don’t believe in perfect work-life balance, I don’t believe marriage is ever truly 50/50 — it’s more fluid than that.
Some days it’s 70/30, other days 20/80… it might even be 30/30. You just have to be honest about where you’re at, trust that your partner can carry things when you can’t, and choose patience and care over keeping score.
The best thing about motherhood?
Gosh, there are so many — but probably finding joy in the simplest moments.
The ordinary becomes extraordinary very quickly.
The biggest challenge?
Grieving the maternity leave I thought I would have.
Business pressures meant I didn’t get a traditional newborn bubble and returned to work mode within days of having Otis. I wasn’t always as present as I wanted to be — my mind was often elsewhere.
It was hard, but it taught me early on what truly mattered and what needed to fundamentally change.
The biggest surprise?
That I’m far more pragmatic than sentimental.
I don’t sweat the small stuff the way I thought I would. While I love order and planning, I’m much less rigid around certain things.
I also assumed I’d miss the baby stage, but honestly… I feel like it just keeps getting better. As John Lennon said, “Every day, in every way, it’s getting better and better.”
What do you wish you knew before becoming a mum?
That you can’t pour from an empty cup — and that tending to your own wellbeing is one of the most loving things you can do for everyone around you.
Any advice to a new mum or soon-to-be-mum?
Focus on the present moment over the imagined one.
Any advice to manage the day-to-day juggle?
“Juggle” is such a loaded word for mothers – and before I answer, I want to call out the system that is still fundamentally weighted against women. We’re expected to be fully present at work and fully present at home, and the structures around us don’t reflect that reality.
What I can speak to is what I’ve tried to build within that. Running my own agency means I have flexibility and I extend that same flexibility to the parents on my team without question.
Beyond that: understand what gives you energy and what drains it, then ruthlessly remove the friction. We keep adding to our lives without ever stopping to ask why.
A few other things that have genuinely helped: not absorbing everyone else’s emotional weather as your own; deliberately lowering the bar on things that just need to get done rather than done perfectly; knowing what actually restores you rather than what just looks like rest. And something my husband introduced – tomorrow starts tonight. A simple reset at the end of the day clear the space and close the loops so you’re not dragging today’s weight into tomorrow morning.
How do you manage your time?
I’m routine-driven, so a familiar weekly structure removes an enormous amount of mental load. Gary and I try to align at the start of each week on our non-negotiables – work, exercise, social, family time – and map it into a shared calendar.
What I’ve found is that structure doesn’t restrict you – it actually creates freedom. When everything has a place, there’s room to move when things shift without it all feeling like it’s falling apart.
It also helps to understand your own circadian rhythm and work with it rather than against it. I’m an early riser and my best thinking happens in the morning so that’s when I protect my most important work. But that’s not a blueprint, it’s just mine. The worst thing you can do is force yourself into someone else’s ideal schedule because it looks productive on paper.
The other thing I’ve learned is that a full diary isn’t the same as a full life. Right now, I’m protective of quiet weekends in a way I never used to be.
Who is in your village?
I think the idea of a village is incredibly powerful – and for so many women, it’s essential survival in a system that offers very little structural support.
Truthfully though, I originally struggled to lean into the village concept – not because I’m not surrounded by wonderful people, but because I’ve always found my own way of doing things and find it genuinely difficult to ask for help.
Of course those two things aren’t in conflict – you can believe in the power of community and still be fiercely independent. It’s just something I’m still working on.
At the centre of my world is my husband – a true partner in every sense – and the steady presence of my mum. I have an incredible business partner and a brilliant group of friends, both here and across the world, and I make it a priority to protect time with them. Otis also has some beautiful godparents who are a real constant in his life.
You can’t leave home without:
Laptop, brush, Ellis Faas foundation, NARS Powermatte Lip Pencil, Miu Miu sunglasses… and now colouring-in pencils for my son.
Your favourite holiday spot?
The English countryside in summer. I have a very British sensibility — half my heart is in London — and my husband is a Brit, so it always feels grounding and familiar. There’s something about the English countryside that feels incredibly peaceful.
Closer to home, Byron Bay has been my happy place since I was 11 months old. There’s nothing that makes my heart sing more than seeing my little boy playing on the beach where I grew up.
Next on the travel list?
Sicily — this European summer.
Your favourite brand?
Rixo — dresses are my thing, and no one does a print quite like them.
The trend you’re loving right now
I’m not always the “trendiest” — I know my style and it’s stayed pretty consistent: silk dresses, blazer dresses, long-sleeve minis.
But I do really love colour, so I’m enjoying the return of maximalism, clashing prints, and pieces that feel expressive.
The trend you can’t get on board with
Split-toe footwear. I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum, but I just don’t get it.
And I admire anyone who can make a culotte look chic — on me, it’s giving golf instructor.
Latest brand discovery?
Eyeing off a few beautiful pieces from Bananhot.
Where do you do most of your fashion shopping?
Online — directly from brands or via the likes of Mytheresa, FWRD and Net-a-Porter.
A healthy lifestyle means…
For me, a healthy lifestyle is about alignment. It’s listening to your body, honouring what you actually need and choosing habits that support your energy.
I’ve learned it’s less about rigid rules laced with guilt, and more about self-trust and respect.
How do you keep your body moving?
Pilates — it connects me back into my body and helps regulate my nervous system.
Your top tips for living a healthy lifestyle?
- Prioritise how you feel over how you look
This has been one of the biggest shifts for me. After years of being really hard on myself, motherhood helped reframe things. I’m very mindful of the language I use around bodies, food and diet around Otis — and in doing that, I’ve softened the narrative in my own head too. - Tune in to your cycle
Another big one for me. Understanding how my energy, mood and capacity shift across my cycle has helped me workwith my body, rather than against it. - Move your body in ways that bring you joy
Don’t schlep to the gym if you hate it. Don’t force yourself to run if you dread it all week. Find movement you genuinely enjoy and build your habits around that. Pilates really showed me that exercise doesn’t have to be punishing to be effective. - Keep food simple day-to-day — and enjoy the good stuff when it matters
I love dining out and the ritual of sharing a meal at a great restaurant, but my gut doesn’t always love rich food. Eating simply at home means I can fully enjoy those moments without feeling the effects as much. - Support your body with the basics
Bone broth, electrolytes and IM8s daily.
Do you have any non-negotiables?
Pilates, rising early, and minimising comms first thing.
Chunks of time with little to no alcohol and carving out moments of stillness with my son.
What does ‘balance’ mean to you?
Being disciplined when it matters, gentle when it doesn’t — and trusting yourself enough to know the difference.
