In today’s fast-paced world, balancing career ambitions with family responsibilities can feel like an insurmountable challenge. The journey of a woman who has navigated this delicate balancing act serves as both inspiration and guidance for many.
Founder/CEO of Rodial Group, leading figure in the beauty industry and 3x Best Selling Author Maria Hatzistefanis is widely recognised and respected. Her books, “How To Be An Overnight Success,” chronicles her journey of building a multimillion-dollar global beauty empire; while “How To Make It Happen,” and “How To Live Your Best Life,” offer readers valuable insights and inspiration for striking that beautiful balance in life. L’Officiel Arabia speaks with Maria about her journey of building a beauty empire, raising a family, and how she masterfully navigates the complexities of career and motherhood.
Delna Mistry Anand: You’ve built an incredible career and launched Rodial while raising two children. How did your upbringing shape your work ethic?
Maria Hatzistefanis: I grew up in a working household. Both my parents worked—mornings, evenings, weekends—because they wanted to create a better future for me and my sister. My grandparents lived with us and helped raise us while my parents were working these long, punishing hours. From a very young age, they instilled in me the value of being able to support myself.
The way I was raised, I always saw myself as a working woman first and foremost; everything else was secondary. My mum had a career and kids, and she never stopped working while she had us—that was exactly what I wanted to do. So, as soon as I was 18, I found a freelance job as a beauty writer at Seventeen magazine. I supported myself through my studies and have been financially independent ever since.
What was it like balancing a growing business while becoming a mother?
Life and work suddenly became much more complicated and much busier, as two years after launching my beauty business, Rodial, I had my first son. Then, two years later, I had my second. But I never really stopped working, even during pregnancy.
Looking back, I’m slightly amazed at myself, but even in the delivery room, I was reading and responding to emails between contractions. I admit I took it easy during the first month after each birth, but by the end of the first week home, I was already doing a few store visits. It’s challenging to combine both, but it’s all about finding your way and making it work.
How do you balance the demands of running a business and being a mother?
The key is knowing what your priorities are. If all you want to do is spend every minute of your day with your family and raise your kids, then working full time or running your own business would be challenging. It’s about finding what works best for you.
For me, I wanted to have a career and be there for my kids, so I had to make it work. There’s no perfect time to start a family or a business—you just roll with whatever comes your way.
After years of experience, what are your top tips for managing work and family?
Over the years I have learned a few tips of how to best manage work and family and wanted to share with you my top 5:
1. Your phone is your PA.
Book everything as if it was an appointment. I have all my work meetings, school events, doctor’s appointments and pick up times booked in.
2. Prioritise.
Your lists are probably endless, and it can be frustrating not to be able to cross items off as quickly as you want. Create two lists, one for urgent to-dos and another for long-term to-dos. Tackle the urgent list first and move items from one to the other as the list goes down.
3. Shortcuts are everything.
Anything that makes life easier and saves time is worth it. From frozen vegetables and fruit in the freezer to the occasional Deliveroo meal, everything helps.
4. Create a world for yourself that sits outside being a parent.
As small as it is, whether it is work, a hobby, a personal interest, it is important to keep your identity as a person.
5. Be kind to yourself.
Perfect parents and perfect situations don’t exist. You are different, you are doing things your own way and you are doing your best. That’s all that matters.
Life can be messy and overwhelming, but I truly believe that women can have it all. Is it easy? No. Will you feel exhausted most of the time? Absolutely. But the journey is incredibly fulfilling, and every challenge is worth it. Your children won’t resent you for working hard or pursuing your dreams; instead, they will grow up proud of your success and see you as a role model. Just as I admired my parents for their dedication, I hope my children will look at my achievements with the same sense of pride and inspiration.
