Well with Arielle Lorre - 240: Living with Epilepsy, Staying Grounded with Success & Avoiding the Comparison Trap with Camila Coelho

Episode Date: April 5, 2023

Camila Coelho is a beauty, fashion and lifestyle influencer and entrepreneur with two major brands, Camila Coelho Collection and Elaluz. She joins the show to discuss her career since the early days of Youtube and Instagram, how epilepsy shaped and changed the trajectory of her life, how she evolves with the changing social media landscape, how she avoids the comparison trap, her relationship and how she stays grounded. We also talk routines, beauty tips, wellness and more!   Head to hatch.co and get free expedited shipping on your new Restore 2 so you can start feeling well-rested ASAP.   Visit www.delaviesciences.com to receive 25% off your first order of Aeonia Age Defying Serum. Use promo code “BLONDE” at checkout to receive your discount.   Visit viveorganic.com and use code BLONDE at checkout for 15% off your first purchase.    Go to arrae.com and use code 'blondefiles' at checkout to get 15% off your first purchase and a free Sleep Mini.     Produced by Dear Media.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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So, would auto-hure without your re-sadviseur or sunnycars. The following podcast is a dear media production. Welcome to the Blond Files

I'm your host, Ariel Lori, and I'm here to talk all things wellness. From how to achieve optimal health and well-being to the best beauty tips and everything in between, no topic is off limits. I know there's so much information out there, so I'm bringing on expert guests and sharing my own experiences to help you sift through all the wellness stuff without the BS. Enjoy the show. Hi, everybody. Welcome to the show. I have an amazing episode for you today. I am talking to Camilla Coelho. She is one of the big OG influencers. So I'm sure so many of you follow her, are familiar with her. She has like 9 million followers on Instagram. I don't even know how many on YouTube, which is kind of where she got her start. And I never really know what I'm

going to get when I'm interviewing some of these like internet personalities, content creators. and she is just such a queen. Like there are times where I'm just sitting across from somebody and I am so inspired and it really motivates me in my own work and that's exactly how I felt with her. But despite her success and her lifestyle and just what her life is today, she is so grounded, so warm, so humble. I really think humility is like one of, if not the most attractive qualities that somebody can have. And I just was sitting there going, oh yeah, I get it. Like I totally get why she is where she is today. And I feel like she's only just getting started. Like she's really just becoming this whole lifestyle brand. So we talked a lot about her experience with epilepsy. This is something that she's been open about in. recent years and we talk about how it kind of shaped and changed the trajectory of her life and

how those challenges became assets for her. And we talk a lot about her career. Like since the early days, she used to be a makeup artist at the Dior counter. And then she started a YouTube. And like I said, in the beginning, I think she was kind of one of the OG Instagram influencers as well. So we talk a lot about that and how she evolves with the ever-changing social media landscape that we are all living with right now. We talk about how she avoids the comparison trap. We talk about her relationship. She's been with her husband for like half her life. And it's really sweet to hear her talk about that relationship and how he really helps to keep her grounded and humble. And of course, we talk about routines. We talk beauty tips, wellness, and so much

more. So I think you guys are going to love this episode. Please enjoy Camilla Coelho. Welcome. Thank you. How are you? Good. I feel like we've been here chatting for a while and trying to go. I'm so excited to have you here. Thank you so much. I really, I feel like there are so many things that I want to cover today. But I kind of want to start with what is something that we don't know about you? Because you have been openly sharing about your life for so long. You're like one of the OG Instagram, YouTube influencers. I feel like people have been with you along your journey from like where you started, which I want to get into, to where you are now with, you know, your businesses and your child and all of these amazing things happening. So is there anything that we don't know about you?

That's actually a tricky question because I don't know if there's anything people don't know about me. I share a lot. And yes, I've been on social media for so long over a decade. And, you know, I do try to share everything in my life. But one thing that I feel a lot of people still don't know about me is that, you know, with my lifestyle today, you know, traveling around the world and having the privilege, you know, to work with so many amazing brands and luxury brands a lot of times, people feel like maybe I just come from this world and I don't. I come from. I come from. a very small town, a humble family who had to really work their way up. I come from an immigrant mom who migrated into the United States to get a better life. And that's one thing that, you know,

and I really appreciate the simple things in life. You know, it took me some years and a lot of dreaming to get to where I am today. I mean, when I was a teenager, when I moved to the U.S., I never thought I would do what I'm doing today. It was not in my plans, but it happened. And I never took anything for granted. You know, I really was very grateful for every little step of my journey. But yes, I think that's one thing that people don't know about me. I come from a very humble background. So you had a bit of a difficult time when you moved here, right? And you opened up about your epilepsy. And that was something that I wanted to talk to you about because I have had a lot of seizures, not from epilepsy, but from drug addiction. I've been

sober for nine years, but prior to that, it was all the time. And so it's different, obviously, but I do, like, remember that fear. And I think it stays. I still have it. And I've heard you talk about it and just how that changed your, you know, your teenage years, right? And your social life and all of that. So can you talk a little bit about that about like getting diagnosed and yeah, how that changed everything for you? Thank you for sharing that. I have chills right now. But yeah, it was hard for me because, you know, I moved to the United States. I was 14 years old. And I mean, imagine coming from Brazil to Scranton, Pennsylvania, a very small American town. Yep, we're the office. Shaw, everybody. That's a reference.

