Sometimes, inspiration is not a single moment in life, but a chain of events disconnected on the surface, yet interconnected underneath. Rising like an oceanic wave, Julia Mae Corotan’s life is a living example of inspirational leadership. A living connected by numerous events from her transitionally transcontinental times. All the years of ups and downs. Now, her story has reached its pinnacle in her emergent leadership through the success of her blog, Amica Mea, and Podcast ‘Becoming You―helping people feel lost in their life emerging out of that helplessness.’
Flowing from and unto the Sea
The stream of her leadership tale originated long ago in the midst of one of the biggest seas. Born and raised in Papua New Guinea, a Pacific island located north west of Australia, the small town girl, Julia, grew up in the highlands of PNG. Goroka is very simple. A true definition of a small town where everyone knows everyone. But something about PNG that not many people know about is a high level of illiteracy. Only about 63.4% of the population is literate, which is the lowest in the Pacific region. This is due to the fact that a lot of places within the country are still unreachable by simple means, such as access to education. A lot of untouched places that roads also do not have access to.
Discovering the Love of Her Professional Life
And growing up, Julia Mae Corotan feels she was and still is fortunate enough to be able to travel back to the Philippines, where both her parents are from. But because of growing up in a developing country that is in need of all basic necessities and having access to a country that has the simple basic necessities that PNG lacks, it shaped her, giving her a purpose to help the less fortunate and to step up for people who are not able to stand up for themselves.
The experiences Julia Mae Corotan had in terms of leadership that really shaped her were her experiences with the Non-profit organization―AIESEC―focused on youth leadership development and cross-cultural exchange. “It was through that I discovered my love for leadership development and to continue my passion for helping people.”
Coming Full Circle
Funnily, though, Julia Mae Corotan never wanted to be a part of a career in business operations and logistics. “I never wanted to work in this field. Or I never envisioned myself in this field.” She always wanted to work in either the arts or history. This was because growing up, both her parents worked in the coffee industry, and they’ve been part of the industry for three decades.
So ever since Julia Mae Corotan was a little girl, she was already exposed to operations, logistics, and exporting. “Especially coffee, this was an industry that became second nature to me.” So, when she was off in school, she wanted to pick a path that was far from the industry she grew up in. But just like the saying goes, never say never. Nine years after she graduated high school and left the small town of Goroka, “here I was again working in the coffee industry.”
It wasn’t till about 2023 when Julia Mae Corotan realized that the industry she tried so hard to stay away from was something she enjoyed doing. “I am a big coffee addict. I have at least 3-4 coffees a day. And just like I said earlier, this industry is second nature to me.” It wasn’t till she came back and started working in coffee that Julia realized the amount of knowledge she had retained while being surrounded by all these people was immense. So she decided to stay because the more she did logistics and operations, the more she realized, “I love the thrill plus the added coffee component as well, I realized I actually loved what I was doing,” and she wanted to keep pursuing it. Julia knew this was right for her. Because at every moment, she never saw it as work but as something she just genuinely enjoyed doing.
A Philosophy of Team Dynamics
Describing her personal leadership philosophy, Julia Mae Corotan says, it has always been about team dynamics. Even as a leader and in all leadership roles she held in the last decade, she has always seen herself as just an individual part of a team, just like everyone else, and never as a boss. “I am just someone among the people who can speak up for everyone and be the voice of everybody.” But really, even as a leader, the leader still learns from everyone around them. “And just like how my blog contents go, we’re all on this journey of self-discovery, together leading each other and being there for each other.”
Moreover, her philosophy is influenced by the people she grew up around. Growing up in PNG, there were many moments where people within the town she grew up in would want to say something, but they were too scared to. Or teams that would look for someone who would/could guide them. “So, really, my philosophy is influenced by my environment and surroundings.”
Shaping Her Path Through Challenges
Also, being a woman leader in the field can be difficult and has its challenges. There are moments when women leaders are never taken seriously. In Julia’s field, it can be challenging because there are moments where her content is never or would never be taken seriously because some would call her over dramatic, “I have too many feelings or just too much to say, and everything is not true.”
