HELLO! I’M GALA

I used to be in turmoil, creating constant chaos for myself. I couldn’t imagine what it felt like to be happy; misery was my identity. When I stumbled upon radical self love, my life was transformed, and I saw with new eyes. These days, I am devoted to helping other women fall in love with themselves, too.

Hello! My name is Gala Darling. (Yes, that’s my real name, but no, I wasn’t born with it: it came to me in a dream and I had it legally changed in 2006!) I’m an author, teacher, and speaker from New Zealand.

When I was 24 years old, I left the peace and tranquility of life Down Under in search of adventure… And I found it! Today, I live in New York City, and spend a lot of time on planes and in hotels.

In my late teens and early twenties, I was completely miserable and thought the fastest route to fulfillment was to simply stop eating. (Long story short: it ain’t.) I was able to overcome my debilitating sense of self-loathing, and now that I’ve discovered the bad-assery of happiness, I am dedicated to helping other women fall in love with themselves, too.

These days, I blog about how there’s magic around every corner. I write books which show women how beautiful they are. I speak about finding your voice and blazing your own trail… And I do it all in sequins!

My first book, Radical Self Love: A Guide To Loving Yourself And Living Your Dream, was self-published and became a #1 Amazon bestseller. It has since been acquired by Hay House. The Hay House edition will be released in February 2016 and is available for pre-order now!

In addition to galadarling.com, I’m a co-founder of The Blogcademy, a class to improve your blog, and Miracle Worker, which helps women find meaningful, magical work.

I believe in the colour pink, spelling things the British way, the transformative power of dressing up, and celebrating life every single day.

Current obsessions: Neon lingerie, fake tan, turbans, how much cod The Rock eats on a daily basis, making videos about everything, buying old issues of the Weekly World News.

My style: Sunday best on acid. Psychedelic housewife. If it’s bright, I like it.

Favourite places: Marrakech, New Orleans, Berlin, New York, the Greek Islands, DisneyWorld.

Couldn’t live without: My passport, Emma Hardie cleansing balm, noise-cancelling headphones, hot pink lipstick, black boots.

How I stay sane: No sugar, weight-training and Pilates, long walks, spontaneous trips, and taking photographs of small moments.

Heroes and idols: Diana Vreeland, Dale Carnegie, Hunter S. Thompson.

Everyone should try: Moving across the world to a place where you don’t know anyone. Best ever.

One piece of advice: Do what makes you feel good. It’s that simple… And that complicated.

“I have always admired everything about Gala from her sparkling heart to her fashion sense. I am also a fan of her writing, which is as inspiring as she is. She makes you feel like she’s there with you, sharing her secrets for a luminous life. I highly recommend Radical Self Love and everything else she writes.” — Francesca Lia Block

If this is your first time here, there’s a guide to radical self love for beginners right here.

My media bio is below. You can download images here!

GALA DARLING

Gala Darling is an author, teacher, and speaker who has been teaching radical self love — a selection of powerful techniques and tools which help women transform their lives — for close to a decade. Her site, galadarling.com, helps a million women a month find their voice, live without fear, and fall in love with life.

Born in New Zealand, she moved to NYC with one suitcase when she was 24 years old, and used radical self love to heal from an eating disorder and depression.

Gala has been called “a spiritual revolutionary”, “the oracle of all things mystically glam”, and “a modern-day guru”. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, New Zealand Herald, Teen Vogue, New York Post, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Time Out New York, Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph, The Age, Sunday Herald Sun, The Dominion Post, Inked magazine, MiNDFOOD,  Stuff, Viva, and countless others. She has been interviewed on CBS, ABC News, and Hay House Radio. Gala has spoken about radical self love and entrepreneurship at SXSW Interactive, TEDxCMU, and dozens of other events across the world, in addition to lecturing at NYU (twice). A co-founder of The Blogcademy, she taught over 1000 women how to build their business through their blog on several continents.

Gala has worn mouse ears in the Blue Lagoon, walked the runway at New York Fashion Week, and once danced naked in front of strangers at a self-esteem workshop. She believes in kale and crystals, goal-setting and gratitude, kaleidoscopic colour and kicking ass.