Hi, I’m Amy. I’m a 7 year Breast Cancer survivor and I run a non profit, called @resilienttogether.love, supporting those who have or had BC emotionally and practically.
Resilient Together started about 2 years ago. Our mission is two fold. One part is to lighten the load for those with BC - we offer practical services taking care of daily needs so the person with BC can put all their energy into healing. The other part is to hold your hand through every step emotionally. We are here to listen. We are here to support. We are here to keep you company.
After my diagnosis, I leaned on friends who were survivors for their experience and understanding. Then, as I healed, I had more and more friends, family and friends of family or friends come to me for my experience and understanding. It became so clear that although absolutely no one wants to have BC, getting it isn’t a choice - so once we’ve had it, the best thing to do is to hold up those who come after. Eventually, I decided to extend my reach and involvement and make sure no one goes on this journey alone.
Peace. I remember not consistently feeling at peace when I was growing up. I remember thinking, “whatever this is.... I want the opposite of it when I have my own home.” It’s important for your home to be your safe haven. A place where you can decompress from the demands and ups and downs that is everyday life. I always want my son to feel safe at home. I want him to grow up knowing stability and consistency.
I am inspired by the energy, light, intelligence, love and joy for life of two beloved women, beautiful beyond words inside and out, who were cruelly taken from us by BC. Cindy Lobel and Helen Booth.
To me, winged means feeling light. I feel lighter each time I share strength with another person with BC because I believe I’m lightening their burden.
Thank you, amazing Amy!
]]>I’m Christy, a single mom, special ed teacher, blogger and part time singer in an emo pop/punk band (*just over here doing a little bit of everything ha!). I started out as a Pampered Chef consultant and used Instagram to reach my clients and share recipes. After I separated from my ex, I moved from a giant four-bedroom colonial to a very modest two-bedroom first floor condo. I was determined to make this chapter of our lives as comfy and peaceful as possible. I started sharing all the little ways I was doing just that: painting our kitchen floor, wallpapering, unscrewing the doors off cabinets to give the aesthetic of open shelving. I had no idea what I was doing, but I learned my way through each DIY and met amazing people on this social media platform while I was at it. I feel so very blessed to have this comfy, welcoming little corner of Instagram that I call @our.comfy.abode
Lessons learned. I have experienced the emotional exhaustion that is pretending to be something other than yourself. May it have been hiding my struggles with my mental health at the time, pretending to be someone I wasn’t just for a relationship, or people pleasing to the point of losing my self-worth, the emotional toll was beyond draining. I learned that it is none of my business what other people think of me. I learned that I need to surround myself with people and things that are meant for me in order for me to be the best version of myself for my son. No regrets. No “what if’s”.
It has been a blessing to be able to connect with other women who have gone through the same thing as you. Single moms. Women starting over. Women trying to get their careers off the ground. To be able to share experiences, advice, and inspiration and allowing each other to not feel alone has to be one of my absolute favorite things about this whole thing. The number of women support women is incredible.
Peace. I remember not consistently feeling at peace when I was growing up. I remember thinking, “whatever this is.... I want the opposite of it when I have my own home.” It’s important for your home to be your safe haven. A place where you can decompress from the demands and ups and downs that is everyday life. I always want my son to feel safe at home. I want him to grow up knowing stability and consistency.
I like to incorporate the five senses where ever possible, especially in moments of hardship. Inviting smells of cardamom, thieves, Frankincense, the crackle of a vintage vinyl record playing in the background or a meal made together with the ones I love help me calm my mind when I need it most.
Less is more. I wish I would have followed that advice. The amount of unnecessary crap I bought that sat there unused and taking up space just caused for more chaos. I’ve tried to really take on the minimalist way of living and find that it not only helps me maintain my home, but it also helps make me feel less stressed when there isn’t as much clutter around. Totally buy that tummy time mat, or the complete series of the magic treehouse books, but you could probably pass on the wipes warmer!
I think what makes me a Winged Woman is that I finally have learned that selfcare is never selfish. It’s ok to take breaks and recharge. It’s ok to say no and not to overcommit yourself. I’ve found that setting boundaries and leaving time for myself whenever possible allows me to be the best version of myself for not only me, but my friends, family, and little boy.
:)
]]>My name is Nayanka Duplan and I am a BSN,RN. I take care of acute, critically and chronically ill patients in the hospital setting, recently with a focus on COVID patients.
You will not be respected without confidence and self assurance. When you are traveling you are likely to be traveling solo coming into a crew of individuals that have been working at a particular facility for a long time. You need to be able to show up with confidence and self assurance in your practice or you will get walked all over!
