Stephanie Mandich
On moving through the world with curiosity, intention, and an open heart.
Q: Has your idea of home changed over the years from living in so many different places?
A: My entire life I have moved around a lot, so I feel like I have always had an innate sense that home isn't necessarily associated with a particular place. However, this has definitely become even more apparent in the last few years with work. I think home is really just any "place" where the people you love are. This can take time to find and build, but when you eventually find those meaningful connections, that is what makes a place feel like home. My family and friends are all over the place — my sister, who I am closest to and who has always represented the truest feeling of home and comfort for me, has been far away for quite a few years now. It's just about falling in love with friends all over the world, wherever you are. It takes time, of course. This time last year when I was first in LA it was difficult, but now that I'm back and have deepened the connections with people that matter to me, I feel at home here too. I feel grateful to find love and home in many places.
Q: Do you feel like different environments or landscapes bring out different sides of you or shape your creativity in different ways?
A: Definitely. I feel like in Australia I'm probably the closest version of my true self — it feels like my most grounded self. I think it's the ease of connection with nature and my friends there, who feel disconnected from the industry I'm a part of, or from the more superficial pursuits of society, if that makes sense. When I'm in LA I'm focused on working as much as I can, building my career and "hustling," you could say. I do try to find quiet time in nature to remember what this is all truly about, but I'm also very inspired by the creativity and passion of people here. Everyone has a story, everyone has big dreams — and this makes me feel inspired to have my own big dreams too. It's important to find a balance in every place, but I can definitely feel that difference in me because of the difference in the physical environment.
Q: When moving into new chapters, what tends to guide your decisions — whether it's a place, project, or experience?
A: I try to balance logic and practicality with intuition. I consider how a place, project, or experience will advance the general trajectory of my life — practical benefits, long-term growth, and so on. But it's also about feeling into it. I think I'm quite in tune with my emotional world. I know when something feels off or feels right; it's very intuitive. I'm not really someone who stays in something that doesn't feel good. That doesn't mean I'm reluctant to experience hard things or that I'm not determined — it's more that if something feels inauthentic or unlike myself, I won't continue to pursue it. I'm like that in all areas of my life, I guess.
Q: How do you stay grounded or maintain a sense of routine while constantly moving between places?
A: I call one or multiple members of my family every single day. I find it hard to go a day without talking to my little sister or my mum. I like to tell them everything that's going on and hear their feedback. They also believe in me so much — my whole family does, and I'm very lucky and grateful for that — and it's nice to be reminded of who you are when you're struggling to remember on your own. If I'm getting caught up in something that's not right for me and not seeing clearly for whatever reason, they can remind me of who I am and what I stand for. And if it's the other way around — if something good is happening but I'm feeling insecure that I'm not enough for it — then they remind me that I am.
Q: Your recent trip to Thailand seems like it was a formative and adventurous experience — what stands out most to you when you look back on that time?
A: To provide a little context: I actually have two passports, one that has expired with my US visa in it and a new one. I forgot to bring the one with the US visa and wasn't allowed to enter the US until I got it back. Initially this felt pretty unfortunate, as I had work the following days and just wanted to be home after 27 hours of travelling for a one-day shoot. However, after letting myself crash out fully for the first day, I realised this was a pretty unique and serendipitous opportunity to spend some quality time with myself. I say serendipitous because I think over the last year or so I've felt quite a reluctance to be alone. I'm not particularly extroverted, but I love being around people I love and trust and spending as much time as possible with them. This kind of forced me out of that. Honestly, as soon as I made the decision to leave the hotel room and explore, I felt so much freedom and so much life within me. I definitely love to romanticise, and that was the perfect scenario to do so. Following this trip I feel so much more compelled and inspired to solo travel more. The world isn't as scary as you make it out to be in your head sometimes, and I am very grateful to be more aware of that now.
Q: How did that experience shape your relationship with solitude? Did you reconnect with or discover a different version of yourself along the way?
