Her Feel-Good Formula: Natasha Azzopardi Muscat

A medical doctor by profession, Natasha Azzopardi Muscat worked hard to get to where she is today - the Director Country Health Policies and Systems at the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. But, as she travels the world and lives out of a luggage, she balances much more than the demands of her job. The mother-of-three shares her feel-good formula. She talks about choices she made and what motivates her.

BODY - Physical health & image

I do not have a routine. Each day and each week is different. I reckon I spend around 25% of my time in Malta, 25% in Copenhagen where I am officially based, and probably around 50% on the road moving from one hotel to another - from one country to another. This lifestyle is very hectic and it is very difficult to maintain a healthy regimen when one is eating out more than half your life.

I enjoy my food – I enjoy trying different cuisines of the places I visit. I try to be rather disciplined so, for example, although I am tempted with buffet breakfasts I tend to stick to cereal, fruit and yoghurt. Occasionally, when I have more time and a long day ahead, an omelette.

Today it’s the norm for business lunches and dinners to be stand-up buffets. While this is great for networking, it can get very tiring after a couple of days. Being out also means that one tends to be more exposed to alcohol. Our recently introduced policy at WHO Euro - to avoid including alcoholic drinks in all our official meetings - will undoubtedly have a positive effect on my calorie intake.

I miss home cooking and, when I’m in Malta, I relish my mum’s brodu, minestra and torti tal-hut, tal-laham etc.

When it comes to exercise, I lack the self-discipline that I tend to exhibit in other domains of my life. I exercise in fits and starts as and how I can. Probably three-to-four days a week I do a gentle stretch routine and some core strength exercises for 10-15 minutes in the morning, time-permitting. Two or three times a month I visit my personal trainer in Copenhagen. He is Spanish – very relaxed. He told me at the start that I will not make the catwalk at my age and with my figure but, in a very non-pushy way, he helped me achieve my goal of running 5k last May and I’m now lifting weights to an extent I’ve never done before.

Now and again I join a class in Malta. When it comes to exercise, I tell myself that every little is better than nothing.

Upkeep

My basic morning routine is a five-to-seven minute quick make-up routine - foundation, powder, blush, eye shadow, eyeliner, brow liner, mascara and lipstick. On special occasions, I apply a bit more layering with concealer and more careful eye shadow. On solo weekends in Copenhagen I gift my face two make-up free days with the exception of my eyeliner – I can not leave the home without eyeliner.

According to my daughter and my beautician, my skincare is grossly insufficient and yes I confess I don’t always manage to remove my make-up before hitting the pillow. But, in general, I use good moisturizers and the occasional mask or scrub. I try to do pedicures and facials probably three-to-four times a year.

I dye my hair every three to five weeks depending on when I’m in Malta. I’ve known my hairdresser since I was 14 and haven’t ever trusted anyone else with cut and colour. This requires lots of careful scheduling.

*“I have no aspirations to look younger but to age with grace and remain looking smart and ‘good for my age*’.”

I’m also quite careful with getting my nails done because I tend to use my hands a lot when I present and often get close-ups when I’m holding a microphone.

My body is that of a 50-year-old who has had three children – so stretch marks, cellulite, pigmentation and broken veins are on full display and I bear them proudly.

I have no aspirations to look younger but to age with grace and remain looking smart and ‘good for my age’.

Wardrobe

According to my dad I seem to spend most of my free time arranging wardrobes. Now having wardrobes in Copenhagen and in Malta makes it even more complicated. Plus having to have luggage always in a semi-ready state to pack and go.

I need to have doubles of all staple items and yet still sometimes manage to end up without a black bra in one place or the other and have to purchase yet another one. I go through tights in boxes as I’m always in a hurry and tearing them.

For work and travel events I have to plan very carefully – I try to avoid wearing the same jacket for the same audience / event that occurs on a yearly basis. Facebook helps in this sense as it allows me to go back, but social media is also a curse as everyone sees what you’re wearing and I do not have a clothing allowance. Of course, I could stick to black and navy throughout but this would be boring.

