Hello there and welcome!
My name is Valeria. I am a millennial mum, wife, modern woman with a passion for evidence-based nutrition and a holistic approach to beauty and health. I’m a certified esthetician and skin nutrition specialist.
I was born in Russia, but my self-discovery journey started in New Zealand, where I lived for nine years. I moved there straight after high school, and years later when I completed an English school and then graduated with a business diploma, I realised that my new profession had nothing to do with my real interests in life. For that reason, I got into the Elite International School of Beauty and SPA Therapies. I have always appreciated the aesthetic beauty in everything, so I decided to learn beauty therapy and makeup.
The training in beauty school was far more intense than I first imagined. I got introduced to the fascinating world of beauty therapy and cosmetics. I learned in-depth many important subjects like anatomy, chemistry, and everything related to our skin and self-care. After graduation, I worked at several beauty clinics, where I continued to expand my training and knowledge in the field. I was mostly specialised in laser and skin treatments, along with freelance makeup jobs on the side. I continued working in the makeup field for several years after I stopped working in the clinic.
At some point, my husband, and I, with our little son, have decided to leave New Zealand to pursue our dreams to become location independent to travel and work at the same time. That was when the next significant chapter of my life started. Since then we visited and lived in SE Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Spain.
Over the years of travelling, I had an opportunity to re-discover my real passion in life and turn the idea into a reality. My what used to be just passion for beauty has grown into something more complex than only cosmetic enhancements. Since 19 years old, I struggled with acne, and even my extensive knowledge of skincare wasn’t helping. I was looking for answers everywhere. I tried countless beauty treatments in different parts of the world, including prescribed medication which only gave temporary relief. One day I came across the concept of the whole food plant-based diet, and that’s where it clicked – all this time I was looking for answers in the wrong places.
The turning point for me was when I did a 28-day cleanse eating unprocessed plant-based foods only. For 28 days, I ditched the dairy, coffee, alcohol, eggs, processed foods and ate just whole fruit and veggies. Usually, you would have to cut down on meat too. I was already a long-term vegetarian, so it wasn’t hard for me at all. I also included daily green juice and smoothies, which have become a part of my regular wellness routine since then. In a month, I have experienced significant results in my skin’s appearance and health in general. My skin got clear, bloating was gone, and so as brain fog. It felt like I pushed the restart button!
You can read my full acne healing story here.
Since then, I spent several years learning everything I could about plant-based nutrition and slowly but steadily transformed my family’s health by simply eating more plants!
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we got stranded in Spain, where we had to spend two months in lockdown. We realised what we want from life during that uncertain time, and that nomadic lifestyle wasn’t a part of that dream anymore. With our lifestyle change, it was getting harder to keep up with healthy eating while travelling. Since our health has become a priority, we wanted to end up somewhere we can grow the produce and access affordable, all-year fruit supply. For that reason, we decided to base ourselves in Thailand, where we can ground with nature and embrace slow living.
The years of travelling and experiencing the world have made me reform my life views completely. I had a chance to meet and create friendships with people of different nationalities and backgrounds. I have also had an opportunity to partner with beauty salons in Thailand and Bahrain, which was a great way to get an insight into international work ethics and the latest treatments. I realised that no matter where we are from and what struggles we go through, one thing that doubtlessly works in our favour is a balanced nutritional diet. The diet that provides vital nutrients for our bodies to function correctly helps to show us in full potential and leads to a happy disease-free life. The diet that prevents and treats the cause, not the symptoms!
I am very passionate about the whole foods plant-based diet because I have experienced all the perks first-hand. The abundance of fruit and vegetables in my daily diet helps me keep my skin clean and supple. The fascinating science behind the human genome, nutrition, ageing and health shows that the food we eat can impact specific genes, which is why anti-inflammatory plant foods are necessary for us to thrive!
I have finally concluded that beauty is an inside job, and that is why I started BEAUTYDIETS. I got a diploma in anti-ageing beauty nutrition and am qualified to advise and help others improve skin health and adjust your diet with skin-loving foods. If you are interested in working with me, YOU CAN START HERE