In regards to the pandemic the hardest thing I’ve had to go through was really the amount of deaths and complications that I witnessed.
It was really heartbreaking and shocking as a nurse coming from a culture where you always have the answers (or if not there is always a way to find the answers), there is always a way to help, you have protocols that you follow for everything and having adequate resources to going into a situation where you have very little information on the disease, nobody really can provide guidance and there are very little resources to provide quality care.
As a nurse you really don’t have much control over the prognosis of the virus. Although you are taking care of them and helping in the emotional sense of being there for your patients I felt that nurses were constantly going above and beyond to do everything they could to keep their patients alive and functional, just to watch half of them deteriorate anyways regardless of their efforts.
My advice on overcoming tough stuff is to make sure to vent to your support systems, stop trying to hold everything in you will go crazy!
As well as treating yourself to self-care sessions (easier said than done) but making self-care a priority is key to overcoming “tough stuff”, venting is considered self-care as well! My personal self-care methods included working out, venting, deep tissue massages, and shopping!
]]>Hello, I am Kalee. At seven years old, in 1993, I was diagnosed with full-blown AIDS. Up until that moment my status was unknown. I became positive though my mother, my father and brothers are negative.
When I heard about my status at seven it never phased me that my HIV was a "bad" thing. It was something that just was part of me that I know had to deal with.
It was hard for me to understand as a child that people were fearful and scared of HIV. It was not scary to me but the way people acted towards each other was scary to me. I was shown how I do not want to act at a very young age.
I am here to shatter stigmas. I want people to be aware HIV is not gone away but it is also manageable. Life is beautiful, sometimes is crazy and hard. But we can choose to be kind to each other.
Be empathetic. Have compassion. Have hope. For each other and ourselves. We have the power to show/ teach each other through our actions. HIV can affect anyone, I want people to be aware children are affected by ignorance and stigma.
I am a Winged Woman because I soared into my power. I strongly believe in the Law of Attraction, as well as the medicinal effects of CBD. Shortly after I started my social media I was drawn to @wingedwomen.
Like magic, I was connected to the powerful women of Winged Wellness. I am proud and honored to be a Winged Woman, I have fully taken flight and have my powerful sister's @wingedwomen Flying with me.
Thank you so much, Kalee, for sharing your story. To learn more about Kalee, keep up with her at @aidsbaby86.
I'm the Co-Founder of Humble Bloom where we use cannabis as a conduit for larger conversation, creating immersive purpose driven experiences that connect brands, thought leaders and experts to consumers and more deeply with themselves.
Hi, I’m Whitney. I’m a Feminist Holistic Nutritional Therapist & blogger who helps women overcome autoimmunity through diet and lifestyle changes. Having an autoimmune disease can be so lonely and most women don’t realize their illness is not only manageable, but oftentimes reversible. I’ve been able to help many folks come off their medication and get rid of their symptoms altogether through 1:1 and group coaching programs.
My unwavering commitment to helping women show up for themselves.
Your darkest days all have a purpose and will lead you to your life’s work.
Thank you so much, Whitney Shook, for sharing what makes you a Winged Woman and how you're helping women reverse autoimmunity through diet and lifestyle changes. To learn more about Whitney and Rooted In Healing follow @rooted.in.healing.
My foray into the natural beauty industry began right after college at 100% Pure, which is a global vegan cosmetics brand and one of the first to bring natural beauty to the masses. From there, I had a brief stint in tech and healthcare at a global PR firm, where I really honed my skills in marketing and brand positioning.
Fast forward two years later, I made the trek from California to NYC, where I worked in a leadership role at Bottega Organica (a luxury Italian organic skincare brand). It was a small company so I was doing a bit of everything from operations to managing their West Village store, to PR, D2C sales, and retail distribution network growth. I also launched the brand in new markets throughout Asia and Europe. I was at Bottega for a little over 2.5 years.
Having the experience of growing a small brand into a global brand, I realized I wanted to launch my own consultancy so I could help others achieve this growth. I wanted to work closely with brands that are, most importantly, eco, sustainable, female-founded, and philanthropically oriented. I launched Pink Moon in 2017 with the goal of empowering brands that share my vision for a more mindful beauty industry.
Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to work with almost 20 brands in different stages of growth. I’ve helped these brands do everything from PR, brand development, rebranding, and both domestic and overseas expansion. I’m also currently in the process of expanding Pink Moon into a retail, wellcare, and community space in NYC
Truthfully, the way the mainstream beauty industry speaks to women is nothing short of deplorable. We are constantly bombarded with messaging that is intended to make us feel inadequate in every way possible. We are then met with an overwhelming selection of products that promise to help us achieve an impossibly narrow standard of beauty.
