In today’s constantly changing times, life, for the majority of the transformational leaders, means making a positive impact both professionally and personally. Instead of a pursuit of perfection, one must strive for compassion along with keeping alive one’s own passion to make that impact long-lasting, feels Julia Corotan.
That passion drives her. “The thought that there are people out there going through something every single day, and feeling alone, lost, and not knowing what to do. I know that it is the impossible dream to have my story reach every single person out there in the world.”
But the thought—the same thought she had when she first started Amica Mea, was just reaching one person every day is all that matters. Julia is someone who is driven by her own story and her own journey in life. To the question of what drives her, Julia knows that this is not a conventional answer. But through the 30 years that she has lived so far, her life has been one big roller coaster ride, and she knows that it does not stop there.
“Life is full of surprises.” She used to be someone who hated surprises, but through the years learned that life is full of surprises, and “honestly, no matter how hard we plan for life, something will always not go as planned.” So, she has learned just to relax, sit back, and enjoy life, no matter how stressful, surprising, or challenging it can be. Because life is really about the journey, not the destination. The destination is only the reward; the journey is the memories no one can ever replace.
A Safe Platform for People to Come and Go
That same passion explains her appetite for business. Every time the question of passion arises, Julia goes back to her WHY. “Why did I start my blog in the first place?” Because that reason is her drive and her appetite for her own business. “I know Amica Mea Blog can be seen as a company. But in all honesty, I personally just see it as a platform, a safe space for people to come to, to go to when they are trying to find a place, a community that understands them, who will be there for each other in moments where we think we are alone.”
Amica Mea started as a passion project. Julia had just ended her term as the Country Director for Digital Marketing in AIESEC in Malawi, a non-profit youth leadership organization she was a part of. When that role ended, Julia wanted to continue helping and mentoring, but this time not just focused on the youth, but on anyone who would relate to her story, message, and lessons. The idea started from her experiences of being burned out, lost, and finding her way and purpose in life.
“When I ended my term in AIESEC, I wanted to continue doing something similar, to help people, to continue my work in AIESEC, but this time through something different.” And through this, she decided to share her story, her letters, in hopes that maybe it could be of help to others. To let anyone out there who may be or may have gone through something similar to know that they are not alone. “Because when I was going through everything, I felt like I was alone in this battle that was only happening in my head.” So Julia wanted to create a space where people can feel safe and a place to know that you aren’t alone in this journey, that there are people out there who understand what they are going through.
Discover Your Passion and Pursue It to the End
Another secret to balancing personal and professional life is Julia’s personal philosophy. “What I always tell everyone. Find something you truly enjoy and would always look forward to. Life always throws unexpected obstacles our way. And honestly, sometimes it is hard to find the balance between the two.” So, over the years, she has found that finding something to look forward to at the end of every workday helps her balance both her personal and professional lives. She always has to remind herself that both her personal and professional lives are two separate lives. The moment she steps out of the office, she is no longer ‘Office Julia.’ “I am just now “Regular Julia.”
It’s hard, honestly, to separate them, especially on those busy days at work, but having something to look forward to doing when going home helps a lot when it comes to balancing the challenges of both her professional and personal lives. Also, treating yourself at least once or twice a year makes a big difference. “For me, I love to travel, I love going to new places and discovering new cultures, so every year I make it a point to travel not for work but for pleasure. This helps me look forward to something that helps elevate the stress of work.”
“A Pandemic That Revealed Our Limits”
Sometimes the challenges are global, like the recent pandemic. Reflecting on it, Julia says that actually, Amica Mea Blog was launched during the pandemic. “It was during this time that I had left my role as the Country Director for Marketing and Communications in AIESEC Malawi.” She was feeling burnt out, lost, and in all honesty, hopeless. Her mental health had taken a turn, and towards the end of 2020. “I sat down and thought to myself, ‘I can’t do this anymore. ‘I wanted to keep working, to keep doing what I was doing in AIESEC by coaching and mentoring people.” She remembers sitting down and rereading her old letters to herself. “I love to write letters to myself and to my future significant other as a way to rant, or release any frustrations, emotions, or feelings I may have had at that moment.”
And while rereading her letters, Julia realized she did not want anyone to feel what she had felt – the feeling of being alone, the feeling of thinking that you are the only person who understands the battle that is happening in your head. “I wanted to put it out there that there are others who understand your struggles and you are not alone.’ – And it was during COVID-19 when she realized it was the perfect time to launch Amica Mea, “Because it was a time that many of us felt lonely, many of us had battled with our own mental health.”
And she wanted to create a platform where people seek and meet like-minded people, a place where they can feel safe, and know that someone is walking beside them. “That there are people out there, too, who understand our struggles.”