My friend, everybody. And, you know, I went to a very, like, American white, like, high school. So I felt already very different. And, you know, culturally speaking as well, like, people acted differently. They, you know, it was like I, the first friend I had, I just wanted to walk around with her, like, holding arms. Because it's very Brazilian. And actually, some people have just thought that we were lesbians. I was like, okay, that's how friends walk around in Brazil.

But things like that. But because I had, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I was nine. So at age nine, it didn't really affect me, honestly, to be real with you. All I wanted was to be able to have a normal life. And I was able to play. I was able to do everything I wanted to. I've always had a very controlled epilepsy, thankfully.

If I'm on medicine, I usually won't have a seizure. But the fear is. always there. And you never know if you are going to have one. And whenever I had a headache, I kept thinking to myself, oh my gosh, I cannot have a seizure. I cannot have an episode. What if it happens in front of people? That was my biggest fear. And also of dying. Like, I could have a seizure anywhere. And it could be somewhere that I could die. Going to school and meeting new friend, you know, I always had that in the back of my mind. And it really like started to affect me more when I started like going out with friends and we started party and

they started drinking and the drinking thing. It's like one thing that I can't do is drink alcohol. And, you know, my friends started pressuring me, oh, why don't you drink? Are you afraid? Do you have a problem? What is it? And every little thing, when you're insecure about something, it affects you, right? So it got to a point that I just wanted to blend in. I wanted to, I mean, I wish I could tell myself differently at that time, but I just wanted to fit in. And there was this one night. I remember exactly that night. I just talked to myself.

And I was like, and God, I'm very religious. And I was like, God bless me. I'm not going to have this anymore. I'm going to be seizure free. And I'm going to stop the medicine. And I did by myself. I didn't tell my mom, my doctor. And I just stopped taking the medicine.

And to be honest, I didn't even drink alcohol. I pretended I did. I didn't even like to taste. And a few months later, I go to school, very heavy headache. I have a seizure in front of all of my friends. And to be honest, I don't remember how it happened. I mean, it was a full blank. And I wake up in a hospital and I'm crying.

And I'm the only thing I'm thinking about, oh my gosh, I'm alive. And I drove to school that day. I couldn't even look at my mom's face because I knew she was going to be so upset. And that day she had the most beautiful conversation with me. And the conversation that I truly needed, she told me, Camilla, you are, there are people fighting for their lives every single day. There are people who are here in this hospital that don't know if they're going to wake up tomorrow. And there are people with epilepsy who, even though taking medicine, we have several seizures

a day. You can't, you know, live a normal life. And here you are. You take a medicine. Yes, you have some limitations, but you are a very healthy girl. You get to live your beautiful life. So how lucky are you? And that really, and it still gives me chills. It still makes me emotional because that truly changed my whole perspective on my condition, you know. And I started to be more positive and I started feeling lucky instead of feeling different and less than other people. So it completely changed it for me. And I was almost 18 at the time. So, you know, little by later, I'm not going to say changed completely. For example, it took me a while to share on social media, but I did. So yeah, that was definitely a milestone.

Such a good example of turning something, like turning a challenge into an asset, you know, And I just, I love when people can be honest about that. Yeah. And I was just really impressed by you talking about it. And then I think that people don't like realize how scary it is. Maybe they do. But like just hearing you talk about like the headache. Like I get, I still get like that anxiety because it's just, it's like traumatizing,

even though you don't remember it. Yeah. And I think the worst part is knowing like for me, it was seeing my family hurt by it because they watch it. My sister has witnessed it. My mom, of course, and seeing them talk about it or like the fear in their eyes as well. Like I don't want to see you go through this again. It's just so like it hurt me even more than like myself going through it.

You know? So I still get emotional talking about it. Especially when I talk about my family. There was one episode I had that was with my brother. and he's everything to me. He's just been like, after he saw me having an episode, he was just, also our relationship change, you know. He was very protective always and wanted to make sure.

And still to this day, that I'm okay, that I'm fine. Yeah. But the fear is something that hits you. Yeah. My last, not to make this whole thing about this, but the last one that I ever had, my parents flew out to L.A. I was like in the depths of my addiction. And it was like, I didn't want to be doing.

what I was doing, but I couldn't stop because my body was like so dependent on everything. And they showed up at my doorstep and I dropped and had a grandma seizure in front of them. And it was terrifying for them. You know, and you're right. Like it is more what it does to the people around you. Like, and again, very different circumstances. But I can relate to you a lot. What made you decide to share that on social media? So, you know, after my mom and I was little, she always told me, And I think definitely to protect me. You know, Camilla, you don't have to tell anybody that you have epilepsy. And I think she told me that because I did have a normal, you know, like a controlled epilepsy.