I see choice of clothes as part of my femininity and colour also sometimes allows one to express a message. For example, the day before a delegation from Ukraine visited the UN city in Copenhagen I came across this bright blue suit. On impulse I purchased it and teamed it with a pale yellow blouse which I wore for the event and I know my effort was deeply appreciated.

It takes a lot of planning to prepare my suitcase when I have five days or morning and evening events. I try to buy everything non-crease and determine what goes into hand luggage to see me through the first 48 hours, in case the larger luggage does not make it to the destination – a frequent occurrence nowadays with connecting flights.

It’s easiest to wear black pants and a black dress and don a coloured jacket over them. My navy and black suits are also staples that come with me everywhere. When I have downtime I live in jeans and tops or hoodies. I tend to prefer trousers as I can sit more comfortably on a stage, on an armchair or while balancing precariously on stools with high tables designed for tall men rather than shorter women.

I love patterns too but I’ve been told repeatedly that they do not look good on screen. So I now have to resign myself to plain jackets and blouses for work that is more than 80% of my dressing up life.

MIND - Work & mental health

In terms of mental health, I realise when I am getting tired and anxious as I become short and snappy with people. I try to take time off with family and children in Malta, or plan short weekend trips abroad, or very occasionally take a solo day after a duty travel. Thankfully, it doesn’t take me too long to recover, but the key is to unplug before it is too late.

In summer I find swimming in the sea and lying in the sun on the sand very therapeutic - the smell of the sea, taste of the salt water, feel of the warm sand, sight of the never-ending blue and sound of lapping waves… it’s my idea of paradise.

In winter, gathering in a warm place for a natter with a friend works wonders and, when I’m fortunate enough to spend a couple of days on the snow-covered mountains, it’s awe-inspiring.

*“I’m practically always on even when on leave and particularly with the emergencies that have erupted in our region, I cannot say that I ever truly manage to take a day completely off.”*

Otherwise I love social gatherings with family and friends and I enjoy the theatre. Anything to engross me full enough to put the blessed phone away for a couple of hours.

I can’t do mindfulness though - I’m just not patient enough… and end up more stressed.

I feel hugs and physical contact are very important. I miss my family when I’m away from them for more than two or three weeks at a time and sometimes work gets really very intense.

I’m practically always on even when on leave and particularly with the emergencies that have erupted in our region, I cannot say that I ever truly manage to take a day completely off, but I know it comes with the package and job description and if I manage, at least, to only work from my phone and not take meetings - that in itself is often good enough.

CV

I qualified as a medical doctor in 1995 aged 21 and went on to do a Masters in Public Health in Malta and a second Masters in Health Services Management at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and London School of Economics and Political Science. I did my PhD in European Health Policy in Maastricht University finishing in 2016. I hold an associate professor position at the University of Malta.

Between 1998 and 2013 I held a series of senior government positions at the Ministry of Health. In 2001 I was the youngest at the time ever to be appointed Director (and was eight months pregnant) then subsequently I held the positions of Director General and Chief Medical Officer.

In 2013, following a change in government, I was not renewed in position and took up a technical medical role as Consultant in Public Health Medicine - where I had the opportunity to spearhead the first national diabetes strategy and also the mental health strategy. During this time I set up a WHO collaborating centre and this brought me in closer contact with WHO.

In 2019 I took up a position with WHO initially for six months to support the newly elected Regional Director as part of his transition team. I found the role professionally challenging and rewarding and competed successfully for a position in the senior executive team – the position I hold today and have been in post since May 2020.

Work life

First and foremost I consider myself to be ‘cheerleader in chief’ of my teams. They are very competent and motivated but, as in any bureaucracy (being an international civil servant is very much like being a national civil servant with some additional complexities) they face obstacles and barriers.

