Everyone Needs a Daily Dose of Spark in Their Life

Do it the British Way

Iskra Lawrence is a thirty-year-old sunshine activist from England, a kick-ass storyteller, an empathetic human being, and an ultimate fighter in all the senses this words can encompass it.

Growing up in a conservative society with a strict rules for how a female model should look, Iskra, despite being gorgeous, gracious, and a badass cat-walker, couldn't find an agency that wouldn't push her to abuse her body.

After years of leading an unhealthy lifestyle, battling an eating disorder, and hating her very essence to the core, she said: Enough.

She struck a deal with a small agency in England who signed her as a plus-size model, and that's when her transformational journey began.

Iskra had a fair share of disappointments, but instead of subduing to the pain, she decided to do something incredible – expose herself and share all the gory, ugly, nuances she was put through to help people achieve the ultimate goal:

Reconciliation.

Ask yourselves, how many times a day you ponder a thought about having the perfect job? The perfect relationship? The perfect apartment? The perfect life?

Iskra's teachings resonate with such broad audiences because she teaches to let go in times when everyone's greatest strength is an attachment. Attachment to a black screen, external validation, an internet connection, a Starbucks drink. She teaches the art of being okay with imperfections, not just when it comes to your body, but your soul.

Iskra teaches self-love. And the spark in her philosophies sparked a sense of calm in me, put me on the most challenging journey I've ever been on – the journey of learning to accept the word perfection is a nonsensical, unrealistic concept that has no provable roots. Even the smoothest of surfaces when put under a microscope are bulky. As a kid always pained by anxiety about not being good enough, racing to the finish line as if there was a gun to my head, chasing the perfect grades, the perfect career, the perfect life, Iskra's Youtube videos launched my campaign to relieve myself of the unnecessary pressure I was putting myself under. And to this day, I still start my day by watching her videos.

Activism and Charitable Work

Although her modeling resume is top-notch, her cerulean eyes wide and joyous and beautiful, the orator in her shines stronger. Iskra is a brand ambassador for the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA). She brings attention to the damaging, unrealistic standards of beauty that society has set for us. Most importantly, she never excludes. Her speeches highlight how different genders, races, and religions deal with the nominal, unreachable "perfect" images put in their heads, and sometimes even the forced circumstances the people are put under to meet a societal standard for beauty.

Follow The Spark

In 2017 she was one of the seven women chosen for World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts Great Girl Leaders. Iskra runs a website called Runway Riot, where she contributes with her blogs and opinion pieces on how the mental image of ourselves shapes our physical health, our relationships. It is an outlet for women to learn about the simplistic way of staying glamorous inside and out.

Overcoming a hardship is not an uncommon occurrence. The human soul is often stronger than many would expect. If you take a look around, there are probably ten people circling around in the grocery store, waiting in line to be served, watering their backyard lawns, or delivering your mail who managed to fight through a hardship in a span of a single Monday morning, come out on top, serve their coffee and go to work.

The uniqueness of Iskra is that she doesn't shy away from sharing all the parts, even the unpleasant, the less glorious, the eye-rolling, the tongue-twisting, the toe-curling, the acid-producing experiences of her life with the rest of the world. Her bubbly nature, her striking honesty, and infectious humor will light up your life like fireworks on July 4th.

Stop by her channel, and share the spark.