Interview with Bára Nesvadbová about self-love and love for people in Be Beautiful magazine

Gifted and with her heart on her sleeve - writer, journalist and founder of the Be Charity Foundation Bára Nesvadbová can be an inspiration in many ways. In the latest issue of Be Beautiful magazine, she shares how she sees herself, what fills her charity work and the procedure she recently underwent at the Medicom Clinic.

As the editor-in-chief of Playboy or Harper's Bazaar, you've been in an environment that focuses on perfect looks. How did you feel about that?

At first, it was endless fun. Wonderful work, a lot of travel, world fashion weeks, unique shows, always new and new environments. But the more I fell into unprofit and books, the worse I felt. And when I went to the Chanel show in Paris, where everyone spends two days getting ready, hiring makeup artists, buying new models.going in wearing old Zara jeans and Martens after Bi, I realized I could no longer take the place of someone who was excited and fascinated by fashion.

What role does confidence play in your life?

I don't have much confidence. I'm from a generation of women who are shining examples of self-deprecation. Honestly, I criticize myself every day. Probably still daddy in my head. I could always be smarter, more educated, leaner, harder working. I wonder if there will ever be a time of reconciliation.

A few weeks ago, you underwent a procedure at the MEDICOM Clinic. Can you confide?

I'm always writing or reading, so my upper eyelids started to drop. Of course, no one else saw it but me. However, Dr. Horyna at Medicom Clinic, who was infinitely nice, said it was "borderline" and that we could cut or wait. Honestly, I don't like to wait. We were done in 40 minutes and I can see the letters much better now.

What's your philosophy in life?

Love. I love people. And I'm just always gonna be the good girl. I don't even want to change that with age and experience. I may just stare sometimes, but I'm convinced that existing in love is the only possible way for me in the world.

What was behind the founding of Be Charity?

When my dad died, Jakub Knězů, a classmate from college, came to me and told me that he didn't want people with mental and combined disabilities to spend time only in institutions, that he wanted to bring them into mainstream society, teach them skills, give them jobs. That's how the training cafés Mezi Rows were created, our first one in Štefánikova Street is dedicated to my dad, you can find there a whole sci-fi library after him. We currently employ almost two hundred people with disabilities within Etincelle. It's just, you know, we're all disabled in some way...

Charity work is certainly fraught with strong emotions. What are you most excited about?

When I meet a child who has hardly spoken, who hasn't walked, and suddenly, after many years of toil, he goes to school with an assistant. These are miraculous cases, worth every hour of work, every crown.

What story is most etched in your memory?

Terezka. She's been with us almost from the beginning. I met her half-paralyzed, in a wheelchair, unable to string a sentence together. She was recovering from a serious cancer operation. For years we paid for her rehabilitation, celebrated birthdays with her, because she had lost friends due to her illness, until one day she came to Měchenice, walked to my door alone on a cane and fluently invited me to her wedding and asked me to be her best man.

Read the whole interview with Bára Nesvadbová.