What Self-Care Looks Like To Model & On-Air Host Kamie Crawford
In xoNecole's Finding Balance, we profile boss women making boss moves in the world and in their respective industries. We talk to them about their business, their life, and most of all, what they do to find balance in their busy lives.
Kamie Crawford is more than meets the eye.
Her first-ever wave came in the form of competing in the Miss Maryland Teen USA pageant. There, she represented the state of Maryland and ended up walking away from the night with a crown. Kamie also did so while making history as the first contestant from Maryland to ever win the competition. "I applied and the rest was history!" she exclaimed in a conversation with xoNecole. "Being Miss Teen USA was an awesome experience, but I got what I needed from it and moved forward with my life and career."
In addition to being a diverse shade and size in the fashion world as a model, Kamie has been broadening her reach and expanding her talents as an on-air host; a passion she's been nurturing into her purpose since her late teens. Most recently, she's gained credits with the E! Network and MTV's Catfish underneath her hosting belt, where her compassionate and "real recognize real" persona made her an instant fan-favorite among the lineup of guest hosts that have co-piloted Nev's show since long-time co-host's Max Joseph's departure.
Despite the yes's she's acquired along her journey, the pathway to being Kamie Crawford hasn't been one without uncertainty or doubts. "Before I made the transition, I had never felt more lost. I didn't know where my career was going, but I made the decision to put it all in God's hands and manifest TF out of everything. Once I did that, I got the email about Catfish. Sometimes you have to realize that there is already a divine purpose for your life – so while you're busy making plans, you have to know in your heart that the path has already been paved for you, you just have to follow it where it leads."
Since then, abundance has manifested by the droves and it all started with taking a leap of faith and transitioning to life in LA. Nowadays, Kamie is a master of her own destiny and is finding time to balance brand deals and TV segments with SoulCycle and Netflix and chill. Here's how.
What does the average day/week look like for you?
Every week is different, which keeps it exciting. I usually have one or two "admin days" out of the week to strictly just answer emails, send invoices for brand deals, work out contracts for upcoming projects, plan out potential TV segment ideas or jot down some goals. If I'm filming during the week (like I am right now), I have to block off days for travel/filming or time to coordinate looks for on-camera. I also have days set aside for taking meetings or running errands and because I'm a Scorpio, me-time is essential!
What are your mornings like? How do you wind down at night?
Mornings, I will admit, are not my strong suit. If I'm not filming early, I like to sleep as much as I can. I try to wake up around 9am and get my day started, walk my dog, get my Starbucks fix in. Sometimes, I work out, sometimes I don't. I'm working on making my mornings more productive! At night I love to catch up on Netflix or Ru Paul's Drag Race, hang out with my boyfriend and our dog. Maybe drink some wine – it all depends on the day!
What do you find to be the most hectic part of your week?
Mondays and Tuesdays are usually the craziest just because there are so many emails coming in, but if I'm filming – I'm usually busy from Thursday to Monday. This is why I keep a physical and digital planner!
Do you practice any types of self-care?
SoulCycle is my self-care. I also just started boxing which is awesome, but outside of fitness I love to just detach. If I'm feeling stressed, I'll take a few hours and just be with myself and my own thoughts. I don't answer anyone's emails or calls and I regroup.
"If I'm feeling stressed, I'll take a few hours and just be with myself and my own thoughts. I don't answer anyone's emails or calls and I regroup."
What are some rituals you swear by in the name of self-care?
A scalding hot shower, a glass of wine and some great Chinese food usually does the trick for me!
How do you find balance with:
Love/Marriage?
I feel really lucky because my boyfriend and I both work in the entertainment industry. He's more behind the scenes, but he's always traveling with clients and we're coincidentally in the same place at the same time. One time I had to travel to Phoenix, AZ to film while he was in the same city for a music festival! It's always been like that and it really helps. It's also just great being with someone who gets the industry and my frustrations overall – we're constantly planning together and running ideas by each other, but even we have to set aside time with no phones and just enjoy one another.
Friends?
My best friends and I talk every single day. Group chats are a lifesaver! We're always connected digitally, but seeing each other often is a struggle just because we live in different areas now. Whenever we're in the same town though, it's like we never left. Low-maintenance friendships are key for me. We have to be able to pick right back up where we left off, even if we haven't seen each other in a few months! They're super busy and successful too, so we're all on the same page.
Exercise/Health? Do you ever detox?
