Today we’d like to introduce you to Devon Kardel.
Hi Devon, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I had a very slow start to get to where I am today. As long as I can remember, I have been a very creative individual. Before I could even spell properly, I was writing stories and creating “TV series” with my toys and stuffed animals that I’d film around the house. I’d read anything I could get my hands on. I made my friends perform in short films that I wrote and would create. I was a musical theater kid, but too shy to ever audition for the leads. I was on a competitive dance team, happy to perform, but not alone. I always wanted to model or be an actress, I remember begging my parents to help me figure it out when I was a kid and had this fear that I wasn’t good enough. I struggled with body image issues and social anxiety for a long time that also made me feel like I was never good enough for these goals. In my eighth-grade graduation book, I wrote that one of my life goals was to be a best-selling author, but I still hadn’t let a single other person read what I had written.
I briefly majored in film and video studies in college, wanting to return to my writing roots and become a screenwriter, but my anxiety and desire to keep myself small put me back into a psychology major instead. So, I forwent a lot of my goals, studied psychology, and genuinely enjoyed it, but it also felt like I was neglecting a large part of myself.
It wasn’t until I moved back to Michigan for my master’s degree at 23 that I decided I really wanted to focus on trying to become me and pursuing the goals I was always too afraid to. When a friend cancelled on me to go to an audition together, I almost decided to give up, but am proud of myself that I didn’t. I faced my fears and got booked – and found out I’m really good at improv and was offered one of the highest payments for not just a first year, but anyone on cast. From there, I tried pageantry. I didn’t place my first few attempts but managed a semi-finalist placement at Miss Michigan USA, and a top 5 placement nationally at Miss Supranational USA. Since then, I’ve become a published model, booked consistent modeling jobs, walked runway, began public speaking for mental health advocacy, consulted with several businesses on mental health topics, copy wrote mental health content, partnered with mental health businesses to promote their content, and even placed top 5 in a bikini physique competition.
I’m currently pursuing my doctorate in clinical psychology, working full time as a therapist, and continuing to find success in modeling and social media on the side. My writing on social media and my blog has also found me several opportunities, and I’m so glad I’ve decided to get out of my own way. The feedback I’ve gotten from people on my social media and how I share my story has been incredibly inspiring and encouraged me to not give up on my goals. As the saying goes, we should share our stories, because they might become a page in someone else’s survival guide. I also want people to know it’s never too late to chase their dreams or try something new.
The confidence I’ve found in modeling, pageantry, and pursuing my own health has made a radical shift in me. I truly practice what I preach, and have no shame in sharing my story, my struggles, and how I’ve overcome so many of my problems with anxiety. My own healing process has made me so authentic in what I share and how I share it, so much so that I created my small business, The Alchemy of Authenticity, that is currently in a revamp to get a journal and workshop series. It has been such an adventure to give my creative projects the time and attention they’ve always deserved, and I can’t help but feel like I took the scenic route to get to exactly where I’m supposed to be. My younger self would be shocked at everything I’ve accomplished, how confident I am, and how much I truly believe in myself and my goals. I have never been happier or more committed to myself, and I genuinely want to help other people feel this way as well.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s taken me a long time to get to where I am, and I have had all kinds of struggles along the way. My mental health was never particularly good, until recent years when I started making a bigger commitment to finding and loving myself. For a long time, I had paralyzing social anxiety that made it very difficult for me to do a lot of the things that I wanted or pursue opportunities that would help me with my goals. I struggled with depression, anxiety, ADHD, body image issues, and all of it held me back from being who I knew I was capable of being.
It was hard to learn how to get out of my own way. I read books, listened to podcasts, spent years in therapy, journaled, and learned how to hold space for my emotions and inner child. Growth is not the beautiful aesthetic you see on TikTok or on Instagram. It’s lonely, it’s ugly, it’s a lot of holding yourself accountable and being willing to look at the ugly parts of yourself that you’ve spent your whole life trying to ignore. There are other people out there, living your dream, having the things you want for yourself, simply because they believe in themselves that they’re capable, and you are too! It’s not just telling yourself that you’re worthy of the things you want but truly believing that and taking actionable steps that reflect that. I have so much love and advice I’d like to give to anyone that is struggling with their goals but I think I have limited time and words here.
