Inspired by: Hayley, Founder, The Daily Pretty
Interview by Sarah Fritz
Hi Hayley, can you please give us an overview of The Daily Pretty, the business and your role?
The Daily Pretty is an online empowerment platform and community for women who are showing up, stepping up and realising their true worth and capabilities. Our platform includes our blog and podcast, dedicated to empowering women in business and their careers as well as championing positivity, self love and living an inspired and healthy lifestyle. We do this though features, interviews and collaborations with amazing women who are navigating their way and making moves on their own terms and working with brands and partners that align with our mission and values.
Where did the inspiration come from to start your own business? When did it launch and what have been the biggest highlights on your journey so far?
I was inspired to start TDP for a couple of reasons. I went through a period when I was really questioning myself, my capabilities and potential. It was an interesting time because I felt like I had let myself be put in a box in my career and this started to affect my self confidence. A big game changer was someone said to me “You are capable of so much more than what you are limiting yourself to, why?". Then I did some deep self reflection and decided I wanted to do something for myself while helping others – particularly women. I wanted to teach women who may be experiencing the same limitations as me to believe in themselves and realise their true potential. In other words, to not let others dictate what you can and can’t do! Since starting out, my career has been in corporate, so I wanted a creative and fun space to share my expertise while delivering value, support and a #girlsquad cheering each other on every step of the way! Professional development should be engaging, vibrant and energising, which is what I aspire TDP to be every day. My background in corporate management roles, mentoring and strategy was the connector to the creative component, so I wanted to utilise my skills and experience to create a platform for others to engage with, learn from and gain value in their daily lives. Whether it be a motivational quote, an interview with a #girlboss who has been on a similar journey to them, a fun #girltalk chat or some serious business and career advice from women who have lived it and love what they do on the podcast.
We are completely OBSESSED with your personal mantra 'Gratitude, Good Vibes and Girl Power'! Tell us how you actively live this amazing personal ethos.
Thank you! Gratitude has played a massive part in the transformational time I experienced. It is one of the simplest yet effective tools you can use to encourage a positive growth mindset; particularly in today's society when there's always an element of comparison, needing more and keeping up with others. Gratitude is a reminder of how far you have come, what is amazing in life right now and to stop and appreciate what you have and who you are and to live in the moment. Appreciate the small things as they often mean the most! Good vibes for me is a mindset. You have two choices: try and see things in a positive way or a negative way. Of course there are challenges and tough times, that's life, but how you choose to interpret and react to a situation, challenge or opportunity is completely up to you to decide. You have control and a choice! I have unleashed girl power within myself after letting my light dim for awhile – it's back and I'm so happy about it!
We started Yes Queen to end workplace bullying and cultivate cultures that are safe, positive and inclusive. You are championing this on TDP by giving a platform for ambitious people to connect + grow. What are three ways we can drive more connection in the workplace?
There are so many! I think with increased pressures in the workplace comes a huge responsibility to drive connection. People are expecting it these days and so they should!
1. Culture initiatives: Things like 'lunch and learn', where employees can come along to a session about something topical in the business, enjoy a healthy lunch and engage with their team. Other ideas include morning teas and good conversation, and recognising achievements and milestones.
2. End workplace bullying: Being clear on what the workplace values are, then communicating them engagingly and effectively. Plus, having team members who live these values and champion them. I find cultures that are true to their values and actually act on them (rather than just having words on a page) usually have very little or non-existent bullying in the workplace.
3. Get out of the office: A social event outside the office or a fun team building activity can go a long way to encourage inclusivity and positivity.
Our leading focus with Yes Queen is wellness at work. How do you balance career, business and a healthy lifestyle?
The biggest thing I have come to learn is that it ebbs and flows.
Be realistic with your time and what you can do when. It's okay to take a break and it's okay to knuckle down and push through when you need to, but listen to your body and find what works for you. I schedule everything and am a self confessed list addict! (It's actually a running joke at home.) It's also important to listen to your close circle. It’s easy to get consumed by what you’re doing because you are passionate about it and not be able to see if it is affecting you in a not so positive way. It can be hard to hear, but take their advice – it's coming from a place of love.
We agree with the social post on TDP that says "It's not about perfection. It's about showing up”. How do you 'show up' on the days that are a little more challenging?
Coffee? Ha ha. But seriously, there are days when I am unmotivated, overwhelmed and just not feeling it! It's important to recognise that that's okay and go with it. If you’re not feeling creative, tackle more admin based tasks that don’t drain your creative side, and vice versa. If I'm looking at my schedule and feel like the best value I'm going to get is by doing design or planning – I go with it. Sometimes you can't be flexible if you have a deadline, so in those cases you just have to suck it up and get it done! Nine times out of ten I'll actually feel a lot more motivated after completing something.
10k followers on TDP is MAJOR! How have you nurtured both the social growth and your community? What are some hot tips for our readers who are trying to be seen and heard in the social landscape?
Thank you so much, I am so grateful that our beautiful community is growing! My four tips tips would be: provide value, be genuine, be patient and be passionate. Be clear on your purpose and how you want to serve your community and provide value, which will continue to grow and evolve over time. From there, if you truly believe in what you are doing and it is your passion, the rest will come! I love the way Instagram is heading with spring cleaning your feed and the removal of likes. It should be a valuable, positive space – which will look different for every user.
Have you always been a self-care and self-love warrior? Do you have any constant rituals you dedicate to yourself?
I've always been interested in these things and made them a part of my lifestyle in varying degrees. My rituals right now are: taking at least 10 minutes each day to practice gratitude and reflect on what is making me happy, yoga at least once a week and my nighttime ritual of turning on my diffuser and sleep light about 20 minutes before getting into bed, spraying my pillow with lavender, having no screen time and using natural, beautiful skincare products. Simple but works for me!
There is a rise in entrepreneurship, with more people seeking their 'soul-purpose'. Do you feel like you are living your soul-purpose? And how can others tap into this?
I truly do and it took me awhile to get here. I have always been career-focused and have mentored and provided advice through my own experiences and I love helping other people, so I feel like I have made an organic connection and leap doing this through TDP.
Can you share any exciting plans or dreams for 2020?
Well....we are working on a project right now that is the next extension of our platform after releasing the podcast a few months back. When I started TDP I wrote down three things I wanted to do and this is the third one! Stay tuned!