HI, I’M ANNE.
IT’S YOUR TIME TO STOP HIDING …
AND UNCOVER YOUR UNIQUE BEAUTY
TO LIVE LIFE WITH PURPOSE & PLAY!
“Beauty begins the moment you decide to
be yourself.”
Coco Chanel
I SEE YOU,
STRUGGLING THE SAME WAY I DID, to love yourself while experiencing THE LOSS OF YOUR HAIR,IDENTITY AND JOY
I see you feeling powerless about losing control over your body.
I see you feeling ashamed about losing your hair, struggling to recognize the new reflection in the mirror.
I see you having no words to express your pain.
I see you smiling but inside crying and struggling to ask for help.
I know you’re trying to hide your struggles, thinking that it’s “just hair”.
I know you don’t want to be seen weak and for people to feel sorry for you.
I see you trying to cope with it all on your own, alone.
Beauty of nature -
Beauty of your true nature
IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
You don’t have to go through this alone. I understand. I’ve been there.
I felt so insecure, alone and ashamed about living with Alopecia for almost two decades.
You want to be seen as your strong, beautiful, independent, feminine self, showing up as your true self with confidence and courage.
Take back control over your life and feel beautiful inside and out.
As a Life Purpose & Alopecia Empowerment Coach my mission is to help you discover your true beauty, both inner and outer beauty, and empower you to live life to the fullest with a sense of purpose and playfulness.
I help women struggling with Alopecia to stop hiding their unique beauty so that they can feel confident, love who they are, what they see in the mirror and to live a life full of joy, excitement, and adventure.
I’m so passionate about helping women overcome insecurities, build captivating confidence, and love themselves unconditionally for all that they are – being the realest, the most amazing version of themselves.
HEY THERE, I’M ANNE.
HERE IS MY STORY…
FREEDOM
AFTER ALMOST 20 YEARS OF BEING A PRISONER OF MY MIND
My first patch of Alopecia showed up when I was ten years old. I panicked and was very self-conscious about it. My mum took me to doctors but nothing could be done however luckily it healed.
It took another 16 years before it returned and my journey with the beauty and the pain of Alopecia started.
MY ADVENTURES TO FIND BEAUTY “OUT THERE”
From a young age I felt like an outsider, the odd one in the family.
After college at the age of 19, I was finally free to explore the world and escape the pain I was experiencing in my family to a more beautiful reality, I thought.
I embarked on a journey that led me to the captivating city of Paris for a few years followed by a decade in England.
At the age of 26, after living in England for a year, my Alopecia returned. I felt powerless, ashamed, and alone.
Losing my hair led to losing control over my body, mind, and actions. As someone who was already insecure, I began to hide my struggles, believing it was vain to be upset over "just hair".
My anxiety made it difficult for me to express my feelings, so I started hiding; hiding my emotions, words and myself under wigs that failed to reflect who I truly was. This pattern continued for a decade until I finally reached my breaking point, sought help and started my healing journey.
MASTER OF HIDING
I was slowly but surely losing my hair for over the first five years. I tried everything and anything to have my hair back, ranging from lotions and pills to acupuncture, Chinese medicine and various diets.
I resorted to wearing hair extensions, headbands, applying concealing paint over bold patches, using hair thickening powder and wearing hats, among other measures.
The constant stress of hiding bold spots and preserving remaining hair was agonizing.
UNSPOKEN WORDS - “DON’T TELL ANYONE”
And then came the wig. The big, dark, bulky wig that looked enormous in my tiny head.
“Don’t tell anyone”, said the person closest to me when I wore my wig for the first time. I trusted the advice and did not speak for nearly two decades. Both of us had learnt to hide our struggles from a young age to protect ourselves. We didn’t know any better so it’s nobody’s fault.
This decision led to more hiding, lying and desperation. Each day, being in such a profound misalignment with my values, where my core value of honesty was constantly contradicted, caused immense distress and suffering.
UGLY THOUGHTS - “I’M WEAK, IMPERFECT, NOT CAPABLE”
My belief that wearing a wig would lead others to perceive me as lacking strength, capability, beauty, and perfection shaped my actions accordingly.