And to protect me as well, you know, there's so much stigma still out there. Like there's still a lot of people who don't understand what epilepsy is and the difference, right, between each type of epilepsy and each person. One out of 26 people have epilepsy. Wow. Which is insane. But most people don't talk about it because they are afraid. They feel different. They don't want to.

And when I shared, I got so much feedback in stories, like real true stories about people who have it. One of them, it stuck to me. Like, that was shocked. This girl said that when she finally was able to tell, like, had the courage to share, she told her boss that she had epilepsy and next week she was fired. And, you know, probably because her boss thought that she was. capable to do what she was doing. So there's still a lot of stigma and I really wanted to use my platform to try to end the stigma and try to educate people about epilepsy. So today I'm a

board member at the epilepsy foundation, you know, and do a lot together. But I decided to share because of that. I was like, you know what? There's the only thing I have never talked about. It's the one thing that still like I want, if I use my platform to try, you know, I was like, you know what? I'm talk about I can help other people, but also help myself in a way, you know. That happened around the time that I was looking into getting pregnant, which is the whole thing, you know, when you have epilepsy and you drink the medicine. You have to see if you can get pregnant on medicine, if you remove the medicine, it's a whole story.

So I was afraid. I was like, the only thing I want is to be able to get pregnant, number one, and to have a healthy child. So it was a very scary moment phase for me. And I was like, I really want to share. I need to share. And I, you know, I want to hear from other moms as well. Other, you know, other women out there and people, what their stories are.

So I finally decided to share. And I was scared. I was so scared. But I shared and it was the best thing I did. And it helped me in a level that I can even explain. Like listening, hearing, I remember going in the plane. I read, I think most, like most messages that I got, I made sure to read it. I was showing my husband and I was so happy.

I had smiles on my faces. Women telling me, you know, I was in the same spot as you. Like, I was so scared to have babies. But I did go on medicine or I went without medicine and it worked out. But at the end, I helped make a decision. You know, I got pregnant on the epilepsy medicine. I had to change the medicine and go for another one, a newer one. But I was afraid.

I was like, Mom, my doctor told me this one only doctor told me that I should go on medicine. All the other doctors said I should go without. And this one doctor told me, yes, you should go on it. Because if you don't, you're going to be your whole pregnancy scared that what if I have a seizure. And I didn't want to be, I don't want to transfer those feelings to my baby. I want to be calm and happy, right? So because of all the letters and feedback I got from all these women, I was like, I'm going to go without. And I did.

And I didn't have a seizure. I mean, I went with medicine. And I didn't have a seizure. My child is healthy. I'm the happiest I could be right now. And my mom, it was my biggest dream. Yeah, that's why I decided to share to use my platform. me know I have a voice. I should use it, especially, you know, to help other people.

How do you feel about social media now? I mean, it's changed so much from when you started, from when I even started. And, you know, you've really evolved with it. And, you know, like I said in the beginning, you've grown these businesses. And how do you feel about that? And like something that you mentioned earlier was about your humble beginnings. And, how do you stay grounded with the lifestyle that you have now and like being in the industry and it is so crazy. Yeah. No, great question.

I, you know, it's funny because in the beginning when you start, for me in the beginning it was a hobby and then became a business. And to your question, like how the internet has changed has changed like so much. Before, for example, when I started on YouTube, you couldn't get people. off of anything on YouTube. It was just a hobby. You're there to show something that you like or whatever. So today, people start thinking with a goal, you know, I want to make a career out of this. So it completely changed. It's very saturated today, which is great at the same time. Like, there's, you know, opportunity in so many levels for so many people. But when you start, you want to, you get excited and you want to do all these things. And then I got to the point. in my life where I was doing it all. Like, I was like, oh my gosh, I have accomplished so much. I have done a collaboration with Lancom.

Like the first person to do a collaboration with Lancom. I walked at Paris Couture Week as a bride to close a show insane. Like things that I would. Ralph and Rousseau. Amazing. And I was there a bride and like they had the most beautiful dresses. And yeah, it was crazy. A dream.

I know. It was so nice. And, you know, I went to the Met Gala. I was like, what? Like things that I would pinch myself all the time. Mm-hmm. And then I got to a point around that phase, like the best year of my life was like 2018, 19. And started noticing that I wasn't really happy.

There was something I was constantly having anxiety attacks. And I didn't know there were anxiety attacks until I, you know, it kept getting worse. And, you know, my husband, who's my partner. who come talk to me about my agenda and things like that. And like only amazing things happening. Then I don't see myself crying. Like I don't, why am I excited about this thing anymore? Why am I not happy?

