Meet our featured beauty with brains Karina Hiralal, a student and entrepreneur based in Sydney, Australia. Here is an interview with her.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.

My name is karina hiralal, and I am a 19 year old architecture student at UTS, I have also recently opened my own Business, Island Girl Beauty (@islandgirl.beauty on facebook and instagram). This is a handmade cosmetics business, in which at the moment I only sell lip scrubs, lip balms and lip gloss.

2. You recently started a new venture. What inspired you to start it?

I was inspired to start this business as I needed a way to be able to pay for my university materials without spending too much of my parents’ money, I decided on this specific business because I love lipgloss and other makeup and constantly use it! Because I constantly use it I decided I should be putting more natural items on my face rather than stuff with chemicals. So I decided on making my own products and also sharing them with the community!

3. What is a typical day in your life like?

A typical day in my life is just a chill day! I usually spend time helping my mom out when I am in Fiji or I go out with friends or family to the beach and hotels! When I am in Australia I have university so I go and come back home to work on assignments, occasionally I go out with friends or my sister/other family and enjoy! Also now that I have started my business I will definitely be spending more time on creating more products!

4. Can you share some beauty tips with us?

My number one beauty tip is to stay hydrated and moisturize! It’s so important to keep your skin hydrated and not too oily, I love to have a fresh face because it makes me feel so much more fresh and energetic throughout the day! And of course don’t over pack your skin with makeup, your skin has to breathe too! So I definitely recommend a tinted moisturizer or your moisturizer as a base to keep a natural, light and flawless look!

Meet our featured beauty with brains Aditi Badhe, a physiotherapist based in Sydney, Australia. Here is an interview with her.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a very passionate Physiotherapist and love to engage and interact with people. I like to be at work and in my spare time, I enjoy being with my family and friends.

2. What do you like about your role as a Physio?

I enjoy interacting with people from different backgrounds and to be able to help them recover.

3. What is your advice to women who want to remain pain free, active and healthy ?

My advice is, it is never too late to start considering fitness and improving posture.

Start with a small goal of walking for 15 mins daily and doing 6-mins workouts at home and notice the change in your general health.

Aditi works at private practices at Westmead and Quakers Hill. She has worked as a Physio for 20 years and has gained extensive experience in all areas of Physiotherapy especially in pain.

If you or anyone you know needs a Physiotherapist don’t hesitate to contact her.

Westmead Medical Centre, 160 Bridge Rd, Westmead 2145

Hillside Medical Practice. 14 Douglas Road. Quakers Hill 2763

Mob: 0413 930 633

P: 02 9891 4444

F: 02 9891 1582

E: aditi@activepointphysio.com.au

Web: activepointphysio.com.au

Meet our featured beauty with brains Subhashree Das, an entrepreneur based in Sydney, Australia. Here is an interview with her.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself – your hobbies, dreams and aspirations.

I hail from Jamshedpur, a small town in India with an urbane culture. Being a Bengali meant being culturally inclined towards arts, music and dance. My dream is to leave a legacy of having made a difference in this world. In what way, I am still figuring out. I am an old school romantic enamoured by aesthetics of all that is around me.

2. You own the Australian franchise of The Woven Threads, an organic and ethical fashion brand. Who or what inspired you to start the franchise?

This is a rather interesting story I love to tell. One ‘Durga Pujo’ (Hindu festival) pic of my dear friend, soul sister and owner of The Woven Threads, Pubali, caught my eye. She was wearing a wine red saree with ruffles. The fall and look of the saree was unlike anything I had ever seen before and that says a lot when one has grown up wearing various exotic fabrics from her mother’s wardrobe. I went through more of her pics and was completely besotted by the understated elegance, designs and uniqueness of the dresses she wore from her collection of her brand The Woven Threads. Then I enquired and learnt about the eco-friendly aspect of the brand. Thus the Australian chapter of The Woven Threads was born. Feel free to check out our website:

https://thewoventhreads.com

3. You have overcome many obstacles in your life and have emerged stronger. What is your advice to women going through similar struggles?

Life’s a rollercoaster and the last two years of my life have been a rather bumpy ride. It took a lot of my emotional, physical and mental strength to make some life changing decisions and carry the after-effects arising out of the brand new start I chose for myself. It was tough and not an overnight miracle. The key is to take a long, hard and unbiased look at your life. See if it aligns with what you believe in and are you satisfied with the direction in which your life is flowing? If not then prepare yourself to make some difficult choices to live the life that makes you happy. Practice Self Love and Forgiveness and continuously upgrade your skill set with contemporary times. Also don’t be too critical of yourself. Loosen up and have fun. We never know how many tomorrows we have got, so make the most of your todays.

