Just As Well, The Women's Health Podcast - Iskra Lawrence: They Said My Body Wasn't Good Enough, I Learned To Love It

Episode Date: October 21, 2025

Model and entrepreneur Iskra Lawrence joins Women’s Health UK’s Just As Well podcast for a powerful, no-filter conversation about the modelling industry, body image, and the moment she was told to wear a fat suit to get work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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19 and over, physically present in Ontario. Eligibility restrictions apply. See Golden Nuggett Casino.com for details. Please play responsibly. Hi, I'm Gemma Atkinson. And I'm Claire Sanderson, the editor-in-chief. for Women's Health UK. We're recording, well I say we're, you're recording today, aren't you?

A chat with Iskra Lawrence. I am. So you were due to join us later, but sadly, you've got to rush back to Manchester because you're all... Puppy. Tell us what's happened. So basically a little Benji is only 15 weeks old, and it's typical. I've been down here for three days. The morning of me traveling down here, he started vomiting in the night.

So I was up all night with him, left him with Gawker. and the vets the vet had a feel no problem it's just a sickness bug but he kept being sick and i don't know any dog mum's listening you have a i don't know if it's just an instinct any parent really you know when something's off told gawker to take him back and they did an x-ray and they found a lump in his intestine so they've operated today a nine centimeter cut and they've pulled out half of tiggo's dummy oh goodness so he's been i mean he's got dog treats he's got food he's got everything but he's chose a dummy to eat. So I'm going to dash back to Manchester. Just so when he comes around properly that I'm there,

and peace of mind, he needs, they've said the next 48 hours is critical in terms of the wound not opening. So I'm assuming he'll have his cone of shame. The cone of shame. Yes, he'll have that. Yeah, but I think, because it's been three days I've not seen him, since he's been poorly, he's just probably been thinking, where am I? Why have I abandoned him? But I'm gutty because I would have loved to have met her because she seems amazing. Iskra online she seems brilliant well Iskra Lawrence and woman's health go back so when I first joined woman's health which was eight and a half years ago she was the first cover star so I was

nothing to do with the issue because obviously magazines are prepared a couple of months in advance of them hitting the newsstand but she was the issue on sale when I first joined so I'm really looking forward to meeting her because I feel like she was there at the start of my journey at woman's health and you know she's a British model but lives in America now with an American guy has two children she does yes but I would say she was one of the pioneers of the body positivity movement you know she was one of the first women who was proudly showing off their curves on social media body diversity and she was one of the original the original influencers to be doing that so I think it's going to be a fascinating

We're very fortunate that she is in London for a couple of days because as I said she lives in the US She lives in the state she founded her company in the States But she's here promoting her product salt air her product line So we're very fortunate that she's coming into house of hers today woman's health HQ to have a chat with us and I am sorry that you're going to miss it But I'm sending all the positive vibes towards little Benji the little rascal and him You're gonna have to get Tiago to be a bit more careful hide those dummies. Yeah, the dicky bird's going to have to take them a lot sooner. Well, yeah, good luck with it and yeah, dig in. I hope it goes really well.

And I look forward to listening with you guys. Hello, I'm Claire Sanderson and welcome to Women's Health's Just as well. Today's guest is Iskra Lawrence. Iskra is a model and a former Woman's Health cover star. Woo! Back in the day, do you remember? Of course I remember. Yeah, I did a little, you know, naked shoot. And she is the founder of Salte.

She is a body acceptance advocate. She has more than 5 million followers online. And she wants to help women feel better about themselves by this healthy, gorgeous image she puts out there as an example to other women, but also the future generations, including your beautiful daughter, Prima, who's eight months,

whom joined you on a catwalk recently. She's now walked Miami. and New York Fashion Week. Wow. That's so powerful. So you were in your swimwear, you were waving to the crowds, beaming,

looking gorgeous with your gorgeous little cherub daughter on your hips and placed on your hips, I should say, she will look to that in the future and think my mum rocks. I hope so.

I want all women and especially mothers who have gone through such big shift and change to embrace their body, and just see it for all the amazing capabilities it has. So as I mentioned, you have been on the cover of Women's Health. So I joined Women's Health eight and a half years ago. So I didn't actually edit that issue,

but it was the issue that was on sale when I joined. So I remember the shoot. I remember you hanging from a scaffold. And I think you had an orange sort of leotard, like a swimwear type thing going on. And I actually said to my team, We're always trying to come up with concepts for shoots. And obviously we reuse some previous concepts.

And I said one of my favorite shoots is that Iscaloran shoot. Because I just loved how powerful it was felt with you hanging off this scaffold. But that was eight and a half years ago. And the infancy of influencers, I would say. Social media, Instagram was not then what it is now. But you were already really powerful with a very very powerful. very high profile even eight and a half years ago. Yeah, I mean, I had no idea what it would become,

but I started social media when I was about 19. So right at the beginning of Instagram, 2009. And at the time, I was really trying to find my footing as a model. I was in London, and I was just kept being told that I was too big. And bearing in mind, I was like a UK eight, you know, and I just wasn't getting work because I was, you know, not skinny enough. and I just constantly felt like I was never good enough. And I heard about plus size modeling in America

and that they were these beautiful, gorgeous, curvy, goddess-like women. And I thought, I wonder if that's what I can be. Maybe I'll fit into that category. And so I went and I pitched myself to an agency and they said, unfortunately, you're not big enough to be a plus-size model. And that was really the kind of shift for me, realizing I'm going to forever be voiceless. I'm going to forever be kept back by these gatekeepers.

