Inspiring Babe of the week: Athanae Lucev from her OWN Company - Athanae Lucev

If you can take anything away from your Friday today gorgeous, it's to remember the name - Athane Lucev. This girl is THE ultimate inspiration and is going places - big, amazing places (& just think you got to meet her first right here in our little space). 

I met her some years ago now as we both worked in politics and from the minute I met her I knew I wanted her in my life. She was smart, beautifully put together, smart, gorgeous, and on top of all that the most friendly girl with a genuineness about her that was undeniable.  

Ath is an Image Consultant and a damn good one at that. If you want to get to know this inspiring babe more, and learn exactly what she does, what it would mean working with her, and some of her absolute dynamite pieces of advice - then go and grab a cup of tea (seriously) and settle in to get a little more personal with a girl I call a very close friend.

IF after you read this interview, like I did, and want to find out how you can work with her, how she can take your personal branding from unknown to out of this world - then drop her a line at athanae.lucev@gmail.com (you can tell her Anna sent you) xx

5 minutes with Athane Lucev ... 

Did I mention she's also a public speaker? This was her, kicking ass at her first speaking gig for her business, at law firm K&L Gates in Perth .. Superstar x

   1. Ath, tell us who you are, what you do and what gets you fired up.

I’m a 20-something-year-old Perth girl who loves life, the beach, working hard and helping people achieve their goals and carve out a purposeful life for themselves.I’ve been to university, lived overseas, travelled far and wide, worked all over Western Australia as a journalist, been to Canberra as a political adviser and figured out that what I am really, really passionate about is helping people, one-on-one, to achieve their goals using their vision and values as a filter. I am passionate about helping ALL people to discover what it is that makes them special and to help them live their best possible life. I’m endlessly curious about the nature of work and life, how people distinguish between the two, what careers will look like in the future and how we’ll balance challenges like an aging workforce and increased female workforce participation with changing workplace structures. The women (and men) I see growing up around me want to be happy and fulfilled both in their careers and their home life but they don’t necessarily want 9-5 jobs. and I’m hungry to help them come up with solutions that satisfy their competing needs.

2. Your business is an image consultancy firm; explain to my beautiful readers what Image Consultancy means.

As an image consultant, I work with clients to improve their public profile. While most stylists will help improve a client’s wardrobe and general presentation, I do more than that. I use the skills I’ve gained working in media and politics over the last decade to approach public image and profile from a holistic perspective. I provide honest advice and workable solutions that help clients get further in their career – I’m talking practical solutions that make life and work easier and better by teaching you new skills that help you to be more organised and think differently about the way you approach everything from getting dressed in the morning and how you manage your relationships with co-workers and your boss, to how you use social media. It's a bit like having a stylist, career advisor, publicist – and most importantly, personal cheerleader - wrapped up into one.

3. Somebody wants to hire you as their own image consultant, talk us through what are some of the things you could do with them and what could they expect from working with you?

The first step is to meet face-to-face with the person, to have a chat and gain an understanding of what it is they are looking for, and whether it is a good fit. We talk about their goals and what they were looking to achieve by working with me, and go from there to determine exactly which areas need improvement and how to best go about it. It can range from interviewing or talking to colleagues, family and friends, to building greater awareness and skills around methods of communication, to going to someone’s house to clean out their wardrobe, helping them navigate buying clothes online, styling for a special event or helping them navigate, learn about and better use social media including tools like LinkedIn. What every client wants, what they need, and the suite of services you provide to them can be drastically different from one person to the next, but ultimately it’s about giving people the skills to their public profile (or image) both within and outside their organisation, as well as equipping them with the skills they need to confidently communicate that.

4. You have an amazing style when it comes to all things fashion and beauty. What are your top 4 tips for girls wanting to set their wardrobe up better?

Wardrobes are such a contentious issue- when I last moved house I was forced to face the fact that I just had too many clothes! While many stylists advise you to throw away things you haven’t worn in 6 or 12 months, I don’t believe in that. If there are pieces I love, I will keep them no matter what. In this blog post  I outlined how to make your mornings easier by being more organised, and I do think that’s the key to a good wardrobe:

(i)                  Be organised and be ruthless! Fix the heels that clink when you walk. Take your skirts, pants, jackets and dresses to be altered if they are damaged or are too short/tight/long/baggy/have hems hanging down. If, like me, you don’t have a shoe rack, box and label your shoes, or take polaroids to tape to the outside. It will help preserve them from dust. I use Pinklily boxes. Keep pieces you love and that won’t date, but throw away poor quality clothes, things with holes and things that don’t fit (if you can’t have them altered). Buy quality pieces and if there’s something you really love, buy it in a few colours. You won’t regret it.

