Influencer Galina Antonova Shares Her Top Selfcare, Wellness, and Beauty Tips

In the world of influencing it’s very important to have a niche, so first identify your niche and become an expert in it. Also, don’t be afraid to be different and take chances in your content. The more unique you are, the more you will stand out. And since now the online space is very saturated you do have to be very unique to create interest in your profile and to create an audience.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Galina Antonova a Russian born, Los Angeles living model, actress, influencer, podcast host and fashion editor. As a social media Influencer to date she has accumulated over 177,000 Instagram followers.

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 and to where you are today?

I am a Russian model, actress, influencer, fashion editor and the creator/host of the “BrainsandBeauty” podcast, living in Los Angeles!

I always loved fashion and I loved the entertainment industry so my career came naturally to me. I also enjoy meeting inspirational people and sharing their message so my podcast is a perfect outlet for me to do so!

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 would attribute this due to the fact that growing up I always liked to surround myself with older, wiser and smarter people and as a result I was able to learn a lot and develop the self discipline that’s necessary to be successful! I was also lucky to have very driven and goal oriented girlfriends around me! I am a believer that you become what you surround yourself with so I am very selective with who I let in my circle.

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?

When I first started my podcast I was not always listening to my final audios after uploading them onto the host platform and one time one of the audios that was not edited got uploaded, the audio was extremely raw and unedited and several people downloaded it before I realized it. Needless to say it was a very embarrassing moment for me! So now I always double and triple check all of the content that goes out, whether it is a social media or audio content!

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?

Thank you very much. I believe in order to have a successful career in any field you have to be consistent, deliver value and constantly learn and grow in that field so you can improve. Also in the world of influencing it’s very important to have a niche, so first identify your niche and become an expert in it. Also, don’t be afraid to be different and take chances in your content. The more unique you are, the more you will stand out. And since now the online space is very saturated you do have to be very unique to create interest in your profile and to create an audience.

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

The most important thing in building an online following is authenticity. People want to see a real person, someone they can relate to, someone who is genuine and open. Also, start thinking about what value you are delivering to your audience, in other words there has to be something for them when they follow you; do you entertain or educate. Be specific in delivering value. Also, get your audience involved by asking them questions on your social media, reply to DMs and do questions, answers on stories and always reply to comments.

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? (Kindly share a story or an example for each.)

First, I believe that mind, body and heart are all connected together, if you take care of your body your mind and heart will follow. So I start from taking care of my body by having few important practices; consistent workouts, healthy eating and getting enough sleep- those are three must in taking care of my body. I also practice meditation and relaxation techniques to keep the stress level down! I very much prioritize my mental health and always surround myself with positive and inspirational people.

Can you share with us two routines that you use to help your mind or heart to thrive? (Kindly share a story or example for each.)

For a healthy mind it’s important for me to have a morning routine. For example, when I wake up the first two hours are for myself only to do my tune up for the day up, I don’t check social media, news or my email. First two hours I always do a workout and have a green smoothie for breakfast. After that I go down the list of things I need to do for the day. I always create a list of goals for the day a night before. I start with the one I want to do least first. Also, to maintain happy and positive attitudes I try to avoid drama and gossip at all costs because all they do is drain the energy and accomplish nothing. I prefer focusing on my goals and ways of accomplishing them.

Can you share 3 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)

I know beauty especially for women nowadays has become a very big deal, our perception of ourselves is a huge reason for us to be happy or unhappy.

Again, it starts in the morning, when you wake up and go to the bathroom look in the mirror and say to yourself with a smile “Good morning gorgeous, I love you, today is going to be amazing”! This affirmation sets the tone for the day and it works!

Also, remind yourself that there are no unattractive people, when you are happy and you feel good about yourself that is what makes you beautiful and not your appearances.

One of the ways that helps me to feel beautiful is just even getting my hair done or getting pedi/madi, simple actions of taking care of yourself will make you feel beautiful.

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?

I am definitely a self improvement junkie :) I listen to everything from podcasts to audio books.

I don’t believe anything particular helped me but I do love Tony Robbins, Bryan Tracy and Joe Dispensa. I usually try to listen to something motivating in the morning for about 10–15 minutes. I recommend finding someone who works for you and

Do you have a story about the strangest, most bizarre or funniest wellness treatment that you’ve ever experienced?

To be honest I don’t believe I ever had any strange experiences but I would like to :)

It sounds interesting!

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.

I am very passionate about empowering others to be the best version of themselves. So my movement would be “ Be the best you can”!

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. :-)

Elon Musk! I would like to learn from Elon about what the future holds for humanity and if aliens exist :) Also, I find him the most fascinating man in our world and would like to pick his brain!

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

On my instagram @galinaantonovala where I am most active!

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