Normalizing Normal Bodies, Mik Zazon, Hosts Retreats & develops Workout Programs

Mik is a creator and speaker on a mission to Normalize Normal Bodies (TM) through her workout programs and her global events company, The Rose Retreats. Today you’ll find her raising awareness around eating disorders, mental health, health, fitness, and all things related to being a woman through sharing her story in hopes others will learn to share theirs too. She was nominated as the Impact Entrepreneur of the Year, and has many business ventures in the works to help women feel at home in their bodies.

Tell us how you got involved with mental health and body image advocacy.

It’s been a very long road to get where I am now. In 2018, I was a product of what social media, my abuser, and my eating disorders wanted me to become. Someone who is complicit. I was an awful employee who quit jobs because she was completely obsessed with shrinking herself to ideal beauty standards. I memorized phrases celebrities said in response to important worldly questions in interviews so when someone would ask me something similar, I knew what to say. I photoshopped my body to convince myself I was worthy of others, and I only shared weight-loss transformation photos online to provide me with anything good to keep on living. In 2018, I also hit rock bottom. I had been taking illegal steroids to lose more weight, running from every problem I had, and I completely broke down. In 2018, I realized I had to face myself head-on. I had the opportunity to show people the realities of what eating disorder recovery was like, what gaining weight was like, and what healing trauma was like, and my social media skyrocketed. One of my proudest achievements is being one of the first ever people to show people these realities. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

You created Shop Commen, a clothing company designed to “Normalize Normal Bodies”. How did you develop the clothing line?

It all started when I unknowingly created the viral phrase and hashtag, Normalize Normal Bodies™ a few years back. I remember just getting out of a really hard therapy session where we spoke about body acceptance and how upset I was at the world for making people afraid to show up as their true authentic selves. For me specifically, I was exhausted hiding my acne, my razor burn, ingrown hairs, stretch marks, and weight gain.

I realized that there is an un-communicated bond every person has on this earth hiding parts of ourselves in fear of what people will think about us, and because I was sharing my recovery journey online I felt a gravitational pull to let everyone know that these differences do not need to be hidden. These differences can be worn proudly and when we do this together we can create a united front against this society that has shamed people from embracing their true unique beauty. And I also wanted to make a statement that things like razor burn and acne don't need to be looked at as bad or good but looked at as something neutral. So I grabbed a letter board and wrote, Normalize Normal Bodies™, and I had no idea how much impact it would make across the world.

Fast forward a couple of years, the hashtag and phrase grew so wildly that I knew I wanted to create clothing that people were excited to wear because it gave them a chance to tell their own stories about their journey to loving themselves. Normalize Normal Bodies™ hoodies and shirts would sell out within a couple of hours, and that is when I expanded the clothing line to say other bold phrases to bring awareness to these conversations all of us needed to hear.

I would put things on the backs of shirts that would say “if you are reading this, you are worthy, kind, and smart”, or put “cute belly” on a crop top so people can be proud of the body they have no matter how they show up in the world. I am a firm believer that change happens one conversation at a time, and Shop Commen allows that change we’ve all been yearning for to happen.

You are also the Founder and CEO of the ROSE Retreat. Can you describe the ROSE Retreat and why you founded it?

The Rose Retreats began when my best friend Gabby (@gabbymale) and I both began our recovery journey in 2018. Gabby and I had both allowed diet culture and beauty standards to dictate and control our lives for WAY too long. So when we both began our journey to freedom, we knew we had to share it with all the other women struggling to love themselves and find comfort in their bodies. And so, The Rose Retreat was born. We are two best friends who are extremely passionate about helping women find confidence in their skin. We love bringing women together, teaching them, and empowering them to become their best selves. In a world where our heads lay buried in our phones, we wanted to bring our community to life. And what better way to do that than a 4-day retreat with 20 amazing women? ROSE stands for Restore, Overcome, Self-Love, & Empower.

