MONACO WORDS OF WISDOM
For me life is not about success . It is about living a fulfilling , happy life with a purpose .
Now we both have foundations and hers — Every Mother Counts — is focused on helping mothers around the world .
Photo by Marc Laurin
HelloMonaco : Petra , why did you decide to be a model and how did you start your career as a model ? Petra Němcová : Growing up under communism , you didn ’ t have opportunities to follow your dreams until in 1989 when the velvet revolution happened and I was lucky to get opportunities . I always loved fashion and studied fashion design . In 1995 , the opportunity to sign up for Elite Modelling Competition arose and I grabbed it wholeheartedly as I knew that through it I would be able to take care of my parents . They struggled their whole life and were giving everything to my sister and to me . I wanted to make their lives better .
HM : You grew up in a communist country . Do you think this experience helped you to become a successful model ? PN : Definitely . I understood on a very deep level that opportunities to follow your dreams , to do what you love , to have the freedom of travel or food on the table are not given by birth . I worked extremely hard and took every opportunity out there to empower myself and my family .
HM : What is success to you ? What are your criteria for success ? PN : For me life is not about success . It is about living a fulfilling , happy life with a purpose .
HM : Tell us about All Hands and Hearts . What inspired you to create the foundation ? PN : Many people think that I have started the foundation because of surviving the tsunami in 2004 . The truth is that the tsunami experience opened my eyes to the incredible need which happens after the first responders leave following natural disasters . When they leave , children and families are often forgotten . For me , it was unacceptable that after suffering deeply , losing their homes , their schools , their family members and their friends , children still had to wait for years to have not just a school but a sense of normalcy and safety . We started a foundation in 2005 with a dream to build one school , and that big dream has been accomplished . Today , we have opened 208 schools in 11 countries around the world and have been able to help almost 1.2 million people . Last year , we have merged with another foundation focused on helping families after natural disasters . So today we are not only building disaster-stricken schools but we come in right after natural disasters to do first response and stay for the rebuilding of disaster-stricken schools as well as homes . In short , we come in early and stay late , which most foundations don ’ t do . Often , they only stay for the first response phase , but what the families need is a long-term commitment .
HM : Who has helped you on your All Hands and Hearts journey ? PN : I ’ m proud of all of the volunteers and supporters who have made this accomplishment possible . This includes Chopard who has been a long-term partner for the foundation and who specially created a Happy Hearts Bracelet which supports school rebuilding , and also many other companies , such as Tumi , BlackRock , Airbnb , JP Morgan Chase and we have had the support of over 51,000 volunteers from 100 countries around the world .
HM : Can you say that the tsunami experience was a life-changing incident ? How did it influence you ? PN : The tsunami experience didn ’ t change me as a human being but it changed my priorities in life . From focusing the majority of my time on work and a little bit on giving back to now spending about 70 % of my time on giving back and the rest on work … And , of course , I have more time for my family and friends . Now , my life is about living fully and meaningfully .
HM : During your modelling career , you managed to work with the most famous and talented designers , to shoot for the best magazines and sign contracts with popular world brands . Who influenced you the most ? PN : My first role model was Audrey Hepburn . She used her acting platform to shed light on important issues and devoted much of her life to it . Of course , I didn ’ t meet Audrey Hepburn , but one of my next role models was Christy Turlington as she herself also used her modelling career to do good . I got a chance to meet her many times !
Hello Monaco Summer – Autumn 2018 / 43