be.come turns one! ll chelsea shares

In your initial email to be a model, you mentioned you were still building confidence in yourself and your body. How has that shifted in the last year?

I think that this is one of those things that will consistently be a work in progress. I actually really relate to the idea of body neutrality as a way to think in general terms. Day to day I try to check in with myself & feel good about where I’m at. Mentally, I would say that I have much more confidence in who I am as a whole. Therefore it has trickled down into being confident in my body because it is MY body & not because of the way it looks or the number on the scale (what are those anyway?). 

Has this gain in confidence impacted other aspects of your life? For example starting your business ROBINHILL.

I can honestly say that as my confidence in myself grows so does my confidence in my abilities. I’m an artist & creative. I have always been that person. For years I used to try to run from that. There was always this stigma of the “starving artist” & I both resented that and feared it. I was afraid to crash & burn. Then one day it all sort of clicked & I realized that I could be using my talents for something that I care about. I could use my skill set that I clearly have for a reason or I could keep running from it and never know what would happen if I had tried. Truthfully, there was also something incredibly inspiring about this new program that I had been trying & watching Bethany build it up with such honesty. It was like watching another creative do their thing & just go after it. Seeing that kind of confidence sort of forced me to dig into my own. Because of that confidence I decided to start my own business, ROBINHILL Brand, and haven’t looked back. The company focuses on hand-painted pieces that are meant to inspire confidence & empowerment for the wearer. Bethany actually received one of my first pieces before the company was even up & running. I will always feel good about that. 

Do you think because you feel strong in your body, that has helped you feel like a badass who can run her own company?

I’m going to be really honest about this one. I would say more than anything, what helps me feel like I can run my own company is the desire to make others feel like they are the badasses. Sharing that or inspiring that makes me feel badass in return. To make others feel empowered. To make someone see themselves in a different light than before. It’s something as simple as a jacket, yes…but it’s also about what that jacket says & represents once it’s on. And as strong as I do feel in my boy, especially when I’m doing these routines, be.come has built up my mental strength more than anything. For that I am so grateful. 

Now that you’ve be.coming for over a year, what differences do you notice than when you were be.coming for a few months?

As I’ve said, there’s been a real shift in my mindset since I’ve been be.coming. In the beginning months I was purely doing the routines because I saw Bethany and thought they were incredible & wanted to look like them. I was working out to get skinny again. I was about to get married & felt so so low in my own skin. However, as time went on I started to notice that I was be.coming  to relax when I was overwhelmed. Or I was doing it to wake myself up in the mornings. Or I was doing it because I knew that I needed that 30 minute outlet. I was doing the routines because I wanted to feel good physically AND mentally AND emotionally. I wasn’t using them as a means to a specific end or goal. Now, it’s all very much a part of my routine because it makes me happy.

I think there’s really something to be said about the way in which Bethany has been able to change the way that I think about the human body in general. I used to want to be a certain number on the scale or Jean size. I am very proud of where I’ve come now since be.come. I love seeing what my body can do within the routines & what it is capable of day to day.