One of my favourite aspects about being a blogger is the people you connect with from all around the world. I got in contact with Anne-Sophie Reinhardt (from Zurich, Switzerland) after another blogger and friend, Rita Chand told me about her. Thank you Rita for introducing us! I was intrigued by the work that Anne-Sophie is doing so I had to contact her. We have a lot in common.
Anne-Sophie Reinhardt is an anorexia survivor, body image expert, author, and blogger at Anne-Sophie. She empowers you to achieve a healthier and more successful life by returning to your true purpose and values. Anne-Sophie graciously offered to take part in the series and also has a special suprise for the first twenty people to comment on her interview. Thank you Anne-Sophie for sharing with us. Curious as to what the suprise is, you will have to get to the end of the article to find out 
1. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? Who did you receive it from?
Great question, Arianna. The best piece of advice I ever got was “don’t ever apologize for who you are” and it was my piano teacher who shared it with me. No matter what other people tell you, no matter how much they criticize you or hurt you, you’re immeasurably valuable. Don’t let anybody ever tell you otherwise.
2. How important is mentorship in terms of your success?
Mentorship is incredibly important in terms of success. It’s funny, but I’ve always loved to talk to people much older than me, even as a small kid. I loved to soak up their wisdom, their experience and their way of seeing life and the world. This innate curiosity to learn has helped me a lot along the way. I’ve learned to listen to others who might know it better. I’ve learned to ask a lot of questions and take the answers to heart.
A mentor opens your eyes to many things you hadn’t even begun to consider. A mentor takes you to the much needed next level in your personal and professional success. A mentor is a divine investment.
(c) Anne-Sophie Reinhardt
3. What has been the best moment in your life so far?
You’re asking hard questions, I love it. The best moment in my life was the day I received the first email of a reader, Helena, who told me that I had saved her life. I’d never felt anything as massive as in this moment and I still get goosebumps thinking about it. Having such a powerful influence on someone’s life is still unbelievable to me today. This is why I do what I do.
4. What tips would you have for living a healthy life?
My number one tip to live a healthy life is developing a self-care routine. Self-care and self-love are the number one reason for emotional and physical stress and illness. By developing a self-care practice like journaling, meditating, exercising, healthy eating, unplugging, you’ll create balance and margin in your life. Self-care has been instrumental in my recovery from anorexia and I wouldn’t want to do without my weekly self-care routine anymore. If you’d like to find out more, here is an article I wrote with a few ideas to start taking care of yourself.
5. How do you motivate yourself to persist despite setbacks?
This is such an important topic. I’ve had many setbacks in the short time I’ve worked for myself and I’d have to lie if I said that there weren’t moments when I wanted to give up. But I just know that I have an important message to share and I am passionate about serving people. I know in my core that this world needs the message of self-love and the more people talk about it the better. I guess that I’m just very connected to my purpose.
6. What has been your biggest setback? How did you deal with it? What did you learn from it?
My biggest setback so far has been the small number of copies I sold during the launch of my first book, The Ultimate Guide to a Healthy Body Image. I had gone into the process of selling the book with big hopes, but they got crushed instantly. It wasn’t easy and I shed some tears because of it. After a few days of pitying myself, I looked at the whole process constructively and started to research how to launch a product successfully. I’ve learned a lot in those few months, but I still have a long way to go and much to learn when it comes to marketing and selling. I think that the most important part about dealing with setbacks is to not let them overwhelm you and don’t ever take them personally. Having a setback is just a challenge for yourself to make it work in a different way.
7. How do you deal with critics?
I’ve learned to approach it the same way I approach setbacks. I try to see what critics say as constructively as possible and I almost always learn something from what they say, which makes the products I’m creating and the posts I’m writing much, much better.
8. How important is social support in overcoming obstacles?
It’s so so so important. You can’t do it alone. I’ve tried to recover from my anorexia on my own, but wasn’t able to do it. However, with the help of friends and family, I was strong enough to walk this path. Being surrounded by amazing people makes a huge difference in overcoming anything in life.
9. What advice would you give others about goal setting?
Have clear and precise goals. If you want to be successful in life, you need to know exactly where you want to go. Just saying “I want to be successful” won’t cut it. You have to know exactly what it is you want to achieve, what you’re willing to do to get there and when you will achieve this goal. Write all of your goals down and put them in a place for you to look at every day. The more aware you are of your goals the better and the more likely it is that you’ll achieve what it is you want.
10. What is a life lesson you wish you had learned before graduating high school?
Don’t take life so seriously. I was an A+ student, always the best of the class and even skipped a grade, but this determination played its toll on me in the form of a serious depression. Life’s meant to be fun and enjoyable. It’s not about working from 5am until midnight and despising every second of it. It’s about doing work you love and creating meaning with what you do. It’s OK to make mistakes and to be lazy from time to time. That’s why I’m so happy that I’ve stumbled upon blogging and writing. It’s fun, but meaningful.
Thank you so much for these wonderful questions, Arianna. I really enjoyed this interview!
