Meet Téa Emerald Anderson

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Téa Emerald Anderson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Téa Emerald , sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

Truthfully, my mental health is a huge struggle I deal with and never really talk too much about it. I am a Model as well as a business owner. Doing this, being creative, helps me persevere through my hard times and gives me something to work towards and focus on. I have a BPD, ADHD, Depression & Anxiety, as well as a PTSD diagnosis. I have also struggled with an eating disorder (anorexia nervosa) as well as self harm. Sometimes it’s just a struggle to get out of bed or even to just leave the house but my work gives me purpose, and that helps me everyday. I think it is awesome because I am able to inspire others to do the same and to just be themselves despite the challenges they are facing. I truly dug into myself to figure out the things that suit who I am .Now I devote my time to what makes my soul happy, and although there is not a cure for mental health it is important to live authentically, do the things, and find the work that make living life a little easier. Everyday is a different battle, but finding what sets your soul on fire is the key to overcome and persist through mental health issues. #mentalhealthmatters

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 am a Model. I have been a plus sized model for over 10 years now. I love the opportunity to work with brands/designers that align with me. It’s a great way to be creative and meet new people. I have always been into fashion, always watching all the modeling and designing tv shows, so it is definitely fitting. Modeling helps push me to get out of my comfort zone and to take care and appreciate myself and my body.
I also own a business with my Mom, called Little Princess Spa. The Little Princess Spa is an all pink magical place where we love to play pretend and make core memories with kids whether that’s celebrating, for royal princess events, birthday parties, camps, or just for fun mini spa days. It is so rewarding that we do things that kids will remember for the rest of their lives. We unfortunately never know what a child or parent is going through and it just feels good to know that we made them smile, built their confidence and made them feel special. My favorite part is all the special moments being made right Infront of your eyes. I am just so grateful to have a safe space for kids and it heals my inner child everyday.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Confidence and Resilience- Whatever you are doing, be confident in it. Know exactly what you want to the point no body can tell you any different! Prove anybody wrong who thinks you CAN’T do it or you WON’T make it- who told you, you don’t have the look or the body or the brain. You know yourself better than anyone else, and you are capable of more than you know. Always be confident and follow your dreams! Life is too short to not go after them.

Self reflection, Mindfulness and Goal Setting- Its important to check-in with yourself to make sure you are on the right track and hold yourself accountable. Remind yourself of why you started and how far you have come. We often forget to be in the present moment but its important to take a step back sometimes, and appreciate your progress regardless of where the finish line is. Always have a purpose and a want that gets you out of your comfort zone. Ask yourself ” what do I want this week, this month, in the next 6 months, this year?” and check in and self reflect often.

Growth Mindset, Empathy and Adaptability- Having empathy will build stronger relationships, grows leadership skills, enhances communication skills and it drives Innovation and problem Solving,. Understanding others’ perspectives and being able to adjust our thinking and our approach based on different situations are absolutely vital qualities to becoming the best most successful versions of ourselves. I hate when people think they know “everything” because in reality, we could always learn more things and grow.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I believe that collaboration and teamwork are vital for cultivating success. I am always looking for folks to collaborate with! Whether that be for my Modeling, fashion, even singing (I love to sing and write songs) or for the business. Any photographer, brand, model, artist, CREATIVE that is interested- I would love to work together and collaborate.

For the Little Princess Spa we are always open to ideas and collaborations! We would love to connect with schools, adult day programs, dance studios, event planners, festivals, bakers, other businesses, etc.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: tea_emerald

Image Credits

Ellen Stokes
liora k photography
David Powell
Jeffrey Grounds