MONICA
SALGADO
Journalist and influencer talks about new projects and personal life
With over 26 years of career, Mônica Salgado is one of the country’s leading fashion communicators. Having worked at Glamour and Vogue, the current influencer — who has an audience of over 500,000 followers — revolutionized the magazine market in Brazil and continues to make an impact, now with the project “Talk com Moni”.
Among countless projects and news, the journalist spoke with Lifestyle Mag and shared a bit about her routine, new work, and a little of her personal life. Check out My Lifestyle with Mônica Salgado.
Lifestyle Mag: Mônica, tell us a bit about where you were born and raised?
Mônica Salgado: I’m a true São Paulo native. I love this city and wouldn’t trade it for any other, not even Paris, my second favorite city in the world. I’ve always lived here.
LM: What was your childhood like?
MS: Happy and busy. I grew up surrounded by many cousins (a huge family on both sides). I was always the most outgoing and tuned into communication. I used to pretend to be a news anchor—when I wasn’t dancing in Dominó, a band whose lead member would become my husband, who would have thought. I was also always into sports. My father is very athletic, and the idea of moving my body and enjoying it has always been present in my life. I did swimming, ballet, gymnastics, volleyball, and tennis…
LM: What childhood memories do you carry that have marked your life?
MS: My grandparents were always very present, all four of them. I have the best and sweetest memories of our trips, the nights at their house, the journeys to the countryside (to the family farms), the food, and the Christmases. In the end, I believe the most special memories are the everyday ones, not the grandiose.
LM: You have a degree in Journalism, but did you dream of this career from a young age?
MS: I have always been very talkative, a natural communicator. And I always loved Portuguese and writing… they were my favorite subjects. Journalism was a natural and easy choice—I never had much doubt. The world of women’s magazines fascinated me, and when I entered university in 1997, I already knew I wanted to work in that field. I’m curious, questioning, I love people and their stories… I can’t imagine myself in any other profession.
“The world of women’s magazines fascinated me, and when I entered university in 1997, I already knew I wanted to work in that field. I’m curious, questioning, I love people and their stories… I can’t imagine myself in any other profession.”
LM: What was the biggest challenge you faced while working in an editorial office?
MS: Glamour was always a hit with readers (sales) and advertisers. We had a concept that was super in tune with the new times (the digital revolution underway in 2012, the rise of bloggers gaining more and more relevance…). But… it was tough to get backing from the big bosses. Everything was so new and challenging, and earning the board’s respect for such a fresh editorial proposal—in the language, the personalities, and the approaches—was an arduous task.
LM: What was the career change process like?
MS: So natural… after 5 years at Vogue and 5 years at Glamour, with the market undergoing a major transformation, I felt it was time to challenge myself as well. I always wanted to do TV, for example. And I received many invitations for lectures and consultancies that my position didn’t allow me to accept. I was 37, at the peak of my professional power, settled in my personal life… I really felt a call to venture out, you know? I spent almost two years on Video Show and it was delightful! I learned there that work could be something light. I met so many amazing people, I conducted interviews that were relaxed conversations among friends, a type of approach I wasn’t used to. It was a great school: turning a light chat into content for broadcast TV. At the same time, I continued delivering my talks and brand posts on social media, as well as columns for magazines and newspapers.
LM: What are the biggest challenges in your career nowadays?
MS: Turning TALK COM MÔNI, my digital influence event as a business, into an increasingly relevant brand. I felt that the market was missing a real-life event to discuss the profession (still very informal) that seduces more and more people and circulates more and more revenue. There are great events aimed at the trade, for industry professionals, but nothing consistent yet for the end audience—influencers and freelancers (architects, doctors, nutritionists, etc.) who need to generate quality content for social media. We held one edition in São Paulo and another in Porto Alegre. In May, we will have our second edition in SP, for 600 people, at Casa Petra. In the last editions, we had very relevant names discussing influence from various angles: from heads of the main social networks to major agency figures and influencers—Marcela Tranchesi, Anna Carol Bassi, Fabi Justus, Isa Fiorentino, Malu Borges, Fátima Scarpa, Paulo Cuenca… On May 6, we aim to do it again with interviews, panels, workshops, and experiences…
LM: What have been your main achievements so far?
MS: It may sound cheesy, but among all my achievements (which, fortunately, are many), my “little family” is the most important: me, my husband, and my son, plus our three dogs. That nucleus is what I hold dearest in life.
LM: How did Talk Com Môni come about?
MS: Talk is my youngest child—a project to which I have devoted all my energy! I truly believe in the event’s potential, including “pocket” versions, more streamlined, in Brazil’s main capitals.
LM: What are your main practices for taking care of your body?
MS: I’m not very disciplined, no. But I obsessively take care of my hair with my lifelong friend Eron Araujo (I have fine strands and get highlights, so I need weekly treatments) and I work out every day. At least 1 hour of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training. My therapy for both body and mood.
LM: Are you committed to a skincare routine? Which one?
MS: I’d love to say yes, but no. I receive wonderful creams and I’m always testing one or another. But I’m all about practicality… skincare for me is two steps: cleanse and apply a cream or serum.
LM: Regarding your love life, how did you meet your husband, Afonso Nigro?
MS: I met him at 18. This year we’ll celebrate 18 years of marriage! I was a fan and went up to him to introduce myself. We didn’t date immediately… we went out a few times and, a year later, we reconnected. He witnessed every major phase of my life: university, first job, first cover, first interview, Glamour, the decision to leave, signing with Globo… not to mention our biggest joint project: our son, Bernardo, who is 12 years old.
LM: Is there a trip you took together that marked your relationship?
MS: Italy in 2011 (our first together after the baby), Turkey in 2012, and Egypt in 2020. And there was a recent one for a tantra course that was unforgettable… laughs!
LM: What is your routine like as a mother?
MS: Sweet and challenging. My son is entering pre-adolescence. They say it’s a phase in which the boy leans heavily on his mother as he starts forming relationships, and that aspect of affection, the relationship with another, is heavily centered around the mother figure, the feminine. I think it’s wonderful, because he’s so close to his father and I’m really jealous…
LM: What does no one know about Mônica Salgado?
MS: I sleep with socks on even in high summer, I’m crazy about scents (there’s a home spray, candle, and air freshener in every corner of the house…), I only sleep with Johnson’s Lavender scenting me, my pajamas, and my pillow, I’m quite needy, I can be explosive, I love wine, and I have long chats with my three dogs.
LM: What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever received in life?
MS: My husband once looked at me, at the start of my professional life, and said: I believe in you more than you believe in yourself. It was a shower of self-esteem… that truly changed me. I’ve never forgotten it!
LM: What are your 5 favorite places in the world?
MS: My home, my bed, the farm where I spent my childhood in Porto Feliz, my grandmother Neide’s house (she passed away recently), and Paris… oh, what a city!
LM: Is there any book or film that marked your life?
MS: Captains of the Sands during my adolescence. I became hooked on Jorge Amado from that point on.
LM: Finally, is there any restaurant in São Paulo that you would recommend to our readers?
MS: My favorite is Le Jazz. A glass of Malbec, the onion soup with gratinated cheese, very French, and the Pain Perdu for dessert. The best combo at any time of day or night.