“Let’s Find Out Amica Mea”
When asked to go back to the point where her real journey began, Julia smiles, “Where do I even begin?” She is a Filipino born and raised in the South-Pacific island of Papua New Guinea, in a small town in the Eastern Highlands called Goroka. Her family came from humble beginnings; they weren’t really well off. ‘So to give each of my aunts and uncles a good life, my grandmother moved to PNG in 1986 to Madang to become a professor at the University there, which was the start of our story in PNG.” Papua New Guinea is a country rich in culture, and a country not many people are familiar with. Surprisingly, though, PNG has a strong influence of many other cultures, such as Australia, the US, and the Philippines; “this exposure played a huge role in my strengths of being culturally aware.”
Gaining A New Perspective
After high school, when Julia was eighteen, she moved to Manila, Philippines, for University. Her career in Personal Development began while she was at University. She worked for a non-profit called AIESEC that focused on leadership Development through cross-cultural exchange. “While in AIESEC, this opened my eyes to a whole new perspective of the world compared to my small-town upbringing in PNG.” Due to her background and the origins of her family, Julia has gained an appreciation for various cultures and an understanding of the world around us. Understanding that different cultures have different traditions, understandings, and acceptances is vital, both on a global platform and even in everyday life. “Being culturally aware is a strength we should all have. It ties into communication—understanding one’s culture can help us better communicate with different nationalities, to be understanding, and to be more empathetic.” Communication is a strength that Julia has also gained through her experiences, which has helped with leading teams and mentoring the youth.
A Lot of Lessons Learned
However, while in AIESEC and balancing her university career, her mental health took a turn. “I was burnt out and feeling lost with my direction in life and in my career. It was during this time that I went back to my love for letter writing; through my letters, I poured out my frustrations, emotions, and problems—anything that I could not voice out to anyone at that time.” It became a way for her to relieve stress and to also understand her own emotions and her own mind. Over the last decade, life hadn’t been smooth sailing; a lot of ups and downs had taken place, a lot of lessons had been learned, and a lot of new experiences had been gained. It was through all of this that Julia had gained a much deeper appreciation for personal development, and with this, she wanted to share it with the world, which became the start of Amica Mea and then Becoming You.
Slowing Down Once in a While
A weakness of her own, of which Julia is well aware, is that she likes to rush into things; sometimes she forgets to enjoy the moment. “I rush into trying to finish a task to see the results.” This has taught her to slow down and appreciate the moment. “Just like in life, when we rush and forget to appreciate the moment, we miss the little things that are worth remembering.” So always remind yourself to slow down from time to time and really live the moment because life really is full of surprises, she suggests.
Don’t Give Up Ever
In her advice to others aspiring to take on leadership roles in their respective fields, Julia says: “There was one advice that a mentor once said, and it was an advice that made me see things differently, and that was ‘Whatever you are doing now in your professional life, keep going, don’t give up.” Of course, don’t use this for greed, don’t ruin others to get to the top, stay humble, work hard, and never give up is what that advice basically gives. “Reaching our goals and dreams is not an easy journey.” You will experience many obstacles, many challenges, but that is and will always be part of that journey, so don’t give up, keep going, because one day you will look back on how far you’ve come and you will thank your past self for pushing through, persevering, and not giving up. Because there will be times, seasons, where life will test you, break you, challenge you, and make you question everything that you have chosen and done. But just like seasons, they will all come to an end, and new ones will begin, so keep going and never give up.
Live Your Life to the Fullest
For the viewers, her mantra to growth, development, and success, is profound: “Live your life. There is no perfect blueprint to life, and each of us is learning along the way. So be your authentic self, don’t become someone who others want, become that person you want to be. Don’t abandon yourself to make others happy. Be you, be the authentic you, the person you want to be. This is the first step to growth and development, and success will follow.”
Her final thoughts, Julia wishes to share, are deep from her mind: “Hey stranger! It may be the first time that you have encountered me, or it may not be. But I want to say thank you because if it weren’t for the viewers, I wouldn’t be sitting here doing this interview. So, thank you for this opportunity, and I hope I can see you guys around again. Because just like I’ve said before in my blogs, everyone we encounter in life, we are always meant to encounter because life gives us the people that we need, not the people that we want. So, each of you has played a part in my life, so thank you. And I just want to say again, go live life, be your authentic self. Don’t abandon yourself to please others. Because the moment you start caring for yourself, life will start rewarding you.”
Julia Corotan’s Fabulous Accomplishments
*Brainz 500 Global 2025 – Brainz Magazine – Stockholm, Sweden.
*Nomination for – Outstanding Women Leadership in Content Creation Award – Business Frontier Leadership Conclave & Awards 2.0 – April 2026 – Dubai, UAE.
*CREA Global Awards 2025 – Brainz Magazine – Stockholm, Sweden.
*The Northern Star Award – AIESEC Benilde – Manila, Philippines – May 2019.
