If there’s one thing we know about Alexis Ren, it’s that she’s so much more than meets the eye. You might know her for her stunning photos, dance performances, and YouTube workouts (we’ve been doing this one for years, and it actually gave us a booty!), but the model has found the most passion and purpose in her wellness community, We Are Warriors. Through fitness, journaling, live Zoom calls, and more, WAW is a place to evolve mentally, physically, and spiritually alongside 3,000+ women with similar goals.

Here, the LA native explains why compassion comes from within, why the early bird doesn’t always catch the worm, and how revisiting your childhood can reveal your truest form of self-care.

What is the We Are Warriors community?
Originally, it was just a workout program, but then I started doing live calls each Friday to help the girls stay motivated. I wanted them to understand that if we don’t have a relationship with our bodies, it’s very hard to have one with our minds and hearts. You have to move so you can stay still. Once we started doing those calls, they transformed into the mentorship I give now. We still have workout videos, but we also do breathwork, meditation, yoga; offer courses; and host celebrity guest speakers.

How has building a wellness platform helped improve your own?
It’s changed me dramatically. I always knew I wanted to be a leader in some way, so We Are Warriors gave me the opportunity to be more like the powerful women I look up to—Elizabeth Gilbert, Brené Brown, and Oprah—who have warm, beautiful speaking voices and command rooms with compassion. It sounds cheesy, but it gave me affirmation that I can be who I want to be. Having followers on Instagram? Cool. But having a tight-knit community of 3,000 girls that are there for you no matter what? That’s amazing.

Speaking of followers, what does it feel like being an OG influencer?
Unfortunately, the word “influencer” is always going to have a bad taste in my mouth. I still remember the article that called me that for the first time, and I didn’t know what it was. I was like, “Why are they calling me an influencer? And why is the fashion industry suddenly not taking me seriously?” It’s like a trauma response word for me, because it instantly shoves me into an area where I didn’t choose to be.

Social media can be very toxic. How do you keep your mental health in check?
Sometimes I have to take a step back from it, because whenever there’s a new platform, I get paralyzed. I’m like, “Not another black hole.” Then I go, “Okay, it’s a tool,” and start bringing it into my life. I have to relearn how to have fun with it, because it’s this thing that’s never satisfied. But the reason I built We Are Warriors is so that I don’t need to force my soul down people’s throats on any social platform. If you want to learn from me, come to my community, but don’t go on my TikTok or Instagram and say, “I know who you are.” Like, the f*ck? How?!

Tell us about your NFTs and how they’re contributing to WAW.
We’re switching We Are Warriors to an NFT community instead of a subscription. So instead of paying monthly, you can buy a piece of artwork and get lifetime access that way. The girls are more invested now than ever because they have a newfound sense of ownership, and that’s what I want the community to feel like—a family we’re all growing. We’re each other’s resources. I have girls who are actors and girls who write scripts, so I’m like, “Okay, we’re going to put you two together.” I have girls who are musicians and a girl who’s a producer, so I put them together. You’re not just making friends, you’re building your network.

What does self-care mean to you?
I’ve noticed self-care tends to be the activity you enjoyed most as a child, so I always tell the girls, “Go back to your childhood. Did you read? Did you write? Did you paint?” For me, it was ballet and dance, so I make that a priority. Also, sleep, which is very underrated. For a while, there were so many “gurus” being like, “Wake up at 5 AM. Do this. Do that.” Why should I feel shitty about sleeping in when that’s what my body needs? I can get more work done if I sleep in until 10 AM as opposed to getting up at 5:30, walking to a pilates class, and being a zombie by 1. The quality of the time you spend on this earth matters so much more than the quantity.