Radiant + Inspiring with Tori Clapham...

Who is Tori Clapham? 


Well Tori is one of the amazing people that was on the Project Futures charity bike ride in Cambodia that my husband and I did in February. She is a gorgeous looking girl with amazing blue eyes and a very good sense of humour.


Tori is a writer, foodie & travel junkie and is the editor of MTV Travel Co and lives in the very cool place of Bondi. She is also a pilates instructor in-training and loves to cook. You can check out her delicious looking recipes on her blog, Tori Clapham. 


Here is my interview with Tori:






+ How did you get to where you are today?   

Hmmm-life so far has been an awesome blur! While I was always a passionate writer growing up, I ended up pursuing a career in the performing arts when I finished school. I grew up in Cairns and left at 17 to move to Brisbane. Pretty soon I realised I wasn't receiving the creative education I craved, so at 19 I packed my things and moved to New York City to go to film school. It was an absolutely incredible time, one which certainly reinforced my love of culture, food and the arts, as well as my independence. Once I was back in Australia I moved to Sydney to attend NIDA, got a job at MTV Australia a couple of years later and after doing some food and travel writing for MTV Travel Co was offered my current role. I've always been massively into eating, which (by necessity) led to a love of cooking, so being able to work in the food and travel industry is a bit of a dream come true. 



+ What motivates you each and every day?

Food! Haha! But seriously...it's the highlight of my day; I get excited thinking about what I'll be making for my loved ones each night. I'll also admit that I'm motivated by praise - as a classic gen Y gal, it sure doesn't go astray! I think we all crave a bit of positive reinforcement. I've worked with managers where it's like drawing blood from a damn stone, and you end up wondering why you're working so hard if you're not receiving any recognition!

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+ What quote do you live by at the moment?

Two things:

1. It never hurts to ask - sometimes I wonder where I would be if I hadn't pushed and niggled my way around a tad - it amazes me how many opportunities can be missed, purely by not having the bullocks to put your hand up and say 'Hey, I'd be quite good at that! Can you give me a shot?' The worst that can happen is you'll receive a polite (albeit awkward) 'no' - OR you could end up doing something awesome, when you'd have otherwise been overlooked. That's basically how I've ended up where I am now, I just ask for the opportunities and sometimes people say yes!

2. Life is short - any of us could die tomorrow. I don't waste my time in jobs I don't like, hanging out with fake people or making myself feel like absolute sh!t because I'm not 6ft and shockingly underweight. I've known people who torture themselves for not measuring up to some insane standard they've set for themselves, and it makes me think - imagine if they die tomorrow and they'd wasted 90% of their days agonising over the fact that they ate a bowl of pasta. How boring!



+ What has been your biggest struggle on your journey?

I think there are a lot of women out there who'd agree with me when I say that if you're under 35, mildly attractive and have a bubbly personality, there seem to be a lot of people who'll write you off as a complete idiot. I struggle to get taken seriously. It's incredibly frustrating.



+ What food can you not live without?

I can't play favourites with the ones I love...However, I think I'd become a horrible person if I went 'paleo'. I'm not sure if I'm meant to say this on a health and fitness blog, but what a HORRIBLE CONCEPT.



+ Do you have a daily routine? If so, what is it?

Not really, at the moment I am freelancing between a couple of jobs and working on my own personal projects, so my schedule is rather messy. But health wise, I try to work out a few times a week and I drink at least 3 litres of water a day. I'd NEVER skip a meal and I'm a touch OCD about moisturising and applying rose hip oil at night. I guess that's a routine?



+ What would you tell your 14 year old self?

'Smart' isn't always defined by your maths or physics grade. Keep pushing your creative boundaries because you're going to end up just fine!



+ How do you want to be remembered?

As a decent, kind person who was able to make others smile. It doesn't get much better than that.



Thank you so much Tori for being part of my interview series, your answers are honest and real!



If you want to read Tori's work, please visit MTV Travel Co or her food blog ToriClapham.com. I will be trying some of her recipes for sure, they look amazing!!