As a leader, my role is to fundamentally try and help them resolve issues that they cannot resolve at their level. The better your people are, the more prepared you have to be that when they reach out you are going to face a really tough nut to crack as otherwise they would have resolved it themselves.

Secondly, I constantly strive to shape the future agenda and to bring the bigger picture into view. Because of my role, I am often able to see wider and further and it is my role to bring a technical challenge to my teams – to act as a sparring partner.

*“I can help ensure that people have better access to good health and health care – particularly those who are mostly likely to be voiceless and fall through the cracks*.”

Once our teams and work is set, then the next bit is to ensure that our actions serve to produce cutting-edge evidence that can help empower health leaders in countries and non-state actors to advocate for and implement changes that will achieve our goals.

We work to develop the right policies and strengthen health systems, to ensure that our 53 countries across the region can provide quality care and services. Services that are truly accessible to those who need them to protect the health of people in emergency situations - be they arising from conflict, natural disasters like earthquakes, or the impacts of changed climates. Finally, we strive to ensure that people have the necessary resources and environments to support health and well-being.

So then I spend much of my time engaging actively with countries and partners to understand their needs. I deliver many talks and presentations to persuade and advocate for health and well-being, particularly through ensuring that health systems are designed and equipped to deliver.

At times it is a bit too much – I work on average 14 hours a day – and I’m always on. Occasionally, particularly when I’m tired or unwell, I struggle with the fact that even when I’m meant to be on leave there is always some emergency or some big event or something administrative that doesn’t allow me to completely shut down.

But I always tell myself that nobody is compelling me to do this job or to do it for longer than I have the energy for and that if and when it becomes too much, I would have to walk away.

HEART - Relationships & connections

I’ve been married since 1997 to Conrad Azzopardi, also a medical doctor. We have three children: Aidan, Sereena and Nathan.

Wherever I am in the world I try to be virtually there for my family although sometimes it is only through chats and short video calls and I hover and monitor the kids at a distance. My husband and I try to speak at 7am every day unless I’m in a time zone that does not make this feasible.

*“It’s not easy and I’m in awe of the way in which Conrad and the kids have adapted to the situation.*”

It is a short call, we go through the day together - typically this call now starts off with him asking: “Where are you today?” before we get to “How are you and how did you sleep?”. If my youngest son is around we say the morning prayer before school. In the evenings when I’m around and available we often try and have a family video call around 8pm.

On weekends when I’m not in Malta I try to carve out time for one-on-one calls with each of the children to have a longer conversation and see if they need help with their studies. It’s not easy and I’m in awe of the way in which Conrad and the kids have adapted to the situation.

When I’m in Copenhagen I try to call my parents on my way to work in the morning – I know they miss me very much and I feel bad that I’m not around for them now that they are older.

It’s very difficult to keep up with friends in Malta – when I’m here for a short while I normally have my time cut out with errands and trying to savour moments with close family. When I’m home for longer in Christmas and summer I try to catch up with some friends too.

On a positive note, I have also made some close friends through work in Copenhagen and very occasionally I manage to spend some time with them too.

I wish I had more time for nurturing special relationships. I never have enough time for all that I want to do and accomplish – I try to squeeze more than is realistic and feasible…… and most times I manage but not always.

What motivates me?

I’m probably still very naïve and idealistic but I believe that through my actions - which are amplified through the actions of many others - I can help shape the agenda. I can help ensure that people have better access to good health and health care – particularly those who are mostly likely to be voiceless and fall through the cracks.

So in a way, I guess this goes back to my upbringing, my convent school education and the sense of duty that was instilled in me – namely that, if you are blessed with a talent, then you should put it to good use for the service of humanity.

What is ‘Her Feel-Good Formula’?

Think of life as having three pillars of happiness: body, mind and heart. Body is about physical wellbeing that includes health and beauty-related routines. Mind is about work and maintaining mental wellbeing. Heart is about our emotional connections with family and friends.

Because every person is different, there is no one magic feel-good formula. But, by sharing our formulas, we can help and inspire others.