My Beauty Diary – the Veganuary Edition 

January is also known as Veganuary. A month of amplified awareness on the benefits of being vegan and an opportunity for people to explore a plant based diet and feel the advantages in their body and therefore mind (as it is all interconnected). As a celebration of how becoming vegan transformed my life, I am sharing my story.

This is my story of empowerment and self discovery, told through my vegan journey. It is one of self love that led me to truly understand my self worth. This journey starts just outside of Cambridge, England (in my childhood home), and takes me to London, followed by Miami and now NYC. Each city has influenced me personally and professionally and contributed to who I am today. I consider myself a global citizen and see the world as my home. Although NYC is where I am happiest and feel the most at home. 

I grew up fast and I was always ahead of my peers in terms of style and just naturally very sophisticated as a teenager, my perspective was always worldly and my ambition and vision unstoppable. My first campaign was at age 7 for Tesco School uniform and I loved the experience. I didn’t know how to channel my sensitivity as a pre teen and then teenager, until I was shown it was in fact my superpower thanks to my phenomenal teachers at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC. This was a breakthrough moment for me and as I started to understand this gift, my life changed and I began to take my power back. Let’s rewind for a moment to age 14 when I made the announcement to my family that I will no longer be eating red meat (a rather radical choice considering the traditional Sunday roast is a ritual in our household). This slowly evolved into cutting out poultry. However, it was when living and working in Miami Beach as a model with the prestigious Michele Pommier Models that the most significant change happened. I eliminated dairy from my life and as a result my skin glowed in gratitude and my body just leaned out effortlessly, and I was not as congested. Dairy was not a huge part of my life and I had already cut out whole milk in my early teens but I did indulge in late night, (that Miami life, wink to the camera), four cheese pizza, gasp. Now, I enjoy truffle cashew cream pizza at my favorite plant based pizzeria Double Zero Pizza. As my body became cleaner, I found that I rejected anything that did not fully support it and so I made the conscious choice to stop eating fish. It was a fascinating time and as my self awareness expanded I noticed a life changing shift in my mental and emotional health. I fell more in love with myself everyday as I became more connected to my body and therefore my mind and level of self worth. This obviously has a tremendous impact on anyone, however as a model who is judged daily by her looks it boosted my self confidence. I became more grounded and was able to fully embrace my uniqueness and own my beauty. The connection I felt to my body and the way I look at my body on the inside and the level of love I show it, is simply reflected on the outside. That’s true beauty and that is the foundation to My Beauty Diary philosophy. 

Here I was, living in my joy, radiating in my authentic self unapologetically as I lived my dream. As I continued to educate myself, I continued to fine-tune my holistic lifestyle. For example my ex-boyfriend did not drink and I was not even finishing my Pinot Noir at dinner and so I made the conscious choice not to drink anymore and I’ve not looked back! Side note, I started drinking at age 11 and I felt so empowered by this choice to stop. It also opened my eyes to the pressure and social acceptance of drinking. I am so high on life I don’t need alcohol to have a good time, in fact I want to be fully aware to soak up every glorious moment. On a practical note, my body feels better then ever ! I am telling this part of my story for every girl reading who doesn’t want to drink, don’t ever feel pressure. Own your choice. 

Living holistically means nourishing your mind, body and soul. To create a lifestyle that nourished me as a whole meant outgrowing some relationships and being more aware of what and who I allowed into my life. I found that I just kept vibrating higher and as I deepened that alignment with self and source I developed a profound clarity. This self awareness opened the door to my most intense work. The relationship with my mother. To understand how a mother loves you, look at her relationship with her mother. To be the one to break generational trauma is heavy work. However, breaking lineage and understanding how trauma is stored in the nervous system and taking the time to do the work sets you free. It allows you to stand in your power, set boundaries and understand your worth on another level. Living in new timelines and only looking back to see how far you’ve come, and not replay old timelines is liberating. I’ve learnt this, we can only change ourselves, our thoughts create our reality and so only focus on what you do want. I know that I am the architect of my story and our emotions are our guidelines. I am thankful for everything as it has allowed me to grow into who I am today – the ultimate version of myself (I am smiling so much as I write this). 2022 –  I am so ready to explore the new opportunities and embrace new adventures and step outside of my comfort zone even more and live my best life ever. I wish the same for everyone reading. 

Emma is represented by World Models, Access Talent in NYC and MMG Models in Dubai. 

Legit; Mary Anne Claro management. This interview was first published in Sunday Girl Magazine (on sale now) and has been modified for my Beauty Diary – The Veganuary Edition. 

Please leave any questions reagrding being vegan in the comments and I will answer them all.