Pink Moon strives to counteract this harmful messaging by working with brands that empower women, not shame them.
I think the mainstream beauty standards that women are encouraged to adhere to are really a deeper message about womanhood. These messages are meant to make women believe that most of their value is derived from their physical appearance.
My hope is to slowly undo this messaging. For us at Pink Moon, self-care isn’t about beauty, it’s about holistic wellbeing. I hope that we can help women strip these deeply limiting beliefs and help them bloom into their best selves. The biggest challenge is, and will continue to be, our rewriting of the beauty and self-care narrative. We want to create a self-care space that incorporates beauty in a way that is empowering, not shame inducing.
When I was younger, I didn’t understand the power of my own agency. In a sense, I thought that life was something that happened to you. I’ve come to learn that I have the power to design my life in a way that brings me joy. I wish I could let my younger self know that she has the strength, intelligence, and tenacity to create positive change for herself.
You are enough, just as you are.
My mother. Her generosity of spirit, diligence, and perseverance taught me to be a resilient and independent woman that values giving back to others. Her guidance has inspired my growth as a woman in ways that I am eternally grateful for. She has also had a direct impact on how I’ve structured Pink Moon – both as a consultancy and soon to be retail/wellcare/community space.
Regarding Pink Moon as a consultancy: My passion for empowering female entrepreneurs arose from seeing how much my mother gave of herself. I know that many women, like my mother, are in a position where they feel required to give of themselves endlessly, and I want to lessen their burden while helping their businesses bloom.
Regarding Pink Moon as a retail and wellcare space: I want to manifest my vision for Pink Moon in a tangible way that can be easily experienced and shared with other women. Particularly women like my mother, who deserve the opportunity to indulge in the regenerative power of self-care
Thank you so much, Lin Chen, for sharing what makes you a Winged Woman and how you've become an unstoppable female entrepreneur. To learn more about Lin and Pink Moon, follow @pinkmoon.co.
Hi! I’m Kate - a mama, NICU RN, certified sleep and breastfeeding consultant, and a “parent coach” dedicated to providing you with a realistic + non judgemental guide to parenthood.
Babies are complicated little beings. Many times, we need to take a good look at the big picture + decode what baby is really trying to tell us. Using NICU RN experience and expertise in feeding + sleep, bumble.baby will guide you in learning how to read your baby the best way you can.
I offer the highest standard of well-rounded care, getting your family to just where they need to be.
I try to be as real as possible! I struggle with depression and anxiety, both post/peripartum and not, I am not perfect and I share those moments with you. Parenting is HARD!
Be kind to yourself. It’s okay to put your needs first. It made me a better me, and a better mom!
It’s definitely hard! I have limits set on my phone for how much time I can spend on IG, etc. and stop using the app when the time is up.
It’s important to me to have quality, uninterrupted, and present time with my family and kids - and setting limits has allowed me to do that!
Being able to speak freely and openly about real life in order to help normalize motherhood!
Keep helping others - it will help YOU! :)
Thank you so much, Kate Arquilla, for sharing what makes you a Winged Woman and for your amazing, and uplifting advice on parenting! To learn more about Kate Arquilla, follow her on Instagram, or check out her website.
Being a parent is HARD! Why is there so much shaming?
We are all just trying to do our best, we all love our kids, and we are trying to survive through these early years of parenthood.
I aim to provide you with the knowledge you need to make your own decisions as a parent, no shame involved!
I am certainly not a perfect parent, and I am happy to share my mistakes and how I have learned from them, along with the expertise in my fields. Every family and every baby is so different - I love being able to empower parents and help them make the best decision they can for their family.
My name is Amanda Pelkey. I am an Olympic Gold Medalist in women’s ice hockey and a two time World Champion.
I began playing hockey when I was three years old when I strapped on my brother’s roller blades and skated down the hall way in my house. From that point on, I was hooked to the sport. I grew up in the small state of Vermont playing boys hockey.
At the time, girls hockey was just growing within our state and it wasn’t until my sophomore year in high school that I played for the girls year round. Now, girls have endless opportunities to play the sport but we still have a long way to go for advocating!
I am currently an active player in the PWHPA (professional women’s hockey players association) and the head coach for a girls hockey academy.
Growing up my I didn’t necessarily have a favorite super hero but my role model still to this day is Cammi Granato.
Cammi was the captain on the 1998 Olympic team that won our first ever Olympic gold medal in women’s ice hockey. Growing up we didn’t get to see much of the USA Women’s team so when we did get to, it was special.
