The Grace Tales is a lifestyle destination for Mothers – hello!
We’re a place for women to find style, substance, and solidarity. We celebrate the paradox of modern motherhood; the struggle and the beauty, the joy and the relentlessness. We’re known for our refreshingly honest and insightful conversations with mothers, from celebrities like Miranda Kerr and Teresa Palmer to the extraordinary, ordinary women raising the next generation. The Grace Tales covers everything from the big questions (‘how to raise good humans’) to the very little ones (‘are cardigans cool again?’)
Our Story
In 2013, former Australian VOGUE deputy editor Georgie Abay saw a gap in the market. Pregnant with her first child, she no longer felt quite at home in the glossy magazine world, but nor did she see herself reflected in the sea of mummy blogs and online forums. Thus, The Grace Tales was born – a content-first platform covering profiles, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, interiors and food. As mothers, most of us are searching for kinship and community. It’s common to hear women talk about the isolation they’ve felt in early motherhood, and the need to connect and hear other womens’ stories. We all want to know how everyone else is doing this whole motherhood thing – and it’s a relief to hear that absolutely every one of us is winging it. Nailing it some days, failing it (many) others. Today, The Grace Tales has grown to include a membership platform, reader events, a content creation hub, an e-commerce store, a print magazine, and our first book, Grace Mothers Letters To Our Children. The Grace Tales has editors in Sydney, Singapore, London and Los Angeles.
Our Team
Who do you call in a crisis? Your mum. That’s why we’ve hired a whole team of them.
Georgie Abay
Founder
A mother of two girls, our founder Georgie Abay was formerly the deputy editor and fashion features director at Australian VOGUE. Passionate about storytelling, she launched The Grace Tales back in 2013 after spotting a gap in the market for an inspiring and engaging publication targeted at style-conscious parents. These days, she juggles running a growing business with raising her two girls and wouldn’t have it any other way.
Take 10 with Georgie: Your children? Arabella, 7, and Lottie, 6. Your hometown? Sydney Top mum hack? Make your home as clutter free as possible – everything needs a spot. It makes tidying (and getting out the door) so much easier. Favourite baby product? I was too sleep deprived to remember what I used. Can I say Timtams? Go-to workday outfit? A nice skirt with a shirt or t-shirt. Maybe heels (but more likely flat sandals). And way too many bags – why am I always carrying so much stuff? Favourite age? 7. She’s heaven. Greatest wellness activity? Spending time at the horse stables Biggest regular indulgence? Takeaway coffees – they add up! One tip for a first-time mum? Learn how to take deep breaths. You’ll need them. One thing you’re working on? Patience. Being calm. To stop rushing so much. To be more mindful. How long do you have?
Follow @georgieabay
Gemma Dawkins
Managing Editor
Gemma has had a colourful career as a professional dancer and choreographer, Barre and Pilates instructor, and a stint in marketing. Little did she know that a childhood of obsessive journaling and story writing would bring her home to her calling: writing. Motherhood brought Gemma to The Grace Tales, where she is passionate about sharing womens’ stories of the complexity of mothering in the modern world.
Take 10 with Gemma: Your children? India, 2, with another one on the way Your hometown? Sydney Top mum hack? Pack everything the night before. No matter how organised I try to be, mornings just never go to plan in our house (walking out the door triggers my daughter’s need to go to the toilet. Every. Time.) Winner kids’ meal? Green soup. All the vegetables she refuses to eat, blended into soup form which apparently makes them magically delicious. Favourite baby product? Ergobaby carrier. Life-changing! Sleep training or go with the flow? Go with the flow. When I finally accepted that my daughter is a night owl and stopped feeling guilty for my ‘failure’ to nail a 7pm bedtime, life got easier. School pick up uniform? Activewear. Greatest wellness activity? Family cuddles in bed to start the day. The cure for anything. Hardest age? (For your child!) 9-18 months. Highly mobile, highly alert, highly awake all night. One tip for a first-time mum? Trust yourself. You know your baby better than anyone.
