A chat with Founder Mary Young about Lifestyle Changes and Personal Wellness.

We love that talk about personal well-being is showing up more and more in our conversations. Whether it be with loved ones, friends online, or your barista, we encourage you to not only find practices that fit with your lifestyle but to share them with those closest to you.

Mary remains a core figure in the self-love community. Gracefully handling a shift in surroundings, we’ve asked her to share some insights on being a young entrepreneur, how she prioritizes her personal well-being while running her business, and self-love practices she’s adopted.

We prepped Mary with florals from out favourite LA florist Offerings & Co, and watched this magical WFH shoot manifest.

1. How are you finding LA? Any comparisons or differences you can draw in relation to life as a young entrepreneur in Toronto? 

I have to admit the sunshine and consistent weather is so amazing. Getting up each day to the sun and a comfortable temperature makes getting up and tackling a full day of work that much easier. There are definitely similarities to Toronto but LA is very much it’s own place - the city moves differently here. While everyone is hustling and making moves, there is a slower pace and more acceptance towards a balanced lifestyle which I am welcoming arms wide open. Everyone I’ve met, whether through friends or for the first time, have been super welcoming and supportive of not only myself and my partner, but also my business and its success.

2. What are your general thoughts so far on the personal wellness scene in California? 

I honestly love it! One huge thing for me is the ease of finding gluten free and dairy free options not only at the grocery store but everywhere I eat out. In Toronto having dietary restrictions often felt like a huge inconvenience but here it’s so widely accepted. I am also leaning in to more outdoor activities like hiking, beach days and overall enjoying the outdoors. Though LA isn’t a walking city at all, it has a huge focus on outdoor activities with hiking, biking, surfing, etc. It’s been a great change of pace to be surrounded by a community and society that puts more emphasis on wellness.

3. ‘The self love club’ is an integral part of your brand, tell us more about how ‘the self love club’ flourished. Did you always have the idea to integrate the blog into MARY YOUNG? 

The Self Love Club came about very organically after the first few years of business. I was having one off conversations with customers about how lingerie can be used as empowering and an action of love towards yourself rather than how society has often portrayed it as something for a viewer. Once these conversations became more and more frequent I realized we as a community weren’t having them in a safe space and exploring what self love looks like in different stages and areas of life. That’s really how the journal began, as a digital space to open the conversation around self love and acceptance and from there it’s expanded into in person events, social media conversations and much more.

4. Dialogue around self-love is becoming more and more common (which we love); do you find inspiration for the self love club in your own personal conversations/relationships or where do you get inspired? 

Yes most definitely! I love how self love and self care conversations are more common and openly talked about which allows me to continually explore these areas with those in my life. As seasons change so do our self care and self love practices. Like with me moving to LA, I’m in a new city with only a handful of people I know, starting my life with only a few boxes and suitcases and it’s a huge change. How I show up for myself with love and care during this change looks completely different than my self love practices a year ago. These life changes and chapters are always an inspiration to me that I believe the self love club community can relate to. Our team at MARY YOUNG also explores new topics and ways to challenge ourselves to further understand self care and self love. For example we had an optometrist as a Monday Must who shared on eye care and health - something I honestly had never thought of before but we got amazing feedback from our community on how eye opening (pun intended) this topic was and encouraging to take care of ourselves in a way they never considered before.

5. Running a business doesn’t come without its challenges, how do you continue to prioritize your personal wellbeing while simultaneously growing your business?

This is a question I ask myself often! Truthfully I don’t think I do very well in this area of balance on a consistent basis. I definitely go through waves of being great at having balance and then other times I’m way too focused on work and often forget to check in with myself. Some things I come back to time and time again when trying to ‘reset’ my balance is having a physical and mental check in with myself - how do I physically feel, is my body tired or just my mind, are my emotions all over the place, etc. Once I can determine where I am mentally and physically I’m able to address what my body needs - maybe it’s a massage, lots of stretching and no intense workouts or a day just drawing and doodling to get my creative juices flowing again. I’m still working on accepting that both areas of my life, personal and professional, may not thrive at once but both can continue to grow as I need them to and as I invest into them.

6. Building off of that, do you have certain self-love practices or boundaries you instill in both your work and personal life?

I love the do not disturb feature on my phone - I use it every evening at 9pm so I can’t access any apps or get any notifications and then it comes off at 8am the next morning. This gives me time to not feel pulled towards texts, emails, instagram messages, etc and allows me mental space to breathe. I also write a to-do list at the top of my day to ensure I get out all the little things I need to get done so they aren’t whirling around in my head. And when I’m feeling extra overwhelmed I write the to-do list before bed so I don’t toss and turn all night or have dreams about work. I also ensure to eat properly and drink plenty of water - both sound so simple but when my day gets going it’s common for me to look at the clock and realize I haven’t eaten at all and then wonder why I’m so shaky! Food and water are our fuel and we often overlook how beneficial they are to not only our physical health but also our mental well-being.

7. Looking at your life now and the relationship you have with yourself, what is one thing you would tell a younger you?

I would tell her to celebrate herself and not be afraid to be proud of herself. Maybe it’s just me, or maybe women more so than men feel the need to make themselves smaller, especially things they’re proud of and to disregard what they’ve accomplished. This is something I am still working on in my personal life - to be proud of myself and celebrate every big and little thing - not to show it off for others but to ensure I truly believe in myself.

You can see it all for yourself by visiting ‘the self love club’ where you will find intentions that you can follow, other figures sharing their stories, and more

Mary Young’s Self-Love Club