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Eri Anton is a dynamic entrepreneur and advocate for holistic wellness, with a career that seamlessly blends business, personal growth, and a deep commitment to empowering others. From her role as VP of Business Development at Siren Wellness to founding her own clothing line, Eri’s Fitness, she has built a reputation for balancing multiple professional roles while prioritizing her physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Through the Eri Anton Foundation, she continues to make an impact by helping others grow and thrive in all areas of their lives. In this interview, Eri shares insights into her journey of self-improvement, the practices that support her well-being, and the wisdom she’s gained along the way.
Your career spans from leading Siren Wellness as VP of Business Development to founding your own clothing line, Eri’s Fitness. How do you maintain balance across these professional roles while prioritizing your own health and well-being?
I made a shift in how I live my life after ending a long personal relationship. I didn’t want to live the same way anymore, and I made a vow to myself not to waste a single second on anything that doesn’t make me a better person. I looked at the areas of my life I wanted to grow, and they were:
1 My physical well-being, and then exercise and diet became a key part of my life.
2 My financial stability, and then how I spent money and what return I got, became more important. Paying off debt and being in a positive cash position, then focusing on my core talents and interests that would create and build wealth, and my business ideas were formed and executed.
3 I was emotionally damaged and had to learn how to heal and manage my emotions better, which can be hard as a female. I began an intense study on relationships, emotional intelligence, and human behavior, which led me to learn and write about my insights in my blogs. I have since had some of my blogs published and became an author and mentor in the process.
4 I am now focused on building my spirituality and understanding more of my purpose and the gifts I have to offer to others. I have grown to appreciate true love much more and the sacrifices love makes, as well as the different types of love and how to spot them in others.
My balance is maintained by focusing on what matters—not only making time for the things that matter but also cutting out things that don’t matter and not wasting time where there is no growth.
Through the Eri Anton Foundation, you’ve made an impact on many lives. What inspired you to start this foundation, and how does the mission align with your personal journey toward emotional intelligence and personal growth?
It was born from my own personal suffering. I sought to learn through all my stress and pain because I didn’t want to repeat those lessons. Life has a way of sending you the same problem over and over until you learn and change. I realized that educating myself was important, and I allowed myself to develop relationships with people who were successful in life. I became a sponge, asking questions, learning, and applying what I could. What I learned that I could apply to my life, I did, and I gained a profound love for learning and helping others. I wanted to share what I learned to help others who were in the same place I was.
Women don’t always have the best support; we can be judgmental and catty with each other and not seek to support each other as we should. I wanted to be a woman who was there to encourage, motivate, and support other women who needed to gain strength to grow and be better in all areas of their lives. That led to my website and the foundation, which is still a work in progress. I have used that platform to promote fitness, eating with Eri’s Fit Kitchen, and personal growth through my blogs.
As someone deeply interested in promoting health, wellness, and self-improvement, what are some of the key practices you recommend for nurturing not just physical fitness but emotional and spiritual health as well?
Emotional well-being is more critical than people understand. My personal journey led me to understand all my feelings and then understand why I feel the way I do and how to respond to those feelings. This was gained in my study of emotional intelligence, and it was a hard journey, as women often have so many feelings that we actually think with our emotions. Men handle their feelings differently, which is why many men and women can’t communicate effectively—one is logical, and one is feeling-based.
So, I learned to meditate and relax when I have strong feelings and not allow myself to fly off the handle or make emotional decisions. It’s good to have a good male mentor for this, as men can help you process your feelings better than a woman can. It pushes you to a spiritual side, where you learn to rely on God and trust that no matter what is going on in your life or whatever you are feeling, it will pass. Staying spiritually grounded and allowing God to work through me gives me strength to control my emotions in a way that I would not be able to do without Him. With God in your life, you will still have problems, but you will have a peace that transcends understanding and helps you deal with anything that comes your way.
Traveling often provides new perspectives and inspirations. How has travel influenced your approach to wellness, relationships, and personal development?
When you experience people around the world, you gain an appreciation for how they live life. You take the best parts and incorporate them into your own life. Not every culture is perfect, but there are many things to learn from the people and the culture if you look for them.
Most of the time, it isn’t anything mesmerizing; it’s the simple things. Living in the moment and finding ways to make the most of your time is so important. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow isn’t here yet, and today is a present—a gift to enjoy. Make time for the things most important to you. I find one thing prevalent in other cultures is the emphasis on relationships—our ability to connect with each other in a deeper, more meaningful way. Here in the U.S., we can be very superficial, knowing someone for years but not truly knowing them.
Financial wellness is often overlooked in discussions about overall health. How do you believe cultivating financial intelligence contributes to being the best version of yourself, and what advice would you give to others striving for that balance?
Money is needed for everything, and it makes life easier, but in most cases, I don’t think people manage their money correctly. Money management, or being a good steward of what you have been given, is important.
If we talk finance, I always want to talk value. What is the true value of something?
We need to be more value-focused, not necessarily cheap. When we focus on value and priorities, we make different decisions. Society loves instant gratification, and you don’t place the same value in what you get for free as the things you have to work hard for.
When you live within your means and manage money with a focus on true value, financial wellness takes on a new meaning. If you drink coffee, a thought process I might follow is this:
How much does a cup of coffee really cost? (Not Starbucks, lol, but the true cost).
So, if coffee costs 50 cents for a cup, why pay $5.00 at Starbucks? The money saved can be invested into something with a return. If you get money to work for you with a return, it is always better than an expense with no return.
Maybe we don’t even need coffee if it isn’t contributing to a healthier me. Why pay for something that may cause more health issues down the road? This may be a bad example, but it is about the full cost of a decision, and you can really begin to assess the cost and long-term value of decisions you make.
Financial stability gives you so much freedom and should be at the forefront of your personal well-being. Not making more, but being better with what you have.
@erianton_
Art Director/Photography: @santomuse
Wings: @santo.wings
Swim & Resort wear: @oceanglaze
Glam: @juliarta.santo
Location: @andronissuites
