The Personal Journey of Model and Mom Zuzanna Von Salm

CultureFashion and DesignModel

Nov 28

Written By Leila Antakly

Zuzanna von Salm: From Runway to Ritual | Antakly Projects

Antakly Projects

Ceremonia Meditation @ceremoniameditation Model Series

Antakly Projects · Model Series · Motherhood

Zuzanna von SalmFrom Runway to Ritual

Ceremonialist, HypnoBirthing teacher, and former fashion model on the life that found her after the industry.

Southampton, NY · Originally Srem, Poland Ceremonia Meditation · HypnoBirthing Prada · Versace · Vogue

By Leila Antakly

I am very excited to introduce Zuzanna von Salm: a beauty who truly glows, and whose story goes far deeper than her career.

Zuzanna was born and raised in the small town of Srem, Poland. From a young age she knew her passion was to travel. She was a synchronised swimmer for five years before signing her first modelling contract, the beginning of a genuinely remarkable career: an exclusive contract with Prada, the runway at Versace, campaigns for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Helmut Lang, DVF, Victoria's Secret, Cartier, and L'Oreal, among many others.

Then the industry, as it often does, asked her to become less. Her body was "too athletic," she was told. The advice: lose muscle, become thinner. She followed it. What followed was years of eating disorders, a mild depression, and eventually panic attacks. One day she decided she had had enough.

What came next is the more interesting story.

In 2016, through an online video and an essay about her struggles, she found herself becoming a mentor and advocate for change in the field of eating disorders in the fashion industry. Around the same time she began her training as a meditation teacher.

"I started looking into mindfulness techniques and found myself on a spiritual journey that led me to meditation, yoga, energy work, sound healing, plant medicines, and many more modalities."

Zuzanna von Salm

About Zuzanna

Today, Zuzanna von Salm is a shamanic practitioner, certified meditation and HypnoBirthing teacher, intentional events curator, and facilitator. Having delivered her twins with a combination of self-hypnosis, visualisation, and breathing techniques, she now coaches other women through natural birthing. "I wanted to offer an effective meditation method for my pregnant and birthing clients," she explains, "and HypnoBirthing is that and so much more. It educates and empowers women and reminds us about the incredible abilities of our minds and bodies."

Every full moon, at different Hamptons locations, von Salm leads Ceremonia Meditation: a gathering of women craving connection through rituals including sage-smudging, music, meditation, and plant-based food. Her approach integrates ancient cross-cultural wisdom and holistic methods, and her ceremonies include energy movement, creativity, shamanic practices, and connection rituals.

Her work mission is to uplift, empower, and inspire: to transform the mundane into the sacred and to create beautiful experiences and environments for connection, growth, and healing. Zuzanna resides in Southampton, NY with her husband, three daughters, and two rescue dogs.

Watch · Zuzanna von Salm

The conversation

What was your first response to finding out you were becoming a mother?

Since my pregnancy was unplanned, my very first response was shock, tears, panic. My partner and I hadn't been dating for that long and I had just committed to a month-long trip to India. Life had a different plan for me. Ludi really showed up as a man who was ready to start a family, and instead of going to India I ended up moving from New York to Southampton to get ready to welcome a child. After the initial reaction, I eased into excitement for becoming a mother.

Can you share some of the things that helped most during your pregnancy?

During my pregnancy I had an urge to move as much as possible. Light workouts, long walks with light weights, and prenatal yoga kept me sane in the storm of hormones. I also remembered to listen to my body and rest whenever I felt uncomfortable, and to care for myself with frequent prenatal massages.

I already had a strong meditation practice before getting pregnant, but I allowed myself to go deeper with it while expecting. And being vegan, I simply had to be very intentional about providing my body and my baby all the nutrients we needed. I ate a little more than usual, added extra plant-based protein, and avoided anything that would introduce toxicity: chemicals in food, cosmetics, and environment, but also energetic toxicity: negative people, violent media, anything that made me feel uneasy.

Once you had your daughter, what was the most challenging part of the transition to motherhood?

The hardest part for me was slowing down and just being a mother. I like a fast-paced lifestyle and getting things done, and suddenly I had to put everything on hold. Switching to baby time, the long nursing sessions, the endless household chores that never quite get finished, the distracted mind: it took me a while. Motherhood also brought out some anger in me, an emotion I had never really struggled with before, so I am learning how to sit with it.

There are too many elements of parenthood that bring joy to discuss here, but two of the most obvious ones for me are: exploring the new level of love I am experiencing, and trying to see the world as a child again in order to understand my daughter.

What are the most important lessons you want to teach your children?

To know that we are all one, despite our differences.
To treat other people, animals, and the planet with respect and kindness.
To be grateful and not take things for granted.
To live a mindful and balanced life.
To be curious and never stop exploring.
To love herself.
To live with a value system and know how to defend it respectfully.

I have many more, but this would be a good start.

A lot of people talk about trends in giving birth. What do you think about this?

The way a woman gives birth is such an individual choice. I would not want to comment on anybody else's decision, because I think that as long as it was their decision and what they thought was best for them and the baby, it was the right one.

We had an unmedicated home birth with two midwives and a doula, and even though it was a long, 23-hour labour, we would not have done it any other way. We used the HypnoBirthing method, which made things less intense for us. We had our entire family present at the birth, and it was a very sacred experience for everyone.

Favourite handles & reads

Zuzanna's recommendations

Instagram

@thewildfeminine Daily spiritual inspiration

@newearth.mama Parenting and lifestyle inspiration

@doctorshefali Conscious parenting inspiration

@ceremoniameditation Zuzanna's own practice

Websites & Publications

HeyMama A mom network she couldn't live without

Minimalist Baker Vegan and gluten-free recipes for the whole family

Vogue For whenever she misses her fashion days

Ceremonia Meditation