I began to avoid close contact with people, avoiding intimacy and keeping my distance.
I sought out dimly lit spaces, avoiding sitting under bright lights, always resorting to sit in darker corners.
I observed people’s eye contact whether they were staring at my wig.
I panicked about being in photographs as I feared my wig would stand out and expose my secret.
I rehearsed scripted responses if someone asked about my hair, attempting to divert the conversation.
Some overnight events became off-limits as they’d require me to remove my secret hidden armour.
I resorted to heavy drinking during weekend parties to manage my anxiety and finding temporary relief.
I pursued an unattainable standard of perfection, constantly feeling like nothing was ever enough, and that I, myself, was not enough.
I put a lot of pressure on myself to excel in all areas of life to compensate for the perceived imperfections I thought was making me incapable in the eyes of others, going from one extreme to another followed by burn outs.
When I looked in the mirror, I saw someone who was scared, unattractive and alone.
This was my story for the first ten years of my Alopecia journey.
THEN EVERYTHING CHANGED. I CHOSE ME.
LIFE COACHING SAVED MY LIFE
FROM UGLY TO BEAUTIFUL MIND, BODY AND PLAYFUL SPIRIT
I chose to leave behind the life I’d built over a decade – my career, relationships and my home – and move back into my small bedroom at my mum’s house in Finland.
It was time to go back to the square one, to figure out why my quest for a beautiful and fulfilling life could not be found “out there” through external pursuits.
I invested in a Life Coach. Working with a life coach was a game-changer.
It was the only space where I could express myself without fear of judgment, advice, or misunderstanding. For the first time in my life, I felt safe, seen, and heard.
The support of a life coach helped me see new possibilities and provided me with a clear path forward. With their guidance, I had the courage to look deep into the reasons behind my tendency to hide and struggles in expressing my pain.
Once my thoughts and words were aligned, I found the strength to take action to stop hiding and start becoming the most authentic version of myself.
Through consistent action and self-reflection, I finally started to believe, feel and see that I am worthy, I am enough, I am safe, I am capable of living a life as my real self, by accepting BOTH, the beauty and the pain of life.
I’d finally asked for help, surrounded myself with people who supported me and found my inner voice in the beautiful Finnish nature in silence, solitude, and stillness.
I started to rebuild my foundation of who I was by defining my values and figuring out what I really wanted.
My mindset shifted from lack to gratitude and compassion by finding meaning in my struggles and seeing things from a different perspective.
I embarked on a new journey of writing my own story that aligns with my deepest desires.
Fast forward a few years when I discovered a new, incredible realistic looking wig that allowed me to truly recognize myself in the mirror.
The external transformation combined with the inner work made me feel whole and complete.
Empowered by my own journey, I felt a huge desire to help others on their path, marking the final chapter in my own transformation from hiding to being fully seen.
EVERYTHING CHANGED FOR ME!
I know showing my vulnerability is a sign of a strength, not weakness.
I know that it’s okay not to be okay and ask for help.
I know that I’m not alone; I have the support of many other Alopecians and the people I choose to have in my life.
I know that it’s not “just hair”. It’s an mportant part of my identity, just like any other aspect that makes me uniquely myself.
I know that it’s okay to stop and HIDE from the world and SEEK answers within before you take the next step, without having to do it alone.
I learnt to put myself first and prioritize my mental and physical well-being every day.
I learnt that I can redefine beauty for myself, breaking free from societal standards and creating a life that is best for me.
I learnt that true beauty is all about being your realest version of yourself and doing what you love.
PLACE OF BEAUTY
I’m now in a place of beauty and it makes me feel like me, myself, the truest, purest version of myself who I love very much.
Acceptance of the beauty and the pain, loving myself all that I am what makes me the most authentic me, my true playful self. No more hiding, shame or judgement.
I have the tools to navigate my thoughts, words and actions and create a chapter in my life that tells the story I want it to tell.
A story of a girl called Anne who found her purpose by sharing her imperfections which brought so much beauty around her, connecting with the most beautiful people inside and out, the Alopecian Beauties.
