Meet Aly Avina

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aly Avina. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aly below.

Aly, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

It is something that definitely didn’t happen overnight. It developed over time and took a lot of courage for me to begin the process as it is something I’ve struggled with most of my life. About 5 years ago, though, I decided to take back the power of my own self-worth and confidence instead of relying on others to build up my self-esteem for me and it was the best thing I’ve ever done.

After dealing with bullies in my teens who targeted my weight and then still finding myself in situations where I felt disrespected because of my weight as an adult, I just got tired of worrying what others thought of me and my weight and anything else about me, really, that they found that they didn’t like. It was, quite frankly, a waste of my time and energy. But it happens to the best of us, right? Worrying about what everyone else thinks about us instead of what we think about ourselves. But once I realized I would be so much happier and fulfilled focusing on what I thought of myself above all else, my entire world changed. Especially when I began with a purpose and journey to help others build confidence in themselves, as well.

I started wearing the clothes I wanted to wear my entire life but always worried I was “too big” to actually wear. I started holding my head high and walking with confidence like I never had before. And now, when people noticed me, it was more often in appreciation of my confidence and style than the fact I am in a larger body. And since that day roughly 5 years ago when I started to put myself out there in real life as well as on social media, I just never looked back.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m an East Coast-based plus-size model and body positive activist with a focus on mental health advocacy and building your own self-worth. I started this journey nearly 5 years ago when I wanted to reach other plus size girls and women who maybe weren’t comfortable in their own skin yet and show them what a plus size woman looks like when she’s confident, happy, and loves herself and her body as is. That is when I began posting on social media — at the time mainly Instagram — and building my brand and online presence.

Since then, I have built my following to over 200k people across the world and gotten numerous messages from people telling me how much I’ve inspired them to build their confidence. It has meant so much to me to reach an audience who I knew I could relate to and who could relate to me, as well.

As a side project, I am also a paranormal investigator and even have a paranormal podcast with two other hosts. It’s called Phenomenon Paranormal and we discuss all things spooky and go on investigations from time to time, too!

Right now, I’m looking at hopefully expanding my brand next year and launching a line of tees and accessories with body positive messaging in inclusive sizing.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I believe my resilience, knowledge of mental health and how it effects confidence and self-esteem, and my empathic nature have all helped me in my own journey of building confidence, self-worth, and self-esteem. I am a strong and resilient person because of the things that I’ve been through in my life, including the bad times that I thought were going to be near impossible to get through. But they made me who I am and for that, I am forever grateful for making it out to the other side.

I also have a lot of knowledge about mental health and the effects it can have on one’s confidence from personal experience as well as having friends and family who have been through similar struggles. I try to use this knowledge to better my own journey while also helping others who may be struggling with the same things I’ve been through. That is also why my empathy plays a major role in who I am and how I communicate with my following.

My biggest advice would be to be patient and kind to yourself. You’re going to have good and bad days when it comes to your confidence and self-esteem. We all have them. Maybe right now you have more bad days than good ones. But it’s about coping with those bad days and doing what you can to make yourself more comfortable in your own skin. For instance, some people who aren’t ready to wear a bikini yet in public decide to wear it around their house for a bit first. They familiarize themself with how they look in it while looking in a mirror. And with time, they eventually feel comfortable and confident in their bikini and are ready to go out into the real world in it. The point is, be patient and take the time to do the work on your confidence because trust me, it is so so worth it.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

Definitely my mom. It may sound so cliche but she is my best friend in the entire world and is truly the most wonderful person I know. She has helped me through my bad days and cheered me on for my good days. And the same goes with this body positive journey I’ve been on. She was so encouraging and supportive when I told her what I wanted to do. She even had the idea before I did to put myself out there on social media but she patiently waited until I was comfortable to do it myself and once I did, she supported me every step of the way. (She’s also my most frequent collaborator — it helps to have a photographer and mother all in one!)

My mom also helped me see my own beauty and always reiterated the importance of having self-worth and confidence. She is hands down my biggest cheerleader and I think I’d be lost without her unconditional love and support in my life.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Christina Avina, Avina Photo Concepts

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
What would your closest friends say really matters to you?

If you asked your best friends what really drives you—what they think matters most in

Highlighter Series
When do you feel most at peace?

In a culture that often celebrates hustle and noise, peace can feel rare. Yet, peace

Highlighter Series
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?

Almost everything is multisided – including the occurrences that give us pain. So, we asked