Power Women: Mrs Serbia 2023 Nev Tomic of La Beaute Fatale On How To Successfully Navigate Work, Love and Life As A Powerful Woman
An Interview With Shawna Robins
Develop your own “why” in life. As we think about our actions and growth, it is important we always have one base “why” as to the reasons you continue your development. It helps remind you of the importance of not giving up. For me, I continue to carry my “why” as it is important I build financial stability and legacy for my children to carry on. If they can benefit for the work I am doing to help progress their own dreams, then I have done my job.
How does a successful, strong, and powerful woman navigate work, employee relationships, love, and life in a world that still feels uncomfortable with strong women? In this interview series, called “Power Women” we are talking to accomplished women leaders who share their stories and experiences navigating work, love and life as a powerful woman.
As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Nev Tomic.
Nevena (Nev) Tomic is making her mark in the beauty industry in her own distinctive way. As the Founder & CEO of La Beaute Fatale Cosmetics, she is dedicated to educating the world about the harmful chemicals found in cosmetics and created a luxury brand that uses the finest ingredients made from plants and seeds. So far, La Beaute Fatale has reached over 1.3 million consumers and continues to create its own path.
Alongside her business endeavors, Tomic held the title of Mrs. Serbia in 2023 and is currently competing for Miss Serbia Universe. She uses her platform to promote body positivity and redefine beauty standards for young women.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?
Being first generation into the United States has shaped my perception of what achievement looks like. At a young age I was inspired by strong women who could hold their own in life which helped me craft my future goals. I enjoyed staying busy as a young girl which would later turn out to be a great quality when it came to running a business, working in corporate and investing in real estate. My first memories of my dreams and passions began as I learned about the fashion and beauty industry which portrayed a vision that women can be strong, beautiful, intelligent and powerful. From there, my childhood was filled with fashion events and photoshoots as I did my first runway show at the age of 5. From there, I would spend my nights and weekends at Modeling School learning about how to walk the runway, how to interview on camera, acting classes and more. Little did I know those activities would help shape the woman I am today.
Can you tell us the story about what led you to this particular career path?
One pivotal moment in my career was when I uncovered a major flaw in the beauty industry by mistake. While working as a cosmetics buyer for a large retail chain, I was in charge to bringing in new products from large brands. During that time, I would test all proposed items on my skin, and I began to notice my skin encountering major issues like never before. As I began researching my reactions I uncovered that the trigger was the low quality of ingredients companies are putting in their beauty products to keep their profits higher. As I inspected the ingredient labels, it became apparent that brands were including glue, plastic, alcohol, preservatives like formaldehyde which is used during the embalming process when someone passes away to preserve the body. It hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized that these harmful chemicals can be leading cause of illnesses and diseases on the rise. From there, my lifelong was mission was born as my career path would never be the same again.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Back in 2014 I attended NYFW as an unpaid volunteer for Custo Barcelona and other designers. It was a pivotal moment in my career as I had always dreamt of attending shows. I remember after the shows were done, I saw Nigel Barker from America’s Next Top Model being swarmed by the press as it was the height of his career, and I thought to myself “what an absolute dream it would be if I could work with him one day. After that brief thought, I shrugged my shoulders and walked away not giving it much thought, many years later I was sponsoring hair and makeup for the Cynthia Rowley NYFW show through my makeup brand La Beaute Fatale Cosmetics. Back stage, Nigel Barker was interviewing my makeup team for a project he was working on. I immediately rushed over to him to gather details of where that interview would be published and offered my brand for any other upcoming projects he may have. A year later, I had the absolutely amazing privilege of working with him on not one, but hand full of projects. Dreams do come true and sometimes your wildest dreams become your reality if you continue your passions and dreams in everything you do.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Consistency is key! The most successful people in the world have enough self-discipline to be consistent in their goals. We all wake up with a choice. Do we procrastinate or do we persevere. Those who lean into consistency and habit will always make constant progress.
