Q&A with Leah Wood

This year, in our quest to step up and be our best selves, we wanted to learn from truly remarkable women, to use them as role models to inspire us and to learn if they have a mantra that they live their life by.

We are absolutely thrilled to talk to environmental campaigner, Leah Wood, for our series of talks with truly inspiring women. Leah is the daughter of Rolling Stone, Ronnie Wood, and his former wife, Jo Wood. She is a committed environmentalist, working as a Cool Earth ambassador, and supporting ocean charity, Project Zero.

As a mum to two young children, Leah Wood sees the absolute importance of taking personal responsibility for looking after the planet for future generations.

First, I asked Leah a little about her background.

I was born in Los Angeles, California on the 22 September 1978. We lived in L.A for 4 years, before moving to the Big Apple, where we lived for a further 5 years and I went to school.

In 1983, my little brother was born and we moved to London and have lived here ever since. Having grown up and having been schooled here, I feel like London is now my home!

In my late teens and yearly 20’s, I was modelling for designers like Sass & Bide, Vivienne Westwood and others; then I went on the road with my father, when I finished school. This is where I learnt to sing, and I put my own band together, playing festivals and touring, supporting the likes of David Bowie and the Corrs.

When my band went off in separate directions and left me to go solo, I didn’t really enjoy it, so I broke away from music, deciding enough was enough.

Later, I met my future husband. We married and moved to Sydney, Australia where we lived for a further 3 years and brought up our daughter. When we moved back to London, we had a second child; and I fell back in love with painting, something I had always done but never shouted about. Here I am now, involved in environmental charities, and keen to make a difference in the world.

So – I was very keen to find out from Leah about a mantra that she lives her life by; and what motivates and inspires her.

Do you have a mantra you live your life by? 

LOVE: Our Earth, Our Future, Our Children

What do you think gave you the drive and determination to succeed?

I’m always looking for challenges in life and things that are new, things that will make me feel alive!! So I guess the quests that I put upon myself are those of expression and adventure.

I think you have to make your own adventures in life because they ain’t going to come to you, if you sit around all day doing nothing about it!

My children, too, help me with the drive to be a better person.

How important have role models been to you?

Role models have been important to me, as I look up to them and they teach you how you can make it. When I was singing, I had a few great people I could ring up and ask for advice. Others weren’t that easy to just ring up, as they were sooo far out of my reach – so I just had to look up to them and wish to be like them!

When you were young, who were your role models or people you truly admired?

When I was young, my role models were people like Prince, Kylie Minogue (I had tons of posters of her on my walls in my bedroom) Lisa Fischer, my Mum, my Dad, my Gran - just to name a few really influential ones!

And as your life has progressed - who inspires you now?

Now with life being where it is now, my role models are friends who have really worked hard to get where they are today (people that I went to college with), who have really put their heads down and worked super hard to be really successful.

Big respect to those men and women!

Women (friends) who have had children on their own and have come out the other end, whether they are still with their men or not, and have really gone through the tough times and hardships. I love those women!! Truly..... well done!!

And who, now, would you say is an inspiring figure on the world stage?

Inspiring figure, I’d say Vivienne Westwood. She’s the most inspiring woman I think I know (not to mention my Mum too, she’s a pretty inspirational force). Also I’d like to mention Sir David Attenborough, he is sooo inspirational and what he does with his shows.  I think I’m not the only one that finds him truly amazing and a wonderful human being.  

Leah has collaborated with us at Mantra on her own ‘myMantra’ necklace, engraved with her mantra for life.