Not only was she a leader on the ice but a trail blazer for our sport. The way in which she carries herself always stood out to me. I got to meet her when I was younger and still to this day has made an impact on me and my career.
As woman in general, I believe that we all have a sliver of “wanting people to know our worth in the world. When it comes to female sports, we fight for our visibility everyday. In order for people to value your worth and our skill level we need to be seen.
Back in 2017, my Team USA team mates and I fought for our worth against USA Hockey. Up until that time period we were not compensated for our time as athletes. Every single day for many years in a row we trained 5 hours a day to be at our best for ourselves and our team mates. We came to agreement as a group that we were going to fight for what we believe was right.
Back in 1998 the Women’s team tried to fight the same fight. The problem was not everyone on the team was united and on board. So it fell through. This time around we understood the importance of being unified as one. I learned the power that it takes when we all stand together.
Many people believed we were fighting for simply money. It went beyond that. We were fighting to be seen more. So little girls could dream the same dream we had.
We decided as a group to boycott our World Championships that we were hosting until USA Hockey came to an agreement with us. It wasn’t until three days before the tournament began that we came to an agreement.It was one of the most powerful moments to ever be apart of it.
We won the gold medal that week and the best part about it was to see all the posters in the stands thanking us for fighting. We now understand the power behind a pack. To all the women out there fighting, stay united
The best piece of advice I would give to younger female athletes is to never back down from taking a step forward into the unknown.
Create your own path if you don’t like the path your steps are on now. It is also important to understand that your path may be different than your peer The moment we start to compare and contrast is the moment we might get lost. Be confident but also humble.
Lastly, to always remember that the relationships you make are the most important part of of your journey.
I am so honored to be apart of this pack!
The moment I read information on this company I felt a spark of creativity and confidence. I have tried many CBD products to help with my migraines and recovery from training. This brand has been my favorite.
Beyond the products, I love how I feel a sense of connection to the purpose. What makes me a Winged Woman is my belief in standing up tall, making new connections, staying healthy and believing in the process of positive change in this world and in sports.
If I could say something to my younger self I would first say hug your family and the people close to you as much as you can. Without them your journey would have been much more difficult.
I would also say to continue to spend as many hours on the out door rink because that’s where your love and passion for hockey grew.
I’d tell her to hold onto that dream of making the Olympics one day. Never lose sight of it. Every day the fire inside will grow and grow. Learn to tame it with excitement towards that goal.
Never lose sight of where you came from and everyone who was apart of the process. Hold on tight to those people and team mates. They are what makes your story whole.
Thank you so much, Amanda Pelkey, for sharing what makes you a Winged Woman and how you've become an unstoppable athlete, champion, and Olympic Gold Medalist!! To learn more about Amanda Pelkey, follow her on Instagram, or check out her website.
The first collection- Indigo Rose- lives at the intersection of clean skincare meets CBD meets social impact. She is also the Chief Architect of Undefined Collective, a disruptive retail platform focused on conscious capitalism and elevating female-founded, minority-owned, LGBTQ and CBD brands. Dorian wants to educate and empower woman + men everywhere to explore, embrace and celebrate their own unique beauty through unique ingredient stories while also giving back to the community: purposeful beauty unleashed.
With a diverse leadership background, she previously was US Marketing Director for Covergirl. Prior, she was Director of Prestige Innovation at Sundial Brands, where she led the launch of Madam CJ Walker Beauty Culture, a performance driven haircare brand exclusively at Sephora.
Prior, Dorian worked at Kendo Brands, the innovative brand incubator owned by LVMH, where she launched Formula X, then Sephora's #1 nail brand. Prior to beauty, she started her brand management career at General Mills, sharpening her general management and brand building skills on legacy brands such as Chex Mix and Yoplait and started her career in the Macy’s buying office, mastering merchandising and portfolio management.
She graduated from UCLA summa cum laude and received her MBA from Harvard Business School. With an adventurous spirit, in her free time, Dorian enjoys globetrotting (and has traveled to 60+ countries) and is a proud mother of a spunky Morkie named Monaco.
My background is a beautiful mosaic of retail, consumer packaged goods and beauty, ranging from merchandising at Macy's, classical brand building at General Mills to learning the ins/outs of the beauty business while at Sephora/Kendo and continuing to evolve and master other beauty categories while at Sundial (hair) and leading Covergirl US (makeup).
While at Harvard Business School, I honestly thought my purpose was to lead a large Fortune 500 as one of the first black female CEOs but now as I embark upon this startup journey, it's quite a different yet exciting adventure to be building MY OWN Future Fortune 500, from scratch.