because I'm never going to be good enough because it's their standards that I'm living by and realize, instead of trying to change myself to fit that, I need to go change the industry. And so really that mindset shift helped me then be vocal on social media because I was like, I'm a model, I'm in these images that you're consuming

and I don't feel good about myself because I'm being told I'm not enough. I'm being retouched to the point where I don't recognize myself. Even opening magazines up in my family not realizing that it was me. and this is extremely damaging for our body image. So that's when I committed to being authentic, showing up online and telling my truth

and stopping photoshopping my own pictures. And from there, I then found brands that wanted to do the same. They wanted to make a change. They wanted to do something impactful that came with a message. And my career blew up and my social media blew up because, of course, most of us, I'm sure most of you listening here,

You'd rather see a realistic image of someone who's trying to sell you a new dress or that you're kind of like viewing an image of. I think that the default being Photoshop is still crazy to me. The default should be embracing everything about that person because that's what makes them unique and beautiful. And I think that that's why my, you know, social media following went from just like anyone else's zero followers to by 2015. I had a million followers. So it did take six years. You know, I think some people think a lot of people are overnight successes, but it still takes a long time to build community.

But my community is still here, and I'm so proud of that, even after all of these years, like 16 years. And I still am posting, and I still have people there who follow me from the beginning because we're so connected. Because now it's over 5 million followers, isn't it, on Instagram alone? It's quite incredible. and it's really hard to build followings online these days. So you've done remarkably well, as you say, to keep your audience engaged.

Can I take you back to the beginning then? So some people who find you online might assume that you're American with your gorgeous American husband, who is in London with you today and your two gorgeous children, but you actually grew up in Kidderminster. I did. Kitty girl. Yes. So how did you end up in America?

It's, I always felt. like I had this ambition that was locationless. I know that's a weird thing to say, but it's like, I had these dreams and I didn't know where they would take me, but I always knew I wanted to travel. I always knew that I wanted to have an impact and have a positive impact on people around me. I'm someone who wants to walk into a room and leave it better than, you know, walked in. Maybe that's just getting people to smile or feel good about themselves. And I've always been very grateful because my parents were so loving and so understanding. And it's truly unconditional.

They let me try different things when I was younger and really develop this sense of self-confidence. And so they kind of taught me go after what you want to do. Whatever that might be, as long as you enjoy it and love it and you're willing to work hard at it, you should go for it. And so when I, you know, learned about modelling when I was, you know, 10, 11, 12 and obviously there's Britain's next top model and all of these shows, I thought,

oh, that's a really interesting form of kind of art. You're moving your body, you're getting to dress up and makeup, and you're kind of acting. So it's like a kind of a mix of all things that I liked. I liked dancing. I liked acting. I liked makeup and clothes and fashion and beauty. And I thought you get to work with different people every day,

how exciting, and you get to travel. But obviously what you didn't see and what we have now gone back and picked apart from all of those shows and many other things that we were told, is how toxic it can be having a beauty standard or an ideal or an industry that essentially is trying to dictate what is beautiful and should be a scene to aspire to. And it's very challenging figuring out

how you remove your own sense of self and identity from what other people are telling you you need to be. This episode is brought to you by Peloton. A new era of fitness is here. the new Peloton Cross Training Tread Plus, powered by Peloton IQ, built for breakthroughs, with personalized workout plans, real-time insights, and endless ways to move. Lift with confidence, while Peloton IQ counts reps, corrects form, and tracks your progress. Let yourself run, lift, flow, and go. Explore the new Peloton Cross Training Tread Plus at OnePeloton.ca. So you ended up going to America

to be a model there because you found it was a far more accepting industry. even though they did say to you, you were big enough to be a plus size model. So how did you end up being a very successful model there? Yeah. So what was crazy was they told me that I might get work, but again, you never know. So I got a visa to go over there with an agency that was based in New York. But when I got there, they said, there isn't actually many clients who would book a girl your size. At this point, let's say I'm a UK 10, maybe a 12 at a push. So we recommend that you buy a fat suit. I was like, what on earth is a fat suit? And they said, oh, it's this padding.

And you'll put it on and then you'll be bigger. So you'll fit into the plus size clothes. And so I thought, well, I've got one shot to make it here. If I don't work, I've got no money to stay here. You know, I went over there. I'd save 15,000 pounds and that's all I had. And I went there and I was like, this is what I've got to make it. I think I spent it all in the first three months on rent.

Because New York is so expensive. so expensive and you have to put deposits down because I didn't have a credit score. Yeah. Which again doesn't exist here, but you can't get a phone number. You can't rent anywhere unless you have this credit score. Yeah. Or someone who was able to, I don't know what they called it. Someone who was like a guarantor.

Oh yeah. They kept saying, oh, you should just get a guarantor. And that's essentially someone who could pay for your rent if you couldn't. I said, well, I've come over here on my own. I don't have family here or anyone that can do that. So I said, okay, let's get a fat suit. I think it was about $85 and basically it's almost like a pair of tights and you stuff it with like foam, foam pads. And it felt so messed up because I'd spent the last 10 years because at this point I'm 22.

