Hi hi! Thank you so much for exploring my website and blog. It truly means so much to me that you are interested in my brand and what I have to offer. The aim of K&K is to provide you with the tools, knowledge, and inspiration you need to live your healthiest and happiest life. I understand that taking advice from a stranger may seem a little risky...so let’s not be strangers! I want to tell you all about me, and I want to learn about you too. I absolutely love connecting with like-minded individuals like yourself, so drop me a message via Instagram, email, or Facebook to say hi :)
(BTW, one of my favorite ways to help the people around me live their healthiest lives is by creating comprehensive guides, like this one for skincare! Check it out below!!)
My name is Sloane Elizabeth (or commonly known as “Kale” to some of my friends), and I am a 21 year old from Los Angeles, California. I study Medicine, Health & Society with minors in French and Corporate Strategy at Vanderbilt University, and I am currently studying at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia for the first half of 2018. Aside from being a student, I am a serial entrepreneur, online holistic wellness coach, business mentor, dancer, sorority sister, yogi, television host, daughter, sister, friend...the list goes on! We all wear many hats, which can lead to an overwhelming load of responsibilities and stressors. I hope that you can use the resources that I share with you via this site and other social media platforms to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle while STILL doing all of those millions of things that you enjoy doing.
So...how did I get here? If you’ve known me for a while (or are really good at stalking), then you know I used to own a baking business in high school. Yep! Real butter, white sugar, bleached flour, and decadent chocolate chips overflowed from my pantry shelves. My love for creating and eating food originated in the wonderful world of desserts. Whenever I was tasked with bringing dessert to a social gathering, I aimed to create the most chocolatey, decadent, complex dessert possible! And, of course, I ate it too! I ate a pretty healthy diet otherwise, never drank soda or went through fast food drive-thrus (except for the occasional In-N-Out of course), and ate dessert almost every day. I was also a very physically active person - I have been dancing since the age of 3, started varsity cheerleading in high school, and always enjoyed being outdoors walking, hiking, or biking.
Obviously, there was a shift that occurred in my life which set me on the path towards creating a health and wellness brand and devoting my time and energy to improving the overall wellbeing of those around me, instead of spending hours in the kitchen making whipped cream and brownies while getting flour all over the hardwood floors.
It all started with the thigh gap.
As a young adolescent, I was naturally very thin. My body looked like that of a prepubescent boy until about half way through high school. The summer going into my junior year, I realized that my thighs touched when my feet stood together...and they hadn’t done that before. I started noticing other girls’ bodies and assessing whether they had a “thigh gap” or not. This phenomenon was EVERYWHERE - girls would comment on each other’s Instagram posts congratulating them on the fact that they could see between their legs. Everyone could tell which girls were trying to achieve the perception of the thigh gap by obviously posing in pictures with their toes pointed in and their hips tilted back just a bit...only noticeable to high school girls who were experimenting with this pose in their own bedroom mirrors. I know I’m not the only one who noticed because my friends would mention it to - “Did you see how blah blah blah’s legs are so unnatural in her insta??” - or - “OMG she totallyyyy used an app to edit her legs and tummy”.
As a 17 year old girl, this obsession with bodies was quite taxing on me. I also had pressure from those around me to watch my weight, maintain a “perfect” figure, and be careful about my food choices.
To an external eye, all of that equals an eating disorder. While I did not develop a full-on eating disorder, I definitely had some disordered eating habits for a couple of years that would come and go. I tried to eat a little less than I was used to. I limited myself to 2 desserts a week (which I always failed at because chocolate is #life). I became scared of most carbohydrates. I strove to become someone else instead of fully accepting my unique being.
I was one of those people who struggled with disordered eating habits, but you probably would have never known. I still see this happening with some friends and people who I know...but more on this topic in a later blog :)
Fast forward through my freshman year of college (hellooooo late night cookies, weekly frat parties with copious amount of vodka, and sweet potato fries at EVERY dining hall)...I had an absolute blast, but I also recognized that my body didn’t feel good. I felt sick, tired, and not myself at all.
Starting my Kale & Kravings Instagram account in the summer of 2016 after freshman year was a huge step for me in improving my own health, and I have become a version of myself that I am so proud of. I can’t wait to share more about how I got to this point and continue to grow - so keep following along for more in the coming months and years! :)
I truly never imagined that K&K could become the start of the rest of my career. I have had the opportunity to collaborate with over 50 brands. I am able to personally coach women and men on their health goals. I have met best friends through the social media foodie community. I have done research using countless books, articles, podcasts, and documentaries to strengthen my own knowledge, health, and spirituality. I have truly become the best version of myself! And that is so cool!
While I feel as though I have arrived at an amazing place in my life, I am constantly improving my wellness practices and aiming for a happy balance in my life. That does not mean I am perfect by ANY means! But I am honestly proud of myself (and everyone else out there) who choose to take charge of their own health by being curious, brave, and scientifically driven. Embracing a holistic approach to wellness that encompasses the mind, body, and soul has been the best thing that I could have ever done for my health, and I hope to help you do the same, no matter your background, goals, current lifestyle etc. Occasionally, I still have negative thoughts about myself because, again, I am not perfect, nor am I the perfect embodiment of health or balance! I have, however, found countless theories, practices, articles, and resources to help me feel my absolute best self.
Want to feel your best self too? Skincare is a great place to start! Check out my FREE guide below :)
I hope that this (very) brief summary of my ~wellness journey~ up until this point helps you to see a bit more into my world. I would love to know about your journey too, so please shoot me a message if you’d like to chat! Connecting with a tribe of people that shares my passions truly lights me up, and I hope that K&K can help to foster that type of community too. Thank you for listening, for accepting, and for respecting my story, your own, and those around you.
Lots of love,
Sloane (aka Kale)