A big hello to every beautiful soul reading this. I am Ayla and I decided to create I Am BeYoutiful after suffering a traumatic injury at the age of 25. I lost my dominant hand in an accident, and the realisation of what had happened left me feeling lost, embarrassed and with very little confidence.

I woke up not knowing who I was anymore. I was unsure of how I would reintegrate back into society, now as the girl with only one hand. I struggled for many years to accept the new me. I didn’t like her, I didn’t want to be her and all I wanted was to be me again, to feel like myself and to do all things I once was able to do. I wanted two hands!

I know how it feels to not feel beautiful. I know what it’s like to have zero confidence. I know how it feels to have self-doubt, to question every single thing about myself and to endorse negative and limiting self-talk.

BUT, through this struggle, I learnt how to love and embrace every inch of myself, to know where my source of beauty comes from and to expand on this daily. I want every girl and boy to know just how beautiful they truly are, to know that beauty comes from within and to understand that the only person they need to impress is themselves.

I wanted to create a safe space where the IAB team can share with you the knowledge, wisdom, and everything we have learnt on the road to becoming the best and most beautiful version of ourselves.

…and that is why IAB was born.

After I graduated in 2019, I started looking for opportunities to develop my editorial skills. I found many, but none spoke to me like the post calling for writers at I Am BeYoutiful. When I read the advert, the teenage girl inside me felt seen, and I knew instantly that I wanted to be a part of a mission that gave other young girls what I desperately needed growing up. Being part of IAB goes far beyond getting editorial experience, it is something that fulfils and heals me and so many others too. I am incredibly proud to be part of a diverse I Am BeYoutiful team full of strong, talented women - all with the same collective passion and drive to fill each other and young girls up.

Here’s to strong women,

May we know them,

May we be them,

May we raise them

(Quote by Unknown)

I initially found I Am BeYoutiful via LinkedIn, and I was immediately struck by the empowering message behind its creation. It is most definitely a magazine which I would have loved to have read when I was younger, and so I decided to contact the magazine to enquire if I could write for it.

I became a contributing writer for I Am BeYoutiful in February 2021, and my main reason for joining was to become part of a community of like-minded individuals, who have the same passion to support and inspire young girls and teenagers. My involvement with I Am BeYoutiful further deepened in July 2021, where I was selected to be Assistant Editor.

I am especially passionate about body confidence, a topic which many of my articles for the magazine revolve around, after dealing with low self-esteem during my younger teenage years. My aim in writing for the magazine is to inspire young women and provide them with the knowledge that they are not alone in any of their concerns or worries.

I want teenage girls to feel empowered, confident and strong, because harnessing these qualities when you are young is what I believe leads to the development of successful and happy women.

The initial decision to join I Am BeYoutiful was because I knew I wanted to write, having studied English Literature at A-Levels and then at degree level, it’s always something I’ve had a passion for and when I saw the job title for Content Writer I was immediately interested. However, as I read further onto the job description and learnt more about I Am BeYoutiful, I saw we held many of the same values. I have always been an advocate for empowering women and I Am BeYoutiful was exactly that and more; a platform that helps to amplify female voices, challenge stereotypes and create an encouraging, empowering space that celebrates female accomplishments and unites women to share their struggles and offer real-life advice.

Working for I Am BeYoutiful over the past year my articles have ranged from elevating black female voices to discussing taboo subjects such as masturbation. Growing up I loved buying magazines however the representation in these magazines as well as the content itself was limited, it told me how to look and how to behave, but the thing is we’re not all the same and we shouldn’t try to be. If I’ve learnt anything as I’ve grown up it’s that we’re all different and that’s amazing because it means we all have something else to offer and bring to the table, it makes the world that much more vibrant and exciting. I really enjoy working for I Am BeYoutiful as it encourages the beauty of uniqueness and I hope through our articles that you recognise the beauty of you, just being you.

Hey! I’m Erin and I’m 23 years old. I’ve been writing with I Am BeYoutiful for just under a year now, and I’ve loved every part of it. I joined the team because, first and foremost, I love to write and hope to one day do it as my career. However, there’s also a reason that IAB jumped out to me as a magazine I would like to write for. For starters, I still don’t think there’s enough written content out there that is tailored towards women and written by them. As a young woman, I always found it difficult to find any publications that weren’t tailored too heavily towards a certain type of girl. I Am BeYoutiful’s philosophy is therefore something I really felt connected with, as the magazine is purely aimed towards uplifting all types of women.

