Meet our featured beauty with brains Paige Oxley, a life coach based in Massachusetts, USA. Here is an interview with her.

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

My name is Paige and I am a life coach dedicated to empowering driven free spirits to forge their own path to freedom and fulfillment by optimizing and aligning their beliefs and behaviors. Why? I’m a free spirit. I’ve always felt like an outsider. I’ve always been driven to do more and to achieve more. On the outside, I was successful! I had just graduated with honors from a prestigious university, Vanderbilt University, I was already working full time with a lot of responsibility in my career in the sports industry. I was able to travel and I was in great health; so what’s the problem?

I found myself in a serious rock bottom. Though I didn’t show it, I was so depressed that getting out of bed was a struggle. I committed to getting myself out of it.

Looking back, I realized two major things: 1. I had put my self-worth and my sense of happiness in everything external, everything but myself. 2. I was disconnected from my true self. Was a career in sports even what I wanted? Was the relationship I was fighting for even for me? What’s my purpose?

For the last two years, my #1 job and priority has been deep diving into my own brain, why do we do what we do? Why do we feel what we feel? How do we live our best life? How do we become our most authentic selves? How do we reach ultimate fulfillment?

2. Who or what inspires you?

Ready for a corny line? What inspires me is life. I believe that through the pain and struggle, life and particularly the human experience is so beautiful. I believe we are BEYOND lucky to live in the time that we do, where if you’re reading this right now, you have the power and the ability and the freedom to live the life of your choosing. I’ve never been one to do things half way. I’m a fiery, passionate, old soul and it’s always been necessary for me to live life to the fullest. I mean, how can we not when we’ve been given this incredible gift? What fires me up every single day is sucking the most out of life as possible and guiding and empowering others to do the same.

Just “okay” and “fine” are no way to describe your life. Do not fall into that trap.

3. Can you share with us any special experience/ experiences that are memorable to you?

Some of my highest moments were when I was witness to my work paying off in my own life. But they were not some of the major things you may be thinking, like I made an incredible amount of money and bought my dream home. My major wins and sweetest moments that have come from a result of doing the inner work and self mastery that I teach are:

• The day I realized I actually do not care about how many likes I get on Instagram.
• The first time I didn’t have a whole body reaction when someone cut me off driving
• The first time my boyfriend said something that I know used to be a trigger for me and I wasn’t upset

Honestly, I’m currently experiencing what I have to say is the peak of my work paying off. My long-time boyfriend broke up with me totally out of the blue. Devastating. Would not wish it on my worst enemy. But guess what? I’m okay!!! I’m really, really okay. Of course there are moments of tears and heartbreak, but for the most part, I have been overjoyed because I’m not broken. I’m not broken because my sense of happiness and self-worth officially no longer lies in anything outside of me. These rocky last couple of weeks where the rug was swept out from under me have been up there in the most beautiful times of my life. I’m learning that I really do create my own path. So can you.

4. Where do you see yourself ten years from now?

I don’t know where that path will lead. In 10 years from now, what comes to mind is free and fulfilled. I am free from the limiting beliefs and negativity and free to continue to carve out my own journey, riding the waves as they come. I know that I will be doing what brings me fulfillment: being a light and having a positive impact on the world. I can’t say where or how, but I will be continuing my mission today to guide others to live freely and fill their own cup.

Feel free to check out her FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/poxleyyy/

Beauty is in the way you hold yourself. It’s how you treat people, the way you love. It’s self-acceptance. Beauty is in your soul.

Reetika proves that, by always being there for the women who need her. She believes in the saying ‘Another woman doing what you are doing is not your competition. She is your sister. Support her, encourage her, believe in her.” Here are some gorgeous captures of her from our ‘Midsummer Dream’ photoshoot.

The aim of the photoshoot was to empower women through fashion by boosting their self-confidence and to provide a platform for the businesses involved to showcase their talents and products.

Model: Reetika Bhalla

Photoshoot Organised By:

Sakhi Magazine
http://sakhi.online

Empowered Beauties With Brains
https://www.facebook.com/empoweredbeautieswithbrains/

Supported By:

The Woven Threads
https://thewoventhreads.com

Artantana Handmade
https://www.facebook.com/artantanahandmade/

Light Antana Photography
Www.instagram.com/light_antana

Starstruck Photography
Www.instagram.com/starstruckphotographyaus

Laura Jane Photography
https://laurajanephotography.com.au

Leza Makeup Artistry
Www.instagram.com/Leza.artistry

Mystical Elegance
https://www.facebook.com/mysticalelegance/

Meet our featured beauty with brains Maneesha Prakash, a solicitor based in Sydney, Australia. Here is an interview with her.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself, what you do, your hobbies etc.

I’m Maneesha Prakash, owner and Principal Solicitor at Lexology Lawyers. I am also the founder and Director of Aashray, a non-profit organisation that provides an information hub for women of Indian origin affected by domestic violence. I am a Nationally Accredited Mediator. Outside of law, I am the founder and Creative Director of Wordology Inc, a content creation firm for businesses, and I mentor female law students through Griffith University and externally.

My hobbies include photography, and art, and I am represented by RAW Artists Australia. I am deeply passionate about issues affecting women of colour, and identify as an intersectional feminist.

2. Who or what inspires you?

Definitely my parents. To come to a new country and restart a whole life, with a family and no support network seems like the hardest thing to do. And to do all this just to move to a place where they will never truly be seen as belonging would have been extremely challenging. I am externally grateful for the sacrifices they made for our futures, and the courage it takes to make that sort of a move inspires me to be fearless in all my life choices.

3. Where do you see yourself ten years from now?

In ten years, I will ideally still be doing work to empower women. Professionally, I would like to expand my firm.

4. What does women empowerment mean to you?

Female empowerment to me means women have the ability to choose, free from discrimination, free from judgement, and free from adverse consequences based on their gender. It means enforcing the right of every girl to an education. It means empowering women to live a life free from obligations imposed on them by society simply because they are female. It means reminding women that they are powerful, and free to live as they choose in every situation, regardless of their religion, country or culture.

Self-love is the most important form of love as it is said that if you can’t love yourself, then you can’t love anyone else. Self-love is a not a destination, it’s a practice; and it is the groundwork we need to build a happy life. Without self-love, we have nowhere to put the love or abundance that comes to us.

Just as the summer sunshine adds to our external radiance, self love is our inner sunshine responsible for our internal glow. This is what Alpana portrays in these beautiful captures, part of our ‘Midsummer Dream’ photoshoot.

The aim of the photoshoot was to empower women through fashion by boosting their self-confidence and to provide a platform for the businesses involved to showcase their talents and products.

Model: Alpana Srivastava

Photoshoot Organised By:

Sakhi Magazine
http://sakhi.online

Empowered Beauties With Brains

Supported By:

The Woven Threads
https://thewoventhreads.com

Artantana Handmade
https://www.facebook.com/artantanahandmade/

Light Antana Photography
Www.instagram.com/light_antana

Starstruck Photography
Www.instagram.com/starstruckphotographyaus

Laura Jane Photography
https://laurajanephotography.com.au

Leza Makeup Artistry
Www.instagram.com/Leza.artistry

Mystical Elegance
https://www.facebook.com/mysticalelegance/

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