So I started modeling at 12 in the UK. I'd spent the last 10 years being told I was too big and trying and, you know, it wasn't always healthy. You know, that's why I had an eating disorder and body dysmorphia. I wasn't kind to my body because I saw it as the problem. starving myself, working out to the point of almost fainting, going blurry vision, to then standing in front of a mirror and looking at myself with fat pads on. It was the most jarring thing that I didn't know how to understand and then taking them off at the end of the shoot and thinking,

I'm still not good enough. And I'm still lying, essentially, because I'm now part of the problem because there's plus-size women who are going to view photos of me, a UK 12 wearing UK 18 clothes, but I've got a size 12 face and an 18 size body. So I spent six months working to get enough money together to be able to go back to the agency and say,

I can't pad it again. Did you get work? Oh, yeah. Wow. That's just big brands. Weird. I know. And did you not look like you had a size 12 face and a size 18 body?

Yeah. Yeah. I felt like I did. I can't get over. That's what you had to do. But there's so much pinning involved. What I was able to do was I was able to not Photoshop my own images that I had control over. But sometimes back then, because again, my social media at that point, I had a few hundred followers, hadn't gotten my leverage yet.

Yeah. So I was still having to be Photoshopped as well. So there was times where my Photoshop, my waist was Photoshopped bigger and I was still being edited. It does. I just can't imagine the emotion you would go through, putting a fat suit on, then taking it off. Yeah. You know, the rollercoaster of emotions, you're going on just in that moment. And then seeing your images being photoshopped larger.

Yeah. When you're someone who's a recovering eating disorder survivor. I know. I'm amazed you didn't end up in therapy. I've done therapy. Is it linked to that, do you think? I think I got to the point where I was able to disassociate, which again isn't always healthy, but it's a coping mechanism. But it really, what happened was I used my social media as my outlet.

So I was able, I did something with refinery 29 and we revealed the fat suits and I've talked about it. I've talked about it on YouTube and it's just like, I have to just talk through it so I can, you know, see how I feel. But it's definitely all led me up to this point of just like trying to peel off all those layers. and just I have to show up as I am, and that's good enough. And that really has now been my core moral, like, stake in the ground of, like, I know I'm good enough. So I feel like it's very unwavering now. And I think becoming a founder and going into business, having that at my core of, like, I know exactly what my brand Salterre stands for and exactly what I hope it makes other people feel.

And there's no BS around it. I think that's really helped having all of those. experiences and also understanding like I know how it's impacted other people because I've got this community of millions of people who tell me they tell me what when I show them an image of me photoshopped or wearing fat pads or talking about these things how it makes them feel so I really have this like sounding board so I don't feel like I've ever been alone in this journey it's quite powerful to have that innate core value of being good enough because I don't have habit. I wish I did. I'm terribly hard on myself. You know, I have days where I struggle to look

in the mirror, which is sad. But I love that you've shared that because I'm sure a lot of people watching and listening to this are going to also feel that same way. Yeah. And it's not perfect. There's definitely still some days where I have self-doubt or I look at myself and I catch myself doing it and I immediately have to like flip the switch and whether it's affirmation or if it's looking at my children and thinking like, you know, they're pure joy. That's the best thing. So or finding like a moment of gratitude to shift that. But it's not, we're not trained.

We're trained to do the opposite. We are taught to not love ourselves, to not look at ourselves in a kind way. Because I said this on my TED talk. Unfortunately, when you're insecure, you're a motivated consumer. We are constantly being shown messages and images of things that are making us feel less than so that we purchase something to try and fix it. And especially, I'm older than you, but we're not that far apart in generations.

In the 80s and 90s, the imagery in the media and the shaming and the salivide shaming and the, you know, the rhetoric of certain breakfast cereals that you need to lose weight and the shakes and the Atkins diet. And that was just, yeah, and that was just normal. So normal. No, I see it with my mom. You know, it's still so ingrained in the way that she speaks about herself and even others. And there's only so much I can constantly put on her to try and help her, you know, moms, you don't need to say, I've got to go for a walk after I've eaten that brownie.

You know, you're not deserving of certain. You're just eating to feel your body. And if you enjoy to eat something, you eat it. Yeah. So there's so much of that language around food and about bodies and, you know, seeing a friend and me. oh my gosh you look fab of you you you know you lost weight and like attaching weight loss always to a positive celebratory thing and you can't you know you get to a point where it's really hard to learn that and also you know it's something that as a as a mother now I hope that I can share

how I'm going to try and help my kids not grow up especially for young girls thinking that their value system is based solely on appearance because I have a daughter she's known almost 10 and she's my image in in every way it's like looking at me at that age but she's also the body shape I was which was always taller than my friends bigger than my friend you know boobs and bum before everyone else and I can see that she's larger than her friends who all tend to be really small and petite so I I'm really careful what I say around her and we never I do tell her she looks beautiful because every little girl wants to be told they're beautiful, but I also put a lot of sense of emphasis on being strong and healthy.

And we have a home gym at home and she sees me going in there and lifting weights. And, you know, one of my proudest moments is when I saw her go in there and I subscribe to Peloton. I've got the bike, but they also do dance cardio and all this in there. And she was in there doing like a Taylor Swift workout. And it was just, and I thought great. Yeah, she's just moving her body for the freedom of, being nine and being healthy. And one of my proudest moments was both of my children.

I have a teenage boy as well were sat at the table in the kitchen. And my son wasn't eating his broccoli. And my husband's friend said, Zach, eat your broccoli and you'll be strong like daddy. And he said, without even thinking, I think you mean strong like mummy. Oh. I just think brilliant.

The message is getting through that it's not about aesthetics, It's about being strong and healthy. But I just wish I had that in eight confidence that you appear to have because I don't have that. And I very much attributed it back to growing up in the 80s when the public rhetoric around bodies. And then the 90s was heroin chic. You know, all the really skeletal models.

