Owning Every Moment
Meet this month’s cover star Marley Wallace / @MarleyWallace
Congratulations on being named Playmate of the Year! What does this title mean to you personally and professionally? It really is the height of my career so far! Definitely the most exciting and inspiring accomplishment to date. Personally, I am just honored to have been awarded Playmate of the Year and professionally it really is a dream come true. Also, thinking about becoming a part of history really makes my heart soar. I will use my reach as a model to help in as many ways as I can that are deep and meaningful to me.
Was becoming a Playmate always a goal of yours, or did it happen unexpectedly? It was unexpected! I love their style and the brand. I remember looking at other models’ covers feeling like they were just out of this world gorgeous. I was really growing a lot along the way, from my first Playboy shoot to now I really see a huge difference. I was so excited to get a message from Playboy’s Instagram and they said they were excited to work with me. I was thinking you’re excited?!? What an honor! I was ecstatic, and it felt like I was dreaming when I read that. Also, I want to compliment Playboy on how incredible it has been to work for your company. Everyone has been so kind and uplifting.
What is your best physical feature? My eyes.
How do you define confidence and sensuality in your own terms? I love being confident and that’s something that I believe intertwines with sensuality for me. When I’m feeling beautiful and confident my sensuality just exudes naturally. , this question is so complex. I really have to put in work at the gym and doing yoga to feel good in my body first. Then the confidence comes out so much more while I’m working hard for my health. I like to feel like I’ve earned it so it really aligns with me to feel confident after kicking my ass in a workout. (Or paying my trainer to kick it which has always been so worth it.) Sensuality… I have always been such a sensual person. Even in my home, I love comfort with textures and lighting. It’s finding pleasure in so many things in life, even just your home having candles and feeling that ambiance when you’re alone. A lot of sensuality I find for myself while getting ready. The hot shower, drying my hair and the feeling of the heat, taking care of my body with scrubs and oil… feeling soft. When I curl my hair and it bounces and bit when I run my fingers through the soft curls. Taking pleasure in those little moments with myself makes for an amazing foundation of confidence and sensuality. For those that don’t feel confident I have had times I struggle with it too! Just keep practicing and finding the things you like about yourself. Focus on your positive qualities! For those who struggle with feeling comfortable in their sensuality a spa day always helps or a makeover, new hairstyle or get your makeup done professionally. I always recommend working out on a regular basis, but a lot of it has to do with your thoughts! So, most importantly be kind to yourself mentally and thankful for your life and body.
What do you think sets you apart from other models and helped you earn this recognition? I love helping other models! Not just with their career but getting into magazines because that was the hardest journey for me. It took 11 years. Also, I do feel like it is more rare to find someone who is genuine in the industry and kind just because there are so many superficial personalities. So, I do feel that sets me apart. I also have met so many kinds of models this year who want to work together, it’s not only exciting- it’s so awesome when models can uplift each other. I think it is a choice to choose love over jealousy. I also have the kind of persistence and drive that I was never going to give up on my dreams. I would tell myself all the time “My success is inevitable”. I also think having talents like ballet, acting, yoga, and art are very valuable to my modeling career. It sets me apart in my modeling because I incorporate my artistic passions in my photoshoots.
Can you share a memorable moment or behind-the-scenes story from your Playboy shoots? One of my favorite shoots was with Sebby Raw, we talked about working together for about 2 years. We shot together in Miami and during the shoot, I just felt so in the zone. Our pictures were amazing and published in last year’s July Playboy Australia magazine. I really look up to him and respect him, he is so talented and picky who he works with. Halfway through shooting, he said, “Girl, you really got it!” I really had to be so patient and wait for the stars to align for our shoot. I love the corset I wore, the black lingerie, and shooting out on an incredible rooftop. Follow @Sebby_Raw on Instagram. My other favorite memories were shooting this magazine with Olly Vento. We shot my glamour cover and I absolutely love and adore her! She is just so fun to work with, absolutely amazing, and such a badass. Not only is she so professional, her work is superb. She is the best of the best in my opinion. She flew to shoot this for me and went so out of her way for me to make this happen! She’s very great for posing and just being a hype woman. She always tells me how beautiful and sexy I am. She’s just a sweetheart, beautiful on the inside and out. Highly recommend working with her! Follow her on Instagram @OllyVento.
What’s one thing people would be surprised to learn about you? I love spinning in my aerial yoga trapeze! It’s like a hammock in the way you can relax and have it more for a zen, experience. You can also play in the trapeze in a more yang style which is a great workout. I enjoy both, but I also put my trapeze up accidentally on one mound instead of two, and I spin really fast touching my toe to my head or in the splits upside down. I have been doing it for 8 years and I would love to perform it in a Cirque du Soleil fashion. I feel like a little fairy flying around in a fantasy when I am doing aerial yoga. It’s a perfect mix of a physical challenge while fulfilling the artist in me.
