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Susannah Taylor

Anjhe Mules in Contributors - 22 Feb 2017

WHAT DO YOU DO?

I’m a beauty and health editor, I put together publications (online and in print) on beauty and health, write articles and style shoots. I also creatively consult with brands creating content and visuals.  I have been doing this for about 20 years. I was the beauty and health editor at Glamour and then Vogue and then I started up getthegloss.com.

WHERE DO YOU CALL HOME?

North Oxfordshire in a house I love with my two children (nearly three children, I’m almost 9 months pregnant!), Bella 10, Oscar 9 and my lovely husband Chris.

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT STATE OF MIND?

I’m waiting for a baby to arrive which is a strange time. Frantically trying to finish all my work and nesting like a crazy person before she makes an appearance. Generally, I feel quite on top of things though and happy with my career and what I’ve achieved….I started working from home more last year (I was commuting into London before) and it has changed my life.

HOW DO YOU KEEP PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY FIT?

Physically I am pretty active. When I’m not pregnant I do yoga, go to the gym and go to classes (spinning, boxing, swimming I like to mix it up else things get boring). Throughout pregnancy, I have exercised and gone to the gym weekly but I have really changed my routine to stay away from anything that gets my heart rate too high or leaves me gasping for breath. I’ve been doing a lot of yoga and strength exercises instead. I started getting properly fit through at about 37 which was a revelation for me.

To keep mentally fit I exercise physically! I find the best thing for staying sane and clearing my head and minimising worries is exercise - I love pushing myself out of my comfort zone. If I’m very stressed then I have this app called Calm which I listen to - it’s absolutely brilliant and has lots of meditations you tune in to whether you are stressed, anxious, can’t sleep etc. I also learnt to meditate properly with a brilliant woman called Jillian Lavender at The London Meditation centre who has taught me Vedic meditation where you say a mantra over and over again in your head (although currently, I have to admit I’ve fallen off the bandwagon) it’s the oldest form of meditation there is. I try to minimise stress generally these days. Once upon a time, I thrived on it - now I try everything not to be stressed.

WHO ARE YOUR HEROES?

I’m not inspired by the latest Instagram hit who has, say 100,000 followers or celebs that walk the red carpet wearing a £500,000 dress. I’m inspired by people who do great things in life, people that could be my best friends. One person I love is Bryony Gordon, a mental health campaigner, and marathon runner. She doesn’t fit a size 10 ideal or the usual fitness inspo but is doing amazing things to help change the conversation about mental health. One of my besties is Nicola Elliott and she is also an inspiration - she co-founded Neom and did it from scratch with no money in the bank and remains super down-to-earth. She’s brilliant, very real, a very clever spark and makes me laugh like no one on earth. Anyone fake is not my hero.

WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU?

Success means health and happiness. It’s not about the money - money doesn’t make anyone happy and I’ve seen it destroy people and I’ve seen it turn people into monsters.