Stella Korošec is the co-founder of Equa, Equacare and Goat Story. She is passionate about building brands and shares her enthusiasm and curiosity about all things business in a podcast called 7-figure Ideas she has recently launched with her partner Anže Miklavec. 

Who are you today, and what is different from ten years ago?
The past ten years have definitely been the biggest growth phase for me in terms of growing as a person. I brought my business from zero to multiple 7-figure income, built a team of 40 people, and most importantly, became a mom of 2. I believe I'm a better person now. I've gained a ton of experience, met incredible people, learned from the best in the business, and all lessons that didn't fully »come through« in my career, my kids made sure I got them:
- be patient - you can't force anything;
- stay humble - you think you know everything about life, and then you get kids, and you realise you have no idea;
- love – the things you're willing to do for kids you would never ever ever imagine you would do for any other person.

What was the best personal and/or professional advice you were ever given?
Hard work is the shortcut.

From a creative standpoint, what or who has been your biggest influence?
In terms of creatively handling all business opportunities and challenges, definitely my business and personal partner, Anže. In terms of being creative, having fun with the work we do, my coworkers.

Where or what is your happy place?
My mornings in quiet, before the madness in our house starts. If I can watch the sunrise even better.

How important is a connection with nature for you?
I used to be the person who wanted to live in a skyscraper in the middle of Manhattan. Today, I just want to see as much green as possible. I love going to the forest, or better yet, I love going to the beach, so regular escapes to the seaside are a must. In the summer, I love to do morning grounding on the grass in our backyard.

How do you start your day?
With two small kids, my nights are still not the best, so I make sure I always go to bed really early. This way, I can start my morning early, before the kids are up. I always start my day with a big bottle of warm water. Then I do meditation and journaling, breath work and a cold shower. I adjust this process and the length of it, depending on the quality of the night :) I used to work out in the morning as well, but currently, I can't fit everything in, but I'll get back to it. Oh, and I always have breakfast before coffee – it prevents glucose spikes and caffeine crashes.

How do you take care of your body, mind and soul?
With my morning routine. Plus, I pay a lot of attention to what I eat. I want to eat as healthy as possible so that my energy stays consistent throughout the day. That basically means as little sugar and white flour as possible. Plus a lot of water. This way, I can show up best for my coworkers in the office and still have a ton of energy to run after my kids in the afternoon.

How do you take care of your skin?
I'm lucky in the sense that I've never had any big skin problems. So honestly, I've never put that much attention to my skincare. It was always very basic. I started putting more effort into it after I turned 30 and had kids, and stopped sleeping :D That means more facials and a lot of super-hydrating creams. Also, my son has atopic dermatitis, so I did a lot of studying on the topic of ingredients and really want to include as much natural cosmetics in our house as possible.

Do you have any daily, weekly or monthly rituals?
Except for my morning routine, nothing really that consistent.

What is your guilty pleasure?
My phone.

What advice would you give yourself at the age of 16?
Have fun! Try to experience as many things as possible. Travel a lot. Be curious. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions. Soak up all the knowledge you can find. Take school more serious – not for the sake of school, but for yourself – you'll never have this much time to learn anymore.

Is there any book you love and would recommend people to read?
I'm more into podcasts. Currently really into the Huberman Lab podcast and would recommend it to everyone to learn about your body, what it can do and how you can take better care and use of it, and really start feeling good.

Can you share one piece of wisdom with our community, something that will encourage women reading this to grow find their inner strength and confidence?
You are beautiful and have amazing superpowers. Find them. Learn what you're good at, find what makes you happy, figure out how to make money out of this, and do more of it!