Born to be a musician, Julia started playing the piano at age three and went on to perform for larger crowds at age twelve. Her solo career took off when she released her self-titled album in 2005. The album garnered immense radio success, scoring four number-one singles in Aotearoa.

Building on her 25-year career as a singer and songwriter and years of experience in the classroom, she is also a Keynote Speaker and Contributor at over 120 Conferences and Events, speaking on the topics of Mental Wellness including crisis, depression, anxiety, and stress.

Julia answers questions about her success journey.

Tell us about your success journey milestones.

An obvious milestone was receiving a Tui (NZ music award for my first album), as well as becoming Vice President of the Professional Speakers Association NZ.

Business-wise, making the transition from Singer/Songwriter to Professional Keynote Speaker has been another milestone - I’ve gone from a 'singer who speaks' to a speaker who sings’ which feels like a natural progression for me.

What’s a major challenge you had to overcome to create success along the way?

Personally, being diagnosed with depression and anxiety has been a challenge as well as an opportunity to share positive change. As an artist and communicator, I tell my story every time I step on stage and the journey of dealing with Mental Wellness challenges has opened doors all over the world.

What are you working on right now?

My 'Be Kind to Your Mind' presentations are front and centre of my business. I tackle a heavy topic with a lighter touch, using humour, songs and story combined with scientific research and my education background to teach audiences both live and online how to deal with their wellbeing in a practical way.

What are you working on in terms of your own self-development?

Tara is always encouraging me to develop my leadership skills so that is next on my list of personal work as well as practising what I preach in terms of Mental Wellness.

What do you love about being a part of our community at Co.OfWomen?

I love being surrounded by mana wahine who are standing tall in so many areas of business in Aotearoa. Celebrating others' successes makes me feel braver to take on the challenges in front of me!

Book Julia for a live or online event! Tackle the topic of Mental Wellness with your staff, conference, or community group with Julia Grace’s unique combination of learning, laughter, and authenticity.