International Women's Day with Holly Schleich

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Today, we choose to celebrate our very own inspirational leader and Eye of Horus Founder, Holly Schleich. 
Holly is a constant source of strength and inspiration, her positive mindset and passion for uplifting and empowering others is unparalleled. Holly takes time to share her story after overcoming stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer as well as valuable insights on the importance of self love for mind, body and soul during times of hardship, the power of community and importance of celebrating and uplifting women today and everyday. 

International Women's Day is all about celebrating and acknowledging our achievements as women. What are you most proud of?

Professionally I am proud to have created and built a successful brand that transcends trends and generations and empowers people, while adding positive value to their lives. I’m proud that throughout our brand evolution our core pillars and values have remained the same. Equal to that is the community of women who I work with, I’m proud to watch them grow and develop in the business.
Personally I'm proud to be living the life I have designed by embodying my authentic self and aligning my ambition and profession with my purpose. 
Despite the challenges I faced this past year, I am so proud of my mind and body and embrace life more than ever. I live each day with a positive outlook, have a feeling of contentment with my circumstances, have balance in all the important areas of my life, and take the time to pursue what I am passionate about. 
I evaluate my success based on the depth of relationships and connections with those women around me. 

Is there a female figure within your life and community you wish to celebrate and acknowledge today?

I know this may sound cliche but I celebrate my own Mum. A woman of strength, compassion, love and wisdom who I consider to be an incredible female mentor. Mum has instilled a passion for freedom and connection with nature and she has taught me the importance of work ethic and working hard to achieve your goals and going after what you want. She has influenced me personally and professionally and I continue to learn from her daily. 

You have always cherished community - especially amongst women. How has community shaped you as a woman in business, wife and mother?

I believe community is essential to life and establishing a supportive community that elevates one another and advocates for awareness and positive change has been key to shaping me as a woman in all aspects of my life. Our tagline Empowered Beauty was envisioned from the intention of celebrating beauty in all shapes and forms and there is beauty in unity by supporting and empowering each other. I am fortunate to have an incredible support system around me and that has been amplified during my breast cancer diagnosis and recovery. 

You so graciously shared your cancer journey with your online community. What inspired you to share your story and what impact has it had on yourself and others?

I am generally a private person so it wasn't easy to make the decision to share my personal story. 
I was compelled to spread awareness about my diagnosis as I feel there is a misconception that only mature women can develop breast cancer, when the fact is, it does not discriminate, almost one-quarter of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are under the age of 50.
My intention was to educate about prevention, support and empower women in treatment, and to provide hope and inspiration to anyone who's recently been diagnosed with cancer or undergoing therapy.
I wanted to show in an unedited and authentic way the entire process and the challenges I faced each step of the way. I am told almost daily that I have encouraged other women to get checked and that was my purpose in sharing. 
Opening up and being vulnerable has been a challenge for me, but personally I feel cancer is not something to go through alone and the love and support I have received has been one of the most healing parts of the process. Awareness about self care, regular checks and cancer screening procedures helps in early diagnosis and subsequent treatment and a better outcome.

At Eye of Horus we are committed to Empowered Beauty. When do you feel most empowered?

I feel most empowered when I make contact with my essence and true self, I do this through meditation, real self care and enjoying life's pleasures like being with loved ones. Attitude is a choice and I consciously try to be aware of my reactions as I believe you can find beauty in all things 
Living a clean, healthy lifestyle enables me to feel good on the inside which creates a flow on effect that is reflected on the outside (and of course a little Eye of Horus product helps to enhance your natural beauty). 

How has cancer journey shifted your perspective of beauty, confidence and self care?

I have been through many changes this past year. My Breast Cancer treatment stripped me of physical female identity, I lost my hair, my lashes, brows and one of my breasts. 
Our identity and how we present to the world is wrapped in our physical appearance and dramatic changes to how we look externally can be a very confronting and traumatic experience.  
I have internal and external scars, changes in hormones but the most pivotal of all is the change in which I see the world. As my appearance and body has changed so has my mind and my priorities as a result.
I worry less, I prioritise health and self care, I celebrate my true self more, I invest my time and energy in only the ones that count and I value my health more than ever.
Life is short, experiences are temporary and I’ve chosen to honour what my body has endured and embrace the scars on the inside and out. I’ve been cut, poisoned and burned and I’ve bounced back feeling strong and incredibly proud. This experience has helped me to evolve beyond physical appearance and reframed and reshaped my relationship to beauty and how I identify with it. I believe true beauty is aligned with a sense of self, strength and confidence. 
I’m more myself now than I’ve ever been. This change and experience, although a traumatic one, has been enlightening.

What are your go-to daily beauty rituals?

I feel as women and particularly as Mothers our days can be so busy and stressful that we don't prioritise our own self-care, which is essential to ensure we are functioning at our best for ourselves and our family.
A little bit of self care goes a long way and I always start my day with a simple mindful meditation before the boys wake up, this is up to a 20 min practice and it sets me up for the day.  I drink warm water for an internal cleanse and follow up with a nourishing breakfast. This year I have committed to a raw, plant based diet and I juice daily to ensure I am energised and I’m doing all I can to remain healthy and support my body during high stress moments. 
For my skin I keep it pretty simple but I love staying hydrated by applying the Seven Seed Sacred Oil followed by the Skin Tint Serum and our Ritual Foundation Stick. My lashes are returning so I then apply our Goddess Mascara, some bronzer and the Bio Lip Elixir for hydration on the lips

 As a founder and lover of all things beauty, what #EOH beauty product(s) can you not live without?

I could literally bathe in our Seven Seed Sacred Oil and I couldn't live without our hero the Goddess Mascara (especially now that I have lashes again). 

What are some words of wisdom, or a quote, to inspire this International Women's Day?

Mindset, attitude and gratitude shape your experience and life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. I have always been conscious of this notion and also very aware of how I respond to situations in all aspects of my life. This has been amplified for me over the past year.
I can't control my diagnosis but I can choose how I react to it. Maintaining control over the elements that I could through the process allowed me a sense of empowerment and optimism 
I could control how I felt through changes to my diet and lifestyle and how I spent my time nourishing my body and soul. 
I chose to react and approach my diagnosis and issues in life positively and to see the beauty and wisdom in it.
The truth is that we’re only here for a brief period and when you are faced with death you realise life is temporary and it was given to us to be lived and we have to enjoy it and appreciate it for what it is.

Shop for Change 

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we’re tripling donations to $3 for every purchase made from 8-10 March 2023, in partnership with i=Change.
We are proud to use our platform for positive change by supporting three charitable causes and allowing our customers to put purpose to their purchase by choosing which of the three charities to donate to.

Taking part in Shop For Change is simple. On completion of purchase you will be prompted to allocate your donation to one of the following charities.
Photography: @studiomemoire_