Julia Peters shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Julia, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day are sacred.
They set the tone for everything that follows — how I think, create, and move through the day.
I make sure to sleep long enough to feel truly recharged — at least seven hours, but ideally eight. Once I wake up, I start with a short workout that I can do right in bed. It’s four sets of simple exercises for my abs, legs, and arms — a small routine that wakes up both body and mind.
After that comes my morning care ritual: a bit of self-massage, applying creams, and taking a few moments just for myself. Then it’s time for breakfast — the most important meal of my day. I like to enjoy it in total calm, without stress or hurry. It might be homemade granola, whole-grain bread with peanut butter and banana, or healthy tortillas — I can even share my recipe if you like.
I take collagen, drink tea, and — unless I’m on a creative trip — no coffee. I also take my vitamins. This whole process is my me time. Slow, peaceful, completely mine.
It usually takes around 90 minutes, but being self-employed and creative allows me to manage my mornings exactly the way I want. This slow, intentional start gives me a strong sense of presence — the feeling of being here and now.
Because of this ritual, I genuinely look forward to mornings. I wake up in a good mood, grounded, and ready to go.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Julia Peters — founder of the charity foundations Good Friends for Ukraine and Good Friends 4U, event organizer in Zurich, and author (my latest book is Three Little Birds Burning in the Flames of War).
My work straddles the worlds of art, storytelling, charity, and social impact. What makes my path unique is this blend: I bring attention to serious humanitarian issues through emotional narratives, visual media, and collaborations with people from different walks of life.
In 2025, I took what felt like a “creative sabbatical” — a gap year of sorts — to slow down, recharge, and focus deeply on my creativity and selective charity projects. I stepped back a bit to restore the energy I’ll need for my next big undertaking.
Right now, I’m writing a book about people around the world who devote themselves to charity — whether famous or lesser known, but always fascinating. I’m also developing a new project to support refugees in creative ways and help nurture their talents. At the same time, I’m preparing to launch my blog about longevity and well-being, which will reflect this process, share insights, and capture life in progress.
You can already follow along via my social media channels: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_antimodel_, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/talk.to.juliapeters, and Threads https://www.threads.com/@_antimodel_
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child, I didn’t really believe in myself. I simply went with the flow, thinking that was the only way to exist — as a small piece of the system, without the possibility to step outside the box. But quite early, I realized that wasn’t my path. Around the age of nine or ten, something in me shifted — I began to rebel, quietly at first, then more boldly.
Before that, I was emotional, tender, and insecure. A single harsh word or something unexpected could easily unsettle me. But as I grew, I started doing things my own way — and by the time I was fifteen or sixteen, I had turned into a music-loving, rock-spirited, football-playing little philosopher who saw the world as unfair and unstable.
Later, at university, I learned to be calmer and more diplomatic. I stopped rebelling outwardly, but I never stopped following my own path. Today, I still challenge what doesn’t feel right — only now I do it with empathy rather than resistance. My goal is to make the world a bit better, whether through my charity work or through books that might make someone’s life a little easier, a little brighter.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The defining wounds of my life began with the loss of my father, who passed away when I was still very young. He was my example of how to behave in life and how to deal with challenges, and when he was gone, I suddenly had to keep learning about the world without his guidance. That left me with a deep sense of loneliness.
The next wound came later — my first marriage. It turned out to be filled with everything one associates with domestic violence, both mental and physical. That experience broke down the person I used to be and left me having to rebuild myself from the ground up. For a long time, life felt terribly unfair, but I somehow knew I had to find something good to hold on to — a reason to keep believing in people and in love.
I would say that I was finally restored to the person I am now, whom I truly love and enjoy being, through another relationship — one that showed me how to rediscover myself and approach life from a place of peace, strength, and understanding.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Being a public figure, I tend to be as honest as possible and show the real me to the max.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
What I understand deeply — and what I think many people don’t — is the real meaning of being in love with yourself and truly caring for your own well-being. For a long time, I didn’t do that. I neglected my own needs, both physically and mentally, because I thought giving to others was the right thing to do. But over time, I’ve learned that self-care isn’t selfish — it’s essential.
The better you feel and the more balanced you are, the more you can actually give to others. There’s a paradox: if you only give to others without nurturing yourself, it eventually becomes unhealthy and unsustainable. That’s why I’ve started prioritizing my own well-being — my body, my mind, my peace of mind — and I’ve seen how much it transforms everything else in life.
This understanding is also what inspires me to develop my longevity and well-being blog in the coming years. I want to help more people realize the importance of caring for themselves, so they can live healthier, more fulfilling lives and share that balance with the world around them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.goodfriends-for-ukraine.ch
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_antimodel_
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-peters-7901151b
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talk.to.juliapeters
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@juliapeters_antimodel_
Image Credits
Alyona Gorshkova – www.instagram.com/unterhaltend.fotograf.ch
Alex C.
Irina – https://www.instagram.com/irrinnea
Claudio Mauro Villarino Vera – https://www.facebook.com/DJ.DHYAN
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
