Beautiful Voices : Julie Hurley

Julie is a married mom of two kids and the Director of Public Relations for Principia Media, a publishing house in Grand Rapids, MI. She loves her family, good food, wine and working out.

Who or what is your biggest inspiration?

My husband and I are doing P90X2 together. We get up each morning at 6 a.m. before the kids wake up and “get it done.” Some days I I want to roll over back in bed and sleep that extra hour, but my husband faithfully encourages me to get up and get moving. I’m not always pleasant about that, but I’m so grateful 20 minutes later when I’m sweating, moving and burning calories. He never complains about getting up and this is an inspiration to me.

If money was no object what would you be doing (or, would it be exactly what you are already doing?)

After hiring a professional chef to prepare healthy meals for my family (and to teach me how to cook/grocery shop/organize my kitchen), I would
probably be doing something in the nutrition/fitness world. Though I was a college athlete, I didn’t take up serious exercise until I was in my 30s, after having two kids. I really love exercising and nutrition and I believe that a career in helping people reach their personal goals would be very rewarding and motivating.

What does beauty mean to you?

Confidence in who you are and loving yourself enough to take care of the one body you’re given on this earth. I’m quite inspired by people who eat very cleanly and exercise on a regular basis. In today’s SAD (Standard American Diet) way of eating, it requires a concentrated effort to do so.

What’s your favorite beauty secret or tip?

For the past three months, I’ve been using a combination of three oils to wash/cleanse my face. Jojoba, grapeseed and castor oils. I apply, massage into my skin and rinse with a washcloth and warm water, scrubbing gently. It takes my make up right off and doubles as a moisturizer as well.

What do you do when you want to pamper yourself?

I take a bubble bath nearly every night with a glass of wine and a book. Though I recognize that I lead a fairly stress-free life as a stay at home mom of two incredible kids, I do need my alone time every night. It works out perfectly during baseball season, because my husband watches his DVR’d Tigers and I relax. We meet up an hour later and catch up on all of our shows together.

What are your words of wisdom to other beauties out there?

As I’m nearing my mid-30s, I look back and realize how cripplingly self-conscious I was about my younger self. I would tell those younger beauties to be confident in yourself, take time for yourself to eat well and exercise and – this was and is the hardest part for me – try to not care about what other people think or say about you and the life you lead. There are things that I wish I had taken a chance on in the past, but didn’t because I was worried about what people would think of me. As you get older, you realize how very little other people’s opinions matter.

Isn’t she beautiful?

Much Love,

Annmarie Gianni
“Teaching People About Beauty From the Inside Out”

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