As the creative mind behind one of Australia’s most popular travel sites, The Vista, Julia Ashwood has a passion for wanderlust, sharing her adventures, family life and inspiration with her army of loyal followers.
Having recently moved from Sydney to Byron Bay after the birth of her daughter, Delilah Bee, Julia is dedicated to living a beautiful, memorable life…
You are the editor and founder of a successful travel website. How has your role changed in your business since becoming a mum?
Having a bub has certainly influenced our direction with THE VISTA. We will still teleport our audiences to adventurous, romantic and wild girls getaways – however there is a lot more information about family-centric travel to be found on the site these days too.
You have previously mentioned that you meditate as often as you can. How do you believe this helps to shape the success of your business?
Meditating for 20 minutes twice a day is great, if you can. However, I am honestly in a far better state of mind if I can just fit in 20 minutes when I wake up. My teacher, Jasson Salisbury, lives locally so it’s great to take part in roundings and refresher courses with him here in Byron Bay. In terms of it shaping business, I feel it’s more about creating a clarity of mind which allows you to focus on the most important parts of your day and therefore makes way for more room for the “sweet stuff”.
You are very well travelled. How has experiencing different cultures changed or impacted your perception of beauty?
We do meet a lot of wonderful people from all different cultures. For me, the same theme remains across continents – beauty certainly comes from within. It’s an approach to life and listening to what your body and mind really needs.
How do you maintain your beauty and wellness routines while traveling?
Meditation is an easy one to take on the road. I always pack my joggers for a morning walk and when I can roll out a yoga mat for morning stretches with a cup of herbal tea. I do tend to wear less makeup when I travel, however I always carry a cleanser and a hydrating moisturiser for the plane.
What does inner beauty mean to you?
The ability to love and to be yourself. This knowing confidence in a woman is so attractive.
Can you give us an example of a time you've listened to your gut instinct?
I was offered a huge creative role in the US just two and a half years ago which I was honoured to receive – however I turned it down as something was “missing”. Turns out, I had just fallen pregnant with Delilah Bee – so I’m not sure if it was my gut or my biological clock in this instance!
What do you do to get your daily GLOW on?
I love Mukti organic skincare, it’s been a favourite for years. A combination of an ocean swim, a quick exfoliant and some Vital C serum and I am out the door (hopefully glowing!)
I just need some time to… have a massage at ‘Comma’ every week!
It's my party and if I want to, I'll… got to bed at 7:30pm and watch Netflix
Honk if you love… tequila!
What does inner beauty mean to you? Join the conversation by heading to @TheBeautyChef
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