About Alana Jade Studio, Australian website design

I've been plant-based (and vegan for some of this time) for almost 20 years – I made the choice for animal rights. Veganism was the first step in my quest for freedom from the status quo, as I began to question why, as a society, we do things in certain ways. My whole life shifted as I started to break out of that mould. And, a little-known fact: my lil’ sister and I used to write a vegan food blog.

A volunteering trip to Costa Rica in 2011 helped set my life on a new path. I spent two weeks walking the beach, protecting endangered sea turtle nests and helping research teams collect critical scientific data. This incredibly inspiring time cemented my love for conservation and inspired me to start a university degree when I got home.

In my late 20s, I studied science, majoring in ecology. But soon after graduating, I realised I wasn’t cut out to be a scientist. So I started searching for another way to channel my passion for protecting our earth, while also capitalising on my systems design experience and love for creating beautiful things. (Yep, you guessed it: website design for eco-conscious businesses was my eventual landing place.)

In 2014, I travelled 30,000km solo around Australia in an old van called Walter. All that time out there in the fresh Australian air, with my bare feet on the earth, helped me reconsider my values and get crystal clear on what’s important to me.  I share about that time in this podcast eposide. In 2021, I lived and worked full-time in my campervan again. And in 2023, I spent the summer campervanning through Germany, Italy and France. Suffice to say, I LOVE van life.

In 2018, while suffering severe burnout, I spent two months in a remote eco-village in Vanuatu. There, I did absolutely nothing but swim naked in the crystal clear river, meditate, walk through the organic food gardens and ponder life. I was introduced to a raw food diet and fasting, and healed some long-standing health issues. It was nothing short of life-changing.

I’m a minimalist – in both life and business. My experience with severe personal burnout in 2018 prompted major changes to my work approach. I’m now an advocate for calm, kind, sustainable and intentional business practices. I regularly share tips and thoughts about how to do business differently – because I believe we all benefit from a more sustainable approach.

I'm an absolute homebody but also live for freedom and adventure (all the contradictions!). I currently live and work between Brisbane, Australia and Koh Lanta, Thailand. To support this digital nomad lifestyle, I’ve deliberately cultivated a business approach that is calm and flexible enough to travel with me wherever I go. And I teach other web designers how to do the same using my website designer document toolkit.

I’ve hosted two podcasts – She Makes Magic and Untangled. This work focused on telling stories of women choosing the road less travelled and living a life with more freedom and joy. I also created Ignite: Podcasting for Changemakers, a comprehensive program and online community that supported 70+ women to create and launch their podcasts.

I started playing the clarinet at age 13 and was eventually accepted into a prestigious music university. But I chose to quit music altogether because I suffered terrible stage fright. Twenty years passed and I didn’t play a single note. Then I met my partner, who gradually encouraged me to play with him. These days, we perform together as Latootz Band, a quirky combo of clarinet, ukulele, harp and husky vocals.

Born in 1981, on Christmas eve (I'll let you do the math), I might look young, but I've actually got 20+ years of experience working with all sizes of businesses – small sole traders, medium level businesses with 100k mailing lists and, as a senior business consultant with big corporations and major government departments. So don't let my face fool you (ha!). I bring all that experience into every project.