Dr. Ania Schwartzman, ‘The Fashionologist’ On The Self-Care Routines & Practices Of Busy Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders
An Interview With Maria Angelova
Regular self-care promotes positive personal relationships. How I relate to my friends and others is impacted by my emotional well-being. Engaging in regular self-care practices, allows me to show up for those that I care most about.
All of us know that we have to take breaks in our day to take care of ourselves. “Selfcare is healthcare”, the saying goes. At the same time, we know that when you are a busy leader with enormous responsibility on your shoulders, it’s so easy to prioritize the urgent demands of work over the important requirements of self-care. How do busy entrepreneurs and leaders create space to properly take care of themselves? What are the self-care routines of successful entrepreneurs and business leaders? In this interview series, we are talking to busy and successful entrepreneurs, business leaders, and civic leaders who can discuss their self-care practices and self-care routines. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Dr. Ania Schwartzman.
Dr. Ania Schwartzman is a nationally recognized psychologist with 20 years of experience as a psychotherapist. In 2018 she founded The Fashionologist to help busy women master how to take control of their presence. Dr. Schwartzman works from the inside-out to support women to look and feel like a leader, personalize their brands, and have more time to focus on their personal interests. Dr. Schwartzman graduated with a master’s degree and Doctorate degree from Yeshiva University in New York and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Spanish from Brandeis University. She currently resides in New York City with her husband and two children while working as The Fashionologist.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! It is an honor. Our readers would love to learn more about your personal background. Can you please share with our readers your personal backstory; What is the role of a growth mindset in your success?
Having a growth mindset helps me to see each mistake as a learning opportunity that informs me in my next steps towards success.
Can you please share 3 mindset mantras that keep you motivated, sane, and propel you forward?
You got this
You can do hard things
I am capable and competent
You are by all accounts a very successful person. How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
It is very important to me that I practice what’s called Tikun Olam, which are the Hebrew words for repair the world. I volunteer my time to speak with disadvantaged groups, such as Bottomless Closet, about the power of clothing and how to use clothing to achieve success.
Can you share a mistake or failure which you now appreciate, and which has taught you a valuable lesson?
When I started my business, I had never heard of anyone in my field of psychology doing the same thing. I had to make it all up as I went along. One big mistake I made early on in my business was hiring a social media manager. I spent too much time and money trying to grow through Instagram than I did networking with people in the real world. After some time, I realized it was not a valuable strategy for me. Understanding who and where to reach my audience is key to growing my business.
You are a successful leader. Which three-character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Compassion. When a client invites me into their personal closet, I respect that the client trusts me to be compassionate about what the clothing in her closet reveals about her true self.
Perseverance. Since founding my business in 2018, I’ve managed to persevere despite many obstacles. The greatest obstacle was the pandemic which forced me to pivot the way I worked with clients.
Self-Confidence. The expertise I bring to my clients comes from decades of experience. Recognizing and relying on this has kept me moving forward.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
I continue to seek out compelling ways to share my expertise with an audience. Recently, I’ve been crafting ideas for a course to teach the tools and strategies one needs to achieve success in their careers and personal lives.
OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview about Self-Care. Let’s start with a basic definition so that we are all on the same page. What does self-care mean to you?
I believe that self-care is taking the time to acknowledge when I need to pause. How
the pause looks depends on the day and the time I have.
As a successful leader with an intense schedule, what do you do to prioritize self-care, and carve out regular time to make self-care part of your routine?
Finding the time in my day for self-care can be a challenge! I’ve started to schedule “break time” for myself in which I allow myself to meditate, exercise, or read up on the latest fashion trends.
Will you please share with our readers 3 of your daily, or frequent self-care habits?
I take a power nap if I have the time in my day.
I practice a brief gratitude meditation each morning
I take walks in the fresh air or ride my exercise bike at home.
This is the main question of our interview. Based on your own experiences or research can you please share 5 ways that taking time for self-care will improve our lives?
Research demonstrates that frequent self-care contributes to keeping your brain, spirit, and body healthy.
Regular self-care contributes to personal success. To achieve one’s goals, big and small, it’s important that you know when to pause to reframe your thinking or the way you feel in the moment. I’ve learned that a part of my self-care routine is acknowledging when I’m being overly critical of myself and/or when I’m feeling stressed out. Taking that pause helps to reset myself and adjust what I need to do next.
Regular self-care promotes positive personal relationships. How I relate to my friends and others is impacted by my emotional well-being. Engaging in regular self-care practices, allows me to show up for those that I care most about.
Regular Self-care has been shown to improve immune system functioning so that you are less likely to become ill. I know that if I’m feeling run down, it’s time to stop and rest.
Self-care helps to lower the likelihood of job burnout. Engaging in frequent self-care practices, you are more likely to feel less stressed, more energized, and more content.
Self-care is linked to higher self-esteem. Self-care in the form of being kind and compassionate to yourself when you make a mistake or when things don’t go as planned. When I was a new mother, I thought that everything I did had to be perfect. I put tremendous amounts of pressure on myself. I grew more irritable and anxious around my husband and children. When I finally decided to act and take care of myself, everything changed for the positive.
Sometimes we learn a great deal from the opposite, from a contrast. Can you please share a few ways that NOT taking time for self-care can harm our lives?
For those of us with busy lives, not taking time for regular self-care can lead to feeling excessive stress, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, stomachaches, anger, irritability, and physical illness.
What would you tell someone who says they do not have time or finances to support a regular wellness routine?
I believe wellness comes in many different forms and is defined by each person. For me, weekly SOUL CYCLE sessions were my go-to for body and mind wellness. Then the pandemic hit, and I had to change my mind set about what self-care looked like for me. I love to use free meditation apps, like Insight Timer, that offer different meditations based on interest and time. For exercise, there are many free YouTube videos available that offer everything from cardio workouts to stretch classes. When you shift your mindset from believing that regular wellness is a challenge to believing that it is a part of your life, you find the time and energy to devote to it.
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, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)
Arianna Huffington. Arianna is an iconic business leader whose honest, informed, and authoritative views on work-life balance and self-care inspire me to be my best self.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
Subscribe to my newsletter
Instagram: @thefashionologistnyc
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
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 [email protected]. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
