2023 SI Swimsuit Rookie Mady Dewey Shares 6 Self-Love Practices for Better Work-Life Balance

The Herd app cofounder and CEO also offers suggestions for creating a healthier relationship with social media.

Mady Dewey.Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Not only is Mady Dewey the winner of last year’s Swim Search and a 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie, she’s also a tech industry professional and content creator. If there’s anyone who can offer up tips for work-life balance and self-love practices, it’s the 25-year-old entrepreneur.

“I think that it’s a really important practice to fill your own cup up first,” Dewey says when it comes to her priorities.

Self-Love Practice 1: Make Time for Yourself Every Morning

In order to do so, Dewey has six key self-love practices that she executes on a daily basis. First, she makes sure to set aside time for herself in the morning before getting to work.

“Something I do daily for my mental health, which I’ve been doing for the past few years, is a morning block,” Dewey says. “Whether it’s five minutes, an hour, it doesn’t matter about the length of time, but making sure that I get out of bed before I start my work day has been huge for my mental health.”

Self-Love Practice 2: Start the Day with Positive Affirmations

She then starts her morning with a few daily affirmations to begin her day on a positive note. “I always write one in my notes app when I wake up,” Dewey shares.

Self-Love Practice 3: Prioritize Movement and Intentional Rest

Whether her schedule is packed with work or play on any given day, Dewey makes sure to prioritize some movement in her day.

“One more [self-love practice] is being active and moving my body with intention,” Dewey notes. “So only listening to my body, moving when it feels right and resting when it feels right as well.”

Self-Love Practice 4: Take a Break from Social Media

Even though Dewey is the cofounder and CEO of a metric-free social media app called Herd, she’s a proponent of the occasional social media detox.

“Another way that I practice self-love is by taking the end of the evening to get off my phone, whether it’s five minutes or a full hour, whatever I can do to just decompress with my partner, chill out with the cats,” she says. “No phone necessary.”

Self-Love Practice 5: Set Intentions 

As a professional in the tech industry, Dewey is eager to remind people that there are ways to create a healthier relationship with social media. First and foremost, she says to set an intention before picking up your phone to avoid falling victim to the comparison trap of social media.

“The best thing that you can do before even logging on is just telling yourself, ‘I’m going on to get entertainment, to learn something, to catch up with my friends,’” she suggests.

And while many of us try to stay off of our phones first thing in the morning, Dewey says checking it first thing isn’t so detrimental. Instead of completely avoiding your phone in the a.m., she simply suggests using your time intentionally while scrolling.

“You can just say, ‘I’m going to go on and watch five pieces of content on TikTok,’ for example. Or, ‘I’m going to see five videos and make five comments and that’s it, and then I’m gonna get off and start my day,’” Dewey offers. “Holding yourself accountable is actually a great way to kick off your day.”

Self-Love Practice 6: Share Your Process

Lastly, Dewey says it’s important to be open and honest with a supportive friend any time you start comparing yourself to the highlight reels of other people online and begin to feel down.

“Everyone’s experiencing comparison and struggles with their relationship with social media,” she admits. “It’s pretty common, so have these conversations with friends, open up about how you’re feeling and the more you talk about it, and the more we destigmatize feeling comparison, the less we have shame and guilt around the subject.”

Meet Mady Dewey—read the SI Swimsuit rookie’s full feature profile here.

Get ready for the hottest event of the year! The 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue is just around the corner, and you won’t want to miss the Swimsuit Issue Launch Party. Secure your tickets now and join us for an unforgettable weekend of glamour, beauty and fun.

Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube!