You know how they say “the 5 people you spend the most time with are the people who shape who you are?” Well it’s true and I also believe who you follow on social media can very heavily influence your thoughts, lifestyle habits, and the way you feel about yourself. Every few weeks or months, I like to take inventory on the people I am following and if their account makes me feel bad about myself or doesn’t align with my lifestyle, I unfollow them. Simple as that.
I am lucky because I feel like have really curated my Instagram feed to be one of beautiful and delicious food, intuitive lifestyles, and authenticity. To avoid feeling drained from social media, I try and make everything intentional. That means I only allow myself to follow people who I genuinely care about and enjoy reading/seeing their posts. For a little insight into some of these “influencers” who lift me up, check out the list below.
This list is in no particular order and I am leaving out so many inspiring people who I still enjoy seeing every single day on my feed. For more recommendations on who to follow, feel free to message me!
1. Jeannette Ogden @shutthekaleup
Not gonna lie, I’m not a huge kid person so usually if someone I follow is a mama and posts about her kid all the time…I unfollow. No hard feelings, just not something I am interested in seeing. Jeannette always keeps it real, posts delicious looking food, and I am highkey obsessed with her beautiful family. In regards to food, she focuses on eating REAL food…and yes, sometimes that is a homemade croissant from the farmer’s market.
2. Lisa Hayim @thewellnecessities
I’ve never met Lili but she seems like the sweetest soul. Not only does she post beautiful pictures of her vegan eats but she is authentic in vulnerable about her struggles with disordered eating, staying authentic on Instagram, and she just moved to D.C so I am going to try my best to squeeze myself into her friend circle.
3. Minna Lee @livingminnaly
Minna has to be one of my favorite accounts because she always seems to *get* the things I am thinking. Her thought out captions and Instagram stories always highlight things a lot of us always things but never really talk about. She inspires me to love my body and accept it just the way it is. She’s also just a badass boss babe who always seems to be effortlessly running around New York City.
4. Jordan Younger @thebalancedblonde
Yeah, I may have written an ode to Jordan a few weeks ago buuuut my feelings on her haven’t changed in the slightest so I had to include her in this article. Most recently, I have been loving her vulnerable she has been with her healing journey with chronic lyme disease. A lot of times you only see the highlight reel of an influencer but she is honest with the good, the bad, and the ugly.
5. Rachel Mansfield @rachlmansfield
Along with Jordan, Rachel Mansfield was one of the first “influencers” I started looking up to. Recipe developing is not my thing so I have major props for her and all the ways she can use almond flour, bananas, and nut butter. Not only are her recipes constantly drool worthy, but her balanced lifestyle always reminds me that life is too short to skip dessert.
6. Addie Martanovic @chickpeainthecity
If you like matcha, Siete Foods tortillas, and bomb Spotify playlists, @chickpeainthecity is the account for you. Addie is very open with the fact that she is a creature of habit and eats very similar meals each day….in an Instagram world where everyone is pressured to create a beautiful, unique meal every day…Addie’s account gives me comfort in the fact that most of my meals consist of the save
7. Courtney Swan @realfoodology
Courtney travels around the world with Tove Lo as her right hand woman for all things maintaining a healthy lifestyle. To see easy, healthy travel hacks and how to maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle on the go–Courtney is your girl. She posts the best breakfasts and always gives me major wanderlust
8. Tiffany Acevedo @nourishedbykale
Don’t let the name fool you, Tiffany posts a ton of delicious and nutritious foods like salads, toasts, and zoodles but she doesn’t skimp on the sweet treats and posting about loving yourself for who you are. She’s one of the cutest human beings and makes me want to drop everything and move to California…ok, I wanted to do that already but I’m using her as an excuse.
9. Gracie Gordon @hungry.blonde
Gracie is the queen on food freedom and intuitive living. In fact, she one of the first accounts I followed who inspired me to live more intuitively. For all of the delicious eats in New York City, follow Gracie. She not only shares how she maintains balance living in the city but also how she lets go of diet culture ruling her life.
I’m not going to lie, it was really hard to narrow down this list to just 9 people. I follow about 350 and each of those people lifts me up and inspires me in some way shape or form. So for those who I didn’t mention, I still love you and you keep doing what you’re doing. It’s easy to let the people who you follow make you feel like crap about yourself–find people who inspire you and make you feel great about yourself no matter what your lifestyle looks like.
Shameless plug, but I’d like to think I inspire my followers to live intuitively so come say hi on my page @naturallynicoletta 🙂