And you weren't, I went to uni in the 90s, but I was never one of the cool girls because I was curvy. And curves weren't cool. And that's when you're formative, opinions of yourself are being made, aren't they? Totally. When you're, you know, pre-teens, tweens, teenagers. But we do, like you said, we have the opportunity now for our younger generation to flip the switch.

To really change that language. And especially as women, for us to take it from appearance-based compliments, which, you know, now and again, obviously I still will say, oh my gosh, I love your outfit, but I would personally never give a compliment on a physical body. Yeah. Because I want to take that, you know, focus off of that because I just want women especially to know they are so much more than their bodies and it's the least interesting thing about them. But it's going to take time and we've all got to work together as a society and it does baffle me that, you know, I can walk in Miami Swim Week as a mom.

I was pregnant last year and you should see in the comments. The comments were absolutely shocking. You were trolled a bit. I remember. Yeah. How are people body shaming? A pregnant woman. Firstly, it took me quite a long time to get pregnant. Some people are trying and they aren't able to. And so being able to become pregnant is such a gift.

It's literally miraculous. All these people commenting, they came from a woman's body. And yet they're there, picking it apart and trying to shame it, it absolutely blows my mind. And so it does feel frustrating to feel like, gosh, I've been talking about this for 15 years. And have we gone backwards?

Are we stalling? Obviously, there's so many things happening now with Ozempic and so many changes. Like, how do we really push through and just get people to stop commenting on other people's bodies? It feels very simple to me. I've not said to anyone in many, many years, oh my gosh, I love the size of your thighs. Or, like, I wish I had her hair.

Or I wish I, just, I'm not commenting. on their body, you know, let's just focus on all the other incredible things people have to offer. Because the whole body positivity movement, it's a little bit loaded now. It is. And I think back to yourself and eight and a half, nine years ago, and you were proudly putting an example of an image of a strong, healthy woman who wasn't, you know, your size eight, which was tended to be the body size that was celebrated and put out there. And the body positivity movement was celebrated then, but it's become a little bit loaded now.

And you said yourself, you would rather be described as body acceptance advocate. So explain to me the nuance is between those. There is so many nuances. And I actually didn't even understand it until I was essentially a bit called out in a good way. Like I always take on feedback, and I think that is the beauty of social media,

is that you might actually not have an experience or have the correct opinion because you haven't had someone else's lived experience. So when regards to body positivity, that movement was started for people in more marginalized bodies than mine. We're talking about people with disabilities. We're talking about people with, you know,

with sizes that don't fit that typical norm. I can still walk into most stores and find something to wear, but there's lots of people who are in larger bodies that have never been able to do that. And of course, people of color, and even age. There's just, there's so many nuances.

And for me, I am still a cisgendered, hourglass-shaped white woman, you know, with an able body that was able to have children. And so there was absolutely a reason for me to show up and show my real unretouched self. And for that to, and clearly it did. There was a lot of people who still felt like they hadn't even seen someone like me represented before.

But it did take space up and potentially, take the spotlight away from more marginalized bodies. So, you know, there was people in larger bodies that were just saying, if you're the face of a plus size brand, then I'm not represented. And that should be my space because I'm actually plus size. And I actually can't fit into regular, you know, standard sizing. And so I love feed. I welcome feedback because I haven't had your lived experience.

And I think that that's where it can get tricky because some people think, oh, no, I'm going get cancelled or people aren't going to agree with what I'm saying or what I'm posting so then they don't at all. And there is space for everyone. It's just we need to make sure that if you're being an advocate for body acceptance or body positivity, you're figuring out who might need that space even more or who might need to be highlighted. So for an example, it would be I was asked to do a panel not that long ago and it was about, you know, body positivity. And I said, can I first off just see who else is on this panel. Yeah.

It was all white women. And I said, I'm so sorry. That's not body positivity. I cannot be on that panel. You absolutely need to switch me out with a person of color. Also, that's just a terrible idea. But some people are still, you know, so bound up in their own ideal of what inclusivity means. So it's those kind of moments where it's like, that for me is like, that's not true body

positivity when you're not representing people who need more. representation. So I think that's, and some people are like, oh, that sounds a bit complicated. I'm a little bit worried to get cancelled. I'm just not going to go there. And so it's, it's tricky. I still think everyone deserves to show up, but I do think, you know, make sure you're leaving space for people who might need it more still. So body acceptance is more encouraging everyone to accept their bodies, encouraging myself, yourself, regardless of your size or gender, race, any, any, any, any, differences we may have. Also, it kind of borderlines, there's body positivity, there's body acceptance, and there's body neutrality as well. Again, I don't want anyone to say, oh, bloody how this

sounds complicated. It's just different forms and ways for you to potentially find community or find a safe space where you feel like you could find other people online. So I like body acceptance, but a lot of people like body neutrality because that goes one step even further away from it almost not being an objective, it's just matter-affective. My body, you know, I have legs. Not I like my legs. I have legs. They allow me to run.

It's literally just matter-of-fact. And then that's how they get into that space of like, I don't hate my legs anymore. I just know that I'm grateful for them because they allow me to run. So there's lots of different areas. And I think body positivity at the beginning blew up and people attached it to me. I kind of became a front runner and at the forefront of that movement. I don't feel like I did it on purpose because I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know when my posts were going to go viral or I didn't know how to get all these followers.

