Today we’d like to introduce you to Devyn Ramnarain.
Devyn, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story started with a suicide attempt in my teens from severe depression and anxiety and having to drop out of cosmetology school due to fainting during a work-study day. I found I had pre-diabetes and pre-hypertension due to carrying a ton of excess weight from hormone therapy in my adolescent years, and from eating my feelings all throughout my life. I was 340 pounds. I was barely 18, so hearing all this news at once was the wake-up call I severely needed. I lost 170 pounds slowly over 5 years and decided to change my major to Clinical Nutrition and return to college. I learned so much about the human body from re-learning my own, and I just wanted to help others discover the health, energy, and sheer confidence I gained from taking control of my overall well-being. I have taught lectures and have spoken out about the need to be healthy rather than skinny for years now. There is MUCH more about your body than being skinny or fat to worry about as a person of any age – and while my platform accentuates my aesthetic and style, I also very much want to emphasize that my physical health is FAR more important than looking a certain way.
I will NEVER starve myself for a modeling job, and I strongly believe in getting every food group into my body every day – plus, an occasional cheat meal to keep me motivated! I am currently a freelance model but am open to signing with the right modeling agency when the time is right. In the midst of my journey toward success, happiness, and self-love, I met my now-husband, Ravi. He noticed my skills in building a brand and we now co-run a CPA Firm together as well, with Ravi as our CPA and myself in charge of marketing and operations. Our Firm is featured over 40 times over various media platforms and countries, and we aren’t stopping any of the pots we have boiling anytime soon! The MOST important takeaway that I hope I can reach someone with is that you can come from ANYWHERE in your life and go ANYWHERE you want to. All it takes is the right level of consistent motivation and hard work, and the ONLY person who decides if you make it in life is YOU. You’ve got this.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I mean, finding your health paired with learning to love all of yourself is not the easiest set of tasks – and using painful life lessons to help build your career takes some patience and tact, but these skills are FAR from impossible to gain. All it takes is the desire – above all else – to achieve. My advice for anyone starting their journey and nervous or finding that the results aren’t coming quickly enough is this: On those days when you are debating throwing in the towel and returning to your old ways, just remind yourself exactly how unhappy you were with your old ways. The old version of yourself is the main reason why you are trying to be better, and you deserve to be who you actually want to be. For anyone who is wanting to find their whole-life Wellness in a way that suits them, wants advice on how to start modeling, or anyone who would appreciate entrepreneurial tips from a fellow woman in business is more than welcome to contact me. I know how uncertain it can be when you are trying to manage your regular life-tasks and now you suddenly have a new mission for personal growth. I want everyone to live their best life, and I will do all I can to support those wanting more!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into your business story. Tell us more about the business.
I like people to remember me as a quirky fever dream of confidence and positivism- and hopefully as a proper health educator. I want people to see me and think “man, if she can go about living her life exactly the way she wants and be successful on top of that, I definitely can!” As a womanpreneur, taking on a few different industries simultaneously (Fashion/Modeling, Financial C-Suite, Clinical Nutrition Education), I really want to show others that living life exactly as you want to is possible with the right mindset and some serious grind. I’m not pretending that getting up early and going to bed late is easy, but the life you’ll create with those hours is so worth it. I change up my hair color sometimes and work as a Chief Operating Officer. Do not, for a second, think you have to fit into a pre-fit mold to make a mark on this world. It’s quite the opposite. Be EXACTLY who you are and just focus on your dreams and nothing else. I think that’s what sets me apart more than the weight loss or the degrees, or even the visual art. I just refuse to let anyone stand in the way of what I want in life and live life in the most confident and forward-thinking way possible. Keep your head held high and full of ideas, your stress low, and your priorities ever straight.
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
As far as finding a mentor goes, the MOST important advice I can give is to become comfortable with being completely alone before looking for a teacher. You will find that when the “right” mentor comes along, you may not agree with every single thing they say. We are only humans, after all. If you are comfortable with what you stand for and what you want, your goals won’t be easily swayed by someone who may not have your best interest at heart, or who may just have a different vision than you do. It will be easier to walk away instead of becoming a puppet. When the right mentor comes along, you will feel that they don’t try to change your vision but will rather show you how to accomplish it. They may not always say things that are easy to hear – perhaps that you need to put in more late nights, lose 10 pounds, get a certification, etc. As long as they are pushing you in the right direction, you will feel it. Just trust your gut at all times. What worked for me in networking was expanding my presence through social media. Social media is ESPECIALLY crucial in the modeling world because visibility is important to get scouted by agents and brands. These businesses want to work with people who will reach a large audience. Stay tuned to trending hashtags! There are several apps for this, or you can just Google the topic. You want to use hashtags that have been tagged around half a million times if you can – no more, no less. Reach out to businesses directly through their social media. There are real people who check the accounts, and this method is not used as readily as email (so you’re likely to get a faster response). Social media is the way to go for networking in the current greased-lightening pace of society because no one has the time (or desire) to go too cheesy mixers anymore.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.raviramcpa.com/
- Email: devyn_ram@outlook.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/devyn_ramnarain/
- Other: http://www.devynlifewellness.com/
Image Credit:
Rudy Arias, Antonio Tur, Andre Chambers, Juergen Schroeter, and DP Photography
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