Megan Gale on motherhood and her new skincare range Mindful Life
She made a name for herself as the face of David Jones in the 2000s and last walked the runway for Alex Perry at his Melbourne Fashion Festival show in 2011. But these days former model Megan Gale has other things on her mind – starting a new business, raising two young children and, for the past eight years, happily calling Melbourne home.
“I haven’t considered myself a model for many years,” says Gale, who first walked for David Jones in 1995 and got her big break in Italy in 1999 with an advertisement for Omnitel.
“It is one of the many hats I have worn, but I have learnt to slow down and not try and do a million things at once,” she smiles.
“For many years I was moving from one hotel to the other because that was what was required with my work; and now love nothing more than to stay put and feel more grounded.”
Gale’s new ethical skincare line Mindful Life is testament to her new modus operandi. Working from home is where she had the idea to start a new business five years ago. She also took inspiration from Elle McPherson who has become a successful businesswoman after years of modelling work.
In the past, Gale put her name to beauty products (L’Oreal) and started a swimwear line (Isola) but admits she never quite felt entirely fulfilled.
“I wanted to start a purpose driven business,” says Gale who also spent $20,000 to have her products dermatologically tested. “If it had my name on it, I had to dot the i’s and cross the t’s.
“I didn’t just want a another baby brand to join the market. This is about encouraging families to be present with their children especially when it’s bath time. It’s not always possible, but it’s about not wishing this time away either.”
Gale has two children with fiance and retired AFL player Shaun Hampson, River aged five and Rosie 20 months.
She thanks her mother for encouraging her to “wake up and smell the roses” – advice that only really made sense once she became a mother herself.
“Mum would always tell me to slow down, don’t wish your time away during a newborn phase. Before you know it they grow up. It’s advice that doesn’t really sink in when you’re sleep-deprived and just want them to sleep,” she says.
Gale was born and raised in Perth and won a modelling competition at 18.
It’s been 20 years since she went to Italy where she kickstarted her career.
“I had my five years of struggle,” she recalls of finding it hard to get work in Australia before moving to Europe.
“I can thank the Italian job because after that everyone back home wanted to know who I was. I didn’t get put on the cover of Vogue straight away, but I knew in my bones if I stuck to it, I’d eventually make it. You really need a lot of self-belief in this cutthroat industry.”
For all her assertive mannerisms, there’s a vulnerability to Gale you perceive after spending time with her. Behind that huge smile, towering height and those wide eyes is someone who wants to let you in, but is on guard at the same time.
“I’m a funny human,” she says.
“I’m quite a sensitive and vulnerable soul, but at the same time I have a side of ‘just dust yourself off and keep going’.
“I am tough because I have had to be in this business. I saw lots of people succeed around me before I found my own. It wasn’t easy. I’ve also been burned in business, been lied to, had my trust abused. It sets you up to tread carefully.”
At their family home in Glen Iris, Gale is happiest when speaking about her kids. River likes to bring in leaves from the front garden and name each one of them with her, while Rosie happily throws a pile of dirt on the floor and runs back outside to get more.
“The kids make me realise what’s really important,” says Gale.
“They have put everything into perspective for me. I always say if they are healthy and thriving you are lucky.”
Gale, who dated comedian and TV personality Andy Lee for seven years before meeting Hampson in 2011, says she’s still perplexed at the media’s obsession with her private life.
“Much was made of our age gap when Shaun and I got together, which I hated, because I felt like that was a bigger deal than the fact we were both happy and compatible,” says Gale.
“We have an extraordinary level of communication and that’s one of the most important aspects of a relationship.
“I wouldn’t have been able to start this business without his support.”
Gale’s father Alan died a few months after their son was born; a difficult time for her family.
“It was horrible to see my dad deteriorate with a terminal disease, but we made the most of all that time we had left,” she says.
“We also lost Shaun’s dad Thomas a month before River was born. Our mums went through a horrific time – deaths, births. It was so intense.”
Gale was close to her father and, like him, spent a lot of time dwelling and sweating the small stuff in her 20s and 30s.
“If my dad could talk to me now he would say, ‘let things go Megan, don’t hang onto things bothering you, it’s not worth it because life is too short’,” she says.
“Embrace what you have and be thankful, be present. That’s all I strive for everyday.”