Thank you Anne-Sophie for sharing your thoughts with all of us! You are an inspiration to me and I’m so glad I connected with you We’ll keep in touch for sure!
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As a special suprise and gift, Anne-Sophie has offered to give away copies of her book “The Ultimate Guide to a Healthy Body Image” to the first twenty people to comment on this post. (Note: the comments should be more than just a couple words to be counted )
***If you enjoyed Anne-Sophie’s interview, feel free to check out the other inspiring individuals I have interviewed in the “Profiles of Perseverance” series.
Thank you for sharing! Body image has been something I’ve struggled with my entire life. I’ve received the common: “be yourself” and “just be you” type answers but “self love” was something I just discovered. I have been thinking a lot about the subject during my recent vacation. I wanted to bring back things to help me relax and enjoy more so I could continue to be relaxed everyday – and not need a vacation or at least put off an $$$ week long vacation. I want to be healthy and less stressed. Your article really touched on some of the ideas I’ve had. I just bought some spa soaps last night!
You touched on a few other things such as goals that I’ve been thinking about lately as well. Seeing your words really enforces what I’ve been thinking. I still have a lot of work to go and goals to really crave out but I’m getting there.
Thank you again for sharing!
Tara, thanks so much for your comment. I think you’re on a great journey of self-discovery. There’s really nothing more exciting than showering yourself with love and being relaxed and balanced, just like you want to. I’m so happy that you discovered self-love for you now and I really hope that you’ll be able to keep it in your life forever.
Arianna, thank you so much for sharing your platform with me today and for giving me the chance to share the message of self-love. I too am so grateful we got to connect!
Anne-Sophie, my pleasure. You have such a strong, empowering message that I had to share it with others. It really is wonderful to connect with like-minded individuals and talk honestly about real-life issues. The message of self-love is one that I love to share on my blog, and it’s a blessing to find others who believe in its importance also.
You rock!
Hey Arianna and Anne-Sophie, thanks for sharing your stories of hope and encouragement. I’m coming to see in my own life just how important self-care is. I particularly liked how you mentioned unplugging as a way to take care of ourselves. I’ve been reading a book called Habits of the High-Tech Heart and it’s pretty scary how we’ve allowed technology to take over so many aspects of our lives. I wish you both all the best as you write books to inspire people and help them live better lives!
Hi Joyce and thanks for sharing your thoughts. Yes, I’m with you on the topic of technology and how it’s taken over basically everything we do. I’ve read an article about that a while ago and it really opened my eyes to how even our brains have changed due to the way we consume content. So, unplugging is a must if you ask me.
Thanks so much Joyce! So glad you have learned how important self-care is! I agree with both of you that unplugging is a MUST! I make it an essential part of my life to have times where you just unplug and not feel guilty about doing it. You need to take care of yourself first before you can help others.
Love the advice about not apologising for who you are, must listen to it!
Hi Sharni, it’s sooo important to be comfortable with who you are and not feel bad about it. Society often tells us to be different and be anyone but ourselves, but I say we do it the other way around and let society be society and focus on us. So, yes, listen to it. LOL I love your name, BTW.
Thank you so much for sharing your beliefs of self -care. I work on this every day and try and demonstrate for my daughter.
Amanda, being a role model is crucial and I think that being aware of the influence we have on others sometimes holds us accountable. What do you think? Is that a big motivator for you?
Well, I’m really happy to come across this interview and Anna Maria’s story…her words are down to earth but positive. I am always interested in what eating-disorder survivors have to say on overcoming body image challenges. Her outlook on life is wonderful. I’m heading over to find her blog now : )
Congratulations on your courage, passion and positive outlook. I am a self recovered bulimic of 20 years, incorrectly diagnosed as an anorexic, back then little was known about bulimia and it was something to be ashamed of and hidden. I began a journal/diary in 1981 because i was on an exchange scholarship and just kept writing. My diary writing although, depressing, bleak and sad throughout my illness is what probably helped me wake up to myself. Self love and care is the foundation for rebuilding and recovery. I have rediscovered my creativity and passion and realised i was emotionally recovered finally when my partner had an affair with his best friends wife and abandoned myself and the our boys. that in itself was difficult but the difference was that i was able to feel all my feelings, the good, the bad and the ugly and not once did I ever contemplate reverting to my bulimic ways and that I am absolutely proud of and know it is completely possible to recover from any debilitating eating disorder and learn to love, forgive and appreciate yourself again.
Hi Margie, wow, that’s incredible. You’re a power to be reckoned with. I recently left my husband, not because of an affair though, but I know how hard those situations are and not even thinking about going back to old coping mechanisms is amazing. So, go you.
Thank you for sharing this. I can relate somewhat, as I am an anorexia survivor as well. I have been in recovery for three years now, and I feel an overwhelming drive to promote healthy body image. However, self-care and self-love is something that I’ve always struggled with, since my disordered self always made me feel that I was undeserving of it. But today, I feel empowered by what I have been through, and turn that feeling into fuel for the art I create. I’ve been told that I inspire people with my art, which is one of the best feelings in the world
And reading about others such as yourself and the advice you have to give is even more empowering.
