Words to live by

To celebrate International Women's Day, here's a salut to ten Moda women who inspire us. We've likened them in the past to super-charged bolts of lightning, not just for their dynamic spirit but also for their unwavering philosophies on life, motherhood and being themselves

 

COURTNEY ADAMO, AUTHOR AND ENTREPRENEUR

1. Pictured above at home in Byron Bay wth her children Easton, Quin, Ivy, Marlow and Wilkie, by Bridget Wood
2. "I have always told my kids that the most important thing to be is kind. I don’t care if they get straight A's or if they win their running race or if they can sing well or surf well, and so on. The most important thing for me is that they are kind to everyone. I also try to teach them that it is just as important to be interested as it is to be interesting. I’d love for my kids to be as eager to listen and learn from others as they are to share their knowledge."
3. Read more: ALL THE RIGHT MOVES

 

 

MIA TANINAKA, ARTIST AND CO-FOUNDER OF TANINAKA LINEN

1. Photographed at home in Byron Bay wth sons Taro and Ziggy, by Bridget Wood
2. "I realised being motherly isn’t just about being soft and clucky. It’s about being powerful, strong, intuitive, brave and fiercely loving. Mothers are superheroes! We have super powers, but that can be so easy to forget when you’re drowning in laundry and your boobs are leaking and you haven’t slept properly in weeks-months-years. I believe in raising kids with respect, smothered in love and laughter, but not losing sight of who you are as a woman, a superhero."
3. Read more: MIA TANINAKA: INTO THE WILD

 

 

NICOLE BENTLEY, PHOTOGRAPHER

1. Pictured at home in Sydney with her sons Harper and Emerson
2. "Someone once said to me before I had children that you become less anxious about work after having children because your perspective takes a shift and they become more important to you than anything else in the world. I remember looking forward to that feeling and it really is true. My children have given my life balance. I don’t feel guilty if I’m not working and spending time with them. I have become more decisive in my work and not so over analytical. I’m enjoying my children being the most important thing in my life, it gives me great purpose and has put a healthy perspective on my work life."
3. Read more: NICOLE BENTLEY

 

 

NATASHA WHEAT, ARTIST 

1. Pictured at home in Los Angeles during the seventh month of her first pregnancy , by Alexa Miller Gallo
2. "My mum was a folk artist from Panama, who spent all day making a mess with us, making art, making dolls, buying strange things from antique stores and listening to records. She wouldn't really clean or have dinner on the table, balance a cheque book, which led to a lot of turmoil. She became ill with a neurological disease when I was very young, and became homeless with a severe drug and alcohol addiction. I will always long for the version of her that I will never know: the mother of a teenager; the mother I could have a conversation with as two adults; a grandmother to our babies. But in a sense I feel that I have been gifted this image of my mother as a young, fun, beautiful, wild carefree artist who I was never old enough to have any real contention with ... I also have a memory of being four years old and showing someone a drawing that I had done, and them asking me if I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. I found this really patronizing and told them that I already was an artist."
3. Read more: NATASHA WHEAT: IN BLOOM

 

 

MIMI THORISSON, AUTHOR AND FOOD PRESENTER

1. Pictured at home in Médoc, by Oddur Thorisson
2. "Our ritual has always been to enjoy food together. For us, a meal at the family table is the most important part of the day and at the weekends we always have Sunday best, the kids wear their best clothes and it’s a bit of an event. We are very firm with manners, at the table it’s a moment of poise, and also the children know it’s that time of the day when they can really talk to us about anything. Food has that effect on people. Good cooking really does connect people and comes straight from the heart."
3. Read more: MIMI THORISSON: BEAUTY AND THE FEAST

 

 

1. KATE FOWLER,  MODEL

2. Photographed at home in Sydney by James Tolich
3. "The whole eating and drinking experience holds real magic for me – I think coming together to eat is a wonderful excuse to stop what we’re doing, trade stories and make plans, not to mention memories. I find it kind of therapeutic to get into those rituals and relish the everyday moments spent with my favourite people. It definitely doesn’t need to be fancy or tricky. Thankfully, almost always, the simplest things in life are best." 

Read more: KATE FOWLER: SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL

 

 

1. CAROLINE SHERMAN,  FOUNDER OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISE BRAND, AMONG EQUALS

2. Photographed at home in Sydney by Prue Ruscoe
3. "We’re encouraging our boys to be caring and philanthropic by setting good examples – one day I hope to take the boys with me to Papua New Guinea to really connect with the women and their children. Their grandfather [Brian Sherman] is a director of Voiceless [the animal protection institute], so the boys are already really connected to animal welfare. Emile [Sherman] and I are also focused on encouraging them to give back – they have three little glass jars for their pocket money: one is for gifting, one for saving, one for spending. They have to divvy their coins up between the jars and they have each chosen their own charity." 

Read more: CAROLINE SHERMAN: THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING

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2. JO LAM,  FOUNDER OF ORLI

3. Photographed at home in Sydney by Luisa Brimble

1. "For most women, the lines start to deepen and the wrinkles begin to appear around the 40-something mark. I see many women reach for the quick fixes and other more invasive procedures in the quest for ‘anti-aging’. It made me ponder what message this sends out to the daughters of our generation. Don’t we always try to reinforce how beautiful and special each of them are, how they should be proud of their unique looks and individuality? What signals are being sent out when our generation resorts to quick fixes; compromising health in the pursuit of eternal youth? My personal view of true beauty is healthy beauty, inner beauty and intelligent beauty. Ageing is a natural and necessary process. I think it's best to focus less on anti-aging; more on physical, mental and spiritual health." 
2. Read more: JO LAM: SUPER NATURAL

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SOPHIE LEE, ACTRESS AND AUTHOR

1. Pictured at her holiday home on Sydney's northern beaches, by Hugh Stewart
2. "My Dad taught philosophy, and Mum taught Latin and English, and I often think the greatest gift they gave me was not putting a television in the house. Obviously at the time you feel slightly deprived, but it meant that I accessed all the many, many books that were crammed on the shelves in our crazy family home in the bush. Writing and poetry gave me a special thrill; I knew as a kid it was that something that made me feel like I belonged."
3. Read more: SOPHIE LEE: ONE FINE DAY 
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HEIDI MIDDLETON, DESIGNER