I studied journalism and worked as a beauty editor, writing for women's lifestyle magazines such as InStyle, Harper's BAZAAR and Cosmopolitan before venturing into the world of digital and all things GrittyPretty.com. I launched Gritty Pretty Magazine in 2014. What Gritty Pretty has always sought to serve is to educate, inspire, and empower women all around the world when it comes to all things beauty. After a decade of publishing 40 issues, amassing over 35 million page views and accumulating almost half a million podcast downloads, I made the decision this year to close the chapter on my media business to make way for Gritty Productions to come to the fore – our multidisciplinary boutique content agency. I also have a new venture waiting closely in the wings, which I can’t tell you about yet but am so excited to share with the world soon!

I’m constantly inspired by women – women are the most incredible creatures. I’m inspired by women that I work with, who are so exceptionally creative and talented; and women who comprise my online community and engage with me on a daily basis to discuss all topics from beauty and fashion to motherhood and sustainability. I’m also inspired by the need and drive to constantly create bodies of work that are unique, that are special and that resonate with people.

Day to day, I’m usually dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers or a minimal sandal. If it’s winter, like it is now, then I’ll throw on a timeless black or camel-coloured coat. I live in denim – it’s a go-to for me most weeks.

I think few do it better than Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Elizabeth Damrich and Viky Rader – all exceptionally chic, stylish mothers who defy the traditional ideals of what it means to dress like a ‘mum’. I love following them on Instagram for their style updates.

Majority of my community are women and I would say they are exceptionally supportive and uplifting. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve encountered ‘trolls’ and I think that speaks volumes about the community I’ve really fostered. We, as individuals, are hard-working, we care about our wellbeing, we are passionate about skincare, cosmetics and fragrance but we also give a damn about the environment and political situations on the ground and abroad. I love connecting with my community so much.

When we, as consumers, are making a decision to purchase any product – be it produce, be it a pair of jeans or a new moisturiser, we want to know if it’s good for us and if it’s good for the environment. As a publishing platform, we were well aware that our recommendations, our intention to educate and inspire can also lead to consumerism and so we wanted to develop a Conscious Code, with the guidance of Sustainability Expert, Lottie Dalziel, to help our readers shop online whilst being informed as to whether a specific product was recyclable, refillable, vegan or cruelty-free. We’re most proud of the Conscious Code and do hope other publishers can pick up where we left off.

For the past few years, Gritty Productions has been operating unbeknownst to our reader community. Our team has been producing content and digital marketing campaigns for some of the world’s biggest beauty, fashion and lifestyle brands – we’re most proud of the content we’ve helped to ideate and produce for our clients and their channels. 

When my second child was born, I began to notice an internal shift – I felt out of alignment and really wanted to ensure I wasn’t spreading myself too thin. I wanted to devote my time to people and projects that I could give my time to. Making the decision to close one business to focus on another was an extremely difficult pivot to make but it was the right one, at the right time. I’m delighted to continue working with our clients, making content for them that cuts right through the noise we’re bombarded with on our devices on a daily basis. I love delving into the psyche of these brands, as each is so different, and really becoming an extension of their team throughout the production and post-production process. This shift has also carved space for another venture I have been working on for over two years, which will come to life later this year. 

I’ve learned that bigger isn’t always better – a bigger team can often mean bigger overheads. I’ve always maintained treating my team with the utmost respect and integrity and naturally, I expect that in return. I’ve also learned how important it is to listen to my gut when something or someone isn’t right for the team’s ever important culture. As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned my superpower is trusting people in my team – trusting them to bring their best skill set and their creativity and intelligence to the table because when they’re given the opportunity to shine and rise as opposed to being micromanaged, that’s when magic really happens. 

The best piece of advice I’ve ever received is to embrace your own uniqueness – and that with hard work, you can achieve your dreams.