This has shaped her and has shaped her growth by taking what people say and using it as fuel to keep going. To show people that personal development is important. Self-awareness is important. And that all emotions are valid and okay. So all these personal challenges have been used as fuel to shape her growth.
Continuous Learning―Her True Investment
Julia Mae Corotan has invested heavily in her own learning and personal development. There is a reason that drives this passion for continuous growth. Growing up, Julia was always scrutinized and compared with a lot of people around her. “I would always hear the phrase “She’s better than you,” and “What are your accomplishments compared to hers?”
She continues, “Our world today is full of many changes. Today I could be talking about something that tomorrow could be different, or something new has turned out. So, I’ve invested a lot of my time in my own learning and personal development to keep up with our ever-changing world.” And also to continue to supply her mind with knowledge. Julia Mae Corotan is a very curious person who always likes to learn new things. This keeps her active and aware of the things that are continuously happening and changing around us.
Passion Powers Projects
Julia Mae Corotan holds several leadership roles simultaneously. When asked how she manages her time, energy, and focus, Julia Mae Corotan smiles. “I always like to say I am a lady of many hats.” Someone who always kept herself busy. But even though with all these leadership roles happening at once, a lot of them apart from her own job, and are what she likes to call her passion projects. “I’ve always loved to help people and to dedicate my time to certain causes, and a lot of the leadership roles I hold are with causes that have always been close to my heart.” So when it comes to energy, focus, and time, Julia always finds ways to divide her time. Especially if it is doing what she loves, she always finds the time to fit it into her schedule. “And when you’re doing something you love, time is just a suggestion, the energy and focus will be driven by the very thing you are passionate about.”
Four Pillars of Julia’s Strength
Authenticity, Honesty, open-mindedness, and community are Julia’s top four personal values that really guide her everyday decisions and actions. She likes to tell herself every day about keeping an open mind because this helps her stay curious and learn about the many new things. Especially when it comes to learning what people like or dislike. This also fits into discovering new cultures that are different from her own. “And be authentic, be yourself, because the best gift you can give yourself and anyone is being the true, authentic you and not someone others want you to be. Life is short for you to lose who you are, so stay true to you.”
The Ripple Effects of a Curious Mind
Julia Mae Corotan volunteers for causes such as arts, culture, child welfare, and education. She takes much influence from the things she is passionate about. Not just in the way she leads, but in the way she views life and goes about life as well. These personal passions have helped her by allowing her to be self-aware. “Honestly, it’s not easy leading a team, or just being considered a leader. I like to take ideas and thoughts from my many causes by allowing myself to stay curious, to see what is out there, what needs to be addressed, and what needs to be done. By knowing all this, I can share this knowledge with everyone around me. It’s like a ripple effect when we continue to share and be a good influence on others, the more knowledge can be spread.”
From Oxford certifications to UK leadership programs—these academic experiences have transformed Julia Mae Corotanas a leader. “Because they have given me insight into different environments.” They gave her a glimpse of how different places have done certain things differently. So she can take those learnings and observations and turn them into plans that she can build upon and share with everyone.
Success of Living Her Dream
When asked to define success personally, Julia Mae Corotan says, “It’s simple. To me, success today at this stage in life is just existing in this present moment. My family came from humble beginnings, and it has always been a dream and a goal to finally live a life where I am able to do the things I love. One of those is volunteering and participating in programs that I had only dreamt of as a kid. So sitting here today and answering these questions, I would say to myself, especially my younger self ‘Look, we made it.” It’s still far from her goals, but Julia can see it on the horizon. “That to me I would already consider a success.” Success is that the dreams she had as a kid, the life she had only dreamt of as a kid, which she is actually living today.
Her Future Legacy―Becoming the Voice of the Voiceless
Finally, when asked if people will look back on her journey 10 years from now, what she hopes they’ll say about her as a leader and individual, Julia Mae Corotan replies, “There really is only one thing I want people to say about me or to really remember me by. And that would be someone who was there for people. A leader who always had a smile, a positive attitude, and who guided them when they thought no one was there for them.”
“I want people to say that I became the voice when no one else was. Someone who walked beside them and guided them when they felt all hope might have been lost. Strong, resilient, and a dreamer,” she concludes.