Are you a “yes” man? Many years ago, I began to realize that opportunities fall in your lap for a reason. Many of us tend to question, decline or over analyze situations in our lives which leads to redirection of our paths. I have realized that by saying yes to things that find their way into your journey allows you to proceed with what’s meant to be vs. what you are forcing.
Being optimistic is a wonderful quality that can help keep you engaged in your dreams and passions. In our careers, we will always encounter barriers that cause us to reevaluate. By ensuring you are approaching with an optimistic approach you will always be able to lead with positivity in challenging times where true leaders are born from.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. The premise of this series assumes that our society still feels uncomfortable with strong women. Why do you think this is so?
The role of a woman has expanded this last decade and we have begun to see women taking on more in their personal lives, careers, etc etc. This has led to being uncomfortable and confused by the traditional roles in which women typically held. It has become apparent that for too long women have been held back by either design or accident. As we continue to provide women with more resources and attention, we can ensure they are given the runway to lead in ways we have never seen before. Our society is now appreciating women like never before which is helping empower us even further. Which is true magic.
Without saying any names, can you share a story from your own experience that illustrates this idea?
A perfect example is how we are seeing more women leaders moving into higher positions in the corporate world. There is a reason why DEI, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion, was created as the % of women landing and/or being promoted began to increase with this new movement of female empowerment. Gone are the ways where women are held back in meetings rather they are now being given the microphone to share their knowledge as the key path forward.
What should a powerful woman do in a context where she feels that people are uneasy around her?
With my experience in pageantry, I continue to be in these situations, where people feel uneasy with the idea that women are competing. The best thing we can do is educate and vocalize our missions to help promote why female inclusion is not only essential but a futuristic requirement. I was asked do I believe women competing in pageants is putting out a toxic beauty standard. I quietly laughed to myself and thought “if only you knew the true meaning of pageantry which is the one place where we can shine. Where we can fully showcase how women are making changes. And most importantly, the one competition no one can take away from us.”
What do we need to do as a society to change the unease around powerful women?
At a young age, we need to empower young girls that the sky is the limit, as the main strategy we can enforce to build worldwide acceptance. A perfect example of this was when I held a 2-day event at Girls Inc. where I educated young girls about how to develop their dreams, believe in themselves and most importantly, understand that inner beauty will always over power our physical beauty. As long as we can continue to push that message forward we will be able to build a society where women will break down barriers and feel comfortable being their most authentic selves.
In my own experience, I have observed that often women have to endure ridiculous or uncomfortable situations to achieve success that men don’t have to endure. Do you have a story like this from your own experience? Can you share it with us?
The safety of women in the workplace is a hot topic for me as at a young age I saw the first-hand implications of how women are belittled by men after refusing advances. In my twenties, I was called out in front of an entire company, during a department meeting by the CEO of a company for not “wanting to party during a work trip with the rest of the team”. It was then I realized that women are not safe in the workplace when we are being targeted for other activities other than work related. I immediately resigned and filed a claim with local state employment agency to ensure my story was heard and documented. The more we can coach young women on how to handle these types of uncomfortable situations the less we encounter.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women leaders that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
The pressures of motherhood and/or the journey after having children is something that needs to be vocalized more. Women continue to be pressured into the topic of motherhood as something all women should do without the proper acknowledgment of how intense motherhood is. Forward looking, we tend to overlook the postpartum phase of a woman’s life by not providing the right support for women who are struggling with juggling their home life and a prospering career. It is my continued belief that women have been set up for failure as opposed to men who are not facing these challenges in their adult lives.
Let’s now shift our discussion to a slightly different direction. This is a question that nearly everyone with a job has to contend with. Was it difficult to fit your personal and family life into your business and career? For the benefit of our readers, can you articulate precisely what the struggle was?
From a young age I assumed I would be a full-time mom as my children were growing and developing as being a Serbian woman comes with the normal traditions of raising children. I wasn’t prepared to deal with a blossoming career that was multi-faceted along with a desire to find balance at home raising my 2 children. My first year as a mother I constantly struggled internally with the debate of not working outside of the home. I wanted the best of both worlds as I knew a time would come where my children would be off at school full time, and I wanted to ensure those days I could continue to build a legacy for them. I don’t believe there is a right answer. I believe there is a right situation for each woman’s inner happiness based on her husband’s strengths and weaknesses.