4. Do you any tips for women who feel unhappy, negative and demotivated; how to stay positive and motivated no matter what life throws at you?

✓ Always choose your own happiness. If you cannot Love your own self no point expecting it from others.

✓ Incorporate any workout that suits you. Endorphins are such a feel good rush.

✓ Embrace pain as a part of Life but try not to be overwhelmed by it.

✓ Don’t hesitate to remove negative people from your circle.

✓ No is a complete sentence. There’s no need to be accountable to everyone around you.

✓ Laugh, be silly and spend time with your girlfriends it recharges your soul’s battery.

Meet our featured beauty with brains Alpana Srivastava, a multi-talented entrepreneur based in Sydney, Australia. Her positivity, success, zest for life and empathetic personality makes her an inspiration to many. She is the owner and chief editor of the hugely successful women’s magazine Sakhi Online (https://www.facebook.com/www.sakhi.online/). She also runs a luxury candles business Sakhi Candles (https://www.facebook.com/sakhicandles/) and is the co-founder of Women In Business (https://www.facebook.com/womenInBusinessWIB/)

a networking and marketing platform for women entrepreneurs and professionals. She is a self-made woman who has proved that with hard work, dedication and the correct attitude, you can definitely reach the peak of success.

Here is an interview with her.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. Your dreams, hobbies, aspirations etc.

I am originally from India and migrated to Australia in 2003. Initially I started my career in the beauty industry and later started a home based candle making business. In the year 2016, I started my dream venture as an editor of Sakhi.Online magazine and am also one of the founders of Women in Business. I am wife to my talented IT professional hubby Dilip, my other half, and a mother of two handsome boys.

My hobbies are socializing, meeting new people, gathering knowledge about the world, fashion and watching TV.

2. Who or what inspires you?

I always admire talented people. I am easily impressed by people who energize me with positive attitude. When a group of people come together because they like something, believe in something, support something or want to create positive change, I am inspired and want to be part of something great as well.

3. What does women empowerment mean to you?

To me, women empowerment means to know what I’m doing is what’s right for myself and being supported. I find it empowering to try something new and make it your own.

4. You run a very successful women’s magazine. Can you tell us how you started it and how you have built it up over the years?

I started Sakhi.Online magazine in 20016 as a way to connect with the Indian Community in Australia with talent, beauty, fashion, recipes tips and businesses. My aim is to inform, inspire, and encourage women to reach their full potential.

I don’t know what exactly inspired me to start this platform. Initially, I wanted to engage with various personalities to understand their perspective on culture, society, & their own journey. I’m always looking for new things to share with my readers that would benefit them and help them towards a simple, easy and fulfilling life!

I’ve met many brilliant and wonderful personalities throughout this journey and have built a wonderful relationship with them.

I love trying new things and sharing them with my readers! If you have an idea for a collaboration, please contact me at editor@sakhi.online so we can discuss the best way to showcase your product or service.

You guys make this an amazing experience. And I thank you for reading, commenting, and being a part of the community here.

Meet our featured little beauty with brains, 9 year old Mahi Sahasrabuddhe, based in Sydney, Australia. She is wise, mature and talented beyond her age and her rap song on girl power is creating quite a buzz. Here is an interview with her.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. Your hobbies, dreams, aspirations etc

First of all, I love to read. Reading is the first thing I do once I come home from school. I feel that reading is a great exercise for the brain. It makes anybody’s imagination go wild. Secondly, I love to draw. I don’t take drawing lessons but, I watch drawing tutorial videos on YouTube and try to self learn. I also think that drawing is a great creative way to exercise my brain. I love to write stories and poems. I am working on my own book. I feel that writing a book is a good way to get better at my writing skills. It’s challenging but, I am still determined to finish writing this book.

2. Your rap song on girl power is becoming extremely popular. Who or what was the inspiration behind it?

Many things and people have inspired me to write this rap. The first thing that inspired me was a character from the book “Harry Potter” and this character is Hermione Granger. Even if she had non-magic parents she was the smartest witch in Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. This taught me that efforts and hard work can do wonders. The second person who inspired me was the author of Harry Potter, J. K Rowlings. She wrote such a wonderful series but she had struggled a lot in her life. But, she still didn’t lose hope. And also most importantly my mom. She is a hard worker who never gives up.She has taught me that you should never give up and you should always do what you feel is right.