Each experience on my professional journey has built key tools that I can now leverage as an entrepreneur- including how I want to operate as well as how I DO NOT want to operate, because actions are what determine your company values and culture.
Here's a bit more about my origin story in creating Undefined. After leaving Corporate America, having built successful brands for other people, I felt it was my time to create something special and powerful for myself. As a beauty junkie, I'm always dissecting ingredient lists and realized there are a lot of less-than-ideal ingredients in our everyday products that aren't necessary.
As the industry shifts towards greater transparency, I felt there was an opportunity to focus on clean/non-toxic beauty but do so in an accessible, approachable way. I discovered the beautiful benefits of cannabis, specifically CBD, via a former colleague and as I started my product development research in 2018, I found there wasn’t an efficacious yet fun and accessible CBD brand, focusing on the destigmatiation of cannabis while elevating conscious capitalism in the process.
I created Undefined Beauty to fill this void: clean beauty meets adaptogens (CBD) meets social impact. Undefined Beauty is a lifestyle brand focused on changing the narrative around clean/nontoxic living, the democratization is beauty and infusing social impact in the process. I believe in plant power and the role adaptogens play in helping us individually become our best self, both inner and outer beauty, with CBD being for the first adaptogen I chose to highlight in my first collection, Indigo Rose.
I want to empower women and men everywhere to explore, embrace and celebrate their own unique beauty while also giving back to the community: purposeful beauty unleashed.
Undefined is clean, conscious and purpose-driven and does so in an unapologetic, uncompromising and unfiltered way. I use the tag "I like my products how I like my people: non-toxic".
This people piece is important because I embody conscious capitalism via my business decisions across my supply chain as all of my partners- from my labs to my designer to my warehouse- are female founded, minority owned and/or LGBTQ. I strongly believe that business empowers business and I as a business owner will be part of the solution instead of perpetuating societal barriers to success.
Undefined Collective is about building something different—democratizing retail. I believe experiential retail is what will win in the end and with a new, evolving category like cannabis, education and experimentation helps consumers get over any hesitations and hurdles.
In my Oakland location, we had a tincture bar, similar to a wine bar, where customers could try all the female founded tincture brands and learn more about their story, where their cannabis is sourced and the unique ingredient and flavor profiles- in a safe, welcoming, fem-forward space.
I organized the store by category so you can experience the versatility of CBD across beauty, pain, body, tinctures, pre-rolls, vapes, edibles, beverage and pet—each with testers to explore and play.
You can also find the brands online: UndefinedCo.com. I believe in the power of data and I operate the disruptive retail platform through the lens of radical transparency, giving brand partners access to all sales data so we can learn from the macro and micro trends.
I’m excited to move this concept to LA, which will have its own, unique flavor. I've also taken the Undefined Collective on the road, hitting events from LA to Chicago to NYC and Atlanta to drive awareness for the power of CBD and becoming a trusted partner to the canna-curious (aka those new to cannabis). All ships rise when consumers understand the role CBD can have in their wellness regime.
CBD has amazing benefits- both topically and ingestibly- but there are so many other cannabinoids within the cannabis plant that deserve praise, not to mention other powerful adaptogens and botanicals that can demonstrate real results. It's about a holistic approach. In 2020, I think adaptogens and their benefits will become more mainstream. Adaptogens are the future and I'm here to help make them more known and accessible
Continuing to learn and grow! I have a robust innovation pipeline for the Indigo Rose Collection, really solving key pinch points I hear from my Undefined Community. I'm also working on a new collection- currently named Artemis- focused on a new performance-driven, unique ingredient story- that I hope to launch later this year.
This is a great question because I really am proud of so much. It’s wild to me how far we’ve come in the 8 months since our launch.
One thing I am really proud of is how Winged has encouraged women to be more open in talking about their struggles and triumphs—and in just being human! The veil of “perfection” drops to the ground during these conversations and so many women get so real with one another. I see this happen every day with Winged and it affirms so much of what we are trying to do.
The second thing I am incredibly proud of is our work with a Los Angeles-based organization called MOSTe that mentors and empowers girls in underserved areas of the city. We are giving $25,000 in Winged Woman scholarships through MOSTe to help these amazing young women go to college.
We define a Winged Woman as someone who, by lifting herself up to fly, allows us all to soar along with her. They are the women who throughout history have been courageous, who have paved the way for us, who have served as inspiration for us. They are the women who changed the world in ways we read about: those who stood up, didn’t give up their seat, and fought to change equal rights laws. And they are also the women we don’t read about: those whose everyday acts of kindness and courage make their families, communities, and everyone around them better.
