Joella, a self-driven, inventive, and aspiring entrepreneur who now works as a digital marketer, shares her secrets of how to be a #HerHustler - let’s find out what she does to manage being her own boss, what keeps her motivated, and an important message she would tell her 18-year-old self.

Thanks so much for taking the time to sit down and chat with us! So tell us about yourself, what you do, what does your schedule look like, and what do you do during your free time?
Currently I’m an entrepreneur and digital marketer. I started my career in a startup about 5 years ago, and that experience made me realize that I wanted to launch my own company. Since I work with brands managing their marketing, every day is different. I usually start my day around 8:30AM, and and I usually take an hour to catch up on the day before getting into the hard stuff and map out my day.

In my free time, I like to keep busy in two different ways - I like to do something for fitness, I love Misfit Studio and Studio Lagree, which I found through Class Pass. I’ve been having so much fun with Class Pass because we get to try all these different workouts, and I was able to hone down on these two which I absolutely love and now do regularly. I also like being creative and I just joined the Design Clinic, which is an event series for designers and entrepreneurs, bringing them together to learn more how to incorporate the principles of design into the business world.

"A boss babe is a woman who doesn't subscribe to the
whole wearing black and white, 9-5 schedule with
pointy shoes, carrying a briefcase around."

What's your definition of a #Hustler?
I think the word “boss babe” has become more mainstream now, because of some very big female entrepreneurs in different industries and it’s a good thing. There was always the “business woman”, but now “bossbabe” is a word you hear everywhere. I suspect it got really popular because of phenomenal powerful female leaders like Sophia Amoruso, Beyonce, Emily Weiss, Whitney Wolfe Herd and female entrepreneurs who are changing things up while not showing up in a suit everyday. There are some very inspiring women out there who I must mention that are coming into the business world with new backgrounds and perspectives like Bozoma Saint John and Aurora James who are killer bossbabes. So to me, a boss babe is a woman who can run her own business and also be exactly who she is, without subscribing to any cliches, a 9-5 schedule with pointy shoes, carrying a briefcase around. Now it’s someone who has one business (or more), and manages to scale it successfully and do it gracefully. 

When was the last time you felt discouraged, and how did you push through it?
The last time I felt discouraged was when my work was not valued, which is not new and happens everyday and everywhere. People often work in silos and lose track of the contributions others are making towards a team effort. To push through it, I think the things I learned is the importance of journaling even in your day job, documenting what you spend your time on, what you achieved and what you are struggling with. Just like how you do in daily life, you should journal in your work life as well. That’s what good successful corporate and startups do, where they talk about what you worked on, what’s your challenge is and how are you focused on conquering it. You should definitely have three or four questions that are written down which you can go back to and use to measure yourself.

Aside from that I make sure that I commit to a fitness routine at least twice/thrice a week. As long as I’m doing something active at least twice a week, it keeps me sane, motivated and pulls me back to what I need. All the entrepreneurs and female leaders I admire or read about have a commitment - it’s usually personal, maybe not everyday but they all have something that they do for their health. It’s often focused on sweating - it’s always committed to having a good sweat, feeling yourself pushing your own body because you think you can’t get through the work out but when you do you feel stronger after that. I think it helps your mind focus on what you’re trying to accomplish.


What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?

“Get outside more”

In my first year of my university, I missed my family and friends a lot, because it was a big transition, moving countries and leaving your close friends and family behind. So it would definitely be to get outside more and take advantages of these experiences.

I was very self-conscious in my first year, very scared of being judged, and wasn't confident at all. So instead of hiding in a room I should’ve gone out more. Don’t worry about what everyone thinks or says, just go to everything and meet new people. It really is hard, but every time I had gone and stepped out of my comfort zone I either met someone and had amazing conversation or I met someone who became a lifelong friend. It’s hard, but places you grow the most are out of places of discomfort.

What's one skincare product you can't live without?
A hydrating cream and a face oil. I love Three Ships' Cleansing Oil - I actually carry that around with me when I’m travelling because it’s so easy to take off my makeup and I can wash my face and still feel hydrated.

Other than that, I love Caudalie’s face mist, Cannuka’s lip balm, and Glossier’s Invisible Shield sunscreen. I don’t leave my house without them.

If you liked this interview, you might like our recent interview with Roslyn Mclarty, co-founder of The GIST!