Had you told me a year ago that Camila Alves McConaughey would ask me to give her and her children a private zoom soap making class I would have thought you were out of your mind.
You see, Camila holds so much inspiration and admiration for me.
Camila left her country, her family and her first language at the age of 15 to follow her dreams of being a model. I admire Camila for seeing her potential at such an early age despite being bullied and made fun of for all the things that make her who she is today.
I didn't see my potential until my 30's when I decided to dream big in creating Sanara. It's never too late hermosa.
She's the daughter of a farmer and artist; it's as if her life was written by the pen of someone who didn't believe in impossibilities with a sprinkle of fantasy but it's all so very real.
There is so much to learn from Camila but Camila asked that her and her children learn from me and I couldn't have been more honored. You see Camila comes from a community in Brazil where people share and learn from each other and that is how Women of Today was created out of her own desire to have what she had in Brazil, sharing, learning and leaning into one another.
"Mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, leaders, entrepreneurs and angels …We’re all at least one, and some of us are all of these and more.
The fact is we are all women, and I believe we need to support each other, share our stories, and find strength in numbers. A few years ago, I created Women of Today to do just that. To be an online home for all women to visit, to lend support, to pick up some guidance, to be mentors, to laugh together, to know we are not alone in this journey, to share our stories our learnings and create a community in our sisterhood." WOT About Me Page
Isn't it interesting when we see someone with star power through the camera lens with hairstylists, beautiful gowns and glam, deep down it's that sense of family and community that actually brings fulfillment. I didn't know what to expect when meeting my Sanaran muse but I know I left loving her even more.
Natural hair and face hanging with her kids learning how to make soap in a casual t-shirt is how they chose to spend their Saturday. When her beautiful children felt a little comfortable she reminded them to say, "yes ma'am" and they obliged with humility that they knew better. I didn't mind, I'm a Tia where things are pretty casual and when I get to a point that people even children feel comfortable enough to be themselves I've done good. I was in awe of how caring, sweet, inquisitive and so down to earth Camila and her children are.
What you see is what you get and that is so admirable when we live in the world where we're bombarded with perfecting your pose and making sure every hair is in place and while Camila is certainly star power she's just as comfortable with letting her hair down and just being Camila: a wife, a mother, daughter-in-law, daughter, entrepreneur, model, sister, friend, dreamer and now soap-maker.