MOXXIE: When trying to define
where you fit in with the word moxie,
which means fearless, determined,
and all these great words, can you tell
me about a fear that you have that
you have not overcome yet?
JULIA: Well, I think we all have lots
of different fears. Simple fears in life
are heights. I'm afraid of heights,
snakes, those are the little things in
life. But the larger fears in my life are
fear of failure, never measuring up,
in a sense, letting others down. But,
when you've got moxie, you persevere
and you fight forward, and you
go through those ... and knock those
walls down.
MOXXIE: So you brought up two
fears. One is the fear of disappointing
yourself, and the other is the fear of
letting other people down. So, if you
look at those two side by side, which
one do you struggle the most with,
and why?
JULIA: Probably letting others
down. Especially when dealing with
my job and my responsibilities in the
community. With that, comes a lot of
weight, and making sure that you're
doing the best thing. Not only in your
personal interests but the interests of
those that are around you, with your
family, your friends, and your
coworkers. That's very important to
me. To make sure that you're doing
the right thing and pushing forward,
not to let them down.
MOXXIE: So, people always say
that we change so much as we grow
up. Can you look at yourself in
pictures of when you were younger
and recognize yourself or do you look
at photos of yourself and say, 'God,
that's me but it's from another
lifetime ago?'
JULIA: You know, looking back as a
child, I was fearless. I grew up in the
country and my two older brothers
were gone or working. So I was by
myself a lot. I tell people sometimes
that I was raised by wolves because I
ran through the forest and ran
through the barn and played with
our horses and our animals, and I
was usually on my own. I was fearless
back then. But, that’s what childhood
brings to you. Growing up,
snow-skiing, and fearlessly going
down a mountain at 150 miles per
hour ... I can tell you, I won't do that
today.
MOXXIE: When was a time that
you can reflect on, where you felt like
you were really being challenged and
didn’t know what to do?
JULIA: That would be when I was
making the decision of where I was
going to live after college. Looking
back and growing up in a small community,
there's not as many opportunities
here. So, when I got through
college it was do I stay or do I move
to a larger city, what do I do? But my
roots are small town, small town girl,
and it didn't take very long to get
back here.
MOXXIE: So, you are born and
raised in Haywood County?
JULIA: I sure am. Born right here
in a Haywood County hospital. I am
a Boyd by birth, which is a family
name that goes back to the 1800’s
here in Haywood County.
MOXXIE: WOW! For some reason,
I didn’t think you were a native here.
That certainly has it’s pro’s and
con’s, doesn’t it?
JULIA: Exactly! Being known locally,
and the Boyd name being a local
name, there's a lot of baggage. It can
affect the perception of how people
feel about the family and the family
name.
MOXXIE: So, what is one of the
biggest situations or obstacles you've
had to overcome in your professional
life?
JULIA: Well, being an Alderman
with the town of Waynesville, we
make critical decisions that the
public isn’t always happy about. I
mean we all want a good outcome,
but we can't make everybody happy.
I/We have to make those decisions
based on what we think is in the best
interest of the people we are serving.
And that's the greatest challenge I
face almost daily. Which goes back
to one of my fears of letting people
down. Sometimes I make a difficult
decision, but I know that in 10, 20
years from now, it is the right decision
for this community.
MOXXIE: What about on a personal
level? What are some of your biggest
obstacles?
JULIA: Personally, I struggle every
day. I doubt myself on certain things.
I'm not the greatest health nut, so I
struggle with healthy habits. I'd
rather binge watch Stranger Things
than go to the gym and workout.
There's lots of struggles, personally.
But you know, I get up every day, and
I hit the ground running, and hope
for the best. I am an eternal optimist.
I can get down, and get ‘woe is me’
sometimes, but it doesn't take long to
say ‘get up girl we need to go.’
MOXXIE: Yeah, so I think people
can have this portrayal of somebody
like yourself, someone that's always
in the spotlight. Some people might
have this idea that just because you
own a title, or a name plaque is in
front of you, that you fit in a different
bracket. So, I wanted to personalize
you away from that. Let our readers
know that you are the same as everybody
else. You have days when you
don't want to get out of bed, you
want to binge watch and eat sugar
and just not see the daylight. You
have the same struggles that everybody
else has.
JULIA: I do! Absolutely. But you
know what Nikki, most people think
I am this really serious person, but I
am the biggest cut up on the face of
the earth. I love practical jokes. I
love laughing. I love having a good
time.
MOXXIE: What are your hobbies?
Other than to socialize! I know you
love socializing.