Iona Thomas-Gordon | 05.2021

SRHMA:

How are your spirits Iona?

It’s hard to know what is going on. I feel like every time we take one step forward it’s 10 step backs. You just don’t know if your coming or going. I’m cautiously optimistic about the roadmap.

SRHMA:

What role has the pandemic played on your public and private life?

It has been a nightmare. I mix with a lot of people in my regular life, so having this reduced level of social interaction at first was really nice, but the longer we stayed in lockdown the more damaging it got. Like many people, I’ve had heightened anxiety and fought through some really low moments. It has been stressful, but I’m grateful to have a job and my family.

SRHMA:

What does your stay at home life look like at the moment outside of working?

I’m doing a counselling course to become a qualified counsellor, so that takes up a lot of my time. I am also starting a new business, and organising that. I’m still teaching gymnastic lessons virtually. Finally, I am trying to navigate through social media and build my online presence. Still quite active.

SRHMA:

Can you tell me a bit about your new business?

ITG:

It is a gymnastics dance leotard company. I am hoping to diversify the industries and also celebrate different types of athletic bodies. There are many issues around body confidence, and representation within these communities.

SRHMA:

Where did the idea to have a leotard company come from?

ITG:

Gymnastics and dance have been very prevalent in my life since early childhood. I wanted to combined my two passions, and figure out a way to empower young ladies.

SRHMA:

How did you get into becoming a digital creator?

ITG:

I think I can be entertaining so I created a YouTube channel, to entertain others and share my experience of life. My Instagram started off as a completely normal account, with me just trying to post nice pictures. Now I use it to support the growth of my YouTube Channel.

SRHMA:

Would you say you are part of specific group of YouTube creators, or is your channel more general?

My YouTube Channel honestly has no real direction, and I’ve just had to take a step back and really look at it. At the moment it’s branded as a lifestyle channel but life style is such a big market. I really want to vlog my journey of becoming an entrepreneur, but I also want my channel to be a fun and positive space. Figuring that out, and how I’m going to do that, is my next step. I would say my Instagram is more focused on my niche, which is body positivity.

SRHMA:

Body positivity in what sense?

My goal is to make other women realise that what is portrayed in the media and in social media, is an unrealistic beauty standard. That they are worth no less, than the person on your screen based on their physical appearance.

We agree. Seeing women embrace their flaws and love themselves makes us happy too. It’s a glow from within and stands out, which makes all the difference. Was you always this outspoken when it comes to body positivity?

Definitely not, I used to be so conscious. I would never post a picture that wasn’t ‘Instagramable’. But eventually, I became confident and my Instagram just reflected that.

SRHMA:

How would you define beauty?

Beauty is something that is on the inside. For me it’s being comfortable with yourself, having self confidence and knowing your self-worth. These things create an external glow. It’s very strange but I don’t think psychical beauty can be defined. It is just too subjective.

SRHMA:

Have you got any beauty regimes you have tried and really enjoyed which you can share?

I don’t have a real beauty regime. I’m really interested in skin care at the moment ,and I love trying clay masks, because of the way they feels on my skin.

SRHMA:

Who are your favourite people to follow on social media or real life, for inspiration?

Malin Anderson, Your Girl Karly, and MPLS. I love their profiles, and they make me feel good, and empowered about myself. I do follow more but those are my tops at the moment.

SRHMA:

What are you looking forward to the most about lockdown coming to an end?

In real life I have some really good people whom I can speak to and make me feel comfortable. I really want to be able to push my new business, and see how that works out. I also want to get back to teaching gymnastics. Although it can be stressful, I really enjoy it. For those few hours everything else that I’m dealing with goes away. I’m just a coach and have a good time with the children. Mentally that’s really good for me and I never realised that until lockdown.