Raw Beauty Mugs Are Here! ? (Win!)

Familiar with the Raw Beauty Talks podcast (we’re guessing yes!)? Well, now you can sip coffee from a cleverly branded Raw Beauty mug ($25) while you listen to topics covering everything from stories of inspiring individuals who have overcome adversity to tools from wellness experts so that you are empowered to take action in your own life. We chatted with founder Erin Treloar about this latest goods launch, and are giving you a chance to win a set of Raw Beauty mugs! —Noa Nichol

Hi Erin! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

So excited to be having this conversation with you! I’m a mom of two, health coach, founder of Raw Beauty Co. and host of the Raw Beauty Talks podcast. As someone who really struggled with disordered eating and negative body image after trying to check all the “be healthy” boxes, I became a health coach because I’m passionate about redefining health and wellness so that it’s less about the weight on the scale and more about how you feel in your body. I support women in healing their relationship with food and their body through my 12-week, non-diet wellness program, The Raw Beauty Reset.

When and why did you launch Raw Beauty Co?

Despite having a pretty normal upbringing, my teens and early 20s were a rollercoaster of highs and lows. I probably appeared normal to the outside world but on the inside I was battling anxiety, depression, disordered eating and panic attacks while constantly ending up burnt out from all my people pleasing tendencies. What started out as a young girl’s innocent wish to be a little thinner spiralled into a total obsession with food, calories and obtaining the “perfect” body—something I’ve now witnessed happen far too often to girls and women of all ages. The line between “healthy” eating and obsession is a very slippery slope and I lost a good chunk of my youth along with friendships, my health (think hair loss, organs shutting down, the inability to think clearly, periodically fainting, etc.) and, most importantly, myself. I was fortunate to be admitted into an incredible hospital program in B.C. where I spent three months re-nourishing my body, learning tools and techniques to help cope with stress and deep diving into what makes me truly happy. I spent the next 10 years on a journey to find peace with my physical body, a sense of calm within and that deep, lasting happiness that doesn’t come from a big shopping spree or hitting a weight goal. This culminated when I launched Raw Beauty Co. in 2014 with the goal of sharing untouched, raw images and stories of women and their self love journeys. Though I initially created it for myself, I was amazed by the reaction from people all around the world and the countless dialogues and friendships it sparked. Today I’m lucky to be healthy, deeply happy, connected to my body, married to the man of my dreams, the mom of a fun-loving little boy and a three-year-old girl! My external world is beautiful but I truly believe it is simply a representation of how I feel on the inside. I intimately know what it feels like to be lost, anxious, unsettled, unsure, unconfident, jealous, yearning, unhappy and unhealthy. Sure those are all inevitable human feelings and a part of life, but I don’t want anyone stuck in that space for too long. Life is far too short to be anything other than the happiest, healthiest version of YOU.

The podcast in particular has been such a huge success; who is it for? What topics do you cover? Who have some of your favourite guests/what have some of your favourite discussions been?

Thank you! The Raw Beauty Talks podcast is really an extension of the original Raw interview series that started this whole journey. It takes you behind-the-highlight reel of the world’s biggest influencers and wellness experts to share transformational stories, tips and tools to help you feel the absolute best. We talk body image, diet culture, anxiety, depression, motherhood and self-care mixed in with a whole lot of self love. It turns out that behind the polished social media pictures, everyone has a deeper story to tell, lessons to share, and challenges they are facing.

When it comes to women and beauty/the beauty machine/industry, what has changed in the last few years that you find encouraging? What challenges/barriers do you think remain?

I love that we are seeing more diversity in ad campaigns than ever before, but there is still such a long way to go. The Netherlands recently made it a requirement to disclose when an image on social media has been edited and Pinterest is the first social media app to ban weight-loss advertisements. All of these are really positive steps forward, yet a drop in the bucket given the amount of media we are consuming these days and the power behind a multibillion-dollar beauty industry that ultimately profits from our insecurities.

Beyond brands, advertisements and media (the “traditional” stuff), social media has become a main source of info/content for many of us, and that includes shaping what we consider to be beauty standards/ideals. Do you have some suggestions as to how we can mitigate some of the negative effects of social media on our self-esteem/sense of self-worth?

Remember that you are the editor of your social feeds, which means you actually do have a lot of control over the content you see. You can unfollow or mute accounts that aren’t serving you and you can follow accounts that leave you feeling happier, inspired (not stuck in the comparison trap) and connected. I’m also a huge advocate of turning off your social media notifications so that you are more likely to check in on them when the timing is right for you versus when the app wants you to respond. Social media is addictive and set-up to have you opening it multiple times a day so finding little ways to take back control like charging it in a different room when you go to bed can make all the difference.

Tough question but, your top few tips around things we can do as women to start living from a place of self-love?

First of all, let’s let go of the idea that you have to love yourself 24-7. Its totally normal to have moments of self doubt or days when you just don’t feel your best. It’s also OK to aim for “self like” if self love feels too lofty from where you are right now. As a health coach I want you to have compassion for yourself, I want you to believe in yourself and I want you to know how to take care of yourself so that you feel your absolute best in your unique body. I like to look at self love as a verb or actions that we take to support ourselves rather than as a feeling that we are striving for. Feelings come and go but we can always choose to act lovingly toward ourselves. Think of a person you love. Over time you’ve likely come to appreciate their personality (even if you don’t love every part) and you know what they like to eat, what they enjoy doing, what topics light them up and how to speak kindly to them in a way that feels supportive. What would it look like to treat yourself the same way?

• What foods make your body feel the best after you eat them?
• What activities do you enjoy doing and are you making time for them in your week?
• How much sleep do you need to thrive?
• Can you speak to yourself more kindly?
• What’s your dream job? Are you working it?
• What kind of movement is your body craving today? Can you make space for that?

Rather than sitting around hoping to magically start loving yourself can you start acting as though you love yourself right now? Each little act of loving kindness will move you closer to a deep, down feeling of self love.

rawbeauty.co

Win! A Set of Raw Beauty Mugs!

Congrats Leana D. of Burnaby, BC, who will receive a set of Raw Beauty Mugs! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.