Follow @gemmashewrote
Emily Armstrong
Editor-At-Large
Emily left the role of Associate Publisher at British Vogue after two stints in London spanning 15 years, returning to Australia in 2014 expecting her third child. After varied roles consulting, within interior design and launching her own accessories brand, The Paradise Catcher, she joined The Grace Tales in 2016. Passionate about global content, brand extensions, and creating a community, Emily loves to strategise about the future of digital and lifestyle. She now resides in Singapore and welcomed her fourth and final(!) child earlier this year.
The English countryside is next on the plan but wherever she may be, a love of storytelling is ever-present. Take 10 with Emily: Your children? Beatrice, 9, Edward, 8, Agnes, 5 and newborn Rose. Last podcast you listened to? The High Low (thank heavens it’s returned!) Top mum hack? Tidying up competitions. Winner kids’ meal? Giant Bolognese that can morph into shepherds pie, lasagne and (mild) chilli con carne for nights to come! Favourite parenting book? Don’t read them! I found they caused rather than eased anxiety around parenting Favourite nighttime ritual? Currently it’s going to bed at the same time as my children! School pick up uniform? Dresses with trainers. And repeat. Top relationship tip? Don’t discuss anything thorny when you’re tired. Mornings are best! One tip for a first-time mum? Treat the first month like your fourth trimester. Prioritise you and your baba above everything else and stay in the cocoon…. One thing you’re working on? Letting go a bit – so just having more fun, being in the moment, embracing the chaos!
Follow @emily_f_armstrong
Claire Brayford
UK Editor
Our talented UK editor Claire Brayford is a fashion, beauty and lifestyle feature writer who has written for Vogue and Harper’s BAZAAR in Australia and interviewed designers such as Stella McCartney, Roberto Cavalli and Mary Katrantzou.
Follow at @clairebrayford
Julie Adams
Contributing Photographer
Having first picked up a camera when she was just 13-years-old, Julie Adams is now one of Australia’s leading fashion and portraiture photographers. She studied photography in Florence and her career has taken her all over the world from Africa to Italy. Adams spent many years working in New York and London before returning to Australia with her husband and their two beautiful girls.
Her first assignment was for the fashion pages of The Independent and she has since worked for prestigious publications such as VOGUE, Harper’s BAZAAR, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Adams has photographed amongst others Rebel Wilson, Joel Edgerton, Tim Minchin, Miranda Kerr, Rosita Missoni, Sofia Loren and Luca Zingaretti.
Follow @julieadamsphotographer
Grace Alyssa Kyo
Contributing Photographer
A passion for Paris – the city’s art, beauty and leisurely pace of life – inspired Grace Alyssa Kyo to pick up a camera and play. Her images delighted the readers of her Parisian blog Besotted Grace and it was obvious there was a hidden talent there, which would have been wasteful not to nurture. Now back living in Sydney and mama to three-year-old Sebastian, the talented Grace shoots many of the tales you read on The Grace Tales.
Follow at @besottedgrace
Amanda Woodward-Brown
UK Contributor
The stylish Australian in London Amanda Woodward-Brown has also worked in fashion for years. Over five years ago, she left her fashion editor job at marie claire magazine in Sydney and moved to London with her British husband. She was snapped up by Net-A-Porter, later moving on to edit NINE IN THE MIRROR’s online magazine. She’s the happy mother of two beautiful girls and a lover of all things floral.
Follow at @amandawoodwardbrown
Evelyn Lewin
Parenting Expert
Well-qualified to write about parenting issues, Australian-born and bred Evelyn Lewin is a GP with a diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology – as well as a talented and engaging freelance writer. She’s also mother to three young children, but somehow finds time to write regular incisive, informative and moving articles for Essential Baby, The Grace Tales and Daily Life. How does she do it? By ensuring she gets a good night’s sleep followed by a caffeine hit on waking.
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Acknowledgement of Country
The Grace Tales acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the traditional owners of the land on which we operate. We pay respect to their Elders, past and present.