3. What do you want to be when you grow up?

When I grow up I want to be many things. I have a dream to be a scientist, a public speaker, and a rapper. Scientist because I love to read about stars, planets, and outer space. Public speaker and rapper because I want to talk and communicate different ideas to the world.

4. These days age doesn’t matter. Even someone as young as you can do their bit towards women empowerment, the environment etc. what are your thoughts on that?

Of course, I agree that age doesn’t matter at all! Whether you are 9 or 90 you can make a difference. I had an idea, I wrote it, performed and shared it on YouTube. This proves that no matter how old we are we can find a way to do what we desire. My parents have taught me that I should always try my best in whatever I do. Even now at their age, I watch them learning new things, trying, failing, but never giving up. I have lots to learn but I am ready to learn. I believe all have the right to choose what we want, to give our opinions and we don’t have to like a certain thing just because we are a certain age or gender. Like I don’t prefer dresses and I am not a fan of pink colour and I feel that’s fine.

Do check out her rap song on YouTube:

Meet our featured beauty with brains Maria Mucciarone, manager at ‘The Salt Room’ (Perth). Here is an interview with her.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. Is there any special incident or experience that you would like to share with us?

I first met Kat from the salt room when she bought something I had advertised on FaceBook Marketplace. I had at that time been at home and ill with Crohn’s Disease since about 2016. Kat asked me to come to her Salt Room to see if it would help. It did, I ended up volunteering to pay for my treatments until a position came up. I have not looked back. Where I could barely walk let alone function before – the salt helped me get rid of much of the infection and has allowed me to return to work, eat better, feel better, and I am almost back to my pre Crohn’s days. Crohn’s never really goes away however I am in remission and my doctor is amazed!!

2. Can you explain to us about what you do and what is salt therapy?

Our grandparents may have been on to something when they used to say the salty sea air was good for our lungs. Salt Therapy, one of the oldest therapies on earth, is currently undergoing tremendous growth with Salt Rooms springing up around the world. Holistic, drug free, and natural, Salt Therapy promotes better breathing, healthier skin, sounder sleep, improved physical fitness, endurance and overall wellness.

A natural cleanser and disinfectant for the body, Salt Therapy is especially good for respiratory (cold and flu, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, cystic fibrosis, hay fever) and skin (eczema, psoriasis, acne, dermatitis) conditions, as well as reducing anxiety and calming the senses.

As you breathe, minerals in the salt are absorbed by the skin and air passages. This helps clear pollens, viruses, toxins, and other pollutants from the body. Negatively charged ionized salt and trace minerals present, naturally draw toxins and impurities from the body reducing inflammation and clearing the lungs and airways. Salt is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antihistamine and antimicrobial – it covers off on everything.

The therapy is also a natural way to help deal with and manage stress, depression and anxiety. Negative ions generated, calm and relax the nerves by promoting abundant oxygen levels in the blood, normalizing breathing and decreasing blood pressure, resulting in relaxation, calmness and better sleep.

Regular Salt Therapy will help strengthen the immune system by improving the function of the cilia in your respiratory tract, protecting lungs from irritation and inflammation, leading to less instances of respiratory illnesses including colds and flu, hay-fever and other bronchial ailments.

When you visit the Salt Room be prepared to relax and step off the planet. The Salt Room atmosphere with its’ dimmed lights and peaceful music provides a serene environment for you to enjoy time to yourself and rest your mind for an uninterrupted 45 minutes. And for the little ones our Indoor Beach is sure to please.

3. What is your advice to women who want to or have just started a healing/ wellness business?

Remember you are helping people. If you keep helping and are coming from the right place in your heart – then everything will work itself out. You might not get rich in a hurry, but the satisfaction of helping and doing the right thing is far more gratifying.

Feel free to check out her website:

www.thesaltroomperth.com.au

Jealousy/ negativity normally stems from an inferiority complex and low self-esteem. People become jealous of you when they feel that they aren’t as good as you or can’t have/ achieve what you have/ achieved.

Here are some tips to deal with jealousy/ negativity.

1. Tell yourself it’s them not you.

Take a breath and remind yourself that it’s not you who has a problem, it’s them. People’s jealousy and negativity are based on their own underlying issues and sadness. You can try to disarm them by making a positive comment or giving them a compliment. If that doesn’t help, then it’s best to ignore and avoid.

2. Don’t tell them about your goals and plans.

Don’t ever tell jealous and negative people about the goals and plans you are currently working on. They may try to mock and de-motivate you. They might even use your plans to try and copy and out-do you. So keep your plans to yourself and keep working on your goals without sharing them with jealous people.

