When Jules Robinson and I finally sit down over a Zoom call (because, let me tell you, this is one busy lady), she’s wrapped up in a hairdressing cape having her gorgeous red locks touched up. Her arm is in a cast from a break that happened a couple of weeks earlier. Not that it has slowed her down one bit. “I’ve been a bit naughty trying to do too much,” she confesses with a smile.
If you’re familiar with the Nine Network’s Married at First Sight (MAFS), you’ll instantly recognise Jules from her time, and success, on the reality show’s sixth season in 2019, where she met her now husband, Cam Merchant. Arguably, they’re one of the biggest success stories to come out of the show and Jules has since become a bit of a powerhouse in her own right: the proud owner of a thriving shapewear line, FIGUR by Jules, and newly launched fashion label, Moira Muse. She’s also the co-host of a successful parenting podcast, The Juggling Act, runs her busy social media platform with more than 750K followers, is a spokesperson for Jenny Craig and, most importantly, is a mum to one-year-old Oliver. Oh, and she also has a book in the works.
Getting Busy
How does she do it all? “I’ve always worked hard and I’ve always had a ball,” says Jules, 40. “I’ve lived a very colourful life. I’ve travelled the world, lived overseas and I’ve been very lucky.”
Although life is busier than ever, it’s exactly the way she and Cam, 38, like it and they’re not scared to make it even more hectic. “We’re trying for baby number two and it’s really exciting,” she beams. “Cam and I are in a great space right now and I feel ready for it. Six months ago, I wasn’t, but now my body and mind is. I’m ready to take on being pregnant again.”
Jules admits that being pregnant comes with big changes. “It’s a lot [on your body] and your body doesn’t just go back to how it was, for many of us, including myself,” she shares. That said, she actively embraced the changes during her first pregnancy. “I’d sit in front of the mirror naked and go, ‘This is me!’. I found it a great way to accept my body for what it was, the changes it was going through and just really appreciating it.”
Postpartum came with its own unique challenges for Jules. “I had a COVID baby and I was working incredibly hard, putting myself last,” she says. Eight months after giving birth, she’d gained 20 kilos and knew it was time to make some tweaks. “I wanted to get back to me.” So, she started making time for herself and became a Jenny Craig ambassador. “The weight loss program really helped me get the results I wanted and got me back to my goal, which is a curvy, healthy size 12 to 14. No less, no more. But, the most rewarding part was having women reach out to me and saying, ‘Thank you, seeing you do it made me believe I could do it too.’”
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Embracing The Curves
Jules says that MAFS came with its fair share of criticism. “Unfortunately, as women, we’re judged by our appearance,” she says. “I received a lot of trolling and body shaming for how I looked, and that was hard. I guess I wasn’t what you’d normally see on a TV show like that. But, on the flip side, I had a lot of women saying it’s so lovely to see a curvy woman on TV. I believe my purpose in life has always been to make people feel great.”
And that’s where the idea for her shapewear line, FIGUR, was born. “That and spending plenty of time struggling in and out of shapewear to go to the bathroom, where I’d end up with my entire outfit on the floor,” she says, laughing. “Shapewear has always been my superpower and makes me feel amazing. I wear it to accentuate my shape and show off my curves” – which is the goal of FIGUR. “No matter your size, age or who you are, you can still feel fabulous.” Inclusivity is massively important to Jules and the message she puts out there. “I try not to do anything without integrity and purpose, and I’ve always been really honest about where I’m at, what I’m struggling with, or why I’m doing something. I’ve been all the sizes, 12 to 18, and I’ve struggled to find clothing that fits me and fits my curves, too.”
Midlife Realisation
Jules says turning 40 earlier this year feels like a coming of age. “In your 20s, you’re trying to find out who you are; in your 30s, you become more aware of who you are and more focused, and then in your 40s, it’s an explosion of purpose, because you realise who you really are and what you love. I’ve come to really like who I am and know who I am.” And the confidence she exudes? “That’s a lot of life lessons,” she says, laughing.
However, five years ago, Jules wasn’t quite so content with life. “I had honestly looked all over the world and couldn’t find my guy,” she says. There were other love interests and even a marriage proposal, but she never found that “special love”. Taking matters into her own hands, she auditioned for MAFS. “I basically told the producers I was a catch,” she says, laughing. “My game plan was to leave the show after a week if I didn’t like him, go back to London [where she was living at the time] and live a fabulous life.” And then she met Cam.
In that moment, “I felt like all those crappy dates and all those crappy men had been worth it for this very moment,” recalls Jules. “When people come up to me in the street and say, ‘You made me believe I’ll find my guy,’ it gets me every time. It’s really special.”
A Passion To Succeed
Jules fully credits her success in life to passion. “There’s no point in doing something that you’re not passionate about, right?” she says. “Especially if you’re busy and your time is precious, you don’t want to be wasting your energy on something or someone that you’re not excited about. Passion is my fuel to life.” But she also acknowledges her relationship with Cam, who’s a former professional cricketer. “I couldn’t do what I do without the support of my husband, and vice versa. We give each other the space and support to still do our own thing, to be individuals, but we always come back to each other.”
Centred On Gratitude
I ask Jules if there’s anything she’d change in her life. “I’ve started taking time to celebrate my successes and not just running from one thing to the next,” she replies. Learning that you have to stop and enjoy the sunshine and be proud of what you’re doing has changed the way she views herself. “We now have a gratitude jar at home. We write down everything we’re grateful for during the year and add it to the jar. Then we open it over Christmas time and read it to each other.” It’s a tradition, she says, they want to foster with Oliver and their future children as they grow up. “For Cam and I, it keeps us centred and happy and grateful for what we have. I’m constantly trying to be the best version of myself, evolving, learning and stopping to celebrate what I’m doing.”
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