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From being a lover of spontaneity to enjoying cups of matcha, Ella Nierva surely knows how to spark a love for life as she goes on her journey of progress. See where her journey has taken her so far.
Tell us something about yourself!
Hello! Ella here, a 25-year-old trying to figure out how this thing called adult life works. This is honestly the hardest part to write for me since I am constantly trying to discover myself, but to keep it short, I’d say I’m an adventurous type of person in the sense that I love trying out new things — from discovering hole-in-the-wall restaurants, going on road trips just to take a sip of coffee, unplanned beach trips with friends, attending different types of fitness classes just to get that blood flowing, to spontaneously booking plane tickets with my best friend— you name it and I’m definitely down for it! During days when I feel a little less daring, I like to romanticize life by taking snaps using my film camera as keepsakes. I also love to curate my Instagram feed during downtime, it helps keep my sanity intact. Like most people in their 20s, we need that moo-lah to fund our wants and needs in life! I do have a regular job (which I am very much thankful for) in the Business Development side of an HR firm.
Where or which aspect of your life do you want to see progress in?
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Ever since 2018, I’ve been trying to take fitness seriously, especially when my weight loss became alarming. Since then, I know I’ve come a long way— from being a weakling to now being able to pull myself up (literally and figuratively), it sure is progress to me! But like everyone else, I too experience days wherein you get lazy to move your body; or days when you just feel like binge eating. Being the big foodie that I am, it’s hard to stay consistent. I always try to remind myself that progress isn’t linear — it’s not every day you have the motivation to be strong; mentally and physically. And that’s okay! This year, I vowed not to be too hard on myself and try to take things slow. After all, slow progress is still progress as they would say.
Share with us your most recent, proudest win (big or small!)
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During the start of the pandemic, my cousin lost her job since she was working in the food and beverage industry. We both thought of starting up a small business by selling our preloved clothes on Carousell just to generate some extra income for her. It later grew into an IG shop with the help of my friends setting it up for us!
Apart from selling our preloved clothes, we also tried to incorporate our love for thrifting especially now that safety protocols are easing up and it’s easier to go to thrift stores — we handpick certain items at the ukay-ukay and resell them through our IG shop! I’d say it’s one of my proudest small wins since apart from the extra income, it also somewhat helps in slowing down fast fashion. Our shop might not have that many followers yet but seeing that people support us is already a big win!
Talk us through your favorite routine (day or night).
As much as I try to be a morning person, I get a lot of things done after work hours instead. My extracurricular activities start at around 5:30 PM — once I’ve clocked out from work, I always look out the window (sometimes, climb up our roof) to watch the sunset while listening to some music that helps my mind be at peace. I’m a sucker for sunsets, I have an entire IG highlight full of it! There’s just something so calming about watching it set after a long day at work which I really live for. After being fascinated by the mundane, I try to put in around 30 minutes to an hour of exercise. Whether it be cardio, lifting, or a combination of both (whatever keeps me active!)
Afterward, I have dinner with my family and then proceed to take a nice warm bath. When time permits, I try to work on the collections that we release in our IG shop. And of course, what better way to end the day through some self-care by doing my skincare routine! It normally doesn’t take me long as I don’t really have a rigorous one (I’m working on it though, thanks to Simply Skin!). Then I put my earphones in and listen to my favorite artists before I doze off for the next 6 hours—or 8 if I end the day early.
See how creating becomes one of Ella Nierva’s go-tos and what else she takes on her journey towards progress with—
Creativity, growth & progress
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Read: I, unfortunately, haven’t been reading as much compared to before but the most recent read would be The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson which is now one of my favorite books of all time! I’m also currently trying to finish Atomic Habits by James Clear but I just can’t find the time to do so — working on getting back good habits though (aka reading!)
Podcast: I don’t usually listen to podcasts since I’m into music more but whenever I find the time to do so, it would have to be 7 Good Minutes with Clyde Lee Dennis.
Mantra: “Whatever will be, will be”
Inspiration: I honestly find inspiration everywhere! I love fashion and dressing up so when it comes to that aspect, it would have to be Ashley a.k.a Best Dressed, and Taylor Hage. In terms of fitness, I really look up to Natacha Oceane — her outlook on life and how she’d push herself to strive for better each day, leaves me in awe every single time I watch her videos.
Wellness
Skin: Pixel Laser Resurfacing Mild + sunblock! Definitely sunblock!
App: Spotify— can’t go about my day without music!
Movement: I normally just go on Youtube and do workouts by Juice & Toya, MadFit, and Natasha Ocean— fitspirations!
Unwind: When work gets overwhelming, I take short afternoon breaks to make myself a drink and film the process. Apart from sunsets and working out, creating home cafe videos has been my source of stress reliever ever since the pandemic started and I’m really glad I found a new hobby in it.
At-home
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Snack On-Hand: As a sweet tooth, it would have to be cookies!
Drink: Iced matcha latte or coffee (or both when I need that extra boost of caffeine!)
Desk essential: Some H2O (stay hydrated ladies and gents!) and my to-do list for the day.
Art/decor: A signed vinyl cover of Honne.
To you, a Woman in Progress®️ is:
Someone who isn’t afraid of making mistakes and owning up to it. You can never truly experience progress if you do not acknowledge the fact that trials and errors are inevitable in life. The best thing to do is to accept it and move forward because that’s the only way you get to experience true progress.
Meet Ella Nierva via @@ellaanierva
Find out more about her treatment of choice and how it could help you in your own story— find out more about Pixel Laser Resurfacing - Mild.