I will feel guilty because I know where I come from. Because I know I'm so lucky and blessed to be where I am. And then, you know, I've figured out that I just needed to prioritize my time. that, you know, I needed to take a step back. I needed to have more time, say more nose and have more time for things that I love to do, you know, be more with my family, my friends, going back more often to my hometown, which is where I grew up and the happiest person. The only place I can disconnect is there, ride my horses, you know, things like that.

And I started to do that. I started, the nose were hard, especially before pandemic. It was really hard to say no. After pandemic, it's like, yeah, you know, it's easier to say no. But 2018, like before then, it was hard. But I said those hard nose and I really prioritized on my mental health. And it changed me a lot. So, yes, internet is very different today.

I feel like, you know, still after pandemic, we're still rushing. We're still going. So I think it's very important, especially for me now as a mom, especially. I really prioritize mental health. quality time with loved ones and what makes me truly happy. You know, work is important. Making goals is important, but you need to step back sometime. How I wake up and start my day largely determines how my day is going to go.

And let me give you an example of this. So I mentioned a few weeks ago that Chuck was shooting a new show. His schedule has been kind of crazy where he's doing super early mornings or really late nights. And at first, he was waking up. way before the crack of dawn to his cell phone alarm. And let me tell you, this was quite jarring for me as somebody who's used to waking up with no alarm. And it just felt like I was jolted awake with a surge of adrenaline and cortisol. And then that stayed with me through the entire day, despite all of the

things that I do in the morning to calm my nervous system. So we started using a hatch restore to instead and it has been absolutely incredible. So the Restore 2 is basically your new bedside sleep companion inspired by nature, backed by sleep science, and designed to take care of you from sunset to sunrise. So you can tap into your circadian rhythm every morning with a gradual sunrise alarm that wakes you gently. So you can choose birds chirping. You can choose what color you want the Restore 2 to turn, whether you want like an amber or a yellow and it gradually brightens kind of like the sun. It's absolutely amazing. And then you can also establish a phone-free routine that helps you break your late night scrolling habit as well, which is huge. And you can ease into sleep with a

sunset paired with sleep stories, guided meditations, and more. So head to hatch.com and get free expedited shipping on your new Restore 2 so you can start feeling well-rested. A-S-A-P. That's hatch.co, h-a-t-c-h-ch-o. When I was in Florida, I kind of went against my sun principles a little bit, and I got a ton of natural sun, but I felt a little bit better about it

because, of course, I was using sunscreen, and I was also slathering myself in the DeLovie Sciences Eonia Age-Defying Serum. If you guys missed my episode a few weeks ago with Dr. Kyle Landry definitely go back and listen. It is absolutely fascinating and they're really on the cutting edge of anti-aging and skincare. So DeLovie Sciences was co-founded by Harvard biologist, longevity expert Dr. David Sinclair, who I'm sure many of you are familiar with. And the key ingredient in the Eonia Age Defying Serum is bacillus lysate. So this is the first biological cosmetic to be certified by the space foundation and bacillus lysate has been proven to boost hydration,

reduce free radicals, which is amazing, and even stimulate the gene that regulates aging. And on the podcast, he talked about how this organism actually was put outside of the space station and its UV protective properties were enhanced when it was exposed to really high levels of radiation. So that's basically how I felt on my trip like I was outside of the space station and very close to the sun. But I was, like I said, slathering myself in the serum. I absolutely love it. I use it on my face. I've also been using it on my body. Eonia offers an array of clinically proven benefits that translate into the ability to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, protect the skin's moisture barrier, improve elasticity and firmness, and most important, fight the visible impacts

of aging. And right now, you can visit www.dae.com. and receive 25% off your first order of Eonia Age Defying Serum. Just use the promo code, Blonde at checkout, to receive your discount. Again, that's Daelivisciences.com, D-E-L-A-V-I-E Sciences.com. And the code is blonde for 25% off your first order of the Eonia Age Defying Serum. I used to care so much about portraying a perfect life and acting like everything was okay when really things were far from it. I was secretly battling anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder.

So it was a lot. I'm Victoria Garrick, former division one athlete, mental health advocate, and host of RealPod. Every Wednesday, I sit down with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more to talk about the inner thoughts and feelings that we're all struggling with. So leave the filters and face tunes at the door and join me on RealPod. It does feel like it's gotten just so crazy and I feel like to what end? what are we all racing for? Like, where are we going?

Right. And it's changed a lot with things like TikTok and the discoverability of that and people blowing up overnight and everybody's becoming a quote-unquote brand. And I feel like you kind of got into like product at a really good time because it was a little bit before that and you really established yourself, which you would have done anyway because you're very talented. I don't know. I feel like I actually got in late because.

Really? Yeah. Like I kept thinking about it and wanting it and in the process, you know, the process of actually launching it. It takes two to three years. Yeah. So I should have started like even before because, yeah, today, you know, everyone has a brand basically.

