Ina Yulo Stuve sits down with entrepreneur and author Hermione Olivia to discuss her foray into the wellness industry, the importance of building a community, and the launch of her debut novel.
“I had built a life that looked impressive from the outside, yet somehow, I felt detached from it. I was reacting. Responding. Coping. Performing. I wasn’t leading,” writes Hermione Olivia in her debut novel CEO YOURSELF. An Australian native who’s been living in London for over a decade, Hermione’s multi-faceted career has included chapters as an entrepreneur, CEO, brand builder, podcaster, and now, published author.
While her creativity and unparalleled sense of ambition may have helped her become one of the youngest female CEOs in her industry, after having children and spending years running on the hamster wheel, she realised she was burnt out.
“Ironically, we've never had access to more information, yet we feel more overwhelmed by everything we're told we should be doing. We’re constantly absorbing other people’s advice, expectations, and definitions of success, and it can become difficult to hear our own voice within all that noise,” she says.
Hermione openly shares how running a business and navigating life with a stepson and two daughters is never straightforward, but she takes a lot of inspiration from being able to dive into the stories of others who are in the same boat. She mentions Vivien Wong, co-founder of frozen mochi brand Little Moons, calling her “a truly exceptional leader” and explaining how “she remains incredibly humble and is remarkably generous with her experience, advice and support of others.” She also speaks highly of Clare Goodwin, founder and CEO of talent and communications agency CGC, who she says has “a quieter kind of confidence” yet “has created something commercially successful while giving her team purposeful, fulfilling careers and a genuinely happy place to work.”
As a business mentor and consultant, Hermione has taken a special interest in supporting women through the ups and downs of life and work, which led to the launch of her platform CEO YOURSELF, which includes events, masterclasses, a podcast, 1:1 mentoring, and now, her book.
Growing up in Australia, Hermione shares that her supportive upbringing and picturesque life by the ocean allowed her to understand that going after your professional dreams while raising a family didn’t need to be mutually exclusive.
“My childhood was grounded in the stability my parents created and filled with memories of having fun with my siblings, whether at the beach or playing in the garden. It was pretty idyllic and I think it gave me the confidence to pursue my own path while keeping family, individuality. and a strong work ethic at the centre of my life,” she muses.
Her debut book CEO YOURSELF launches on 10 September, a practical and engaging guide that lets readers into Hermione’s world, painting an intimate look at the ups and downs of her experiences as a working mother who has bounced back from a life that was losing its meaning. By motivating others to apply the tools that CEOs use for running successful businesses, her book aims to support anyone who may be feeling a little stuck and seeking a way to get back on track.
“CEO YOURSELF isn’t another set of rules to follow, it’s an opportunity to come back to yourself: to your intuition, your boundaries, and what you genuinely want from your life. It is an invitation to take charge, define success on your own terms, and lead your life in a way that feels right for you, not for anyone else. I think we need that permission now more than ever,” she shares.
What made you decide to enter the wellness industry?
I was given an incredible opportunity to lead a fast-growing wellness business at a pivotal stage in its journey. It allowed me to bring together everything I had learnt throughout my career while stretching myself in completely new ways. It felt like the right move at the right time—an opportunity to grow as a leader, expand on what I had done before, and work within an industry that was becoming increasingly meaningful and relevant to people’s everyday lives.
You wear many different hats. What does a typical day for you look like?
No two days are the same, which I love because it keeps life interesting. Adding motherhood into the mix has meant letting go of the idea that I can, or should, do everything. Instead, I focus on the most impactful work I can accomplish around the kids and their needs. Mornings are the usual working-mum chaos: breakfast, the school run, and coffee. The rest of the day is a combination of meetings, focused work blocks, writing, and consulting. Evenings are for being back with my family, and, in an ideal world, going to bed not too much later than them!
What’s one of the biggest mistakes you’ve made in your career and what did you learn from it?
There have been many, but I genuinely see mistakes as lessons that help us make better decisions next time. With the benefit of hindsight, one of my biggest mistakes was trying to juggle too many business opportunities in my mid-twenties rather than choosing one and giving it my full attention. I was ambitious and excited, but ultimately, spread too thin. It taught me that not every opportunity needs to be pursued and that focus is often far more powerful than doing more. Now, I try to do less and do it to the very best of my ability.
What’s the one task you always do yourself and the one you tend to outsource?
These days, I do most things myself, and I’m really enjoying the start-up energy of being close to every part of the business again. The one thing I will always keep close is the creative vision. Whether I’m writing, developing an idea, or shaping how something is communicated, I want it to feel unmistakably personal and true to the bigger purpose. I very happily outsource my bookkeeping. Knowing it is being managed properly allows me to stay informed and financially accountable without spending valuable time on something that isn’t my strength. I want to understand the numbers and remain close to them, but I don’t need to personally reconcile every transaction.
How did you go about building a community around your brand?
I started by speaking honestly about the questions I was navigating in my own life: ambition, identity, motherhood, work, and what success can look like as our priorities evolve. The more openly I shared, the more women responded with their own experiences, and the community grew from those conversations, both online and through my podcast, etc. I’ve also been intentional about creating opportunities for people to connect beyond social media: through events, workshops, the podcast, and our pop-up spaces. I never wanted to build an audience that simply watched from the sidelines; I wanted to create a community in which women felt seen, supported, and part of something. Listening has been just as important, as the entire brand has evolved in response to what the community has asked for, whether that was mentoring, events, and now the book. It was all an organic response.
What are the key learnings readers can expect to gain from your book?
The book guides readers through the CEO YOURSELF cycle: Vision, Strategy, Habits and Flow. It begins by helping you understand what you genuinely want, not what you feel you should want, and then gives you the practical tools to turn that vision into a life you can begin living now.
Readers will learn how to set meaningful goals, make more intentional decisions, manage their time and energy, and develop habits that support the person they want to become. Just as importantly, the book explores how to recognise when it is time to stop forcing, change direction, or allow your ambitions to evolve. Ultimately, I hope readers finish the book with greater clarity, confidence and self-trust, and a practical framework for taking charge of their lives while defining success entirely on their own terms.
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