It was really happening to me. But it was very important for me to try and step back when it was spiraling and people saying, well, who's this blonde white girl who's getting all the attention? Whereas where's the representation for disabilities or where's a representation for more people? people of color. So that was why it was important of like kind of trying to step back or again trying to be an advocate for body acceptance of like yeah you really need to also be inclusive. I always tell people like if you work with me it's almost like you're just dipping the toe in you know and I tell brands like you can I love to

work with you but if you're gonna work with me I also want you to book larger models I want you to book more black models I want you to book more you know have models with disabilities on the runway and so that's what I try and do when I also work with it's great that you've got that power so you're so well established that you can have those conversations right those those are tricky conversations yeah yeah I were happy to call people out but that took the leverage of me getting the platform to do so and there's you're in a privileged position absolutely because there are many as you say different sized models of different different races who don't have the platform to call brands out for not booking them or

people like them. So to go into the body positive movement, there's a lot of noise at the moment about some figureheads who have lost weight. Maybe they've taken GLP 1 or not and they've come under a huge amount of criticism for almost letting down their followers by changing their body size. It's a very loaded space that, isn't it? Yeah, it is. I mean, I've never discussed it online because I don't know where I stand because I've got close friends in my life who have taken GLP1 and have said it has changed their life for the better.

They feel like they can move their bodies more easily. It feels like it's quiet into the voices in their head when it comes to disordered eating. And so I'm really, happy for them you know and all I want is for people to find they're happy and healthy you know and for me I am in my largest body yet I've had two kids and what was I I felt like online I'd very much told the world that I would never want to promote weight loss or anything that could be triggering from my

community because I have a lot of people who followed me since you know my eating disorder and my recovery And what was crazy was I was offered a million dollars at the most money I've ever been offered in my life to promote a weight loss drug. Wow. Recently after having my child. And I just thought, wow, what an interesting thing

to have looked me up online, said we want an ambassador that has a lot of followers, who's like a public figure. And they came to me. And I thought after everything that I've built and talked about and done, they thought they could buy me out. You know? And that just was really, and my husband was like, gosh, wouldn't that be nice?

I was like, wow. It's a lot of money to turn down. There's a lot of money to turn down. Using your principles and your core principles, but you're also someone who's an eating disorder survivor. So you have had a complicated relationship with your body. Absolutely. And then someone is saying, you could lose weight,

and we're also going to pay you a million dollars to do so. It takes a lot to go, no thank you. I know. Hopefully I won't get in legal trouble for telling that, but I haven't mentioned the brand, so it should be fine. But it was, I sent it to my parents. I sent it to, Philip sent it to his best friend. He was like, look what I escrow just got offered.

And it was for barely anything. It was, I don't know, five posts and a year contract. And it was just like, that's a life-changing amount of money. And so I think that we're in a time where there are people that are getting offered because the pharmaceutical industry is so powerful. And I think that there are some people who might need that money. And I would never be upset for someone taking the drug because it's changed their life for the better, for whatever that looks like for them. Or if they needed that money, needed to do that, I think that what we need to do is as people consuming the social media, the media, We need to be just really careful when we see these things,

or when we follow people that we don't attach our sense of self-worth to them or their size. And I know that's not easy. And I love going in, I go deep in comments sometimes because I'm really trying to figure out how people feel. Because I'm someone who creates the content more so than consumes it. So I always wonder how people are feeling when they do see someone that they've followed for years and thought, I go to her account every day because I like what you, she wears and she's the same size as me. So that helps me figure out what I, you know, might look like in that dress and then for them

to completely change the way they look and the impact that has. And so I've been just reading that a lot of people are trying. They're like, I know I shouldn't feel upset that this person has lost weight or has changed the way they look. Maybe it's like facial surgery or whatever it might be. But there's just a part of me that was happy. and was connected to this figure that I followed online and kind of saw as a bit of an online friend,

even if they never met. And I felt like I was in a safe space, and I felt like I was accepting myself, and they're accepting their self, and we were in this parasocial relationship, and it was really hard to see that person change, and for me to not think I should change too. And I don't know if that's my, you know,

not that I'm bound, like I said, I didn't take that very, wonderful offer of money I couldn't but is that on the social media figure or celebrity or is that on the consumer to okay that person now I don't connect with I don't relate to I just have to unfollow and move on and find someone else or is it on the responsible person who built a platform potentially off of making money from saying I love my body I'm happy with my size that that's why I wear this or that's why I do this or to then go potentially kind of back on their

word or at least that's how it can feel for the person consuming that. Is it their responsibility to have said, you know what, this whole time I actually wasn't really happy. And a few have come out and said that. A few whom I follow have come out and have said, I wasn't being truthful to myself. Yeah. Which again is valid. Yeah. It's just hard. when I know people then feel like, well, you were marketing a fake narrative to me. Or something that you felt was convenient to put out there because you were benefiting from it financially. And I get, that can really hurt people because one thing we do when we build community

is we're also building trust. And I, I have five million people that I go online to and they trust me. And I do everything I can to try and be my real self. so I never come into that moment of like, oh, well, now I'm going to have to pull the wool over their eyes because actually I wasn't being truthful about that or how I feel. And so that's why it wasn't even, I was shocked by the offer that I got,

but it was never going to be something I'd accept. Never you consider it. For those listening who may not be familiar with what GLP one is, the drugs which are better known as a Zempic, Mujaro, Wagovi, and I think Zemphic was initially made as a diabetes drug. I don't think that's the case for all of them. I may be mistaken, but in the UK, you do have to go to a doctor and get it prescribed

