Many know Teal Swan as one of the top conscious media stars who has countless best-selling books, however, many may not know about her life behind her speaking engagements, classes and what gets posted on social media.
If you take the time to get to know her, like we have here, you will see a woman who has integrated her own harrowing life experience to help inspire millions of people around the world towards truth, authenticity, freedom and joy.
And while she inspires through her words - written and not - even her clothing is a way many look up to her through, as what she wears ties directly into her message of ‘being your authentic self’. Teal explains to us, “For me, clothes are a real expression of self. I like to go out in whatever feels like the most authentic expression of myself on any given day. Sometimes that's a satin A line dress. Other times, it's leggings with a cable knit sweater. This means, I don't have a "go to" outfit. But one thing I'm almost always wearing on top of everything is one of my own designs... a frequency puffer jacket. I'm addicted to them.”
And while Teal chooses comfort, ETSY-purchased and ‘lesser-known designers’ over more “luxurious” name brands, she is still a huge fan of people like Hervé Peugnet and Solène Delvallé. “I absolutely love Hervé Peugnet (Herve Leger). The almost aggressive feminine silhouette and knitted fabrics of his designs are just undeniably excellent. One of my other absolute favorite designers is Solène Delvallé (MacraSpirit). She creates the most exquisite hand woven and sewn bohemian fashion. I also adore Thomas Meyer (Desigual). I'm a huge lover of color and Thomas is all about it too. It takes one hell of an eye to put as many elements together as he does in a design and have it look so aesthetically pleasing. I love all of his stuff. And definitely, Asa Soltan Rahmani has to be on this list. The sexy, spiritual goddess vibe of her designs is irresistible.”
No stranger to the world of fashion, Teal actually used to be a top model, gracing magazines and runways.
It was during this time that she learned the lessons of reality vs. perception, and just how hard mentally being a model / public figure can be. Speaking with Teal, she dove into this element to great lengths telling us:
“The hardest thing about being a model is the discrepancy between how people perceive your life to be vs. how it actually is. People perceive that being a model means that you are a popular person who has the world in your pocket and that all you get is compliments all day long and that you make tons of money just standing there. The reality is that being a model, your social life is hell. Instead of beating around the bush, let's come right out and say that being a model thus far in history means being really physically attractive. And this is a form of power. People don't do well with power in relationships. It makes relationships really difficult. For me, it was hard to form friendships because other women were threatened by me and played all kinds of super painful social games against me because of it. And men decided they wanted to be with me just because of how I look, without even needing to know who I really am. And once they got to know who I am, they realized that they weren't compatible with me as a person. So it felt impossible to find the right romantic relationship to be in. And male friends all got attracted to me and decided they couldn't have a relationship with me unless I was "theirs" romantically. So, for many models, it turns out to be a SUPER lonely life experience. On top of this, it's already understood that if you are a model, you are attractive. So, in the industry, no one focuses on that and no one is sitting there affirming you. Instead, they are picking you apart. Agents and managers and designers and photographers are criticizing every inch of your body and so, you end up pretty insecure about yourself if not with body dysmorphia. And especially for runway models, the travel schedule and objectification you experience in the industry is often so taxing and toxic that it causes you to emotionally and physically break down. Also, there are some pretty dangerous individuals in the business. And most models are so young that they end up naively getting into some compromising if not abusive situations, especially sexually. I was molested by a photographer on one of my first photo shoots and one clothing brand I modeled for turned out to be a racket business where they hired models to make it look legitimate, but they were really using models to run drugs in nightclubs. So many models have similar stories. Being a model is not a fairy tale. People only think it is. And the fact that they think it is, makes the hard parts about the experience even more painful to go through, because you're going through it alone. No one advocates for you when they think you have no reason to complain because they think your life is ideal. This is a funny one.... My first gig was modeling for a company that manufactured car bras. A car bra is a vinyl cover that attaches to the front of a car or other vehicle to protect the bumper, hood, and sides of the fender from scratches. Their idea was that getting a sexy model to pose over the hood of a car that had one of their products on it, would sell more car bras.”
As life took Teal Swan ultimately away from her modeling career, it taught her how to inspire others through other means, which is what she is doing today.
“I feel other people's suffering in my own body. So, helping them is the only natural response. It is an innate drive that I was born with. But I didn't think that what I did made much of a difference until I was in my early twenties. So, if you would have asked me in the beginning of my life, I would not have told you that my calling is to help people or to inspire them. I just wanted them to stop suffering. But I am so glad that I found this to be my calling once I stopped undervaluing what I can do for people. I hope to change the mind of humanity. I want to change the way people think and change their perspective about a great many things. The reality is that people are not ok because today's society is toxic. The toxic society of today is the way it is because of the way that people think. It is a direct reflection of people's mentality and lack of awareness. For society to change, people have to increase their awareness, change their perspective and think differently about things. I am here to cause that change. And when people change their mind, they change the decisions they make and the actions they take. This means, the entire structure of society will change for the better as a result of this.”
