Livsstil
From training as a plastic surgeon in America to juggling a move to London with her husband and getting her US credentials transferred to the UK as well as getting another medical accreditation in Dermatology from Cardiff University under her belt, Dr Maryam Zamani is truly a woman who inspires.
Establishing MZ Skin over 2 years ago whilst working in a private Sloane Street clinic and also being a mum of 2, we sat down with Dr Maryam Zamani to get her take on the infamous work-life balance, her secrets to success and what advice she has for women everywhere.
How do you find the balance between your work and personal life?
I'm not sure I have ever had a balance. Sometimes everything works beautifully, everything is balanced and my schedule is done in a way I'm happy that I'm at work, I'm at home and I'm with my kids, and I have some time for myself and my friendships. And then sometimes it's all out of whack. I've learned to be okay with that. Sometimes it's not going to be perfect. And that's normal. I think we all put too much pressure on ourselves to try and be perfect all of the time and there's no such thing as perfect. It's perfect for that moment. Sometimes I have to prioritise what's important in my life and go for that.
You've had a really successful career. What do you think the secret to success is?
I think the secret to success is hard work. I think in a world where Instagram makes everything look glamorous and fabulous and filtered, showing your best face forward, you don't see all the tears and the sweat and hard work and the sleepless nights that have gone into creating anything successful. Or even if it's not successful yet, creating anything. Hard work, hard work and hard work - and a little bit of luck. I definitely think hard work is a common factor with anyone who has embarked on their own journey.
What's your proudest moment and why?
It's hard to say. I always think of the next thing so I never really look and say this is amazing and pat myself on the shoulder. The one time I felt like "Oh my gosh" and I had a Cinderella moment was when I first launched my skincare. I launched in Harrods; I went in with my product in my hand before the store opened at 7 am and I had to stock my own shelf. I'm a very small installation in a very big store, and I was like "wow, I cannot believe my product is on a shelf and I'm in London and it's here and this is all happening." I was just so happy to see it out there. That's made me super proud.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
It would be to not sweat the small stuff. Sometimes we get consumed in the little hiccups and I think we all have hiccups. They are part of the process. I think sometimes it's the small stuff that gets to me as opposed to the big dramas or the big issues. The catastrophes I'm really good at - no stress. It's sometimes the little things that get to me. Now I step back and stop myself when I see it happening. If I could go back and put that in my ethos, that would be one of the things I would say.
What one piece of advice would you give to any woman, from any walk of life?
My advice would be to trust your gut and do what you want to do. I really do think anything is possible. Every one of us is capable. It's a matter of how much you want to roll your sleeves up and get dirty. Don't let the pessimism or your atmosphere influence you in that way. Believe in yourself and you can accomplish anything.