But I did start at a good time. I mean, I launched CCC, my clothing line in 2019, which is a good timing. Good timing. And then my beauty brand was launched during the pandemic. But yeah, it's still great. You know, the brands do great. and I'm thankful that I have some of support. But yeah.

I need some of that to blend my hypo pigmentation. Oh my gosh. I should have brought a box for you. Why did not? Why did not? I'll order some. No, y'all was saying too. The glow you're going to love.

I see how to my legs. Yeah, it looks amazing. I cannot go out without my glow. So good. So good. Do you think it's too saturated? I know that like the number one question people listening probably have is how to break in now. I get that question a lot. And I'm like nowhere near the level that you're at.

You know, it's honestly, it's saturated. Yes. It's very saturated. But you never know like, well, there's different levels. I think of it like in two different ways. When I started over 10 years ago, it was really hard. I mean, there wasn't really like a career out of this where we're doing. But once it became something, it was really hard to prove it.

yourself because it's new, right? So my hard phase was that like trying to really prove that, okay, this is legit. I can sell product. I can like, you know, and I remember like even writers and like editors would look at influencers. I'm like, come on, what are you guys doing? I remember that like being in the front row. Yeah. It was, it was, it was hard for, you know, and it got to a point I was so happy when it really got to a point that like, okay, brands are, they get it. And this is it. I mean, internet. This is it.

This is the future. People still stigmatize it, though, which is so crazy to me. Like, influencer is a derogatory word. And it's like, this has been a business for a decade. For a while. And it's going to continue to be. Yeah. But yes, it's saturated.

But I feel like there's still room for, you know, like you said, TikTok. You never know. Just on one person. blows up overnight. And I think it's beautiful that we can still have, you know, these platforms that, you know, you just get someone and you make their life, you can change your lives overnight. But it doesn't mean you have to blow up. I think at the end of the day, whoever, you know, ask that question, like, how can I make it?

I think, you know, concentrate on what you want to do. Because at the end of the day, you want to do what you like to do, right? that if you are working with what you love, you're going to be happy. So concentrate on that. Not so much on, am I going to grow fast? I need really to get there because then you can lose track. When you look too much to the side, like concentrate on what you're doing, you can lose yourself.

So do that. And, you know, of course, try to be creative and think outside the box. I think thinking outside the box, what I ask myself. What can I do like to reinvent myself? You have to everyday think about that because you see everything today. Like anything you look for on social media you can find. So how can you stand out, right? It's hard.

But I don't know if I have an exact answer for you. No, that's really. I'm like here talking. But I feel like my answer is I feel like there's still place for everyone, you know, to you can influence anyone, basically. Like if you are, if you are active on social media, you are influencing somebody, right? with what you're talking about or it's funny. I'm making this long, but my sister-in-law, for example, I have the curiosity.

I'm like, who do you follow? Who do you love to follow the most? And a lot of times it's like, yeah, she says a bit of like a couple of big names, but then the rest is like random, like maybe just a girl at her house, like sharing random things, no numbers at all. But like, it's just the realness of it. And like, you know, so anyone can be an amazing influence. influencer or a creator, you know? It all depends on you. I feel like what people get caught up in now

is just regurgitating trends because they want that really fast growth. You see like other people. They want that viral video. But like what do you do? I can't imagine what do you do with that when overnight you have a few million followers and they're all waiting for the next content and like where do you go with that? I just think that must be like very overwhelming. Yeah. But you know the beauty of it today is also that brands, they love the micro influencers. They're like small. So numbers are not everything. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oftentimes the smaller people are converting more and their demographic. Like they're just so engaged with what they're doing. And to your point, I think like having a story and like being open and honest and connecting with people, that's what people are craving.

And that's probably why your sister-in-law is like, oh, I follow this random person. Because there's something about her story. Yeah. And I think that's, you know, something that you do. you really well, obviously. I would imagine that when you shared about the epilepsy, not to go back to that, but that really opened you up in a new way to your followers. And that makes people feel really connected to you. A hundred percent. So, oh, something I wanted to ask you is how do you avoid the comparison trap? Comparison meaning like, just like we're seeing what everyone else is

doing. We're seeing all of their accomplishments. We're seeing all of their beauty things, everything, and then you're at like fashion week and how does that affect you at all? Or are you just like very confident? You meaning like if I compare me comparing myself to other people? Yeah. Oh my gosh. I've been there and, you know, I would say a few years ago, I used to look. Of course, you look at your peers.

You look at even people you love and love following and around you. But you do because you there's like the formal. Now I say I'm too old to have. homo. That's one thing. Like, what are the other things you're too home for? Yeah, exactly. The joy. It's the best. Yeah, Jomo is the best. But definitely I really tried, like, I'm in a, even before becoming a mom, I think after pandemic, during the pandemic, it really helped me. And I think it helped a lot of people in, you know, not feeling that way, not trying, like, not to compare yourself to others so much. Because each person has,

their own. I say everyone, it's one thing I say, everyone has a beautiful light inside of them. And your light is unique. You know, if you let it shine, if you let it shine through you, you're going to be different than that one person that you think that their light shines so bright. And a lot of times we hold that light in. Oh, we, and with me, it was epilepsy and maybe other things. But once I am able to love myself enough and feel confident, about what I'm doing and your light will shine so bright that you will stand out and comparing yourself to other people a lot of times and I'll go back to kind of what I said before. It blocks you from growing and going the direction.