IT'S YOUR TIME TO STOP HIDING TOO AND SHINE YOUR UNIQUE BEAUTY FEARLESSLY!
SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT ME…
I love trees. Forest is my spiritual hiding place because its beauty, acceptance and silence make me feel safe.
I’m passionate about minimalist living. I only wear black clothes as black is my favourite colour and also to ease decision fatigue.
I love challenging myself and learning anything new – this year I’m learning about microbiome.
It’s “just me”, an independent woman. I love time alone and to show up for people who matter to me.
I love connecting and sharing life stories with fellow Alopecians at our monthly meet ups.
I had no voice in the corporate world. Since finding my passion in life coaching, I’m excited about speaking up and making a difference.
My HIDE III SEEK brand was inspired by playing with children whilst working part-time in a kindergarten.
I love different languages and exploring the origin of words. Did you know that dendrophile is a person who loves trees?
Things I love about the countries I lived in: sense of humour (Brits), Joie de Vivre (French) and honesty & hard-working mentality (Finns).
I’m fully committed to my purpose of helping you to feel beautiful inside out and live a life you deserve with purpose, adventure, and play.
PROFESSIONAL BIO
Anne Vainio is a Alopecia Empowerment Mentor & Coach for women who struggle with Alopecia.
Those courageous women who are ready to transform their life by discovering their inner and outer beauty so that they can love their true self and what they see in the mirror while living happier fulfilled life.
Through coaching services and speaking engagements, Anne helps beautiful Alopecians overcome their insecurities, ditch their old story and build captivating confidence, so that they can finally live a beautiful, adventurous life that they absolutely love.
Anne has a BBA in Marketing and 10+ years’ experience in marketing and event management in corporate world in Finland and in the UK.
After jumping off the rat race ten years ago and focusing on self-development, she found her passion in life coaching through her own experience. She graduated from the Jay Shetty Certification School as a Life & Success Coach in 2022. Anne passionately promotes the integration of the mind, body, and spirit, guiding individuals through a transformative journey with a tailored approach. She combines mindset coaching, positive psychology, breathwork, and innovate story telling tools to facilitate a step-by-step process of personal growth and empowerment.
Anne’s passion for visual marketing and brand story telling coupled with self-development creates an unstoppable combination of reinventing yourself and creating a new story that you want to live by. Anne truly believes that by ‘being the change you wish to see in the world’ (Gandhi) is the most powerful way to have an impact and transform lives all around the world.
BOOK YOUR FREE CALL TO SEE IF WORKING WITH ME IS RIGHT FOR YOU!
MY STORY
My story of the beauty and the pain that I shared with the world in November 2022.
PODCAST INTERVIEW
with The Calming Ground Podcast | Elizabeth Mintun
January 2024 (45 mins)
OUT OF HIDING: AN INTERVIEW WITH ANNE VAINIO ON PERFECTIONISM
Have you ever felt that you wanted to hide your imperfections?
In this episode, Anne Vainio, Alopecia Empowerment & Life Purpose Coach tells of her courageous path from burn-out and debilitating shame from being diagnosed with alopecia and permanently losing all of her hair, to courageously sharing her imperfections with the world, and finding a connection to life and others she thought was no longer possible.
Anne offers the inspiration and wisdom to all that we do not have to be ashamed of our imperfections, but rather accept them as an important aspect of our beauty.
Key takeaways:
Hiding imperfections and shame can lead to those imperfections and the associated shame becoming part of how you experience and identify yourself. Finding connection and support is key to healing and finding self-acceptance. Imperfection is beautiful.
You can listen here
PODCAST INTERVIEW
with The Introducing Me Podcast | Sarah Porell
January 2024 (50 mins)
ANNE: TRANSFORMING LIFE WITH ALOPECIA
At nineteen, Anne left her small hometown in Finland, landing in Paris and later spending years in England. It was shortly after leaving Finland when she started losing her hair due to alopecia.
Anne felt that she was losing control of her body and was in hiding for almost 20 years due to shame of being bald and having to wear bad wigs, and not being able to recognize herself in the mirror.
Nowadays higher quality wigs are available and she’s working to get better access to them in Finland for her fellow alopecians.
You can listen here