These are the women we celebrate at Winged, and that is why we want to help the young women of MOSTe (who have displayed this kind of leadership) realize their collegiate dreams.
The great thing about Winged is that we have a product for every woman. We don’t only focus on CBD, but also craft a comprehensive formula, with female-specific supporting nutrients, around a benefit that she’s looking for.
Feeling overwhelmed or need stress support? Relaxation Gummies would be best. Want help with mood support or anxiety? Happiness Gels can help. Feeling tired or have trouble sleeping? Sleepy Gummies would be the way to go.
Most women can start with the recommended dosage on the label and see how their body reacts, then adjust the dosage accordingly.
Anything to turn my brain off. Sometimes it’s a walk with my dog by the water, and sometimes it’s a streaming marathon and couch veg. Decompression and quiet time help me get back to base.
Of course, I have a nightly Winged routine, too! Right before bed, I love to take our Sleepy Gummies. It’s a little sweet treat that I look forward to and I get the best night’s sleep. I feel fresh in the morning and am ready to tackle the day.
My favorite self-care ritual is the gratitude practice I committed to a couple years ago. I started with a five-minute journal, which was awesome for starting out. Now I keep my own journal that allows me more space to write and be flexible with entries. I highly recommend setting aside at least five minutes a day to do it. It is without a doubt one of the healthiest things I have ever done for myself.
For my gratitude practice, I write down three things every day to help me reflect on the important things in my life. They are:
1. One thing I am grateful for
2. One thing I want to manifest
3. One kind thing that I did, or plan on doing, that day
I wish I could tell her she is enough and to be confident in her abilities. I think back to my twenties and early thirties and I was so hard on myself. I’ve focused on the practice of self-care and self-love a lot lately. Instead of obsessing on my failures and beating myself up, I try to recognize when I get into negative thought cycles and push them out of my mind.
I was given a great tip to handle these thoughts once. A friend told me to close my eyes and focus on whatever negativity is repeating in my head. I imagine writing it down on a piece of paper, sealing it in an envelope, then putting it into a tiny boat and pushing it out to sea and watching it disappear on the horizon.
I force myself to think about the opposite side of the situation. How can I learn from that situation and turn it into a positive? How can that experience help my growth as a woman? It sounds simple, but it really works.
I am passionate about how to use Winged as a platform to contribute to building future generations of women up so that they can experience true gender equality.
I want to break the belief that women shouldn’t be leaders so that when young women are at the table, they aren’t afraid to use their voices. We are certainly outnumbered when it comes to those seats at the table. Women are also grossly underrepresented in STEM studies, the natural and organic products industry, and many other places.
I think we are still fighting for everyday equality. Understanding the implications of that is something we are trying to educate young women about—and, importantly—young men, too.
I'm Safiya Bouhouch, the founder of I Am Well Community. I'm a matcha lover, certified yoga and meditation instructor, wellness speaker and mentor, and world traveler obsessed with all things health and well-being. Whether it's learning about the science behind meditation and figuring out sustainable travel hacks, or studying the science of Ayurveda, I'm passionate about bring tangible wellness tools and tips to the world.
I believe that healing happens in community, and I thrive when I am creating intentional and inspiring experiences for women connect back to their intuitive power and learn about holistic healing. Through my own journey of navigating health issues and anxiety at a young age, I've been inspired to bring these tools to other women so that we can all thrive. I founded I Am Well to equip women with holistic wellness tools through community events, retreats, and mentorship programs.
The biggest benefit has been having less stress, more clarity, and more peace of mind. When I was in my previous career of TV production I found myself dealing with crippling anxiety and panic attacks at work from not being able to handle the stress. Now when I deal with challenging situations I can step back, breathe, reassess, and move calmly. I've also found that the more time I spend practicing yoga and meditation and tuning into the voice of intuition within, the better I'm able to support others and show up at my best.
The one piece of advice I would give is that consistency is key. When I first started meditating I thought I sucked at it because I couldn't stop my racing thoughts. After some time I started to find that I would experience epiphanies and moments of stillness and silence just by observing my thoughts, but just because I have thoughts or distractions while meditating or doing yoga doesn't mean I'm doing something wrong, that's why they call it a practice!
I feel that being a Winged Woman is about adopting the attitude of perseverance and making time to take care of yourself while still accomplishing your goals. While hustle culture says we should work 24/7 and base our self-worth on our productivity, I believe that we make the most impact when we prioritize our well-being instead of burning ourselves out. Winged supports me in staying calm and centered, and supports me in getting a good night of sleep which to me is a form of self-care.
