Love Island Australia winner Tayla Damir is making moves.
Miss FQ caught up Tayla Damir when she crossed the ditch to visit Auckland recently to celebrate the opening of New Zealand’s first Bumble BFF Hive. We got the inside scoop on all things career, fashion and friendship and found out Tayla is totally relatable.
Find out why she’s the ultimate girl you need to know below:
Age: 22
Hometown: Perth
Current Location: Sydney
How did you get to where you are today?
Once I graduated from high school I went to university and started studying primary school teaching. I found myself hating university and struggling to find any passion in regards to my studies. I always had a love for broadcasting and journalism however I doubted whether I would be good enough to take on that career path. One thing led to another and I somehow found myself representing Western Australia in the Miss Universe Australia competition.
This program gave me the confidence and skills to believe in myself and change university courses. I found my passion and calling and graduated with a double degree in journalism and broadcasting. I then moved to Byron Bay for my first radio job and worked as a presenter for five months before being accepted on to a reality TV show called Love Island Australia. The show opened doors like no other and helped me gain a lot of respect from the Australian public. I have since stayed true to myself and created content around things that I am passionate about and love.
Who do you admire most in business and why?
At this point in time, I admire anyone that starts a business out of love and passion instead of purely starting a business out of money aspirations. I’m a big believer in happiness over wealth.
You’ve started your own range ‘Scruunchi’. What was your favourite part about this creative process?
For me, it was being able to create a product that I was passionate about and was proud of but also a product that I knew was going to help give back. Part of the scrunchie proceeds are being donated to a charity I am a speaker for which is called Beyond Blue. It is humbling to know I can create something that I love but give back at the same time.
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How important is female empowerment to you and why?
Female empowerment means the world to me. Having gone through an abusive relationship at a young age it taught me how weak a woman can feel when a male appears more dominant and powerful. Luckily enough I had an amazing mum and dad, incredible friends, family and loving caring people around me that taught me what women deserve and how they should be treated. Since then I have always known my worth and make sure the women around me know theirs too. With the extra pressures of social media, mental health issues increase, so I’ve started to use my voice and social media platform as a positive empowering environment for women of all ages.
Do you have any advice for Miss FQ readers who want to get into careers like yours?
My best advice is to stay true to yourself. Don’t ever try to be anyone you aren’t, don’t fall to the pressures of promoting something you aren’t passionate about or attending an event you don’t truly support. This won’t make you happy, people will see through it and you won’t find any reward from living a fake life.
How do you define success?
Success to me right now comes down to overcoming any setbacks and continuing to push forward. It comes down to not allowing fear or self-doubt overcome me and being able to take on life’s many challenges whilst staying true to myself. To me, success isn’t about how much one person has, instead it’s about how full they feel (full of love, full of happiness, full of passion and drive and so forth).
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What’s been one thing you’ve taken away from your Love Island experience?
That I am much stronger than I could have ever imagined.
What has been your greatest accomplishment or milestone to date?
Becoming a speaker for Beyond Blue and being that voice that I wish I had growing up.
What are some challenges you’ve faced or had to overcome?
Life itself is a challenge and every day we face situations that we have to overcome so I can honestly say there are too many to name. However, I do see my struggles with anxiety as a constant challenge that I choose to overcome daily.
Any life-changing books, podcasts, or websites you recommend?
I love the book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson and I also love the Jay Shetty and Gary Vee podcast.
How important is friendship to you?
Friendship means the world to me and I am extremely blessed to be surrounded by such supportive and amazing friends. It took me a while to work out who my true friends are but since discovering that, I’ve never felt more blessed with my circle of friends. My friends are the people that build me up, support all my crazy decisions and help me through the hard times but also ride the good times with me.
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You are in a ‘people-based’ industry – do you have any advice for making new friends and connecting with others?
Talk to everyone and anyone. It is so important to not judge a book by its cover.
What’s your favourite go-to outfit or piece when you need to feel confident?
For me its a smile, honestly I just fake it till I make it sometimes. If I force a smile on my face it opens the doors for people to want to approach you and then you gain confidence back because people are wanting to be around you. If this doesn’t work I also will chuck a whole bunch of highlighter on because if you aren’t feeling like a star then create a shine from your cheeks to beam like one instead!
What’s the one beauty product you couldn’t live without?
Eyebrow pencil or highlighter.
You’ve already achieved so much, what’s next for you?
I am getting back into journalism and broadcasting and working on my personal brand but I will be continuing with my scrunchies and doing more work with Beyond Blue. I have lots of exciting media opportunities coming up and can’t wait to share them with everyone when the time is right.
