It has been said that life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to the blessings and struggles that come with simply existing in this world. As most things may be out of our control, the path you choose to the decisions you make is subjective and incomparable from one life to the next. Making the choice to reinvent herself and truly live in the present moment, model, wellness coach and fitness influencer, Tess Annique, discusses how she changed her life to truly live with intent, always striving to be her most authentic self in a world of constant comparison. “Life is too short to be anyone but yourself.” — Tess Annique.

Ambitious, nurturing, and at peace with who she is, this inspiring entrepreneur is no stranger to the internal conflicts that come with the constant expectations of perfection. “It has taken me a while to get here!” Exclaims Annique with a perk of her covet-worthy pout. “I was scouted by Elite when I was 15. My first job was an editorial for Cosmopolitan Magazine. It was so fun. I remember being completely in love with the experience and how collaborative it was. However, growing up in that industry you start having a really tough relationship with your body image, constantly criticizing and comparing yourself to others. It’s tough,” confesses the model. “It wasn’t until I got sober in my early 20s, and took time away from the industry, where my passion for wellness and fitness grew.” Letting go of the things that no longer served her, the model adopted a new approach to her day-to-day routine by focusing on the areas of her life that she deems lead to a “better Tess.” “The best advice I ever received was to be yourself. My life has become so full and beautiful after I made the decision to be sober and live more present,” beams Annique. “There’s a lot of beautiful and inspiring people in sobriety. I have a wonderful support system of other sober individuals. People who have lived a full life as their most authentic self. That is what inspires me to keep going.” 

Finding peace in the simplicity of the time being, “I am so grateful to be at the place in my life to encourage others to live well,” shares Annique. “I recently launched my own wellness company, Wellness With Tess, with the goal of helping women live their most authentic lives. Health isn’t just physical health, but also mental and emotional health. We should all live a healthy lifestyle because it allows us to be our best, regardless of our profession.” With a mission to live mindfully and consciously, this platform is an intimate and empowering membership program created to help anyone achieve their personal health goals by cultivating the necessary tools needed to live a more healthy life physically, mentally and spiritually. “When we feel good, we do good,” continues Annique. “It’s all related to be the best version of ourselves.” From one-on-one health coaching to workout tips and nutritional recipes, Wellness With Tess is your simple go-to guide to living your best life.

Notably practicing an active lifestyle, we of course had to ask this 5’9” bombshell what workouts she has been loving at the moment. “I love working the booty. I have to work hard for it,” laughs Annique. “Any type of squats, lunges or isolated movements work really well for me. I hate working arms (not my strongest), so pull ups and push ups I despise. I guess that means I should do more of them!” shrugs the fitness model with a grin. As we are all on an ever evolving journey to living our best lives, we also had to find out Tess’s top tips to good living. “Knowing what I know now, I would say to invest in your body and take care of it,” advises the health coach. “You’ve only got one! So DO try new workouts, you may never know what you like. Eat foods that make you feel good (what works for me, might not work well for you). Live an active lifestyle. I try to move my body somewhat every day. Some days might be a more intense workout than others. Some days I go workout with my trainer, other days I go to Pilates. It depends on what I’m feeling at the time. If I change my mindset from I ‘have’ to workout to I ‘get’ to workout, that helps a ton! DON’T over challenge yourself at the beginning. My first time working with a trainer, he thought I could lift much heavier. My form was poor, I had no idea what I was doing. I was sore and injured after; it deterred me from lifting weights for half a year.” 

As we have all experienced a lot of change within the last year, this stunning advocate for healthy and present living shares with us how she has adapted to this new “normal”. “I have always been a homebody,” begins Annique, “but now truly, I love staying at home. I have a home office and do 90% of the work I need to from home. I wake up early, around 6 am. I ease into my morning with meditation. Then I go over the calendar for the day. I try to get as much work done as I can before my morning workout. I schedule appointments or errands for the afternoon. I love being in charge of my own schedule and my own business. I’m able to balance my work life, home life, and family life much easier.” Reaching the end of our conversation with Tess, we can expect to find her in an effortlessly chic matching set and sneakers, rocking her gorgeous minimal makeup and continuing to build her brand, Wellness with Tess, helping more women become the best versions of themselves! “I hope I can help you on your journey to good living,” heartens Annique — Sign us up!