Ayla, my twin sister and the founder of IAB, has always been emotionally intelligent, wise and generous with insightful and motivating advice and support. When she created IAB, it seemed a natural progression for her and, given the passion she expressed, I was excited about what it could become. The idea of changing young people’s perception of beauty immediately resonated with me. It is a worthy pursuit and has great potential in the fight against the psychological pressure and trauma inflicted on young people by the corporate and mainstream media.

Whilst at IAB, I worked as the deputy editor of the magazine and also wrote for the monthly ‘Pop Culture’ feature. Proof-reading the magazine was a real privilege, as it gave me the impetus to read article after article full of originality and insight. I also relished the opportunity to dissect pop culture in our quest to uncover what is and isn’t progressive in this ever changing and influential industry.

It has been an absolute pleasure working with the IAB team over the past two years. Their creativity, determination and hard work is totally inspiring. I really cannot wait to see how IAB progresses from here.

I’ve always had a natural, inquisitive eye and desire for fabulous clothing.

Fashion has consistently been a passion of mine and something I wanted to get in to so when Ayla asked me to a part of I Am BeYoutuful and explained to her vision; how could I say no? Not only was I going to do something that I loved but more importantly I would be a part of an amazing team that would empower and inspire young women to find true beauty from within themselves.

Ayla and I have been friends for over 20 years and I remember the day I got the call to say that Ayla had an accident at work like it only happened yesterday; it was the day that would change her life forever. It changed my life too because I knew no matter what, I would not let her go through it alone - I would be there for Ayla and her daughter Diaz come what may. The months after her accident, whilst Ayla was in recovery would become the time I saw my best friend at her lowest.

Ayla was a beautiful, confident and outgoing person. Someone everyone would gravitate to because of her infectious personality, someone that you always wanted to be around. In the months after her terrible accident, she became a shy, introverted, and demure person. Ayla would avoid going out by making excuses if invited anywhere. It has taken time, and she continues on her journey to self-confidence.

I am so proud of her. She has taught me so much through her journey - a true inspiration and I know she will enrich the lives of so many with love, kindness, and her selfless nature. She is the definition of someone that is not only beautiful on the outside but on the inside too.

I am incredibly excited to continue this amazing journey with Ayla and I Am BeYoutiful especially because we live In a world dominated by social media images of "perfect" faces and bodies, and we need to promote body confidence.

My philosophy when it comes to fashion is:

Dress to express,

Not to impress,

True beauty comes from within.

I joined IAB because the brand was what I needed to hear at that moment in time. I remember scrolling through Indeed Jobs and I found the job posting and when I read that the brand was all about self-love and promoting self-confidence, my whole soul lifted at the fact that there was a brand trying to uplift women, especially young girls to love themselves unconditionally, which I really needed to be doing at the time. Ayla’s story inspired me, and I knew that by joining IAB, that maybe I too could feel self-empowered, and I don’t regret my decision for a single moment. IAB has been so rewarding from the people to the way my creativity has been able to blossom, to the joy I feel writing and curating for IAB every month. By working and being a part of the the team at IAB, I feel empowered because I am passionate about what I do, I am strong as a woman and as a Type 1 Diabetic, and I am supported by amazing people who all bring so much to IAB. It is one of the most amazing work environments to be around and I thank God every day that I have been blessed with such a beautiful opportunity such as this one.

I am a lover of all things food - I love cooking for others and nutrition is a massive interest of mine. So when Ayla offered me the opportunity to write the recipes for the IAB magazine I accepted happily but then immediately thought… but I’m not a writer!

I was apprehensive but my heart told me good things would come from this and I was excited to be a part of a journey with a team of amazing people. Although what I do is a small part of the magazine, writing the recipes has given me so much in terms of trusting in my own abilities. Plus seeing my recipes in the monthly magazine creates a sense of accomplishment and achievement. I Am BeYoutiful for me, is a much-needed movement for the times we are living in. It is a life hack for the youth of today. It is all about awareness, self-confidence, and the key to a better future. By being involved in the cause of helping the development of others I have gained so much awareness and confidence myself. IAB has done so much for my personal growth and I can’t wait to see the positive impact it has on our followers' lives.