What can someone expect to experience during a retreat and how is it programmed around mental wellness and self-acceptance?

Our retreats are strategically themed, always including eating disorder professionals that have workshops for women to start or continue their recovery, and women choose a retreat based on exactly what they need. We all come from different points, and stages in our journey, so whatever you are struggling with, you can choose a retreat that will serve you!

It started with me calling my best friend Gabby asking if she wanted to help me create an event where we would host women who were struggling with body image and mental health in some sort of event space. The vision was to provide mental health professionals, resources, and an in-person community to help in their self-love journey. Next thing you know, she and I were booking a cabin in Hocking Hills Ohio, and hosting 20 women for a 3-day retreat. We gathered our friends to help with cooking, cleaning, and support. It was hard work, but we saw the potential for a much larger impact.

A couple of years ago we held a retreat in Canada called “Conquer Your Closet”. We brought in speakers like Chrissy King, the author of Body Liberation Project, and Daniella Seibert who is a style coach who works with people in changing bodies to simplify their wardrobes for more confidence and less stress. During the retreat, the attendees learned about how much their body image is affected by the clothes they have in their closets. Whether it’s the clothes that have been saved from high school that are too small, or clothes you bought that don't go with anything in your closet and you aren’t sure how to wear it. Daniella went through each person and gave them the color pallet that works best with their skin tone, eye, and hair color and worked with them to understand how to use clothing to accentuate their beautiful body type. Chrissy held a workout class where she spoke about how to treat your body with kindness when you are exercising, and we had a pop-up clothing shop where the attendees could put the work they did in the workshops into action!

Most recently we held our Free To Be Conference in Columbus, Ohio. We realized there was a calling to gather creators from different marginalized communities to talk about how their freedom to be their most authentic selves is made impossible by unrealistic and unattainable beauty standards. And how we can unite as a community to learn from one another, and respect and celebrate each other's differences.

The Rose Retreats has allowed attendees to follow their dreams, create lifelong friendships, and speak their bold and beautiful truth. I am so proud of what Gabby and I have created.

Tell us about HIIT30. How did you develop this program?

When I moved back home to enter eating disorder treatment, one goal that and my dietitian created was to find joy in movement again. For me, that looked like taking a little more than 3 months of rest from exercise, and then figuring out what forms of movement didn’t trigger unhealthy thoughts. I quickly found that doing bodyweight exercises outside in the sun was where I felt I could celebrate my mind and body most. I began writing workouts that I created that left me feeling powerful and energized. After 6 months I had over 100 workouts. I realized that people who were trying to find their love for fitness again would value a program that didn’t restrict them from life and that was when HIIT30 was born!

How does HIIT30 differ from other workout programs?

HIIT30 was one of the first ever programs marketed to women online that was anti-diet, included dance breaks and summersaults in the workouts, and gave directions to shorten the 30-minute bodyweight workouts to fit your lifestyle. Now there are over 20,000 women who have purchased and loved the program and over 15,000 women in the support group ready to cheer each other on and guide each other in this new way of loving their bodies.

What advice would you give to someone currently struggling with body image and self acceptance?

Body and self-acceptance is no small journey. Everyone starts at different places, has different needs, looks different, feels different, and requires a personal and intimate approach to healing. Please be patient with yourself. This is extremely hard work. Let yourself rest. Let yourself feel, without trying to force it away. Ask for support wherever and however it feels best because you deserve to be helped. And lastly, you can never fail when learning to accept yourself. I repeat, there is no failing. There is just learning. And learning what doesn’t work for us is just as important as learning something that works for us in our journey. □

Article Credits

Mik’s Instagram: @mikzazon
Mik’s Facebook: @mikzazon
Mik’s TikTok: @mikkzazon
Mik’s Website: mikzazon.com

Photography Credits

Photographer: Brittany Sidwell
Photographer Instagram: @bsidwellphoto