What was a tipping point that helped you achieve a greater balance or greater equilibrium between your work life and personal life? What did you do to reach this equilibrium?
The core of a happy home is a happy mother. It is essential that mothers have their own personalities, experiences and responsibilities outside the home to ensure they continue their own image. Women tend to lose themselves in their careers, their marriages, their motherhood, their families, their relationships etc. We must always level set for women that by having balance you can build a life worth living that will not drain you of your dreams and aspirations.
Based on your opinion and experience, what are the “Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Powerful Woman?”
1 . Upgrade your social circles to surround yourself with like-minded individuals. You will be surprised at how much your social circle dictates who you become. By aligning yourself with women who have similar interests, you can then find pockets of personal growth you never knew existed. For me, this was a huge shift as I began to realize that as my life changed, my social circles evolved into women who had a similar vision for their futures.
2 . Giving back is an important lever to pull at a minimum once a quarter. As you transform into being a power woman it is essential to stay in tune with the economic and worldwide issues we are facing so you can carve your own ways into impacting change. For me, this came in many different forms, as I realized young girls need mentors to showcase how giving back to the communities comes without questions. I partner with Care.org, Girls Inc., Ronald McDonald House Charities, LifeLine Humanitarian and other groups to ensure can identify places where my contributions can make a long-lasting transformation.
3 . A strong support system will be a critical factor in maintain your physical and mental health. I never realized that having a solid marriage and home life would play an important role in keeping me grounded. I have learned that having a strong partner by my side and support system from my parents allows me to level up without being scared to fall. As I always know that there are hands below me ready to catch me if/when needed. I believe our society needs to reinforce this message, so we take relationships more seriously as it truly is what helps keep us flying into opportunities but knowing the nest is where we fly back to rest and regroup.
4 . Don’t let anyone pigeon hole you into one profile. Too many times we see individuals being shut down because their education is in one field, or their area of expertise doesn’t align to another. Women who thrive the most are those who are constantly finding disruptive ways to integrate into other areas, industries and/or opportunities where they are learning and growing. You would be surprised at how much you can evolve by expanding your horizons. For example, when my father fell ill, I became his caregiver and while that was completely outside of my area of expertise, it helped me realize that my personality traits do align very well with this role. It’s important we continue to embrace all aspects of our characteristics.
5 . Develop your own “why” in life. As we think about our actions and growth, it is important we always have one base “why” as to the reasons you continue your development. It helps remind you of the importance of not giving up. For me, I continue to carry my “why” as it is important I build financial stability and legacy for my children to carry on. If they can benefit for the work I am doing to help progress their own dreams, then I have done my job.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
My choice would have been Nikola Tesla as he was a native Serbian who had levels of knowledge people could only imagine. His contributions to modern society from many years ago are astonishing and continue to positively impact the way we view innovation. In our current time, I am inspired by women like Angelina Jolie who has used her success to give back by adopting children and donating her efforts to less fortunate countries. I would simply ask her one question “how has adopting children from these countries changed your view on women who thrive?” as I plan to adopt from my country of Serbia as well.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
About the Interviewer: Shawna Robins is an international best-selling author of two books — Powerful Sleep — Rest Deeply, Repair Your Brain and Restore Your Life, and Irresistibly Healthy — Simple Strategies to Feel Vibrant, Alive, Healthy and Full of Energy Again. Shawna is the founder and CEO of Third Spark, an online wellness hub for women over 40 who want to reignite their sleep, reset healthier habits and respark their lives. Shawna is a sleep expert, hormone health expert, and a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBHWC). She has been featured on many podcasts including Dr. Mindy Pelz’s “The Resetter Podcast” and in Authority Magazine, Thrive Global, and The Huffington Post. A free download of her latest book can be found at www.thirdsparkhealth.com/powerful-sleep/ You can follow her on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