3. Set boundaries

Don’t think that you have to continue to listen to a jealous and hateful person. Set boundaries to distance yourself from such people and make a mental time limit of how long you will engage with a jealous/ negative person, then make some excuse like ‘I have to check on something’ or ‘I have some work to do’ and end the conversation.

4. Be yourself and be positive

No matter how people behave with you, keep being you and doing what you are doing. Keep continuing your life as you are leading it and don’t change to suit others or try to placate them. Stay positive.

Meet our featured beauty with brains Kristy Lee, a HR professional and health coach based in Newcastle, Australia. Here is an interview with her.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a busy mum of 2 healthy beautiful girls 7 & 13. I work full time in HR and have recently turned my new found health and weight loss into an amazing business mentoring & supporting many people through their Gut Health journey. 

2. What are your goals in life?

My biggest goal is to teach my girls to be KIND, to always pay that kindness forward. To show them that we as women can achieve great things if we find something to be passionate about. 

3. Have you achieved them? 

I am certainly on my way to achieving great things with mentoring. Being a Social Marketer and promoting CLEAN LIVING & GUT HEALTH leaves me waking up revived and excited for each new day.

Meet our featured beauty with brains Mala Kanwar, a Businesswoman and Project Management professional based in Sydney, Australia. She holds MBA in International Business and Strategic Management from University of Technology, Sydney. Mala works full time with NSW Government, and juggles multiple roles on a given day – a professional, a businesswoman, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, a friend and more.

Here is her story.

“I’m Mala, I’m the face behind this little biz Velvet along with my very stylish mother in law. I have 2 little guys – 6 year old and 2.5 year old, their daddy, their granddaddy and 1 furry canine Cavoodle.

I’m definitely outnumbered in this house so I make up for the lack of girly-ness by selling dresses! These dresses are channel to my own inner Madame Macron. Don them on and you instantly feel that lift in the way you walk and talk! I share this passion with my mother in law. Doing what we love doing we are a mother in law – daughter in law duo. We are like two beads on a string. We love the same man and we both share panache for styling women. A passion that turned into a business a while ago has dressed many lovely ladies over the last four plus years. We keep getting recommendations and our client’s word of mouth makes us very proud! It helps us do what we love doing.

Velvet initially started for the girls of the house and close friends. The word spread fast and we kept our first ever Velvet sell-out event 4 years ago and there has been no looking back since! Along the way we’ve made many wonderful friends and created our own ever growing velvet family.”

Here is an interview with her.

1. Do you have the secret mantra that you work with when recommending your clients what to choose?

Over the years helping women with different body shapes, I’ve decoded the style principles that apply to and empower women of different age, shape, style, lifestyle or occupation. Whether you are petite or plus size we help you find your own personal style. I personally don’t believe in rules or trends. I simply believe getting dressed should be easier and more joyful everyday activity. So if I may use Marie Kondo’s words here “Does this spark joy?” if it does then wear it with your heart on your sleeve. Velvet’s mantra is “Be inspired, Be Bold, Be the new you!”

2. How do you juggle so many roles in your everyday life?

At least once a week I am asked that magic question “How do you juggle it all?” I usually shrug my shoulders and smile while saying something like “I have no idea, you just do!” Like so many of the women (and men) around me I am ‘juggling’ many aspects to my life- mother, wife, friend, daughter, daughter-in-law, business owner, and professional. Between my husband, in-laws, friends and colleagues there is an amazing village who all play a part, make it possible and I couldn’t do it any other way. I prefer surrounding myself with positive, kind and trusted core who add so much to my life. Life is so short and those closest to us need our support, love and care too so why not fill your days with people who will hold you up rather than pull you back down. My very own village helps me every single day to provide for everyone I love, and I’m indebted to all of them and they know who they are.

3. As a business woman and as a mom is there ever self-doubt?

When it comes to being a mum, running a business and everything else in between, I have come to conclude that believing in yourself is an absolute key. In business, particularly as an entrepreneur, you have to back yourself even when you are not quite sure if you should! I have found the same with motherhood. It is hard (but fun!) and tiresome (but rewarding too) and I have found myself questioning regularly whether I am doing enough or the right thing for my family. In those moments of self-doubt I stop, take a few deep breaths and remind myself that as long as I am doing my best in that moment, that is all I can do. We must believe in ourselves before we can expect anyone else to. So next time you questioning your worth, stop, breath and remind yourself that your best is all you can do.

