Today we’d like to introduce you to Katerina Mangini.
Hi Katerina, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I have a history of disordered eating in addition to a poor relationship with my body and food. My weight constantly fluctuated from way too thin to a more natural weight for me. It wasn’t until college that I became obsessed with health and wellness and I really stuck to feeling my best through food and movement. When COVID hit in 2020 and we were all stuck in quarantine, I created a recipe Instagram account for fun, which slowly turned into a wellness account, which slowly turned into a TikTok account, which is how I’m here today! I wanted to create a space in which people were informed about how to create a holistically healthy lifestyle, while also nourishing self-love and self-care. During that time in quarantine, I graduated from UT Austin with a BSA in Nutrition and completed a Holistic Health Coach certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. While my focus is still to promote self-love, self-care, wellness habits, and nutritious recipes, my content has slightly shifted to incorporate more videos and pictures about myself and my lifestyle. I’m intrigued to see where it will grow from here!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think that most content creators will say that numbers don’t matter — and they don’t — but it’s undeniable that seeing a follower count or view count lower will be a bit frustrating. While I try my best to stay authentic and post what I want, it’s almost inherent to want to create and post what pleases others. There have been times when I test out a new creation style and it doesn’t perform well, so I delete it or never make another video like that again. This could be considered an intensified version of people-pleasing, which can be detrimental to my creativity with organic content. All that being said, I’ve made a pact with myself to have more FUN with creation this Summer and post everything that I want to post, no matter the view count! My goal is to get back to feeling authentic and realistic in a way that’s entertaining for my audience but satisfying to me.
Another obstacle is the dreaded internet troll aspect of having a platform. No matter what, there will always be someone to pick apart what you’re wearing, a word you misspelled, the way you do something, the way you film something, how you look, and so much more. Anything you wouldn’t expect to be commented on WILL be commented on. This obstacle has not been so overpowering to me, though. I’ve always been someone that has been able to look at a bully and acknowledge there’s an insecurity or lack of love there. Yes, it might sting in the moment, but I can honestly say that responding with kindness or an overload of love will almost always cause the hater to return with an apology or humble realization that, yes, the content creator behind the screen is also a human. Yes, other people’s insecurities are not your responsibility, however, it doesn’t cost anything to “pay it forward” with grace to these people. If anything, it allows you to walk away from the situation feeling better. My biggest tip is to always show everyone kindness — even when they don’t show it back!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I currently work full-time as a content creator on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, with an emphasis on TikTok video creation. I make short-form vlog-style videos, self-care tips, recipe videos, trending videos, and ASMR routine videos. I’m extremely proud of videos when I find a song or remix that perfectly encompasses the energy that I felt the day of filming. It’s almost completely evident when watching the video that I was enjoying myself while editing! That being said, I am definitely most proud of the videos that I create that allow people to understand that health and life are a balance. Nobody is perfect, so I try to highlight the reality of my life in a lot of videos, while simultaneously creating motivation for others to do things that feel good for themselves. I’m known for promoting self-love, self-care, holistic health, and individualized wellness — helping others understand that growth is not linear and that everyone is going to have a different experience with their health journey.
I think that I started creating self-love and growth content in 2020 when it was needed most, and I became a part of a group of wellness/lifestyle creators that all promoted the same sort of things that I was promoting: going against diet culture, self-acceptance, and wellness tips. I honestly think that there are some AMAZING creators out there today, but what might set me and this group apart is that we created our accounts organically in a way to motivate ourselves and share our knowledge with others for fun. This can be pretty hard to find online these days, so I try my best to stay authentic with the information I share.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Before Covid-19, I was in a pretty restrictive mindset when it comes to food and exercise. I was living a life deeply rooted in diet culture and self-hatred, to be frank. It wasn’t until quarantine when we were practically forced to slow down and hit pause that I realized this. I began creating content about balance and moderation in terms of health — while also continuously learning about it — and expanding my circle to follow creators that went against diet culture norms. I began appreciating my body for what all that it does for me, in addition to what it was capable of. I looked at food as nourishment, not an enemy. I looked at exercise as a gift, not a punishment. I looked at my body as a vessel, not my most important asset. I risk sounding extremely cheesy with this, but I think quarantine truly freed me from diet culture and the negative impacts it had on my mental health.
In addition to healing my relationship with food and exercise, Covid-19 also taught me how to enjoy time with myself, and how to live mindfully. We live in a society that is constantly rushing everywhere all the time, including myself, but Covid was the extreme wake-up call a lot of us needed in order to appreciate the present moment. Many of us glorify the past or yearn for the future when we needed to come to the realization that the present moment is extremely precious.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://katerinamangini.squarespace.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katerinamhealth/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOHmYIxS0-ZKnZpSG1l2Jxw
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@katerinamangini
