We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bonny Hall and Vicki Jackson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Bonny and Vicky, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Our work ethic has been shaped by more than 40 years of combined experience in the retail industry, where we were fortunate to learn every aspect of building and growing multi-million-dollar international businesses from the ground up. We both started at entry level and developed our skills through hands-on experience- Vicki began as a trainee at Clarks, while Bonny was part of the startup journey at Lovehoney. Those early roles taught us the value of hard work, curiosity, resilience, and continuous growth.
Working from a young age also had a major influence on our mindset. Bonny’s mother designed hats and sold them at Glastonbury Festival in the 1990s, and Bonny helped on the stall from her early teens. Vicki’s first experience came on the shop floor, working as a Saturday sales assistant in various high street stores as a teenager. Those early jobs instilled energy, discipline, and a strong appreciation for customer service.
At the same time, our careers taught us the importance of balance. We’ve learned that real success includes knowing when to switch off, recharge, and protect your wellbeing. That lesson has become central to our new journey with AYA, where we’re putting everything we’ve learned into a brand that helps others create moments of calm and relaxation in a world increasingly affected by stress and burnout. We’ve always had a passion for creating and selling products, and now we’re channeling that passion into something with real purpose.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
At AYA, we bridge the gap between ancient wellness wisdom and modern lifestyle technology. We’ve created a range of handheld massagers inspired by the ergonomic, time-tested shapes of traditional massage tools, then reimagined them using body-safe tactile silicone and gentle vibration technology.
What makes AYA special is that our focus isn’t aggressive muscle recovery or the high-impact wellness trends often seen in gyms. Instead, we’re centred on light massage, nervous system regulation, and genuine relaxation. Our products are designed to help people slow down, reconnect with themselves, and build positive self-care rituals into everyday life.
One of the most rewarding parts of our journey has been seeing how people respond to the tactile nature of the products. We love that we’ve taken forms that have supported healing practices for thousands of years and made them accessible for modern life, whether someone uses them at their desk, during meditation, or before bed.
We also believe wellness products should look beautiful as well as function beautifully. Every AYA product is intentionally designed to feel premium, calming, and meaningful.
We’re currently in an exciting stage of growth. We’re expanding our product range with new shapes and technologies, while also growing our retail presence in boutique wellness spaces. We’re also preparing to launch our Reset Room on the AYA website, a dedicated space for guided meditation, massage techniques, and modern self-care routines.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The first has been a commitment to growth and continuous learning. Throughout our careers, we’ve both held roles that challenged and developed us, and over time that drive evolved into a desire to build something of our own. We still see learning as essential, especially as founders navigating new challenges every day.
The second has been commercial awareness and consumer insight. Understanding what customers truly need, spotting gaps in the market, and turning those insights into viable products has been critical. Great ideas only become successful when they solve real problems in a meaningful way.
The third has been resilience and flexibility. Creating a physical product in a world dominated by apps and software comes with unique hurdles – from refining moulds and materials to ensuring motors are quiet, safe, and effective. There were many prototypes that didn’t make the cut, and bringing AYA to life required persistence, patience, and a willingness to keep improving until we reached the right result.
Another area that has also been invaluable to us is technical product knowledge. Through our years spent at Clarks and Lovehoney, we gained deep experience in design, sourcing, manufacturing, compliance, testing, packaging, and global distribution. That expertise gave us the confidence to create products that are not only beautiful, but functional and compliant at an international level.
Finally, collaboration has been central to everything we do. Personality assessments throughout our careers consistently identified collaboration as one of our strengths, and we’ve found that to be true. Building a brand requires openness, shared problem-solving, and knowing when to seek outside expertise. No one has every answer, and recognising that saves both time and money.
What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Our advice for anyone early in their journey is to build strong relationships with your manufacturers, suppliers, and engineers early on. Ask questions, understand their limitations, and treat them as partners. The best products are built through collaboration, and precision takes time.
Make sure your brand, website, and product are telling the same story. When every touchpoint aligns, you’re not just selling an item, you’re creating an experience people can connect with.
We would also advise anyone starting out on this journey to slow down. Startup culture often celebrates speed, but rushing can lead to poor decisions. Especially if like AYA, your brand is rooted in wellness, calm, or quality, your process should reflect those values. Thoughtful growth is often stronger than fast growth.
We’d also recommend focusing on one hero product first. Solve one clear need exceptionally well before expanding your range. Listen closely to user feedback, gather real-world insights, refine the product, and then grow from that foundation.
And finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help. So many generous people have supported us with their time, advice, and expertise. The startup and entrepreneurial community can be incredibly supportive if you’re willing to reach out, learn, and contribute in return.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
Having each other has been one of the biggest advantages on this journey. Building a brand from scratch can be an emotional rollercoaster, and having a co-founder who understands the highs and lows makes a huge difference. We’ve also been incredibly fortunate to have a close network of family, friends, and trusted experts who’ve offered honest feedback, practical help, and ongoing encouragement.
For Bonny, the founders of Lovehoney played a major role in shaping the skills that ultimately helped bring AYA to life. Being trusted to source, design, and develop products and having the freedom to build an award-winning global portfolio with a talented team, was a rare and formative experience. It also showed how powerful it can be when a startup culture encourages creativity, trust, and fun.
For Vicki, spending more than 20 years at Clarks was hugely influential. Working in product-led roles within a culture of empowerment gave her the autonomy to make decisions, learn from mistakes, and build a strong sense of accountability and resilience that continues to shape how she approaches challenges today.
For both of us, travel and global experience have also been invaluable. Throughout our careers, we embraced opportunities to work internationally, immerse ourselves in different cultures, and build a strong worldwide network. That broader perspective has helped us think creatively, stay adaptable, and build a brand with global relevance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://discoveraya.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discoveraya/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/discoveraya
Image Credits
Dan Pix
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