4. Tell us more about your business, what kind of dresses do you sell, what is your USP?

At Velvet we stock brands like Karl Lagerfeld, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Ivanka Trump, Cynthia Rowley, Tahiri and more. People ask me – why Velvet when they can go out and buy from big retail stores. My reason is –each dress at velvet is unique, and these flattering dresses are exclusive, hand-picked and offer sharp silhouette & classic colours making impact with structured shapes & clean lines, making an impact à la mode! All the dresses are genuine designer dresses and are sourced directly from USA keeping our prices low, and we love to pass on the savings to our customers. All these dresses are under $95. So that’s our biggest USP competing with the retail giants J

5. If you could choose any one female celebrity to dress up, who would it be and why?

I’d rather dress an everyday woman than a celebrity.

I’d love to provide guidance and honest feedback regarding finding her dream dresses/outfits. I’ll provide styling tips for easier joyful everyday dressing and help create looks to add to her wardrobe, tailored to different occasions, figure and taste in line with Velvet’s mantra – “Be inspired, Be Bold, Be the new you!”

Feel free to check out her Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/velvet.dresses.au/

Meet our featured beauty with brains, Harinder Kaur. She is the owner of the Harman Foundation Charity Organisation. Here is an interview with her:

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and how you started the Harman Foundation.

My name is Harinder Kaur. I am an Educationist, social counselor and registered Sikh Chaplain. I am passionate and compassionate, working as an education coordinator for Justice since 1993. I am a mother of three including Harman, wife, and most importantly a survivor.

In 2012 I lost one of my beloved children Harman in a tragic accident; he was the purest of souls and had the biggest of hearts. Through this tragic event we as a family and friends decided to continue his legacy through the founding of the Harman foundation.

2. You are doing a lot to help the less fortunate. What inspires you and motivates you to keep going?

It’s the smile and appreciation on people’s faces that gets me every time, the feeling that you have done something even though may not be big, it’s all about contribution to the community. I feel that this country has given a lot to my family and myself in ways you cannot imagine therefore, I want to give back to those that are in need or need support. I feel that we as a member of society should also adopt that charitable model as a united and diverse community and help those in need like Australia has gifted to us.

Just being able to be there for those that are in need that’s a reward in itself.

The more I indulge into this kind of field, I find that we can do a lot for people in our community. I feel that I haven’t done enough, it is imperative to reach out and encourage others to help towards volunteering to organisations that assist those that are in need.

3. What are the foundation’s goals? Have you achieved them?

Our main aim is to grow further across NSW especially those in remote areas and eventually reach out to other states through our support lines. We also want to strengthen our relationships and collaborate with other organisations both government and non-government sectors to achieve better outcomes.

Yes and no.

Yes because we are working with more than 25 organisations, NGOs and government agencies and continue on a regular basis and develop these other relationships as well.

No, as we are a young organisation that has a lot more room to grow. In each and every aspect, I also believe that no matter how old anything is, it is never too old to learn and evolve.

4. What is a typical day in your life like?

I like to wake up before sunrise, do my prayers, this helps me summon that inner strength through my passions to power on and do as much as possible within the day to help those that are in need. Helping others around me and developing the Harmon foundation in its growth sets an example to others to offer their helping hands towards building a more united community.

5. Are there any major changes in Harman Foundation’s work?

Since its formation in 2013, the foundation has continued to evolve into a web of cost-free community support services, delivered by a committed group of volunteers, to address a range of individual and group needs, issues and concerns. This includes:

2013 to 2019

· Chaplaincy in hospitals, prisons etc. (30+ people a week in hospitals and prisons)

· 24 x 7 helpline (More than 6000 calls of needy people in the last 5 yrs)

· Direct counseling through professionals (Referrals , Telephone conferencing and direct one on one support groups )

· Setting up and provide welfare schemes and financial assistance through fundraising for various reasons which has resulted about $130,000 of funds raised to assist individuals in a crisis. (see below for intricacies of assistance)

· Collaboration and partnership with other organizations more than 25 Govt and NGOs

· Seminars and workshops (organized more than 70 seminars/workshops and 10 health expos)

· Free Food Services for the Homeless which allows HF to provide for 7000+ meals annually at Blacktown. 75-80 needy or homeless people are benefited

· Grief and Loss Program/ Funeral Assistance more than 25 families assisted

· Free meditation/ Yoga Classes four years free meditation classes every week 2015 to 2018

· Two yoga workshops( two days ) every year from the last 3 years

· Assists individuals affected by Domestic Violence (currently supporting 85+ women and men who suffer from DV)

· Establishment of a Safe Home Project/ Women’s Shelter- HER housing since July 2018

Feel free to check out their FB page

https://www.facebook.com/HarmanFoundation/