AMBASSADOR STORY - ADERINA BERGER

We are so pleased to introduce you to our newest Real Active ambassador Aderina or @_addss on Instagram. Addie is a beautiful soul who is working through her own journey of self love and self confidence. She constantly encourages people to step out of their comfort zones and live life to the fullest, something she tries to do daily. Here is more of Aderina’s story.

Aderina Berger - Real Active Ambassador
  • Why did you want to become a Real Active ambassador?

I have always loved the products and after struggling with my mental health for the first time in my life this year, their values, awareness for mental health and support for mental health charities really resonated with me. When Carlie offered me the opportunity to be an ambassador, it was an absolute pleasure and is something I am proud of.

  • What is your favourite Real Active product?

I absolutely love my sand free towel. I live in the Whitsundays in Australia and have the luxury of swimming at the beach frequently. My sand free towel makes beach life so much easier. I love to just shake my towel a few times and watch the sand roll off. I also love that I can secure my keys, headphones, etc. in the little pocket.

Aderina Berger with her Real Active Beach Towels
  • Tell us a little bit about you.

I am 27 years old, and born in Australia, however I am half French and Half Malaysian. I speak fluent French, have travelled to 32 countries and have lived overseas a lot. I am currently living in Airlie Beach, Whitsundays in Queensland, Australia with my baby sister. My sister is my best friend, and my family is everything to me.

Aderina Berger and her sister

When I am not travelling around the world, I am a Real Estate Agent, however my journey since being in Airlie Beach has been working in the tourism industry for Club Wyndham and working at my gym Gravity Fitness, in the marketing and accounts department. In my spare time I enjoy modelling and creating content for businesses and tourism shoots, as well as being outdoors, going on adventures, dancing and spending time with my family and friends.

  • Tell us about your mental health and self-love journey.

This year is the first time in my life that I have struggled with my mental health and what a journey it has been. At the age of 14 I broke out in psoriasis for the first time and since then I have been on a continuous journey of self-love. For anyone that doesn’t know what psoriasis is, it is an autoimmune skin disease that is hereditary and can flare up at any time - for me the trigger is stress.

Throughout my life, like anyone, I have faced some life changing events which would cause me to break out in psoriasis, however I have never struggled with my mental health like I have this year. I’ve always had a strong family bond with my siblings and parents which has always been the pillar for me. To be fully transparent, this year I went through something that felt as if my family had broken and for me that sent my mental health into a downward spiral. With my mental health in a bad way, and my stress levels high, not only was I suffering mentally but also physically with psoriasis and other health issues on top of that.

Aderina Berger psoriasis flare up

Once realising that I was not okay, I reached out to a psychologist and from there I started my journey of self-love and healing my mental health. Normally I am a happy, bubbly person that tries to inspire others through living my life to the fullest and dreaming big, someone who loves being in front of the camera. Suddenly when my skin would break out, I would go into my shell and was afraid of what people would say, think and ask.

This year was my 7th flare up of psoriasis, and the first time I suffered from anxiety and depression. For someone who normally is very high on life, it felt like my health and my world was crashing down. Not loving myself whilst having psoriasis made my mental health worse and this is where I decided, with support from my friends and family, that it was time to change that and speak openly about my autoimmune disease and my mental health.

Aderina Berger psoriasis flare up

Being transparent to everyone and myself through posting about my mental health and skin on my socials (and openly speaking about it) was a huge step for me. For the first time I realised that my skin disease is always going to be a part of me as it will continue to flare up throughout my life. The more I try to fight it, the worse it will get. This time my autoimmune disease went hand in hand with my mental health and I felt it was time to openly talk about it.

The stigma around mental illness is huge and I found that when I finally had the courage to tell people that I was seeing a psychologist they responded with “I’ve seen one before”, but no one is proud to speak up about it. I stand before people today and even though I am still on the path to healing, I am proud to say, “I suffer from mental illness and I am speaking to a psychologist”.

I am also proud to say “I love my leopard skin” when I have my psoriasis flare ups and proud to get in my bikini and show people. Why? because nobody is perfect, and we all have our “flaws” but that’s what makes us unique. I am proud to speak openly about my mental health because at some stage in everyone’s life there will be moments where it feels like your world may be crashing down and it is okay to not feel yourself and struggle mentally. Speaking openly has helped me so much but I also hope that people can somewhat relate to my journey and have the courage to open up, speak up and learn to love themselves no matter what.

Aderina Berger with Real Active Beach Towel
  • Tell us something most people wouldn't know about you. 

Something that most people wouldn’t know about me is that I was a dancer for 12 years, but I gave it up – mainly for love and due to an injury. Sometimes I regret not pursuing my passion for dance after so long, as it is a huge part of me, however, I wouldn’t change it for anything. Sadly my first ever partner had a few strokes when I was 19 and this journey changed my life. It showed me how life can be short and to take risks to live the best life you possibly can.

Aderina Berger at Gym with Real Active bottle & gym towel
  • Why is stepping out of your comfort zone something you live by? 

My whole life, my parents have been my inspiration. From a young age, they taught me to work hard for what I want and dream big even when it seemed impossible. My parents both came from poor families but have created the most amazing life for themselves. I have been blessed to have them as my mentors and as people who strongly believe in living life to the fullest, because you don’t know when your last day will be.

I have always set goals for myself with goal books and vision boards. Without my parents' support to strive towards whatever I want, I would not be where I am today. I take risks, step out of my comfort zone, and live the best life I possibly can. Sometimes my goals may seem “too big”, but you don’t know what you can achieve until you try, and failing is one step closer to succeeding.

Most people are afraid of change and don’t realise the power they have to live an incredible life. Stepping out of your comfort zone is what will make you grow the most, travelling and opening your mind to cultures and language is an amazing way to educate yourself and sometimes giving up stability or financial security allows you to enjoy the beautiful things in life too.

Aderina Berger

Thank you Aderina for sharing your story. We hope that anyone reading this blog is encouraged to take more risks, step out of their comfort zone and live their life to the fullest. As they say “life begins at the end of your comfort zone”. To keep following Aderina's journey, head to her Instagram page.

Michelle aka @thatmarketingmum

 


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