and you have to have a BMI over a certain amount, although my understanding is they are quite easy to get hold of. Definitely easier in America as well. I can imagine. And I had lunch with a doctor friend recently, and she thinks that we are going to get to a place in the UK where we are going to see far less people living in larger bodies, which if it helps people who,

are really struggling with their weight and it's jeopardising their health, then you have to think that that's maybe a positive, but as you say, if you, if you're lacking this representation and this public representation of different body sizes, what's that going to do to the girl growing up who may be a little bit larger than our friends? Yeah, I, I, I, I fear for, obviously, long term, I don't know, I actually don't know enough information. Obviously, I'm not adoptive of how long you take the drug and what happens when you don't,

or even in the US, for example, financially, I think there will be discrepancies of people who can potentially afford to take this and people who can't. And then are we going to see, you know, this divisiveness of size linked with socioeconomic and what's that going to look like? So I think we're in this new era, which we're obviously going to have to figure out how we embrace and figure out there are probably positives in it.

And, you know, but there's obviously going to be negatives and can we try and educate and support each other? And I think the most important thing is transparency. And I think if you're online and you're taking it and you've been someone who's talked about your body a lot or your size or your thing, I think the right thing to do is to, as you. move through that change, be transparent and talk about it so that your audience is growing with you. And some of them might fall off and think this is not for me any longer, but at least you've, you know, been honest with them in that sense of like, this is a decision I've made. Because at the end of the day, I do always say, my body, my business. Yeah. And I believe that for everyone. And like I said, I want people to stop focusing on talking about other people's bodies as well and just getting on

with their own lives because there's nothing healthier than being able to just be, like I said, be at peace with your body. You don't have to love it, but just be accepting of it. Just be at peace, yeah. Don't fixate on it. Yes. So your TED talk, end in the pursuit of perfection, went viral. That must have been a proud moment that you were able to, yeah, create so much noise just from your own voice on a platform that's really powerful. Yeah, that TED talk was one of the scariest things I've done. First off, because my dad was right at the front. And you know when you just want to make your dad proud

and a TED talk was always something I think you thought was incredible. And then you have to, well, every TED talk is different, but on mine, you couldn't use notes and there was no teleprompter. Oh, so you had to just literally add lib. And for some reason, I chose to have a 15-minute TED talk. The shortest time would have been eight minutes, which is almost half. But I basically had to memorize the 15-minute speech because you couldn't make it on the spot because obviously there was timing

and cues and angles and we had to rehearse it. And I was like the penultimate of the day. This was over in Nevada. So you spent all day getting yourself worked out. I spent all day. My stomach was in knots. And then I wanted to go and watch all these other amazing TED Talks and I sat there for a while in the audience and I was watching them.

And then I kept thinking, oh no I'm listening to that person's and I've forgotten my own so I ended up going and sitting on a toilet for like just in a toilet for hours before just going over it and over it in my head so it was an amazing experience but it was one of those experience I was so glad to have done and I don't know if I'd ever do one again because I was so stressed but I'm really glad that it had impact and I think it was when I talked about when you're insecure you're a motivated consumer because I just want to switch people on to be aware because as someone I've had the insight of being in the shoots and seeing how many pins they use or how much they Photoshop or wearing garments I've you know

I haven't shot with them for many years but there was a fast fashion brand and I remember saying to them this dress I've worn it in five different colors every single color fits differently why is that and I remember saying and if someone buys this and it doesn't fit great, what's going to happen? Are you not going to try, oh, it's only a 10 pound dress? They'll just buy it and not return it. They'll just throw it away. And I was so shocked.

So I think I've obviously had the wall pulled from my eyes because I've been in it. And I just want people to just have that little spark of awareness of like, just think for a second about, do you need this, do you want this, why you motivate to do this? And the same with weight gain, weight loss. Like, who, is there ever?

a voice that's not your own that's telling you, you should. I always tell people if I could delete like should from my anyone's vocabulary because I feel like it's loaded by someone else's opinion, I should lose what I should. You've got to want to do it. That's the same with any type of health journey. And you know, I'm actually really excited because I haven't had much time to work out this year and I love moving my body. I love feeling strong. I love being challenged and motivated. and I feel more motivated than ever because I haven't moved in a long time. I've been dealing with chronic pelvic pain from the second baby. And I'm really excited to start kind of focusing in on how I, you know, make my body stronger than ever.

Learning through these new things I've never had lived with chronic pain or stiff back or all of these different things. And I think that I'm about to learn new things about my body and its capabilities. So for me it's just like let's allow people to, Be at peace with their body. Find what that looks like for them. And let's leave them to their business. It's the matcha or the three ensemble Cajofofi that I've been to denishé

who energize so much. Mm, it's the ensemble. The format standard and mini-regruped, call them. And the embellage, too beau, who is practically pre to donate. And I know that I'd

they'd offer them, but I guard the Summer Fridays and Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez. I'm, you know. The most ensemble, the Cadoe of the Feds Cephora. Summer Fridays, Rare Beauty,

Way, Cifora Collection, other part of of the video. Procurry you see form a standard

and mini regrouped for a better for a point out of place or in

because Prima is only eight months old so you're so busy and you've got your son

alpha yeah and you're a founder an entrepreneur so tell us about salt here

this is your your third baby it is and it's it's been such a joy

because it came about during one of my darker times when I was postpartum with Alpha, he was a very colicky baby, super colicky blessing. And he was born April 16th.

