Journal Entry with Mia Labo

Get to know founder of INNERMOST and one of our upcoming retreat collaborators Mia. Mia is currently based in Sydney and is a certified life coach and pilates instructor. Mia founded INNERMOST with the intention to change the way girls feel about themselves, in an effort to connect with their authentic and innermost self.

What was your ‘why’ behind starting INNRMST?

I created Innermost with the mission to change the way young girls feel about themselves. I experienced self doubt and insecurities the same way many of us do - but when I saw my younger sisters at the ages of 12 and 14 beginning to have body image issues and low self esteem, I knew I needed to create a change. I delved deep into understanding how to create a powerful mindset and positive self esteem and found so many simple, yet effective tools that completely changed my life. I thought “why is no one teaching girls this at schools - at a time that we need these understandings the most!” What started out for my baby sisters became a global mission to help young girls everywhere. With so many pressures, expectations and distractions it has become more difficult than ever for girls to be themselves - and so that is my why: to give young girls tools to change their mindset so that they can feel confident in being themselves, their Innermost selves.

What are you most excited about for our upcoming retreat?

It has been a dream of mine for a while to host a retreat, particularly at a place like SOMA. I’m so excited for it all - but especially to be able to share my greatest passions with the beautiful guests. I love the quote “when we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change” - and that is what my hope is for each of the guests attending, that they are given the space and the tools to change the way they look at things, particularly themselves and what’s possible for them.

What do you wish all girls inherently understood from a young age?

That they are enough as they are. We spend so much of our lives judging and criticising ourselves - we try to change ourselves or ‘achieve more’ in the hopes to finally feel like we’re enough. I have found that the chase to be enough is what takes us away from who we truly are, from our magic, our Innermost light. If we all knew we were enough, we would have the confidence to explore our passions, pursue our dreams and accept the love and good that we deserve. What we believe about ourselves becomes true for us, yet very few girls believe they’re enough.

A wellness hack you think is overrated?

Haha I think most wellness hacks are overrated! But if it makes you feel good, why not! Simplicity is key in my opinion. Wellness has become over complicated. Health and wellness can be very simple - eating wholefoods, drinking water, moving in a way that feels good, spending time with people you love, managing stress. All of these things are free! I’ve been reading a lot about the blue zones, which are areas in the world where people live the longest - they stick to the simple things in life and it seems to be working for them!

What does meditation do for our brains?

Our minds are so busy and distracted, especially now that most of us have a phone glued to the end of our hands at all times. Constantly being lost in thought can stop us from being present and really enjoying our lives, it also can leave us being very reactive to what is going on around us. Meditation helps us to create space between who we are and what is going on in our minds. It allows us to take a pause away from all the busyness and the chaos in our minds, to tune back into our Innermost selves. Much like movement is healthy for our bodies, meditation is healthy for our minds.

What are three of your daily non-negotiable’s?

Movement of any sort - I’m loving tennis at the moment to mix it up!

Journaling - I use my Innermost Mindset Journal every morning, it sets me up to show up as my best.

Learn - I listen to an audio program, read pages of a book or listen to a podcast everyday. It helps me to stay inspired and encouraged amidst setbacks and busyness. I love listening to the success stories of others and hearing conversations between successful people. There’s always something new to learn or a lesson to be reminded of.