How do your friends and family feel about your Playboy journey? I have so many loving supportive friends and family! I am so incredibly blessed. I really have the coolest family, I truly enjoy spending time with them and my family is huge! We are very close and family has always been the most important to me. I really care that they are supportive, especially my parents. I got teary when they told me they were proud of me. That meant so much to me! Friends have been all over the place, some of them were supportive from the beginning… some only came around after I had a lot of success. Some I think had a hard time in believing I could do such “pie in the sky” kind of accomplishments. Overall, I have been very blessed with such a huge outpouring of love over the past couple of years as I come up on this exciting accomplishment. Thank you to all who have been there and loved me! I truly appreciate each and every single one of you.
What challenges have you faced in your modeling career, and how have you overcome them? I have faced so many challenges!!! Not believing in myself in the beginning was the biggest challenge to get through. Once I did the next challenge was finding other photographers and people in the industry that believed in me as well. Don’t be discouraged if you’re having a hard time finding a good support team. Keep looking for your “tribe” so to speak and having genuine intentions in your endeavors. I am an advocate for praying and believing in praying for strength, praying for the right people to come into your life, and praying for you to reach and praying to reach the people that are in need of support. I always encourage others to never give up on their dreams! I think that is so important. Never giving up on a dream you have is so important. I think I was taking the longer harder path with more growth. Really, making a lot of mistakes and learning from them is how my modeling career blossomed. I have a lot of supportive and even more unsupportive people in my life throughout the years. The supportive people loved me regardless of my imperfections and the unsupportive people fueled my competitive side even more. It actually was great to have both, because I am much stronger proving I to myself first that I could do it. Now, I don’t notice the unsupportive people as much… they just fade away in the background but you always remember those people that stayed in your corner through the hardest times. I felt like I was crawling on my hands and knees up a muddy mountain for years and years, in modeling and acting. I could see myself helping other models throughout my life to guide them on a safe, successful, and sustainable modeling career. I overcame my challenges (by believing in myself) by working out with a personal trainer. Everything really blew up for me when I aligned myself in a different positive mindset. I think that is absolutely key! Every time I did 15 more reps that I really thought I could it was growing my spirit. Shoutout to my good friend and trainer Justin Sekerak. He has been there and watched me grow from so many challenges, and I am grateful for his help! Having those people in your life who believe in you, in your goals, and are willing to fight for it beside you while cheering you on are so important! Thank you, Justin! Follow him on Instagram: @JustinSekerak.
How do you balance the glamorous image with your everyday life? Is there a side of you fans don’t often see? I am very down to Earth in everyday life. I love being in nature. Camping and climbing trees were my favorite as a kid. For loving ballet and my princess side, I also have a very well-rounded balance with a love for fishing, (from my grandparents) and being in the woods. I love being in a pair of jeans and a baggy band T-shirt and I should post more of me like that.
Who inspires you the most, either in modeling or in life in general? My Mom and my older sister were my inspiration. They are so beautiful.
What message do you hope to send to women who see your feature? I hope women feel empowered to be themselves and live free of other’s judgment. I believe we have an inner compass in our hearts guiding us, and mine led me to this. Keep following your heart and keep dreaming! Deep down, my mother giving up her dream of being a model and working so hard my whole life was always my biggest inspiration. I also have always really cared that people feel unique, important, worthy of love, and worthy of the life they dream of! That is the message I would love to send to women. Also, for those rare women who have loved and supported me through all the years of my career. The years I struggled, the years I didn’t believe I was good enough, I had other people help me grow through those mental limitations. I care about being that catalyst for other women. You have a purpose, you’re beautiful, and you will live your dreams! I believe in you. ALSO! I am 100% about helping others if you ever reach out for help with modeling or acting. I absolutely pay it forward to those kind souls who helped me and changed my life forever. Forever grateful.
Outside of modeling, what are some of your passions or projects you’re currently working on? I am working on a new studio that I opened with yoga and massage! I just finished painting last week. This is so dear to my heart and it is just so incredible that both dreams of being Playmate of the Year and opening a healing center are happening at the same time. I also am going back to school at the Academy of Healing Arts and Sciences. I will attain new certifications as a holistic health practitioner, life coach, acupuncture, clinical nutrition, and herbal medicine. This dream I’ve had for years and I am finally starting to do more in my healing path which brings me such joy. I start this year! Very happy to announce I am going to do a lot of volunteer work this year teaching yoga and face painting. I am signed up to do face painting with kids at Art Walk at the end of the summer, it’s so fun to see the kids so happy.
What’s next for you any goals, projects, or dreams you’re excited about? A new fitness cover coming out this summer I am so excited for as well as ballet! Again, yoga teaching and face painting, along with a new academy I am attending.
What advice would you give to aspiring models who dream of working with brands like Playboy? I would say, you absolutely should live your dreams and go for it! It really changed my life and truly has been an honor.
Thanks for taking the time to speak to us, do you have any last words for our readers and where can they find you? Love all my fans so much! Thank you to all of you who compliment or like/love my posts! It really means the world to me and the genuine kindness from other models as well! Look forward to other collaborations with models, a fitness cover, and a ballet cover coming out! Follow my journey on Instagram @MarleyWallace.
