Influencer & Content Creator Kelly Hughes Shares Her Top Self-care, Wellness, and Beauty Tips

An Interview With Maria Angelova

Break a sweat: this can be as easy as doing some jumping jacks or going to the gym but taking a few minutes to get the blood flowing and jump around always makes us feel good.

At times it feels like wellness or elevating one’s well being, is diametrically opposed to high achievement and high performance in one’s career. The stress, mental energy, long hours, lack of restful sleep and preoccupation that result from a high-achievement life seem to directly inhibit wellness. And yet, in order to sustain the creativity, flexibility, mental acuity and resilience that are necessary for high performance, wellness and wellbeing of the mind, body and soul are also mandatory. So how do we achieve both? This is the question I’m hoping to answer through conversations with high-achieving leaders and influencers who are practicing their own philosophies about how to maintain their wellbeing.

As a part of our series about “Social Media Influencers Share Their Top Self Care, Wellness, and Beauty Tips, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kelly Hughes.

Model Kelly Hughes from Miami, FL, broke barriers in this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue being the first model to show a cesarean section scar, which has never happened in the magazine’s 58-year history. This led her to becoming an advocate for inclusivity in fashion and for women embracing their scars and loving on their imperfections. Along with being one of this year’s most talked about swimsuit models, Kelly will tell you that her most rewarding job and important role is that of being a mother to her 4-year-old son Harlem. She is also the founder and designer of the genderless jewelry brand, HÜES. Her embodiment of bravery, feminism, community and continuing to embrace the outpouring of love she’s received from the mama community to showcase others and lift them up.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory of how you came upon this career path to where you are today?

I was in my last year of high school and working part-time at a salon and someone working there suggested I should model. I didn’t know anything about the fashion industry at the time but I decided to send some pictures to some local agencies and thankfully one of them signed me. However, it was never as easy as that and it took being in the industry over 20 years to get where I am today. Not long after I started modeling, I had an opportunity to tavel to Milan, Italy to spend a summer with a modeling agency there and that is when I decided to take my career more serious and model full time. From there I was able to sign with Next Models and began working with catalogs and magazines all over the world which inspired me to start my jewelry business, HÜES in 2009. Becoming a mother and then getting Sports Illustrated showing my c-section scar has been the most meaningful moment of my career.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I was never fortunate enough to have that one person that helped me along the way however I am thankful that God opened all of the right doors and closed many as well. I definitely faced many obstacles but I am thankful for those that gave me an opportunity along the way because without them I wouldn’t have been able to work in the industry.

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?

I decided to rent a house with my acting teacher when I moved to LA. I think in theory it was a great idea because I was moving across country and I wanted to be able to study as much as possible but it ended up being very difficult. There were so many funny things that happened while living with her but I learned it’s so important to have your personal space at home like your oasis of peace because traveling being away from the home in this business can be very difficult and if you’re going to have roommates make sure you pick wisely.

As an influencer, you have been blessed with great success in a career path that many have attempted, but eventually gave up on. In fact, perhaps most people who tried to follow a career path like yours did not succeed. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path but know that their dreams might be dashed?

This business can be very difficult but not giving up is succeeding. I believe success is what you make of it and how you view it. If it’s based on making a lot of money or if it’s being able to do something you were told you couldn’t do or just as simple as being able to pay your bills doing something you love. I think it’s important to have a realistic game plan with goals and not be too hard on yourself and see what happens.

Can you share with our readers some of the strategies you’ve used to build an engaged, loyal, and large online community?

I think being as open and real as possible is the most important thing on social media.

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of our interview. In my work, I focus on how one can thrive and care for oneself in three areas: body, mind, and heart. You are a busy person with a demanding schedule, can you share with our readers two self-care routines, practices or treatments that help your body thrive?

1. Workout. I love to workout it makes me feel great mentally and physically. I get so much more from it then just burning some calories. I feel I get enhanced energy; I feel better about myself, I feel I got some me-time so I am better at the other things I do during my day and its mentally fulfilling. However, it’s the one thing I will skip if I have a busy schedule and I notice an immediate difference if I don’t do it.
2. Massages. I have decided to get lymphatic drainage/cellulite reduction/improved circulation massages weekly after having my son. These aren’t the relaxing type of massages we all love. They sometimes hurt and normally don’t feel great while I’m there however what they do for my body is amazing. It helps flush out toxins and regain circulation.

Can you share with us two routines that you use to help your mind or heart to thrive?

1. I go to church weekly / prayer. I find when we feed our soul it’s the most important thing to thriving in life. I find that in community and in the weekly messages at church and then also in my alone time in prayer where I can be in a quiet place and just talk to God.
2. Working out. For me working out is so much more for my mental health then the physical sometimes. We all need an outlet to reduce stress and invest in ourselves and for me this is my favorite thing to do that helps me in so many areas.

Can you help articulate why self-care is so important for your mental wellness?

When you love on yourself and give yourself that time and break away from the things that trigger you your able to reenergize, heal and restore and get the strength you need to go back to it.

Can you share five ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”?

1. Smile: it’s such a simple thing to do however creates endorphins in the body and when you smile others smile with you
2. Break a sweat: this can be as easy as doing some jumping jacks or going to the gym but taking a few minutes to get the blood flowing and jump around always makes us feel good.
3. Add something new to your makeup kit or routine: I find this small thing to make such an impact on my daily routine of getting ready in the morning. I just got a new mascara from Jones Road and it’s so incredible and opened my eyes more than my previous mascara making me appear less tired and made me feel beautiful.
4. Ashley black fascia blaster for a self-care time: I just love this tool and use it a few times a week in the shower or sauna to regain circulation and break down fascia under the skin aka cellulite. They have tools for the face and all over the body and its very affordable way to maintain your skin elasticity and glow. It’s always good to remember your skin is the largest organ in the body so we have to take care of it.
5. Collagen elixir by Isagenix. Liquid collagen for me has been such a lifesaver when I don’t get enough sleep and don’t feel my best. It has improved my dark circles under my eyes and given me my glow back. It’s also good for your bone health.

Is there a particular resource, a practitioner, expert, book, or podcast that made a significant impact on you and helped you to thrive? Can you share a story about that with us?

When I was 16 and in a very difficult stage in life I picked up a Bible and found so much encouragement and strength in it that I always turn back to it anytime I’m struggling or in need of encouragement.

As an influencer, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

To create a place that normalizes all of our imperfections and scars and we are able to heal from them. I created a hashtag #scarlovechallenge on Instagram with Estas Beauty and the concept was for people to take a photo of their scar and post it so there was a place for others to go to be encouraged to do the same or just feel encouraged even if they aren’t ready to post yet. I believe the more people sharing their scars and imperfections and loving on them takes the shame away and is truly empowering.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you’d like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this. :-)

I would love to meet Jennifer Lopez. I always wanted to meet her and as a woman, mother, entrepreneur, actress and all that she overcame in the industry and so much more I would love to pick her brain.

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?

On Instagram @kellyhues

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher, and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness, and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.