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Read Insight's exclusive Personal Insights with Heidi Middleton
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Back in 1999 Heidi Middleton and her best friend Sarah-Jane Clarke founded the now iconic Australian fashion label sass & bide. The pair had returned from London and the stalls of the Portobello Road markets ready to take their ‘denim’ designs to the next level…and take it they did. The girls’ designs are now known the world over and are stocked in some of the most elite stores, testament to why they were the first Australian designers to be invited to show on schedule at the prestigious New York Fashion Week parades.While Heidi’s business success is amazing, her personal story is too. Whilst pregnant with her second child in 2007 Heidi received the shocking news that she had breast cancer. Just days after giving birth to daughter Elke Bay, Heidi had to have a medium-sized malignant tumour removed. She had the pressure of dealing with illness and surgery while post-pregnancy hormones raced around her body.
Despite all this, Heidi only took a few months off work to recuperate before she returned and designed the Rainbows for Kate collection - in honour of her dear friend Kate Boyson, who lost her own battle with cancer.
Heidi has faced things most people never have to and instead of letting it get her down she has found strength from within and from her beautiful family and dear friends. We were fortunate to have Heidi share some of her personal insights with us.
What do you think has made you successful in your life?
I gauge my success on my personal happiness and the health of my relationships. I feel incredibly blessed to have been able to make a living out of a passion of mine. The success has been a bonus, a bi-product of doing what I love.
How did your illness change your perspective on life?
I worry less about small things, things that are out of my control; I feel more present in life.
Did it induce a sense of searching for meaning and if so, has the intensity of the search remained?
I have always had a real awareness of my beautiful life but now those feelings are magnified which is a blessing.
As a survivor, what advice would you share with others?
As dire as a situation may seem, there are always so many good things to come from adversity. Keeping a sense of humour was also a wonderful tool.
How do you push past any moments of doubt?
Hold my girls to my chest, shut my eyes, and inhale their sweet smell.
What issues do you feel are the most pressing in the world today?
Protecting children, reducing violence, environment , education.
What do you see happening in the world in the next ten years and what will your contribution be?
I feel that the world has degenerated in so many ways – environment, social standards, violence, poverty – and believe that things have become so extreme that we are starting to see things turn back the other way. I do worry that things may get worse before they improve.
What are the two books you would recommend that people read?
The Power of Now – Ekhardt Tolle
The God of Small Things – Arundahti Roy
Name two people who have inspired you on your journey.
Alice, my Rwandan friend who survived the genocide, and my parents.
Sum up your philosophy on life.
Kindness is more important than wisdom, and it is the recognition of this that is the beginning of wisdom.
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