It kind of defocuses you. So one thing I try to do, I always like to look around because also it's important, right, to see what other people are doing. But not feeling bad. Oh my gosh, this person went to this X event and I wasn't there. or this collaboration that I did wasn't as special as that. Don't do that. You're only going to feel less.

You're not going to appreciate where you're going through and what you were accomplished. Because a lot of times you accomplish something amazing. And you don't realize it because you're comparing yourself to X, Y, and Z. So don't let yourself do that. I've done that in the past a few years ago. And I never let that happen anymore. Like I'm working way too hard not to appreciate this moment or this accomplishment

or even it's sometimes it's personal too you know not just business so yeah i am today and i'm in a very good place you seem like you're in a great place in general i need to know how do you balance everything now that you're a mom you have these businesses i would imagine i mean just scheduling this i know you have a lot going on for you so how do you manage everything and keep a really level head and you just seem to have like a really grateful optimistic attitude and i know that you you said a few years ago, you weren't in that place. Yeah, I mean, I've tried to be very positive. It doesn't mean I don't have my down moments. Like this week, for example, I'll share with you days ago I was crying with my husband. Because now being a mom, it's like different type of

worries, you know, like before it was like, oh, I'm just too busy. Imagine it's crazy. But now it's like, I'm okay saying all these nose. But still, I have a child where I want to be a present mom and I feel guilty if I'm not there. Like this week, I was out every day. Every single day I was out yesterday. I had a whole day of photo shoot. And I got back home yesterday and I cried again. I cried with my husband and mixed emotion again because I'm like, I want to be with him.

I don't want my son is seven months old. And I know that, you know, most moms out there, they have to go out and work every day. But you feel guilty. Right. A lot of things. I'm still balancing that mom life, you know. and I'm very happy. I am very happy.

But now I'm like struggling with, you know, trying to make myself not feel guilty about certain things, especially being a mom. You know, now I'm fully back to work and I have two brands to run. I have, you know, so much to do, work with other brands. And then my son is also my priority. And how can I just do it all? And I want to make sure I'm a good mom and I'm a present mom.

And I'm there for him, which I am. But I still have the days where I just break down. It's not easy. But it's the best thing I've ever lived, being a mom. It's hard to explain. I'm still, I have to be honest. I'm still struggling with, you know, the transition of working. Because I was used to being so busy, all that I was used to.

But now being a mom with it is difficult just to. Because at the end, like, sometimes I just don't want to work. Yeah. I want to stay home with him and just cut it with him. Yeah. Well, seven months. That's so young. Yeah.

You're like in that new, new mommy phase. Yeah. I know that wellness is important to you. What are your wellness routines? Like, take us through a day in the life when you wake up. When do you work out? What's like your morning routine? So I've always liked to be active.

I feel like, you know, being active. is something that really takes my mind off of work and off of stress and worries. So I've always loved to be active in L.A. when I live there, for example, I used to play volleyball. Every Sunday I will work out at least once. I mean, I in L.A. really was like once a day, once a week. I will work out. But then I was always biking with my husband getting outside, you know, fresh air. Nature really disconnects me. So that's like my wellness secret. Like how do I feel good? really reconnecting myself with nature and being active, like outside, especially overall. Today, as a mom, I was a priority to me, you know, like I need to still work out, like have that

moment for myself. And a lot of times you're feeling down, no energy. You work out. I'm lazy to work out, especially now. But when I do it, I feel great. I'm eating healthier, but mostly, you know, having quality time with loved ones. It's a huge part of my wellness, like lifestyle. A lot of times, you know, you just want to sit on your sofa and chat with your girlfriend,

little silly things or have lunch somewhere, like nothing fancy, but just, you know, chill. Yeah. And that's, that for me is just great, like quality time. I think I told you guys last week about my obsession with vibe organic wellness shots. I drink an immunity boost shot every single day. It's ginger turmeric. It's packed with a blend of roots and fruits and flowers for the ultimate immune system. Strengthener. I love them. I had a case delivered to me in Miami, but I have to tell you, so I went to

Lifetime Market, my little health food store on 6th Avenue in New York. People always ask me where it is because I post from inside there. Anyway, they had the energy and immunity, which is like a blueberry ginger. Ginger is my favorite thing ever, and that combo sounded really good. And it has 75 milligrams of caffeine. So I don't like to drink a matcha or a coffee or anything in the afternoon. but sometimes I need that little like kick of energy and I am in love. So it tastes amazing. And it has green tea as the caffeine. So it's not like drinking a shot of espresso or something for me that gets me really wired and I just don't like the aftertaste or anything like that. I will be doing this daily. I'm sure it's probably going to be my new thing. It also has neutropics and adaptogen.