I would tell her to spend more time working on keeping a positive mindset instead of spending time worrying on how things will work out. We can spend so much energy trying to manage what the worst-case-scenarios in our head are, which keeps us feeling anxious. Remembering to breathe, and telling myself that everything will be okay keeps me going when times feel tough. Mindset has been the ultimate tool for achieving and breaking outside my comfort zone to achieve my dreams despite obstacles.
My name is Whitney Eckis and I am 26 years old. I am a native to San Diego, CA and I own my own Marketing Agency in downtown called Eckis Marketing.
Running a marketing agency definitely is a rollercoaster. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t love walking into my office and doing what I do but there are times where it is incredibly stressful. Ultimately, I think managing stress comes down to identifying a couple of things.
The first being gratitude... What are you grateful for? What things in your life do you feel blessed with? And is this stressful thought taking away from the beauty within your own life?
The second way I identify and relieve stress is by observing my surroundings. Is this where I want to be in my life? Am I happy with what I am doing? Is this worth me getting stressed over?
And the third identifier and way I deal with stress is to try to adjust or reverse my mindset. My best friend taught me this trick and I love it. First, she asks me what exactly I am stressed out about and then she asks me two questions.
What’s the worst outcome? And What’s the best outcome of the situation I am stressed over? I tell her both answers then she proceeds to tell me that there’s a likelihood that both of those outcomes can happen or come true, but the probability of the stressful situation falling somewhere in between the best and worst outcome is most likely. This helps to change my mindset. Because now I have put outcomes to my situation and eliminated the unknown.
Most the time, I have realized, stress comes from the unknown or uncertainty. My dad calls it “putting the cart before the horse.” In business, I think we do it quite frequently... There’s a lot of unknowns or risks when operating your own business and it can create space for stress in your mindset. I try my best to walk myself through these 3 identifiers to help manage my stress and mindset to help keep me focused and content.
That you always get paid... I personally don’t love this because it affects the way my audience views the products I talk about. I don’t have the largest following but I do get the question and comment of being paid for the products I endorse. It’s actually quite the opposite. Since my full-time career is my marketing agency, I usually always do trade campaigns. I am not looking to make money off being an influencer, I am looking to inspire my community and engage with those that I follow!
Being a Winged Woman in my mind means being fearless! When I think of Winged CBD I think of bad ass powerhouse women than are driven. Most of the those qualities come from exercising fearless-ness. Whether that’s as a business owner, mother, or just being yourself - I think being a Winged Woman means being fearless!
Calm Down. Enjoy the ride and know that everything is going to work out!
Thank you so much, Whitney Eckis, for sharing what makes you a Winged Woman and how you've become a successful female business owner in the marketing space.
To learn more about Whitney, follow her on Instagram at @whit_stagram or to learn more about her business head to Eckis Marketing.
As part of my Thesis project in college we were asked to choose a societal issue that really bothered us to our core. So I started studying body image issues for women in performance based industries like modeling and acting. At the time I was working in the fashion and entertainment industries and was surrounded by people doing the same. I felt so much pressure to look and be a certain way and realized that I needed to learn to find my value outside of just the way I look. That’s where Don’t Call Me Pretty was born. I then used my digital marketing expertise to build the Instagram account and just started putting what I was feeling out there and it was so cool to see that my message resonated with people all over the world. It’s been a healing process for me that I get to share with thousands of other strangers on the internet (lol). I’ve learned to love and value myself in ways that I hope inspires others to do the same.
I’ve been working in the influencer space since 2012 starting with my first internship working for a well known fashion blogger. I helped her make her transition from being a high powered entertainment exec to full time blogger and realized that it could be a real career path. Later I worked in influencer relations for multiple digital marketing agencies so I’ve always understood the power influencers have. However, for years I didn’t want to call myself that word because I felt that it was associated with a culture that felt vapid and void of anything meaningful. It wasn’t until I started connecting with other heart-centered creatives who use their platforms in an intentional and creative way that I started to own being an influencer. Now when I receive pushback I just talk about the positive DMs I get from followers and the money I make from partnerships and then they realize the value.
I’m never afraid to take a risk and prioritize my well being over anything else in my life. For example, I just spent almost three months living in London with a friend and traveling to a handful of European cities solo. I needed the shift in perspective in order to find my next move forward, which is writing my book!
She has been featured in Forbes, Buzzfeed, Good Morning America Digital, and Huffington Post. Throughout her career, she leveraged her personal interests and goals into her full-time livelihood and transitioned from her extensive background in tech sales to content marketing and social media by utilizing her hobbies as her creative outlet. She thrives off networking, building and cultivating relationships and long-term partnerships, and above all, mentoring others.