So lockdown happened May 13th in the US. And I just moved from New York to Austin, Texas, had no friends. My family didn't see my son for a year and a half. And having this baby looked like nothing I thought it was going to look like. I felt completely isolated, alone. Obviously, Phillips there. But when you're going through something like that, they can't, the partner, can't always relate. It's just very individual. In the hormones and everything's going crazy.

I wasn't nourishing my body. I wasn't sleeping enough. And so my milk supply stopped. And so I ended up having to do formula. But at that time, it was the US formula shortage during COVID. So the options were really limited. And I didn't have any in the house. I just remember him screaming. My self-esteem was just like rock bottom. I felt like I was failing. My son. I felt like I was failing because my that I'd worked with the brand previously for like six, seven years got cut. So I ended up just like at home, what am I going to do? And the last thing that I got around to doing was showering. I literally stopped showering.

I caught my demental robe. I wore this black floor length robe. And I just like, I guess the cool kids would call it. I just rotted in bed. Yeah. But yeah, essentially lost all the toolbox that I'd built up for all these years of this work that I'd done. And Philip asked me one day,

after I was calling myself, I feel disgusting. I feel like I'm a mess. He goes, stop this. This is literally, I've never heard you speak about yourself like this. What do you need to help yourself feel better? And I said, you know what, I think I just need to get in the shower every day. I think that's the most simple form of self-care that I can manage. That's not, you know, this whole, I just need to get in there and cleanse myself.

That always makes me feel better. So he's like, great. Whenever you need that, let's literally like plan that time in every day. Iskra's shower. I will sort the baby out, like you just go and get showered. And at the time, there was makeup brands and skincare brands that were exciting and innovative. And I thought, body care is still a bit boring. You know, where's the excitement? Where's the newness and the innovation? And so I had this idea for this brand. And when I was thinking of the name, Salt Air, I was like, for me, when I'm in the shower and I get to cleanse myself with something that smells incredible and

feels incredible. It's like my moment when I've got my toes in the sand, the waves are crashing, the sun's kissing my skin and I breathe in the salt air. I was like, that moment I want to bottle it and gift it to people because I've spent all of these years trying to tell people that they deserve these moments for self-care because they're enough and they're wonderful and special. And I was like, what if I can create a brand that goes into all these people's houses and is there? and it's like an embodiment of everything that I'm trying to gift to people. So leaning into scent, because scent can truly transform how you feel about yourself. And so what I've learned on this journey, I created four fragrances with Airy when I work with them.

So I had this knowledge of fragrance and these connections with fragrance houses. And I was able to figure out that fragrance is really inclusive. You can find different scents that really cater to everyone's memories, or escape. And so salt hair is this kind of storytelling through scent with skincare focus products that remind people you deserve to have these five minutes of self-care. And what's been truly special is our kind of biggest, most buzzy product is a body oil, which a lot of people, and even us, my team was like, a body oil might be like something special that people buy and, you know, use now and again. But with salture, it's not.

We're converting people to using a product that feels special and luxurious, and they're using it every day. Every day. So they feel special and beautiful. And they're taking that moment for themselves, and it's a real treat. But because the price is so inclusive, this is, it's a beautiful looking brand with luxurious sense and it feels incredible. We have skincare actives, but we've done it at a price accessible point where you don't feel guilty for using it. Because I grew up with a mom. I don't know about you, but she kept everything for best.

And then it never got used. And I don't think we were educated back then on shelf stability of products. But most products have a 12-month shelf life. So my mom, who's got this lipstick, she's been saving for five years, it's actually not good. She needs to throw it away. So I wanted salt hair to be price inclusive. So people used it and didn't feel guilty for it.

My mother, bless her, passed away last year. And we found all these products that I'd given her, because working at women's health, I get access to lots of products, which I'd given her nice perfumes and nice creams and nice shampoos. And she hadn't used any of them. She was saving them for best. And your best is every day. And there is something written.

We see it because even I'm the founder, I love going through the comments. And my team always shares like customer service emails and messages we get. And the amount of people who have just said, this is the first time I've purchased something that felt. I felt special, but I realized that I deserved to use it. Even if it was like a Tuesday afternoon, I'm gonna get out the shower smelling like a goddess, and I'm gonna put this oil all over my body, and I'm gonna be glowing,

and I'm just gonna sit and watch the TV. But I've really enjoyed those moments to myself, and I feel incredible, I smell incredible, and my skin's had this treat, and the timing was just so meant to be, because as we launched coming out of COVID, I think people were understanding to make some moments special at home. How can I make my time at home more special?

I'm here all the time. What can I do? And there was more people and everyday people, not necessarily just, you know, influencers or creators, people just saying, this is how I make something more special at home. Romanticizing. I don't know if you remember that whole movement of like, I'm romanticizing my daily routine.

And maybe it's like, get up, feed the kids. Maybe they managed to go for a walk. or read a book or and for us it was like people were grabbing their salt hair and they were having like a longer shower or they were you know enjoying putting their mist on or their oils and it's just been really beautiful to see that the heart that I hope the brand had has completely connected with people and we see that in the way that people are using these products talking about the brand and just it's sparking joy and I mean that's the best that I could ask for so we will put details in the show notes about how you can buy saltier in the UK. So I have some quick fire questions for you.