If you have limited space, seasonally swap out pieces you don’t wear during winter, like big coats, sweaters, or hosiery. Likewise keep your evening gowns separately and box up your bikinis and singlet tops when winter hits.

(ii)                Buy quality over quantity. Good quality items look better when you wear them, and they last longer. They will wash better, iron better and age better – they’ll be less prone to becoming stretched or mis-shapen.

(iii)            Buy the classics and then update with seasonal pieces. Everybody needs a pair of jeans they feel comfortable in, a perfect work dress, a crisp white shirt, a navy blazer, a trench coat, little black dress and good-quality (and comfortable!) black pumps. Much like building a house, you’ve got to have the foundations first before you can put all the add-ons in.

(iv)              Wear at least a little of what you love: for me, that’s classic styles, red and navy, tailored blazers, ballerina flats, scarves wrapped around handbag handles, houndstooth, pearls, polka dots…but for you it might be bright prints, skyscraper heels, anything that’s bright green, or you might have a hundred pairs of glasses that you match to your outfits! Feeling not just confident but also taking joy in what you’re wearing really will put a spring in your step and a smile on your face – and that’s the best accessory you can have!

5. I admire you SO much for taking the plunge and following your purpose with starting your own business. Can you share 3 tips for other girls wanting to quit the corporate world & do the same?

(i) Surround yourself with people who believe in you and support you unconditionally and let go of expectations. In my school days and even into my early 20s, I imagined I would be a lawyer. Now I know that’s not right for me, at least now. Even though I love what I’m doing and I’m working hard to build the life and career I want there are still multiple times every single day where I question my sanity. I know that I’m doing the right thing but you do need all the positive energy you can get around you.

(ii) Ask for advice from a wide range of people. Listen, learn, and sift through the information you’re given to decide what’s right for you and your business. You can’t, and shouldn’t try, to be everything to everyone. Decide on your vision, mission, values, business structure and who you’re targeting and then don’t be distracted from it.

Iii) Back yourself. If you’re not following a path that people have trodden before, they might not understand why you’re doing it, and out of concern or fear might question or doubt. As long as you know and believe in yourself and your product, and you’ve planned properly, you have no reason not to go for it.

6. We’re ALL about life design at lifesshinyprettythings& I LOVE hearing what kind of day people would have if they could live their destined life. Describe for me, from start to finish YOUR perfect day.

Share a little piece of the early morning with my wonderful partner, meditate and do some oil pulling – I recently got into it and am really seeing the benefits. I use organic coconut oil. Then ideally a run and swim at the beach (I love the patch of the earth between Trigg and Hillarys in Perth). Coffee and breakfast at Yelo while flicking through the latest edition of Vogue or Harpers Bazaar, then spend the day with clients working on their goals and visions and helping them translate that into a better public profile through assisting them with anything from personal shopping, clearing out their wardrobe, helping them write a new corporate biography or update their LinkedIn profile and teaching them how to use social media more effectively. In an ideal world I’d also squeeze in coffee with one of my best friends and spend some time on the phone with my mum or sister, who lives in Melbourne. I’d check in on my social media clients (I have a few companies for whom I just do social media), update my blog, then cook dinner and have a glass of wine with my partner and watch an episode of whatever TV show we’re into at that point in time. It’s usually something pretty trashy that takes our minds off the day and gives us a break so we can keep working after dinner. One thing I’m terrible at is getting enough sleep, so making sure I get 6 or 7 hours in by going to bed early enough is a priority too.

One day is too short – life is too varied!

"Share a little piece of the early morning with my wonderful partner ....in an ideal world I’d also squeeze in coffee with one of my best friends" 

7. What is your favourite piece of advice you’ve ever been given and why?

I am naturally a pretty risk averse person, and although I think through the course of my life some of the decisions I’ve made look a bit courageous (deciding not to pursue law, leaving a great job in journalism, starting my own business…), the refusal to live a life that might be a little less than it could be trumps keeping a stable job for me, at least for the moment, so the advice I’ve received to uncover my own strengths and really learn to back myself would be my favourites – and I’ve received and read them in a few different places – sometimes it takes a while for the message to get through to me!

Want to hang out with this gorgeous soul some more? (I'm telling you, YOU DO!) 

Website: www.athanaelucev.com

Twitter: @athanaelucev

Instagram: athanae

LinkedIn: au.linkedin.com/in/athanaelucev/

Images: 1. Ath in all her beautiful soul glory - the girl oozes style, grace, love & beauty. 
2. At her first speaking gig for her business at the respected law firm K&L Gates in Perth.
3. With her wonderful partner Todd (these two make an amazing team and Todd supports Ath every step of the way).
4. With her best bud and first ever client, Holly. Ath says that although they're different in so many ways they learn so much from each other. Holly is Ath's constant inspiration (this girl is also a force to be reckoned with).