In her personal time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, staying active through hiking, hot yoga, boxing, cooking, and exploring hidden gems playing tourist as a local wherever she goes. The quote she lives by is, "It takes 10 years to create an overnight success" and is always more than happy to share a detailed background of her roller coaster of a professional journey. You can learn more about her at KimiasKravings.com and follow along on her adventures @KimiasKravings.
What I believe makes “Kimia’s Kravings” stand out is that I embed my positivity into everything and all that I do. I like to add a positive spin on things. I’m definitely more of an idealist/optimist. I live in my own idealistic world and with that mindset, I have created that exact world that I’ve idealized.
With that said, I am relatable. I am your friend, your next door neighbor, your coworker, etc. I think people want to feel connected with what they’re consuming and want to feel empowered, enlightened, and feel good overall. I am reachable and can be that ear to listen or a helping hand when you need to be picked up. I want to shed that optimism and motivation on others. Whatever I have done and am currently doing, anyone can do. It’s a mindset.
Throughout this entire journey, I’ve learned that everything starts with your mind. For instance, I’d say about a half a year from around this time, I launched an InstaStory Series Segment called, “#MotivateMeMondays” where I share insight and favorite quotes and relate them to personal experiences, dive deeper, and promote positivity for the start of the week. The idea sparked because I just want to share that anyone can do what I’m doing, and it’s not rocket science. It’s simply a matter of consistency, hard work, and optimism along the way. Notice how I said simple but not easy. We all know what to do and how to do it but it’s a matter of applying and I would love to help be that source of inspiration to push those who are in doubt or shed that extra light on those who are well on their way and need that extra dose of oomph to get the week goin'.
The biggest thing I’ve had to overcome as a creator is the ability to take time away from the clutter to stay aligned with my personal goals and mental health.
I stay innovative and creative with my posts by shamelessly being myself -- whether that means intertwining a pun into my caption or cheesin’ like it’s all gouda, I utilize the elements of my personality throughout my content to showcase approachability and visibility and that to me is innovation and creativity in itself.
What makes me a Winged Woman is the fact that I know when to say no and have established boundaries for myself whether that be on a personal or professional level. A Winged Woman to me knows how to hold her own and lives the life she wants.
One thing I would tell my younger self is that mindset is truly everything and that you are in complete control. Regardless of what you think you may be incapable of on a physical or emotional basis is only what you’re telling yourself and that we can shift gears by shifting our mind and outlook. Whether it’s to discipline yourself and practice meditating or pushing yourself harder during a workout, our bodies are capable of infinitely more than what we think we are.
I am grateful to have learned this through experiences from losing weight to working towards the life I’ve always envisioned for myself. Shifting your mindset with a vision in place is the ultimate game-changer.Gratitude is a daily practice for me and I try to infuse every conscious breath with a deep sense of thankfulness. I start by becoming present to my breath then the smaller blessing within me like my heart beating, my lungs expanding and the mental and physical health that I have the privilege of experiencing daily. I shift that gratitude to all of the love within and around me supporting and guiding me. It's these moments of presence, of true feeling that remind me what a gift it is to be alive...it just shifts everything through a lens of love and gratitude.
As far as a tip, I would say to take mini time-outs, to place your hands over heart, close your eyes and notice what you feel. Notice what your heart is thankful for and breath it all in.
I'm a winged woman because I'm choosing to live my life full out, with my heart open while I chase down my dreams. I'm a wife, mother, entrepreneur and gratitude pusher who believes that I deserve to be happy, strong, healthy and successful. Winged allows me to feel more balanced, more grounded and less anxious as I play all of the various roles within my beautiful life. Something as simple as taking CBD and meditating fills up my heart so that I have more to offer and give to others.
I am the creative director of my own brand, Iris + Poppy -- it's an online women's lifestyle boutique. Being the owner, I have to wear a lot of hats, but creative director is my absolute favorite. If I could spend every day just focusing on the brand direction, marketing, and creating content, I'd be in heaven. I think the most challenging part of getting to this point in my career has been having patience. There is a lot of trial and error in owning a small business, and you can't make knee jerk reactions, even though after one day of something not being successful it can get super tempting to pull the plug and course correct.
Being the creative director of my own brand, I originally tried to keep myself pretty removed from ever becoming "the face of the brand" out of fear that it would come across unprofessional or like I was trying too hard to self-promote. The truth is, people want to know the face behind the brand, so I am working on separating the two less. On my personal Instagram, as a content creator, everything I do is very aligned with my identity and my personal "brand".