Words by AMY MALPASS HAHN Photography by JULIE ADAMS

Zoë Foster Blake is a rare breed. As a beauty entrepreneur, a mother of two, an author and an app developer (going through a break-up? Download the Break-Up Boss app pronto), it would appear that everything she touches turns to gold… or at least to that particular peachy shade that her products are packaged in and has become synonymous with her multi-million-dollar skincare line Go-To.

Zoë’s businesses (you can add skincare brand for kids, Gro-To, and males, Bro-To, to the list) have been met with international acclaim. Her children are among some of Instagram’s most adored. Her books and her app have all reached the top of the bestseller lists, and she even acted as associate producer when her novel The Wrong Girl was made into a television series. 

But it’s not these endless accolades that make her a rarity (though admittedly, they do). Rather, it’s the way Zoë has been met by the Australian public. In a country that is defined by its ability to knock down the tallest of poppies, Zoë has remained entirely beloved. In fact, as I discovered first-hand while writing this profile, it’s impossible to turn sideways without being met with a glowing opinion of the woman who could only be described as Australia’s favourite. “I am obsessed with Zoë,” said one friend – a corporate lawyer. “She’d make my Ultimate Dinner Party List – alongside Martin Luther King and Freddie Mercury,” said another – a senior marketer. “I can’t get enough of her and everything she does,” claimed one more. It seems Zoë Foster Blake has captured our hearts, and frankly, it’s not hard to see why.  

She is undoubtedly funny (the footer of her website simply says “Soey,” which links through to a Tumblr titled, “Starbucks Spelling”), but she also takes her endeavours and her businesses incredibly seriously. When talking about the challenges she faces in business, Zoë says, “There's so much fortune-telling involved, and I'm garbage at it. I prefer to focus on doing good work this day, this hour, this email, because I believe the future takes care of itself if you ensure what you do today is to the best of your ability. But since business is also about logistics and manufacturing and forecasting and staff and risk, we have a team of excellent people who are very good at what they do in those areas, so that I can be free to be good at what I do. As we scale up, hiring people with specific superpowers and creating a culture and an environment where they can thrive is critical.” 

And when we ask about how she manages to get it all done – from books, to babies, to business – she is honest in a way that is often missing in the perfect-parent-personas of today. “I don’t,” she says. “I’m as flustered and forgetful as the next person. My overall strategy is to compartmentalise, so that instead of being a half-assed mum, and half-assed professional, I can give each of them a decent shot. I also have a permanent auto-reply on my email so that people (Go-To aside) know I’m not gonna respond. As for books, oh man, I miss writing books. It’s a total indulgence now to sit and write, which is why I don’t prioritise it.” 

What she does prioritise, however, is sleep. Particularly with two young children, Zoë says it’s one of the cornerstones of good parenthood, which is something she continues to learn about every day. “I’ve learned that I will always be learning, and always feel like every other parent is more organised than me, which may in fact be accurate. I’ve learned that when I prioritise sleep, I’m a better mother and wife, and more efficient and creative, professionally. And I’ve learned that breakfast for dinner is absolutely fine.”  

There’s clearly no slowing down for this inspiring entrepreneur. New products are always launching and Australia and the US (Go-To is stocked in Sephora) can’t get enough. Recently, Go-To launched The Removalist (all the product names reflect Zoe’s sharp wit) is a luscious clarifying clay mask that replenishes while it detoxifies. 

Here, we catch up with Zoë to find out what inspires her, why discipline is key and of course, the beauty products she can’t live without. 

Tell us about your approach to health and wellbeing?

I definitely need to chill on the sugar, but aside from that I eat a pretty simple, balanced diet. Lots of eggs, lots of vegies, lots of pasta. I do Pilates and spin once a week, and walk with the pram a LOT. I practice TM meditation about 0.02% as much as I should, but I like having it in my toolkit for when I need it. And sleep is a biggie: I aim for a clean seven per night. Between the kids, the possums and my husband snoring, that’s ambitious, but we all need goals.

What’s the secret to your success?

I’d probably say discipline is the thing that has brought me this far. For me, discipline encompasses productivity, self-control, intention and accountability, which as an upholder (Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies) I really thrive on, like some kind of deadline-driven sicko. If I take on a project, I will see it through, and do the best I can. If it takes you away from your family, then make it worth it, yknow?

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learnt about skin since starting Go-To?

That less really is more. We began with clean formulas, and have worked hard to further that so they are as non-irritating and soothing (even for compromised or bitchy or sensitive skin) as possible, because we have a huge customer base who want it, and whose skin greatly benefits from it. It’s also apparent in our product development: we don’t make products because they’re trendy, we make products that meet our standard of usefulness, purity and effectiveness. 

If you'd entered Facebook's headquarters sometime around 2010, you'd have seen a sign painted on the wall: “Done is better than perfect” – Does perfectionism ever hold you back or are you more of a doer?

Ooh, good question. I think at a point, yes, done is better than perfect, otherwise I’d never bloody get a book on the shelf, or a product on sale. But I am an unashamed perfectionist too. Perhaps pride is a better term than perfection. I want to feel really proud of whatever I make. Whenever I consider a new project, I fast forward to my Instagram post announcing it, and how proud I would feel of the work once it was complete.  

Three beauty products you currently can’t live without?

1. Glowy sheer tinted moisturiser with SPF (Go-To Zincredible Tinted of course). 2. Brightening under-eye cream concealer (IT cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye - it’s high coverage but dewy-as and a clever fix for pigmentation and dark circles, and other shit trying to make me look tired and aged). 3. A new era hair straightener (I use the ghd Glide which I bought cos I am in a ‘90s bob phase) 

What makes you feel stressed/overwhelmed?

Lots of stuff. Especially those moments when an email or something on social media has happened that demands my attention, or a big work thing, and I’m with the kids, and I can’t concentrate, so I become shit at both work and parenting: that’s when I feel super stressed. It’s all in my control, of course. I could not check my phone until I can actually act on something, for one. Also, nothing is as urgent as it seems, but the adrenalin makes you believe it is. 

What’s your relationship with your inbox like?

Unhealthy. Even though I have a perennial auto reply on as a line of defence, that doesn’t apply to my team at Go-To, my manager, my agent or publisher, or my friends and family, and that, I’ve realised, is still a lot of emails. Also, I send too many emails. I’m a writer! Hate the phone! Blergh!