I came across I Am BeYoutiful online and was instantly drawn to their mission statement which focuses on self-love and building self-esteem. This is something that resonated with me because I struggled with both in my teenage years and if I'm honest I still do. I was excited to see there was an opportunity to be a part of this amazing team - one that works towards spreading a powerful message and positivity into the community. Ayla’s journey of overcoming adversity and her personal journey of strength and growth made me want to be part of the I Am BeYoutiful project. I feel truly blessed to have been able to meet and interview such a diverse range of people because each one of them has enriched my life journey. I can take away many life lessons while also sharing my passion for all things beauty-related. Thank you IAB for allowing me to be part of this beautiful journey of yours.

I joined IAB in November 2020 and wrote my first article ‘A Beginners Guide to Mindfulness’ for the magazine’s second edition. Since then, I have written monthly articles ranging from top tips, fashion, beauty, self-love, and celebrity news.

I originally joined the team to gain experience within the magazine industry alongside my university course. Around that time, I felt insecure in myself and like many had been struggling with adapting to living in a pandemic. I found this platform all about empowering and accepting yourself and believed it was one that would help my confidence while allowing me to help others, and it has.

As soon as I joined the team, I felt extremely welcome. Everyone puts in lots of time and effort to make the magazine the best it can be. The founder of I Am BeYoutiful, Ayla, has enabled me to gain experience within the writing industry and helped me to build on my writing techniques. She has also been constantly supportive of my university work, which is particularly important when working within a team.

In my work as a GP, I see more and more cases of depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, and low self-esteem, and it is clear that this affects people of all ages in every aspect of their lives. Depression is increasingly affecting younger generations and is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents according to the World Health Organisation.

Medical treatments and therapies seek to mitigate the effects of depression and to neutralize it if at all possible but they rarely attempt to help people to realise their full potential or to create a life that inspires and excites them.

As we go through life we all have an opportunity to take steps to get to know ourselves better and to live a purposeful life that is more and more aligned to our true nature. IAB allows us to share the tools needed to do this with both young and old and more specifically provides a platform to teach these tools to young people at an age where it can really change the trajectory of their life to take them on the journey to self-knowledge, self-acceptance and ultimately to self-love.

I am proud to be part of a wonderful team that is passionate and committed to inspiring others to live a more fulfilled and joyful life.

I’ve known Ayla for many years and when she shared her idea for I Am BeYoutiful with me it didn’t surprise me. Ayla’s has always found a way to nurture and uplift the people around her and having teenage girls ourselves, wanting to create a space where young girls can find and embrace self-love and self-confidence seemed a perfect fit. Confidence and self esteem are things I’ve battled with my whole life and I’ve always enjoyed working with young people, so I was excited to be invited to help bring her vision to life through the workshops and subsequent magazine. Being a mother of a teenage daughter growing up in a social media age I really wanted to be part of a movement that gave girls like mine access to resources and tools that would help with the challenges of teenage years plus help navigate through life in general. I really believe IAB offers that.

During my A-Levels, I had discovered my passion for writing. I wasn’t necessarily good at it, but I enjoyed the process of the research and writing what I had learned. I then decided that going forward I was going to pursue a career in journalism. I finished my A-Levels in 2020 when the pandemic caused me to take a gap year. I had my place at university, but I just had to wait a year to go. This meant I needed something to spend my time doing that would give me experience in journalism, and what better way to do so than to write for a magazine such as I Am BeYoutiful, which reflects my ideas and values.

What first drew me to IAB was the overwhelmingly positive messages being sent out to young women via their platform. I noticed many issues that IAB were writing about and publicising that I could identify with. The whole website seemed geared towards spreading a positive message of self-acceptance and strong female identities, and this community was something I was extremely drawn to. I was so excited at the opportunity to join this group of strong young women and a female owned-business, and felt that this would be a great platform through which I could connect with other women with similar views to mine. I also thought that writing for IAB would be a great way for me to gain experience writing about issues I care about, and to grow as a journalist and writer. My expectations and reasons for joining were completely justified in my experience of working for IAB, and I am excited to see where the company goes in the future.

My name is Khanyi Mbukwane and I am a writer for IABUK. I found the magazine through a phenomenal friend. I was featured in the magazine and after reading the articles I fell in love with what it represented. I love the message it carries for young women and how empowering the stories it tells are. Even the title of the magazine is exceptional and an affirmation one should speak to themselves every day. I truly feel like this magazine aligns with who I would like to be one day

IAmBeYoutifulUK! This name has my heart! The first time I heard it I was filled with a different kind of joy and being part of this group is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I am out of words. It's just a pleasure and an absolute honour to be involved with this beautiful project.

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