Water through wellness: a personal journey with co-founder Janet Parker

Water through wellness: a personal journey with co-founder Janet Parker

Some businesses start with a big idea, others with a personal revelation. For zazen Water co-founder Janet Parker, this revelation came in the form of a beautiful black labrador called Murphy-Brown. 

After being told her six-month-old puppy needed to be put down due to debilitating hip issues, Janet looked everywhere for help, until her sister suggested something almost incredulous: had she tried water?

“I always had a focus on health and fitness. I grew up in New Zealand, where as kids, we swam and drank from crystal clear natural springs,” says Janet. “But I hadn’t thought about water since then. Wasn’t water just water?”

Her sister wasn’t talking about just any water – she was talking about filtered, alkaline, living water, like the water in the natural springs we drank from as kids - and Janet was curious to find out more.

Becoming water wise

Curiosity for how things work to benefit others has always driven Janet’s career. From her sales training at Xerox and consulting work in New York’s telecommunications industry, to founding a company that pioneered internet and telephone banking in Australia and New Zealand, she has always had a thirst for knowledge and a talent for understanding the complex and making it simple through storytelling. She’s also fiercely loyal.

After a series of family medical emergencies, including the death of her mother within 90 days of a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, Janet channelled the discipline, focus and instinct that drove her career in business, and began immersing herself in the world of health and wellness.

“I started to research, because that's what I do,” she says. 

Janet sourced an alkaline mineral water filter system from Japan, and within a month, Murphy-Brown went from dragging her legs at the end of the day to running and playing. 

At the time, Janet was working with colleague Vanessa Drummond to establish a values-driven business away from the corporate grind of profit maximisation at any cost.

“We asked ourselves a simple question: if there was one single thing that we did, what could it be that would impact people and families positively?” 

The answer was literally on the table before them: they needed to share their knowledge and the gift of water. 

“We're about bringing awareness of the power of water to heal and help prevent illness and disease,” explains Janet.

Making a splash

Since 2008, zazen Water has been delivering high-quality alkaline water filters to homes around Australia and New Zealand – and Janet remains as passionate about how the right water shapes our health and wellbeing for the better. 

For her, a key highlight of running the business is the legacy clients who are still ordering replacement parts 15+ years after buying their first zazen Alkaline Water Filter system. She prides herself on the team’s incredible customer service and love of what they do every day. 

“We're very clear about our brand values of exceptional customer service and excellent product quality, and we’re the water experts. We’re educators and want to make a difference in somebody's wellness and health journey, whether they buy from us or not.

“Every day is rewarding. We see the five-star reviews come in daily – especially those sharing how a simple thing like changing their water has changed a long-term health condition – and it totally lights everybody's fire in the company. We're making differences in people's lives, just by simply changing the water they drink. It’s rewarding knowing that every zazen Water system that goes out makes a difference.”

Having the right team in place has been core to the company’s success, including fellow co-founder, Vanessa.

“She's very structured. I'm kind of unstructured. I’m a creator with the vision,” Janet laughs. “I'll create something, and she’ll take that and make sure we can do that every day.”

Giving back

When setting up the company, both Janet and Vanessa were clear that they wanted to have a business that was purpose-driven, not just profit-focused. And with so many nieces and nephews, Janet was determined to contribute to the health and wellbeing of the next generation. 

“I said to Van: ‘right. We need to do something’,” she says.

“We found most children didn’t drink enough water because they didn’t like the smell or taste of it, especially from bubblers.”

Core to establishing a values-driven business, they set up the zazen Water Ambassador School Gifting Program. Aimed particularly at primary schools in rural areas, the program gives children free access to high-quality, great-tasting water via a zazen Alkaline Water System in their classroom, and educates them on the importance of water so they can experience how good it can taste and how it helps improve the way they feel, perform and behave. Kids get it!

“We’re about helping children develop lifelong water wellness habits in the classroom and the home” she says. 

“zazen Water customers who are parents of primary school children are able to nominate their school if the school is open to us putting alkaline water filtration systems into every classroom. We fund them, we send the replacement filters every six months automatically and the parents or local wellness advocate help maintain them. No advertising. No cost to the school,” says Janet. 

This program is 100 per cent funded by the zazen Water business; for every product sold, a portion of the profits goes directly toward providing schools with clean, nourishing alkaline water.

For Janet, the school program is a core part of her passion for what she does. 

“I wake up every morning grateful for the water in my life and being able to share the knowledge and gift of it.” 

Learn more about Janet’s personal journey with water wellness.