Hi Brynn and congrats on surviving anorexia. That’s a big, big deal.
It’s amazing how redirecting all the energy we spent on not eating can create powerful art and magic, isn’t it? You should definitely be proud of what you’ve accomplished and being empowered by it is the way to go. Where can I check out your art?
Thanks for sharing! I’ve struggled with Anorexia, and more recently debilitating depression. With depression especially, I feel the need to protect myself from a relapse with a strict self care routine. I really struggle with body image, even though my eating disorder is a long time gone. I would love to read your book
Hi Alissa, you’ll get a copy of the book and I really hope it’ll help you! I dealt with depression too, so I feel for you, but I think that getting through it with radical self-love and self-care is the best way to go. Really taking care of yourself is crucial, especially in such hard times. So, self-care first and body-love second.
Or is it one of the same? What do you think?
This is such a refreshing point of view of body image. A delight, thank you!
Awe, Thank you, Julia. You’re really sweet.
Some valuable tips to remember x
Thanks for the great post. It was very empowering and I will share it with every body I know!
Hi John, that’s great to hear. Thank you so much.
Thanks so much for this! Having suffered from an eating disorder and ready to start a family, I have alot of self-love issues! I’m very open to reading and learning anything possible to help!
Hi Amy, ready to start a family? Wow, that’s a big deal and a huge transition. I really hope the book will help you through this.
Every word of this resonates with me, as it parallels the important message of See Beautiful. The honesty with which Anne-Sophie responded to your questions invites readers to feel they can be true with themselves too. I loved the reflection that we cannot apologize who we are – that is beautiful – because we’re beautiful. I would love to connect with Anne-Sophie and feature her book on See Beautiful! It deserves a lot of pub and should be talked about more. Thank you so much for introducing her to us!
Hi Lydia and thank you for your beautiful comment. Let’s chat! I’d love to work with you and love what you’re up to too!
Body image, self confidence and self esteem are major issues I and many of my friends tackle everyday! Each day brings a new challenge, new goals to reach and even higher personal standards!
I much enjoyed reading the little extract of this book. It just provided a little hope this morning!
Hi Jaime, awe, I’m so glad to hear that this post made a bit more hopeful. Self-confidence is a major issue, especially for women in today’s world. We’ve got to work together to build each other up, don’t we? And the best way to do that is by spreading love.
I think it is good to develop a healthy self image of ourselves. One way my friend and I are hope to do for others is organise short tips abroad like long weekends. Reflect, recharge and good back home with inspirations from the trips. Sports and working out together is also a great tool to achieve a healthy relationship with your body. Thank you for sharing your experience. Love your blog.
Hi Holly, that’s a wonderful idea, Holly. I love how you help each other out. I’m a travel addict, so I believe I’d fit into your circle of friends.
Yes, sports is super helpful when it comes to developing a healthy body image and a loving relationship with yourself. Moving the body is priceless. 
Thanks for your kind comment.
Thank you for your thoughts, both Arianna and Anne-Sophie. I’m excited to read the article you linked too, Anne-Sophie. (UM, after a preliminary skim I know I’ll love it–someone is telling me to take care of myself by staying in bed all day with a good book! AMEN!)
…seriously though. I know lately that I have been terrible at taking care of myself, just by running around way too much and being way too involved in way too many things. It’s a funny mix of things (and people!) which (whom…) I love dearly and which inspire me and fuel me to be excited about life. But it’s also a funny mix of things (…and people…) which take up a lot of time and energy, and secretly I’m an introvert who kinda needs that day in bed with a good book. (So this weekend I stayed up super late—5 am!—reading a good book, and got even more tired, haha…dumb)
Anyway. Thank you both for being so open about your own journeys.
Hi Justine, lol sometimes we have to do dumb stuff to get what we need. So, staying up until 5am to read is a pro on my self-care tool list.
Yes, we have to be careful not to let others cross our boundaries and if we don’t have any boundaries, it’s important for us to establish them. I think it’s all a process and we get better at it with time. You’re on a good path, just keep going.
I’m always so keen to learn more about this area …thanks for this post and for your work in the field.
Sarah
Hi Sarah, thank you for your comment. I hope that the tips will help you to start implementing a few self-love tools into your life.
@Anne-Sophie, I am so happy you think so! And yes it amazing how much we can accomplish by redirecting those negative feelings into creative ones. And you can check out my art here: http://www.facebook.com/BrynnElizabethArt. Thank you!
Anorexia Nervosa is a very common type of eating disorder. The main characteristic of the disease involves self-restrictive food behaviors, determining the affected persons to keep drastic diets in order to lose weight. Anorexia involves a phobia of being fat and people affected by the disease develop obsessions with food. Although the actual causes of anorexia are not clear, it seems that the disease has a pronounced psychological character. Anorexia occurs on the premises of emotional distress and mental instability and the majority of affected people have a low self esteem and a poor self-image.,
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