so it has ashwaganda in it, which I feel like kind of helps balance out the caffeine a little bit. And there's just no crazy buzz. There's no crash. It's like this all natural energy and helps with focus to get you through the day. All of Vive Organic Wellness shots are crafted, fresh pressed from 100% organic superfoods into a daily immunity boost shot. There's zero added sugar, zero artificial flavors, zero artificial. color. They come in a variety of blends, including immunity boost original, immunity boost elderberry, and immunity boost cayenne. And on top of that, all of the Vibe Organic Wellness shots are

doctor crafted for effectiveness that you can trust. So right now, visit viveorgantic.com and use the code blonde at checkout for 15% off your first product. Again, that's viveorgantic.com, V-I-V-E-Organic.com, and the code is blonde at checkout for 15% off your first product. I was just in Florida for 10 days and the New York. I was posting a lot of bikini shots, a lot of thirst traps, and one comment that I kept getting was how flat my stomach is. And when I travel, I like to eat anything and everything. You hear in this episode when I said that I was eating like yucca fries, French fries, just not really paying attention to my diet so much, to be totally honest. And I really had zero bloating, and I attribute that to having a healthy gut,

but also to my array bloat pills. I do not travel without these because the last thing that you want when you're on vacation is to feel uncomfortable and to be bloated. And these are my ride or die. every trip that I've gone on for the past few years, these come with me and they're amazing. So the bloat capsules are a blend of five herbs and one fruit-based digestive enzyme. And they target bloats that you feel relief quickly. It addresses all possible causes of bloating. It can help to reduce heartburn, speed up food breakdown. And you basically just take two to three bloat capsules immediately after your meal, whether you have just indulged in something really heavy or eaten something. that you don't normally eat or if you just feel like you are starting to get bloated. For me, they work like an absolute charm. They have amazing ingredients. They have bromuline. They have ginger root lemon balm, dandelion root peppermint and slippery elm. And these are things that people commonly take separately. So I love the efficiency of being all in these capsules. They are amazing. And right now, you guys can get 15% off your first purchase and you'll get a free

sleep mini if you go to array.com and use the code blonde files at checkout. That's array.com A-R-R-R-A-E dot com. The code is blonde files at checkout to get 15% off your first purchase and a free sleep mini. That's such an overlooked part of wellness too that I agree is so important. I think that people think of like waking up and working out and meditating and the green juice and the this and then that and it's like no, that connection is I'm here with my best friend. We've been here for a week and we're just like laughing and like having lunches and dinners and it's the best. I haven't worked out once. I'm like this is amazing.

It's like I like my soul. And you feel great about yourself. Yeah. I'm like not bloated. Because you're laughing so much. You know, and you don't worry about like what I'm meeting is. Like when you worry too much, I feel like that's when you actually like gain weight or whatever. Yes.

Yeah. People are going to hate me for this. but I was like posting, I mean, I've been posting like bikini pictures and they're like, what are you doing? What's your work? And I'm like, nothing. And I'm eating fries like twice a day. I had fries before I came here.

I'm like it's just no stress. Well, you look amazing. Your legs look like you never, you never eat a fry. Thank you. I've been doing yucca fries. I've been doing like fry fry. So good. Yuka fries are the best.

Oh my God. Where I'm staying, they're deep fried. It's like so, oh, with a cilantro like lime. It's very Brazilian or like Mexican, right? Oh, it's so good. Yeah. So that's a good reminder for everybody. Yes. Sometimes you just need to like put the green juice down and like call a friend.

Spend time with someone you truly love. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Love that. What are some of your beauty hacks right now? So beauty hack for me, I mean, I'm obsessed with like skincare before makeup. Like I love for me every day I need to put like a beauty oil. I'm not to talk about it.

No, do you. You're here. Tell everyone. I love a beauty oil too. So my secret in the morning, I wake up puffy. So I put ice on my face and I'm loving to do that, especially when I have a photo shoot. The ice, not only or ice water or ice directly on my face. And not only wakes you up, I just feel awake and it depuffs you completely and it closes your pores.

So like everything you want before makeup or before a photo shoot just to go out if you're puffy especially. And then I go in with beauty oil. I mean, my skin moisturized and then beauty oil. And the beauty oil, I just massage my face and kind of give myself like a quick lymphatic massage to like drain and really, really deep up. So that's like my go to. Mostly every morning, especially when I'm really lazy and I don't have anything to do. I don't have to go out on. But if I have to go out put makeup on, I definitely do that.

Oh, I'm loving finishing my makeup with like cream product. If it's like a cream blush or cream highlight. I love that. Because just in photo, before I was like a full mat makeup kind of girl, especially in video and stuff. I wanted it mat.

