From Overwhelmed to Embodied: How Clean Beauty and Alignment Transformed My Life

There was a time when I felt overstretched, overwhelmed, and fragmented across multiple roles and responsibilities. I was building two businesses, Shades of Reality and Thawadar Boutique, working shifts, studying, writing, serving communities, and trying to hold it all together.

At first, I called it “purpose.” But really, it was survival dressed up as ambition. I was pouring into multiple spaces but rarely into myself.

I was present everywhere , yet slowly disconnecting from the woman I was becoming.

I took pride in my appearance, not from vanity, but from honouring myself. How I showed up in the world was an outward expression of inner dignity. Yet somewhere between deadlines, late shifts, essays, and obligations, maintaining that became difficult.

My skincare routine, once a grounding ritual — became sporadic. Self-care became something I squeezed into the margins of my day, or skipped entirely. I didn’t realise then that I was drifting from alignment. Not because I lacked discipline, but because I was saying “yes” to too many things that didn’t reflect my truth.

This is where the story begins.

The Before: Saying Yes Too Often, Even When My Spirit Whispered No

I was juggling everything, work, degree, writing, community commitments, building two brands from the ground up. Every time someone asked me to show up, volunteer, contribute, collaborate, I said yes. Not because I wanted to.

But because I didn’t want to disappoint, my fear of conflict masked itself as kindness. But the cost was authenticity.

Those yeses became: Time drained and energy scattered, Purpose diluted. I poured into communities that were never mine.

I served agendas that didn’t reflect my values.

I was moving, yet not progressing.

My image, the elegance, the intention, the grounded self-expression I loved, no longer reflected the inner journey I was on. I looked whole, but I was fragmented.

The truth?

I had abandoned myself in the name of being “useful.”

The Turning Point: A Chapter Closes

Finishing my studies was my doorway back to myself.

Suddenly, the noise quieted.

There was space, not much, but enough to breathe.

I began asking deeper questions:

❝ What does success look like when I’m living in purpose, not performance? ❞

❝ How do I align my habits and presentation with the woman I am becoming? ❞

❝ Where am I saying yes, when my heart is longing to say no? ❞

The answers weren’t instant.

But they came, slowly, softly, then powerfully.

That season birthed a deeper commitment:

To live with intention.

To show up for myself first.

To honour my body, my energy, my boundaries.

And it started with the smallest but most impactful shift:

Reclaiming my self-care.

Clean Beauty: A Return to Self

Recommitting to skincare was more than buying new products, It was a declaration: I deserve to be prioritised, daily. Returning to clean beauty reminded me that self-care is not indulgence.

It is fuel .It is a promise we make to our physical and emotional wellbeing. It is a ritual that prepares us for the world, not to perform, but to live truthfully.

This shift became a grounding practice, a space of slowness in a fast-paced life. A moment of reverence. A reconnection with my body,

the vessel through which my purpose flows

Becoming a Tropic Ambassador: Choosing Value-Aligned Beauty

My journey toward conscious self-care led me to clean beauty, and eventually, to Tropic.

I became a Tropic Skincare Ambassador not because I needed another venture to juggle, but because the brand aligns with my values:

Clean ingredients

Ethical sourcing

Results that speak

Beauty with purpose

I believe in skincare that honours the skin, the environment, and the consumer.

Tropic’s natural, toxin-free products transformed my routine from obligation into ritual. The sensory experience, scent, texture, nourishment, reminded me to slow down, breathe, and honour my body.

Clean beauty became an extension of my identity, an act of embodiment.

In a world that rushes us toward visibility, clean beauty invited me back into presence.

It grounded me.

It aligned me.

It supported my evolution.

The After: Alignment in Action

Today, self-care is foundational, not optional.

My routines reflect the inner strength I’ve built, the discipline, the boundaries, the embodiment of purpose. I no longer struggle to mirror my inner world externally.

I walk in alignment:

Mind

Body

Spirit

At Shades of Reality, I explore identity as a holistic experience, merging psychological insight, culture, creativity, and resilience.

At Thawadar Boutique, I honour elegance that is timeless, rooted in self-respect and quiet confidence. Together, they reflect my values:

Authenticity

Integrity

Beauty with depth

When your life aligns with who you are becoming, you don’t just tell your story, you embody it.

Finding a Community That Reflects Your Values

The most unexpected gift of embracing clean beauty was the community that came with it.

The women I found in Tropic aren’t just teammates, they are sisters in purpose.

This wasn’t a community I joined from obligation. This is alignment.

These women are:

Ambitious

Supportive

Purpose-driven

Values-led

Their encouragement fuels my growth.

Their stories remind me that women can rise together, not in competition, but in collaboration. After years in communities that drained me, I found one that nourishes.

Embodiment: Living in Purpose, Not Just Speaking It

Purpose is not a destination.

It is a daily practice.

It is shaped by:

Our choices

Our relationships

Our rituals

Our boundaries

Embodiment is living your values, not performing them.

For me, embodiment looks like:

Leading with integrity

Creating products and content rooted in truth

Investing in clean beauty and ethical brands

Surrounding myself with people who lift, rather than drain. Saying “no” when a yes would betray my spirit

Without embodiment, success is hollow.

With embodiment, success becomes alignment.

Closing Thoughts: A New Chapter, Rooted in Truth

The chapter of overwork taught me discipline.

But this new chapter, one of embodiment, routine, aligned community, teaches me mastery. I no longer say yes to people, projects, or places that do not reflect my values.

I say yes to alignment.

Yes to integrity.

Yes to self-respect.

Yes to the woman I am becoming.

Because we cannot claim purpose while living in contradiction.

In the quiet ritual of morning skincare…

In the joy of aligned sisterhood…

In the courage of saying no…

I found my truth:

We can’t just tell the world who we are.

We must live it.

Clean beauty isn’t a luxury.

It’s an extension of my purpose.

A daily act of embodiment.

To live with purpose is to show up. fully, inside and out.

Ready to explore clean beauty and aligned living? Discover Tropic Skincare, purpose-led entrepreneurship, and identity-based leadership with Shades of Reality.

Let’s build a lifestyle rooted in truth, care, and embodied purpose.

Written by Shardia O’Connor — Founder of Shades of Reality + Tropic Ambassador