So what's the one thing you do now that younger Iskra would never have believed? Oh, eat salad. I was such a typical like, gosh, I grew up on microwave meals. I think for the first part of my life. I really did. But now, you know, I just, I don't see food for its calories. I really do see food as nourishment. And so that means I, I eat anything and everything, and I love to try new things. What is in your wellness toolkit today? Oh my gosh. Well, our salt air body oil, 100%.

That for me slows down my whole day because I can get out the shower with damp skin and put my body oil on, and I just smell edible, literally edible. Philip always comes over and he's like, ooh. And I'm soft and I'm glowing and I'm moisturized, and that just, it gives me my sense of zen and, like, recentering.

What would you say to someone today who's stuck in the comparison trap? Oh, that's a good one. I would say that you have to find a boundary that's healthy for you, whether it's a saying or whether it's unfollowing people or whether it's even, I hate to say it, like you might have to get rid of some friends. I've had some toxic friends in the past and toxic relationships. And you have to put you and your self-esteem first, especially if you are, intentionally going on like a self-growth journey, you might have to change a lot of things about

your environment. But I would say that social media is a great place to start. Do a social media audit, go through who you follow, or even just what's showing up on your explore feed, and you're in control of it. That's what I always think people think social media controls you. You control it. If you want to see little puppies on your social media when you open it up, just go and find the puppy accounts, like them, comment on them, save them, share them. And that's what it will show you. So if you're finding you're filled with these influences or celebs online and you're comparing your own life or you're comparing your body, unfollow, you can block. You know, I'm never offended if someone needs to block me for whatever reason, but just curate your feed.

So it caters to you. And I've been asking this question to most of our guests. I've been inviting myself around to their house for dinner. What are you cooking me? Oh, that is a good question. I'm trying to think now because would you want something, you know, from Texas to mix it up? Yes, what are you going to cook me, a Texas special? A Texas special where we probably have to do like a taco night, like a Texan X. Have you ever had queso before? Not sure. No, it's like melted cheese.

Oh, yes, yes, I have. Yep, dip it with chips and guacamole and. That sounds right at my street. Yeah, and I love a shareable meal. So probably like tortillas and then maybe some shrimps and steak, some chicken. We can like, you know, build our own little tacos. Lovely. Yeah.

I look forward to that. I need to come over to Texas. You do. If I'm ever there, I'm going to turn up and say, hello, Philip. I'm here for dinner with this growing yourself. Just bring some cowboy boots and a hat. And finally, we are doing a little game called hack or hate. So I'm going to read 10 activities.

You need to tell me whether this is a health hack for you. or you hate it. Okay. Okay. Getting up at 5am. Not the good one. What does it? I hate.

Hate. That's not a health hack. Drinking lemon water. That's a hack. Daily meditation. That's a hack. Meal prepping every Sunday. Sometimes I'm that person.

Sometimes I'm not. But I do think it's a hack. No caffeine after 2 o'clock. That's a hack for sure. I don't drink any caffeine. And I have more energy than anyone I know. Why did you give that up? Probably when I gave alcohol up when I was 22.

Oh, you stopped drinking when you were 22. Was that just because of how it was making you feel, or did you have an unhealthy relationship with it? I mean, I had no money, and I was living in Lewisham, and I remember thinking, if I drink, I will not be able to afford to pay my rent. So I still want to be able to go out with friends and be social. I just can't afford to buy any drinks.

But then the ironic thing was, I do remember going out one night, and an orange juice was eight pounds, and I was like, well, I can't afford that either. But no, I just, It was expensive, it wasn't great for my health, and I was so motivated to do my career that I knew it just wouldn't, yeah, wouldn't help me in any way.

No, and you've never gone back. Never gone back? Always doing 10,000 steps a day. That's a hack. No screens an hour before bed. I hate. I feel like, that would be great. I wish I had more hours in the day

than I would do that, and that is beneficial, but it's not my reality. No. every single guest has said the same thing. It's like, yeah, we want to do it, but we don't. I think one said, oh yes, I leave my phone in another room. I love that for them. Yeah.

But then he didn't have kids. Oh, yeah. For me, you know, going to bed and then just doing a bit of a last minute to scroll, have a look at the news website. I mean, I was up till 2.45 last night in the morning working on my phone. Yeah. Because, you know, I had to get the kids to sleep and then we were late and they didn't go to bed until that 10 and then yeah that was my time to get work done yeah sometimes you just got to do

what you got to get it down yeah cold showers hate and me ice baths why are people doing it why are they putting themselves through it i know journaling i love love love journaling so that'll be a hack and matcha flavored everything no it's a hate caffeine it's a hate for me well iskra it's been an absolute pleasure. As I say, I feel like I know you. Yeah. And, you know, the relationship goes back years because you will always be the first woman's health cover when I join. So I'll always remember that shoot. And I was thrilled when I heard you were in town and you could come in, come on into House of Hearst, Woman's Health, HQ and beyond just as well. So thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me. And I cannot wait for you to try some salt air. Yes. Please do.

please do the body oil. I'm going to, I'll have lovely soft skin. Yes. Right, so this has been just as well. And thank you, Esther Lawrence, and tune in next time. Rinse takes your laundry and hand delivers it to your door, expertly cleaned and folded. So you could take the time once spent folding and sorting and waiting

to finally pursue a whole new version of you. Like tea time you. Mmm. Or this tea time you. Or even this tea time you. Said you hear about Dave? Or even tea time, tea time, tea time, tea time you. Mmm.

So update on Dave. It's up to you. We'll take the laundry. Rinse. It's time to be great.