But now I love like a little glow on the cheeks. And always I cannot live without lip liner or something on my lips. If I don't have anything on my lips, I feel like I'm dead. What's your favorite lip liner? Oh my gosh. Right now, for a long time now,

the Patrick Taugh beauty, she's strong. She's strong. It's like a perfect. I don't have it on right now, which is crazy. But because I always have it on. It's like the perfect brown. I feel like for a lot of skin shades as well.

For me, it just works perfectly just to shape your lip. And you can wear like a lip balm on top and just look natural or you can build it up. I love that one. Amazing. Oh, I have a question. Kind of unrelated to everything. But you've been with your husband forever. Yes.

How did you know he was the one? You guys were together since you were kids, right? I was 17. I was 17 years old. It's funny because I had a boyfriend before him that I was like, I was with him for seven months. I had a boyfriend before I was 17. And I was like, I broke up with him. And I was like, I'm not going to have a boyfriend for a while.

Now I'm 17 years old. Like I'm going to be single and joy. And I meet Ikaro. And he was 19. And we became friends at first. Like we started talking on the phone. And then I see we're talking every day on the phone. And he had such a fun personality.

The first time I spoke with him on the phone for a while, I was like, I kept thinking about him. It was so funny. And I actually was the one who called back. He loves telling this story. Is this back during like landlines or with the cell phone time? The cell phone, you know, the one that had the little radio thing? Oh, the next tell.

The walkie-talkie. Oh, you're like, hi. You have a pink baby fat one? Yes. And then, you know, I noticed we're talking every day. I'm like, wow, okay, I'm really thinking about this guy. So we had our first date and then we started going out. And right away, I was like, I really liked this guy.

I didn't know if I loved him right away, but I think like in six months I told each other that we loved each other. And it was insane. Like, of course, thinking back, I was 17. I would probably be like, yeah, in a few years we'll break up. But we never broke up through all these years. We had one or two phases. We were like, ah, you know, but we never broke up.

And I feel it's a lot because of our communication. And like we always talk about this. Like communication and respect are the two most important, probably the most important thing in our relationship. communication why? Because you want to be sure that you're always in the same page. You always want the same thing and want to grow together. Because if it gets to a point and most couples that I know that have broke up before, it's because they got to a point of their lives where they want a different thing.

They had to move on separate ways. So for us, we've tried to never go to sleep, not talking to each other. We try to like resolve it since we were young. And we were not mature, you know, but we were mature for that. So it really kept us strong and going. Of course, we had the, you know, the connection of both being Brazilian, living in the U.S., and we knew a few people in the same, a few people that, how do you say it? In common?

My English kicking in. But yeah, in respect, you know, you want to make sure that you admire the person and you have respect for the person. And you respect and get that back because with respect comes trust. And if you trust the person, you can avoid so many relationships. So yeah. And we've been together for, yeah, I lost count, guys. Since I was 17, I'm 35. Half your life.

I'm 35. And now we have a beautiful son, which is our dream. So, yeah. The best phase of our life now. Do you attribute a lot of your success to that? Like just having him there to keep you grounded and he's your partner. You hit the right spot. Honestly, like, he has been the one who really kept me grounded.

Because I say, if I, it was my mom as my partner, like, I would be completely lost, like, thinking that I'm the shit, you know? Because, like, he really, there's so many moments in my life that he encouraged me at the right moments. Like, you are doing amazing. Keep going. But there were moments where it was like, no, this is, you know, calm down. Like, let's take it easy. So it was very important for me And it is until this day

He is I always say I wouldn't be here With you today Probably if he wasn't for him He has helped me so much In every single level professionally personally

In my life In my career And he has always supported me You know It's very important to have someone To lift you up And I try to do the same with him But

I have so much respect For him And love Of course Well, that's very encouraging. I'm sure everybody listening. It's like goals. What's next? What's next for me? I don't have huge plans right now. I definitely want to concentrate now that I'm back. You know, I feel like I was out for two years. You know, after your mom, it's so deep and like it's a lot that you feel like it was two years being a mom.

Like just giving birth and all that postpartum. But I, you know, it's a conversation I just had with my team recently. I'm like, what do I want? I definitely want to concentrate most of my time on my brands now, especially I'll lose my beauty brand, which is a newer brand. You know, take it easy. I definitely do tap into some areas maybe that I never tapped into before, but concentrate more on my brands right now.

So I think what's new is that I'm a mom. I'm more emotional. But yeah, nothing like super new. right now. There will be. All right. Well, we will keep our eyes peeled for that. Thank you so much for coming on. I was so good talking to you. You are, you calm me down in the way, your voice, everything. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I hope you enjoyed that episode. And if you liked it, and if you liked the show in general, please take a second to rate review and subscribe. It goes a long way. And it's actually the best way to support the show. Also, if you want to see more about each

episode, you can head over to The Blonde Files podcast on Instagram. You can go to areaallory.com. And I'm always posting about each episode over on my personal page at Ariel Lori. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.