I used to think it took perfection to get the things I wanted. Perfection in how I spoke, looked, and presented myself. But perfection is so limiting. It’s truly your authentic qualities and unique quirks that make us valuable. What works for someone else may not work for you. You have a unique journey compared to everyone else, so your journey and results will never look the same. When we can stop comparing and focus on our own journey and how far we’ve come, even if we’ve started a little late, we’ll find so much more success. Even in my doctoral program that I’m so fortunate enough to be in – I have never been the greatest student on paper. Literally, I had a typo in my personal essay for my doctoral application. But I made it in, and I’m finding so much success in my program. Don’t limit yourself, try for what you believe you’re good at it, and let the universe decide if it’s meant to stick. You don’t have to be anyone thing but any or all of the things that make you happy. I’m a psychologist, a therapist, have competed over a decade’s worth of research, I am a professional. I am also a model, a writer, a content creator, a creative, and a pageant queen.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
When you Google my name, both my professional listings as a clinical psychologist/therapist and pictures of me in a bikini at Miss Michigan USA pop up. I’m weirdly proud of that, it feels authentically me. Like whoever Googles me can see you have permission to be both, to not keep yourself in a box by any means.
As my business title states, I strive to promote authenticity, and have such a deep sense of who I am, that I want to share my story and how far I’ve come, and use my experiences to help other people find the same for themselves. I walk the walk when it comes to therapy, self-compassion, and the healing journey. I would never ask of anyone else what I’m not willing to do for myself. As the question has come up in pageant interviews, I am living my platform. I don’t just want to bring mental health awareness, but mental health education. People know what depression and anxiety can look like; the questions are what do we do next? How do we talk about it, even if we’re uncomfortable? How do we support people? Where can we find resources or a therapist? What is therapy like? What are options for medication? How do we talk about side effects? How do we talk about the way mental health is presented in media versus what it’s actually like? I see a shift in these conversation starting to happen more openly, and I just want to continue to pursue that and make this information accessible.
Balancing all the boxes I like to dip into has also never felt like a particular challenge because it’s all things I like doing. I’m hoping to share more with my business and creative projects soon, and I’m really excited to share that with everyone. We’re all blessed with so many gifts to share with the world, and I feel like storytelling, sharing with others is definitely one of mine.
There’s nothing that sets me apart from other people in this. I read a quote that says to be a healer means that you awaken the healer that exists in all of us so that we can heal ourselves and inspire others to do the same. We’re all capable of healing and being healers. We’re all capable of being our highest self and fulfilling our life’s purpose and journey, I truly believe that. Once we can get out of our own way and quiet our own inner critics, we can do it all. It’s such a gift to give yourself acceptance and compassion, to shine love onto the parts of yourself you’ve always quieted or rejected. And more than anything I want to help others be able to do that.
I’m proud of my career, and what I’ve created in the few years I’ve been able to let myself experience this. I’m proud to say I didn’t start modeling until I was 25 and I’m published and have walked runway. I’m proud of what my body is capable of, in the weight training I’ve done, in the huge hikes and journeys I’ve been on. I’m proud of a recent solo traveling trip that I went on, I fully encourage everyone to try taking a solo trip. You learn how to be alone, how to enjoy your own company, and how to trust yourself so deeply. The only thing on the agenda is your own wants and needs and you learn so much about who you are in that time. It’s honestly transformational. And if you talk to me for more than ten minutes, I probably will bring it up.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned along my journey is that sensitivity is a gift, and we all need to listen to our emotions a little better. There is room for our emotions everywhere – at work, in our relationships, in our hobbies, at home. They’re the biggest life hack we have; they tell you what you need at any given time if you can listen to them. We have thousands of different emotions, but the average person can only identify three in their own experience. Taking the time to acquaint with your emotions and your intuition can seriously enhance your wellbeing and self-confidence, and has been the most radical change in my life and career, just learning how to listen to my emotions better. It was incredibly hard work unpacking everything around them, but also incredibly rewarding.
Contact Info:
- Email: alchemyofauthenticityblog@gmail.com
- Website: https://alchemyofauthenticity.wordpress.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/devoncaleyy
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlchemyxAuthenticity
Image Credits
Simran Bajwa
Emily Crombez
Stefano Passerini
Edwin Shaw
