Inner Beauty | Julia Chalmers

Once relocating to the states, Lucky Chalm founder Julia Chalmers took the plunge in taking the next step in her career by starting her own agency Lucky Chalm - a Los Angeles-based and now Sydney-based brand marketing and PR agency with unparalleled global vision for its clients. This month we joined Julia to talk all things Lucky Chalm, wellness, creative and of course beauty secrets. 

Tell us about you and your journey to date - how did Lucky Chalm come to be?

I’ve worked in branding, marketing, and communications, predominately in fashion, for over a decade, and always had a longing to use my experience and knowledge in my own business. When my husband sold his pajama brand, which was based between Melbourne and Sydney at the time, we both decided to move to Los Angeles. When deciding how we would make the move, I started thinking about what the next step of my career would entail and realised it was finally the time to take a plunge and start my own agency.  I opened Lucky Chalm at the same time as I moved to Los Angeles. Naivety was key when it came to launching my own business in a new country, as I didn’t realise how much I needed to know about owning and operating a business in the US. I spent countless hours on the phone and many more Googling, but thankfully once the foundations were established, I was able to start building the agency I had always dreamed of running. 

Can you tell us a little more about Lucky Chalm and its inner workings - how do you spend a typical Monday at the office?

Mondays at the Lucky Chalm office are always rather chaotic. We predominantly work with Australian and international clients, so it feels like we have to catch up on a day’s worth of work before we can even get started on our ‘normal’ Monday task list. I have an incredible team split between Australia and the US, and each Monday we hold a weekly meeting to chat through pressing deadlines, tasks, and goals for the week ahead. We also take this as an opportunity to collectively brainstorm about upcoming client events and projects, and to just catch up - which I feel is always so important when your team is split across the globe. After we’ve had our team meeting, typically I’ll work on drafting up any releases for the week ahead and then dive right into back-to-back client calls, which usually take up my afternoons and evenings.  

As an innate creative, where and how do you feel your most creative self coming out?

My creativity can be spurred by anything. Sometimes it’s watching a movie, chatting with a friend, driving around LA or California - anything! But for the most part, I feel the most recharged and rejuvenated, which always helps foster my creativity, when I’m in nature. Going on hikes or taking weekend trips away up the coast, to the mountains, or the desert always help me to switch off and open my mind.

What's the most challenging lesson learned so far in your career?

The most challenging lesson I’ve learned is learning to ride the ebbs and flow of business and be comfortable with the unknown. Lucky Chalm had only been in business for less than one year before COVID hit, and that ride put so much into perspective for me when it comes to being a business owner. I think it helped so many of us learn the power of the hustle, thinking outside the box, and learning to feel comfortable in the uncomfort of unpredictability. 

Is there a particular moment in life, or career that stands out for you?

I’d have to say moving countries and starting a new business from scratch at the same time. It took a lot of work to get Lucky Chalm to where it is today, and that will always be something I’m proud of - figuring out how to live and work in a new country all at the same time. Also knowing when to fearlessly trust my instincts to just take the plunge and do whatever it took to make it work.

All your collabs and events are a huge success, tell us what's next for the brand?

Thank you! It’s always so gratifying seeing a brand collaboration, campaign or event come to life. At the moment we’re working on building our Lucky Chalm Australia, to help service clients within Australia in addition to abroad. Regarding what’s next; we operate in an ever-changing industry, so we’re always trying to think about what’s next - stay tuned!

What do you do to support your personal wellness?

I have been working on my personal wellness for years, and I’ve learned the best things for me are being able to switch off in nature by, at the very least, going for a daily walk outside. Walking is my moving meditation. I also take a daily probiotic, and supplements, and eat an organic diet of predominantly fish, chicken and vegetables during the week (need to have balance! I love my Saturday morning croissant and a negroni or spicy margarita - or three - over the weekend) and religiously do Fluidform pilates. In addition, I’ve been trying to fit in a sauna and cold plunge session once a week at Pause Studio, which is such a nice way to end a long working day.

I also make a concerted effort to spend quiet time with my husband. He’s my rock and always the best source of comfort and advice when my mind gets too noisy. It’s very easy to get swept up in the pace of life in LA, so it’s important for me, and my mental space to time aside for us. And finally, I recently bought a puppy, Iggi, and she’s changed my world - animals are always the best addition to support mental wellness!

This series is called ‘Inner Beauty’: What does (inner) beauty mean to you?

Inner beauty to me is all about being holistic with your efforts. From drinking reverse osmosis filtered water (so very LA of me) to using 100% clean topical skincare products to buying CSA produce boxes to ensure everything I’m eating is locally sourced and grown, moving my body daily, and taking high-quality ingestibles and supplements to support my health, every single step is equally as important as the next for my body, and mind, to work to the best of its ability.  

What does your skincare routine look like, what products/treatments can’t you live without?

I have suffered from hormonal acne for years and have learned less is more when it comes to my skincare. I use a gentle cleanser every night, and typically follow with a lightly exfoliating serum (I’ve been loving Sunday Riley’s Good Genes) or a brightening serum (my fave at the moment is also from Sunday Riley, the CEO Vitamin C brightening serum), and then end with a light, nourishing moisturiser (currently obsessed with Environ AVST 1). Every second or third day I’ll incorporate a nourishing oil (can’t go without Collagen Protect) and use my face roller or gua sha for a nice face massage. Once a week I’ll use a Biologique Recherche face mask, which I find helps to balance my skin.

What do you do for yourself when you feel like life is just getting a little too much?

When I really need to get away from my computer and mind, I make a concerted effort to get off technology. That might mean walking in the door after a day of work and putting my phone on charge in our spare room and closing the door so I don’t look at it again until the morning. When I feel like this, I always make an effort to take a walk after dinner, before bed - getting some fresh air before going to sleep is such an easy way to help quieten a busy mind.

Lastly, what is advice you live by, and who gave it to you?

I’ve recently been trying hard to live by the advice "feelings aren’t facts", sage advice given to me by my husband, and also to "live in the now". Very often I get caught up worrying about the future and about things I couldn’t possibly predict the outcome for, so there’s absolutely no sense in putting energy into them!