At MERABI our Power Women are women who want to make a difference and that’s certainly what you’re doing, to start with can you tell us a bit about your mission...

My mission is to help one billion women fall madly in love with themselves and to get what they want out of life.  It’s not about belittling men at all but lifting women up to be equal within the patriarchal society that we live in.  It’s about empowering women and lifting them up.

It’s a term you hear a lot but what exactly is self love?

I’ll start by telling you what self love is NOT, self love is not self care.  Self love is not just bubble baths and saying “I love my body.”  Self love is what comes before self care.  Acts of self care like going to the gym, eating well, filling out a gratitude journal, they all take will power, unless you have self love, when you have self love you work on your inner layer and these things just happen.  There’s an identity shift after the blocks are removed which stand in the way of love.

Have you always felt this way or can you talk us through your own journey to find self love?

Not at all, I grew up in a family and in a school where people would say “She loves herself” like it’s a negative.  I was a plus size model for 14 years and felt constantly in flux, I wanted to be skinny but the agencies wanted me to be bigger, it really messed with my self worth, I felt like I wasn’t good enough as I was and I had a mean inner voice constantly telling me that I wasn’t enough.  
In modelling it’s like living in a microcosm of a macrocosm of what happens to all women.  We blame ourselves for everything, if clothes don’t fit, if a relationship doesn’t work out.  We’re constantly telling ourselves that we should be skinnier or curvier.
I was studying nutrition while working in NYC and I was always really busy - working, partying, everything.  It got to a point where I was numbing myself with alcohol and just by keeping busy all the time and working to please other people so I thought enough is enough.  I quit it all, I quit modelling, I quit friendships that weren’t right for me and I quit dating.  I became celibate and vegan and cleared out space in my life for something different.  I got the signs from the universe -I don’t need to change.  It’s profound but so simple and that’s what I teach to my ladies now.

It’s amazing now how you’re able to help so many others go on the journey that you have been on.  What drives you to complete your mission?

Originally my goal was helping people - I live and breathe my practice and being able to help people with that and seeing the impact it has on them is incredible.  More recently though it’s been about moving me closer to love.  My goal in relationships and family is to operate in a love frequency.  I feel like the big “why” is to move me closer to love.
You don’t need to have self love to have a happy relationship, but when you have true self love that can give your relationship and out-of-this-world kind of ultimate and healthy love.

Do you have any examples/stories you can share with us of someone finding self love that you have helped or how it has changed someone’s perspective of themselves and how?

One lady on one of my self love retreats, Dani, hadn’t had a date in seven years, she had a good job, but felt “meh” in herself.  She took one course where she felt like an alien in her own body to start with but by the end she felt completely connected to her body, she felt pleasure for the first time, lost toxic friends and manifested a new group of strong, supportive women, she had men coming out of the woodwork and even got a tax rebate and lost 11 pounds.

After the year we’ve all had I imagine there’s a lot more people than usual needing to learn more self love.  What has helped to keep you so motivated?

In lockdown, practicing self love is 10 x more effective than usual.  The space and time to readdress exactly what you want is actually something that’s so precious.  
I can’t lie, the start of lockdown was tough, I went into panic mode and shut down a bit.  I stayed with my mum and I was over eating, drinking too much wine and felt shoddy, bored and discontent.  What’s important is I didn’t stay that way and I didn’t beat myself up for it either.  I accepted that’s where I was at at the time and I shifted back to harmony.

What’s next for you?

I’ve got a book coming out! It’s due to be published soon and is called “P.S I Love Me.”  I’ve got loads going on, my mentoring and courses (full details below.)  I really want to just focus on bringing people into the message.  So many women need to get on the self love train.

What inspires you?

Love inspires me.  I love to see people in love with their lives, in love with their body and falling in love.  When you love so strongly you can see it reflected back in you, you look in the mirror and see something that you love.

Who is a woman that inspires you?

Alexi Panos.  She lives in LA and she’s a humanitarian who pushes for change, she’s funny and beautiful and has a gorgeous family.  She doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her, she just supports women and wants the best for them.