Wellness with Layere Founder @katherine
Katherine Beard is the founder of @layere.co a non-toxic clothing brand focused on organic cotton and skin-first design. With a background in biomedical science, she blends evidence-based thinking with ancestral wisdom to create clean, flattering staples made without PFAS and harsh dyes. She lives in Austin and shares daily wellness tips online.
Q: If you could share one piece of wellness advice with women looking to improve their health, what would it be?
A: Start with your gut. It is your second brain, it talks to your nervous system, affects hormones, and shifts mood and energy. When I prioritized gut health, everything else clicked: skin, hormones, focus. For me that meant cutting sugar, gluten, and seed oils, eating clean fats and protein, and adding real probiotics and fermented foods daily. It is also why I build my nontoxic clothing brand Layere the way I do. Lower toxic load in what you wear and what you eat, let your gut feel safe, and the body follows.
Q: A morning (or evening) ritual you swear by? How do you start or end your day to feel grounded, balanced, and clear-headed?
A: Every morning, I go outside without touching my phone or any screens for at least the first hour after waking up. I just got a puppy, so that routine comes naturally now, but even before that I made it a point to step outside, take a few deep breaths, and say a short prayer of gratitude. It instantly shifts my mindset from “what I need” to “what I already have.” That small moment of presence sets the tone for the entire day. Calm, grounded, and grateful.
Q: As someone with a background in biomedical science, how do you bridge the gap between evidence-based wellness and intuitive, holistic living?
A: I think about this a lot. It can feel like there’s a divide between conventional medicine and holistic health, but they work best together. Science gives us data; intuition and nature give us context. When you pair peer-reviewed evidence with ancestral wisdom, they often agree.
I grew up in Poland, where raw garlic with honey was a remedy passed down for generations. Now we know why: garlic’s allicin shows antibacterial and antiviral activity, and honey is rich in antioxidants and soothing enzymes. Intuition validated by science.
I use the same lens for my non-toxic clothing brand, Layere. Pure cotton and linen have served people for thousands of years because they breathe and are gentle on skin, while petroleum-based fabrics like nylon, polyester, and acrylic are recent (1940s). Dermatologists still steer sensitive or eczema-prone skin toward natural, breathable 100% organic cotton to reduce heat, sweat, and friction. We already apply that logic to babies by choosing organic cotton for their delicate skin and developing immune systems, yet we forget our own skin lives in fabric all day too. That’s why our choices at Layere are simple and defensible: predominantly organic cotton, low-impact color, and designs that keep skin comfort front and center.
Q: What's your favorite Juna product and how do you incorporate it into your everyday routine?
A: My favorite Juna product is the Chlorophyll Drops. I add a dropper to my water every morning. It’s such a simple ritual but it makes me feel refreshed and clean from the inside out. Chlorophyll supports detoxification, gut health, and energy, so it perfectly fits my non-toxic, gut-focused lifestyle. At night, I take the Nightcap Sleep Gummies. They give me the deepest, most restful sleep. I love that they use plant-based ingredients like tart cherry, wild jujube, chamomile, and a micro-dose of phytomelatonin instead of synthetic melatonin, so I wake up calm, clear, and never groggy.
Q: Layere is built around creating a healthier environment from the inside out — what’s one small, everyday swap you wish more people would make?
A: If I could ask for one tiny daily shift, it would be this: read your clothing labels like you read your food labels. Polyester, nylon, acrylic… that’s just plastic. Most “performance” pieces are plastic that sheds micro and nanoplastics with every wear and wash. Those particles sit on warm, porous skin, can carry dye residues, and can act like endocrine disruptors. Swap one thing you wear every day for a clean natural fiber and you’ll feel the difference on your skin and in your routine.
That’s the heartbeat behind Layere. We build pieces your body can trust, using 100% organic cotton for underwear, loungewear, and pajamas, and 95% organic cotton with 5% spandex for activewear, all colored with low-impact dyes and made without PFAS or the usual mystery chemistry. Simple, flattering staples, cleaner inputs, fewer plastics next to your skin. Start with the layer closest to your body, then keep going.
Q: When was the last time you felt truly inspired — and what sparked it?
A: The last time I felt truly inspired was when I held the first finished sample of our organic cotton activewear. At that moment I remembered why I started Layere: clothes that are safe for skin, clean for the body, and made ethically from start to finish. Feeling the fabric, then reading DMs from women who switched to natural fibers and saw calmer skin and fewer irritations, lit a fire in me. It confirmed that small daily choices add up. Layere exists to make those choices easy, beautiful, and trustworthy.
Q: Current Favorite Book/Podcast/Playlist/App?
A: Brain Maker by Dr. David Perlmutter.
It’s a powerful reminder that your gut shapes your mood, focus, and long-term brain health. My biggest takeaways: crowd your plate with probiotic and prebiotic foods, cut sugar, and be thoughtful with antibiotics and ultra-processed oils. I’ve doubled down on fermented foods, mineral-rich bone broth, and daily outdoor time for stress and circadian balance. It aligns perfectly with how I live and why I build Layere from the inside out: support the microbiome, lower the toxic load, and your mind follows.