A: Honestly, that experience was probably exactly what I needed at this point in my life. A little fated, if you believe in that stuff. I have been scared of spending time with my own thoughts for a while now — despite the type of work I'm in, or my unfortunate tendency to self-isolate occasionally. I realised that my own company is enough; that I am very fun on my own, and that the love and beauty I'm always searching for outside of myself is probably a reflection of the love and beauty that already exists within me. I think maybe we're always trying to get closer to what our true self is — what we were as little kids, before the world started telling us what it thought instead. I learned that the validation I'm seeking is something I am fully capable of providing on my own. I guess I reconnected with the childhood version of myself that was maybe more brave and more bold. I hope that feeling stays with me, but it also means I just need to keep putting myself out there in ways that feel a little scary, to continually find it again. There's that quote: "We are on a journey of becoming that which we already are. That is the impossible paradox of our lives." I feel like that really hits home here.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who wants to become more comfortable in their own company?
A: The only way out is through!
Q: You've studied chemistry, conservation biology, and environmental science — how do you continue to apply that knowledge to your current work and lifestyle?
A: My lifestyle is obviously incredibly different from what I studied. I sometimes feel insecure about it because I feel like I'm not living a life that completely aligns with the things I feel passionate about. I'm in the process of learning to live with that contradiction without being too hard on myself. In general, I feel that I approach things from a very analytical standpoint, which was so important in my studies. I try to move through life with a genuine desire to understand, and to approach everything — people, situations, problems — with consideration and nuance. I hope to be a person who treads gently and always tries their best.
Q: What is something about the natural world that you wish more people paid attention to or felt connected to?
A: That the natural world is finite. That we are capable of — and very evidently en route to — expending all of its resources. That we are not on this earth to just take and take. That the love we show to nature is a direct reflection of the love we are willing to show to others and to ourselves. And that the best way to build your connection with nature is simply to spend more time in it.
Q: If you could keep studying forever, what would you want to learn next?
A: I hope I am kind of studying forever. I'm always trying my best to learn more and understand more about the world. There are some things that particularly spark my interest in a more concrete way: art, film, photography, philosophy, literature, psychology, gardening, permaculture, piano, green architecture… the list goes on. I think you never stop learning, or at least I hope so. My mum just got accepted to art school in Florence later this year — she's nearly 60. My dad picks up a new random hobby every few months and he's 66. It's never too late. It just depends on your willingness to be potentially bad at something at first, and your capacity to acknowledge your own gaps in knowledge — basically, a disposition to be humbled, lol.
Q: You've also been writing on Substack as a space for contemplation and conversation. What kind of thoughts or themes have been calling to you the most recently?
A: I've been writing there very rarely at the moment, haha. I go through phases of wanting to express myself publicly in that way. A lot of what I write is just for myself and never sees the light of day — it feels too intimate to share. But most of the time I feel very inspired by nature, and by love. Nature acts as such a mirror, in the way it connects us to ourselves and to each other through our relationship with it. I'm inspired by all its intricacy and complexity, similar to the ways in which we are complex and intricate as humans. And when it comes to love, I think in this day and age people aren't romantic enough — they're too cautious, too scared to be loving and honest and say how they feel. Even though I've had my heart broken many times, both romantically and otherwise, I still carry a very large capacity for love. I'm very hopeful and optimistic that people are good and that there are others who feel the same. I like that openness in myself, and I'm inspired when I see it in others.
Q: How would you describe your personal style?
A: Eclectic, I think. I pull from a wide range of styles and aesthetics — I just always pick clothes that feel the most like me. They're usually quite colourful and free-feeling. I really love thrifting because it means you have to cultivate your personal style more thoughtfully and really choose pieces that resonate with you. It also means all of my pieces feel unique and more special, since I really had to search for them — so I tend to cherish them more, which I think is important with clothing. Nowadays we have quite a disposable mindset when it comes to material things (and non-material things), but clothing especially, and that's not good for us or the planet. We should try to be deliberate. I don't know exactly how I'd describe my style, but it's kind of just whatever I'm feeling that particular day. I just like to feel like myself.
Q: What are three words you'd use to describe yourself?
A: I would say I am — or at least I try to be — kind, thoughtful, and maybe playful? I feel like I may have come across as quite serious in these answers, but I am actually fun and generally lighthearted.
