Getting to Know Puravida Beauty’s Brand ambassador, why we choose her and why she chooses us!
Tell us a little about Karin
I am a 28-year-old South African born Kiwi. I grew up in a very small, country side, town in South Africa called Vredendal. I grew up in a very sporty family and was blessed with the sporting talent.
Finishing school at 18 years old I packed my bags travelled to New Zealand for a gap year, figuring out life and what I want my future to look like. Naturally, when I moved to New Zealand I pursued a career in netball, starting at the bottom and trying to make my name known in the netball community.
I got my first semi-professional netball contract with the Central Pulse Netball Team in 2017and a couple of years later I finally reached my goal of being signed as a Silver Ferns National Netball player, representing New Zealand on the world stage. Coming from a small town and knowing the amount of hard work and effort that’s required to reach your goals, I love supporting local, small businesses. I try to live a life of constantly improving in any shape or form un my life while always being thankful for all the blessings, talent, and opportunities I have received.
A day in the life of me
I am fortunate to do something that I absolutely love for living. If I could do this for the rest of my life I would but unfortunately the bodies window of opportunities is limited. Currently, playing netball for a living means we have to always keep our bodies fit, healthy and ready to play throughout the year. Our domestic competition stretches over 8 months of the year and the other 4 months we have our international season.
Depending of the time of the year and, specifically time of the season, will determine what my day looks like. Most days consist of some form of training with one or two days off in the week, again depending on the time of the season. Every day before training I do like waking up, having my quiet time and then having breakfast. This puts me in a good mental state to take on the day. Post trainings I spend about 2 hours on recovery which involve stretching, having a shower and getting some food in. Whatever is left of the day I spend on doing what I like to call life admin, which is getting on top of my emails, doing some
studies and planning my life outside of netball.
What does beauty mean to you?
We are all blessed with the bodies we have. Each one of us in our own individual way. I am thankful for every part of my body. This isn’t something I was always comfortable with. Growing up, much like many others, I was brainwashed by this image of what others think beauty should look like. Over the years and with maturity I’ve learnt that true beauty comes from the inside and that we all need to love ourselves from the inside out. When you value the life you have regardless of what your outer appearance look like, you will shine this light of confidence and have an aura of beauty surrounding you. Confidence is such a
powerful attribute to have. With confidence it’s very difficult for others to have an influence on you.
I love taking care of myself. Self-care is my way of showing my thanksgiving to my creator and that I value what I was given. I don’t believe in a universal beauty standard. Embrace your own uniqueness, that is beauty. Be comfortable in your own skin and love yourself regardless of anything else.
Why did you team up with Puravida?
When I first met with Sherri from Puravida I wanted to know what Puravida is all about. It is important for me to form relationships and partnerships with people and organization that I can relate to and that aligns with my morals and beliefs. I want to stay true to myself in everything that I do and work with people that I resonate with. Showing yourself and believing how beautiful you are can give a real sense of empowerment and this is so important. Empowering yourself is such a strong weapon. I wanted to start a skincare journey that would bring out the best of me because I value it so much. Words that really stuck with me from my meeting with Sherri was that Puravida only enhances and protects what we already have. This just seemed like the perfect fit for me.
What’s your favorite homecare product?
Before starting with Puravida I tried to stay away from any oils on my skins because I believed that I had such an oily skin and therefore did not need any more of it. I’ve learnt a lot more about my skin and it’s needs and therefore my favorite product at the moment would either be the Vitamin E/Summer Night oil. This product hydrates my skin and gives it a natural looking glow that I love.
What is the one thing that you would tell the younger version of yourself?
Sunscreen and hats! Currently most of my skincare treatments are focused on correcting pigmentation, repairing what years of sun exposure has done to it. If I had known a bit more about the that the sun has on skin, I would’ve paid more attention on protecting it. Prevention is better than correction.
What legacy do you want to leave behind?
The mentality of being perfect or the idea that there is even something like being perfect needs to change. There is no such thing as being perfect. We can however spend our whole life working towards a better version of ourselves every day. This encourages the drive to keep working hard and having small successes throughout our lives. Some days are going to be harder than others but it’s important that we continuously work towards a better ‘you’. It could be the smallest incremental changes or achievements but this will guarantee a shift towards something bigger or better all the time.
What does it mean to be a lady in today’s society?
This can be a very touchy subject for some people. Again, this comes down to a very basic concept for me, celebrating uniqueness. People are quick to compare some things with others or people with each other but what we fail to realize is that every one, and in this case every gender, has their own uniqueness that needs to be celebrated. As women we deal with a lot of physical, emotional, and mental changes throughout our lives and with this we develop various skillsets or character elements. Acknowledge the strength in this.
Who inspires you?
The great thing about inspiration, for me, is that you can get inspiration from so many different things – people, places, occasions, spirituality, and the list goes on. I draw inspiration from multiple things in my life. When it comes to people, I have a few key people that inspire me and pushes me to be a better person every day but I do keep an open mind to learn from the many people I come across daily and learning from their experiences and mentality.
What lesson did you learn the hard way?
One of the biggest life lessons for me was that just because we want something really bad, and we work our buts off to get it, doesn’t always guarantee it to happen how and when we want. It is important to keep the end goal in mind but it is also important to enjoy every moment of the journey towards that goal to ensure you don’t miss any opportunity that might come your way. When I first moved to New Zealand, I had this image of what my life would look like and the timeline that it would take for me to get there. 7 Years later I finally reached that goal but I grew up and learnt so much during that time. I decided to keep fighting towards my goal and I believed in what I was trying to do but I always ensured that I enjoyed the journey and where it took me.
What gets you excited about life?
I’m alive, tomorrows another day and with that comes more opportunities that I can grab onto
