Why Netflix’s Mind Your Manners host Sara Jane Ho sees etiquette as utmost form of wellness
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Etiquette expert Sara Jane Ho says good manners will help you achieve a balanced life
Making a good impression on people is something that we all want to do, but it often seems quite difficult to achieve and may even feel emotionally draining.
However, Sara Jane Ho, international etiquette expert and host of Netflix’s Emmy-nominated makeover reality television show, Mind Your Manners, is inspiring people to see things in a different light.
“People often think that etiquette is one big ‘don’t’: you can’t say what you think, you can’t do what you want to do,” she says. “But actually, I feel that etiquette is the utmost form of wellness because through etiquette you can be your best self in any situation.”
The Hongkonger, 38, teaches people how to not only use cutlery properly and sit upright, but also improve their life and build self-respect.
“When you have good etiquette, it can help you in every aspect of your life,” she says. “It can shape your confidence, it can improve your relationships. Etiquette is enabling. It lets you set the boundaries you want to set, and it lets you out of a lot of tricky situations so long as you know how to deliver it.”
She lives by her own teaching when it comes to setting boundaries. “I’m never afraid to say, ‘I’m not going to take a work call after 10pm, but I’ll take it as early as 5am because I go to bed early’,” she says. “I’m not afraid to tell my husband, ‘I need tonight for my own time to go get acupuncture and a massage’.”