I have spurts of being really super active and then I won't work out for like a week. I want to be better at that but if I'm not as active, I'm usually doing a better job at watching what foods I'm indulging in. I've done cleanses before, but I'm not really a fan. I own my faults and just try to make them better, but I don't like to put too much pressure on myself in that arena.
"Low-maintenance friendships are key for me. We have to be able to pick right back up where we left off, even if we haven't seen each other in a few months!"
When you are going through a bout of uncertainty, or feeling stuck, how do you handle it?
A good cry helps! I can be a perfectionist at times and a strong manifestor, so when things don't happen as soon as I'd like, or at all, I can feel down. I allow myself to feel crappy and then I move on. I don't believe in wallowing for too long because things can always be worse and I am very blessed. If it's something I can change, I fix it. If it's out of my hands, I give to God and go to sleep!
What does success mean to you?
Meeting my personal and professional goals. Having people by my side who support me and love me for who I am and just being a good human. All the money in the world can't replace kindness and genuine happiness.
Ultimately, how do you find balance?
Prayer and downtime. Clearing my brain completely and then starting fresh with new ideas and a new perspective.
For more of Kamie, follow her on Instagram.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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I’ve always been intrigued by holistic practices and different healing methods that will help me get a deeper sense of myself and become a better person in the process. And according to my aura and chakra reading, that’s right on par with who I am. In March, I attended a wellness retreat, and during the three-day event, I got an aura reading. While I’ve gotten chakra readings done before, which required me to lay down and have crystals placed on top of my chakras, the aura reading was a little different.
The practitioners, Laura McCann and James Levinson, set me up to a scanner, which was connected to a computer. After two minutes, I received a 15-page report that described my aura in detail, including what my aura colors were and my chakra levels. I was in awe and soaking up everything I learned. A lot of the findings were accurate to who I was, but others caught me by surprise. Let’s discuss further.
The colors of your aura range from yellow to blue, and they all have different meanings. My main colors were green and yellow, with green being around my head and in my center. The color in your center is considered your basic nature and personality color, and according to my aura report, green personalities are focused on having a harmonious, balanced life, and they also enjoy helping others. Here I was, thinking I craved balance because I’m a Libra, but it’s possible I may have a double dose of this quality. Greens are also social, crave happiness, love expressing themselves, love spending time in nature, and are all about living an abundant life.
Courtesy
And remember what I said earlier about always wanting to get a deeper sense of myself? Well, my report also said greens “are constantly growing, processing, and integrating body, mind, and spirit. Spirituality means balance and harmony to greens. Being in contact with fellow human beings and nature is being connected to God. Friendship, love, and understanding are important to greens. Oneness is a concept that is second nature to them.”
The majority of what was in my report about my aura captured me perfectly, i.e., how I think, how I live and want to live. It also gave me introspection into who I am and why I am this way. The report also listed my aura power. Your aura power is the energy that radiates around you and it ranges from small (0-40%), middle or average (40-75%) and large or wide (75-100%). My aura was 50%, which means I have a strong presence and radiant energy. A small aura indicates a low energy level and a large aura indicates a strong and powerful radiance.
Next were my chakras. For the most part, my chakras were all positive, but there was one chakra I didn’t know I was struggling with. Our chakras are our body energy centers and we have seven: root, sacral (navel), solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye and crown. The root is at the base of the spine and it represents life energy, the sacral represents creativity and productivity, solar plexus represents creative and intellectual thinking, heart represents unconditional love and forgiveness, throat represents communication and expression, third eye represents intuition and artistic thoughts, and crown represents spirituality and enlightenment.
Courtesy
My root and third eye were both sitting high at a seven followed by my sacral, which was a 6. My throat, crown, and solar plexus were all a 5. However, my heart chakra was sitting low at a 3 and I was stunned. Am I not loving to others? Am I not giving myself enough love? I mean, attending a wellness retreat is a form of self-love, right? While my thoughts were all over the place, I was quickly informed of some reasons why my heart chakra could be low. To sum it up, I was told that I may be struggling with opening up to others because I’m not sure if they will accept all of me. But as long as I show up and give love to others, I will be accepted.
The explanation made a lot of sense considering that I do sometimes struggle with opening up to people based on past experiences. However, I’m in a time in my life where I have acknowledged things about myself and am actively working on it. It’s possible that there are other reasons why my heart chakra needs some work, but overall, the results of my aura and chakra reading were spot on.
Have you ever gotten an aura/ chakra reading before? If so, how was your experience?
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Feature image by Tenor