While struggling with post-partum depression, Anupriya Kapur literally ran to turn her life around. She also started a blog called Mom On The Run. Soon after, she was bitten by the travel bug and took to Instagram to share her travel tales, inspiring many women along the way. Now also the co-founder of a sexual wellness brand, the influencer-entrepreneur talks about her journey so far and how travelling helps. By Srushti Kulkarni
T+L India: What has travel done for you? Is it true that it helped you get out of postpartum depression?
Anupriya Kapur: I started travelling very late in life because I got married and had responsibilities at a very young age. I began travelling only recently about three-four years ago, and more of India in the last two years because of COVID-19 restrictions. What it has done for me you ask? I am the happiest when I’m travelling. You will, in fact, notice my joy on my social media when I am out exploring places. It kind of helps me put myself back on track and reconnect with myself. Postpartum depression was much before I picked up travelling. Back then, it was more of more of running and meditation which helped me.
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T+L India: Why and when did you decide to become a full-time blogger?
Anupriya Kapur: I started blogging in the real sense of blogging, and not social-media kind of blogging, around seven-eight years ago. I used to type up all of my experiences be it running, how I manage myself or my son, fitness regimes, travel tales and everything about my life. Gradually my audience grew and I moved onto visual posts on social media as well. I have been blogging full-time for the past four-five years now and it’s been a blast!
T+L India: Has the way you travel changed over the years?
Anupriya Kapur: Yes, now I opt for longer vacations where I can explore a place to the fullest and not just touch and bid adieu. I do have restrictions and responsibilities to return home. [But] my son is grown up now, he is 14, which means he is more independent and can be on his own. That makes a huge difference. I have been able to prioritise the fact that travel really makes me happy and that I need to take out some time and plan my vacations in a way that it doesn’t clash with my work. Travelling has become an essential part of me. Every two or three months, if I don’t get out I go into a weird zone and the only way to pull myself out of that zone is by taking myself on a vacation.
T+L India: What led you to launch Imbue Natural? Tell us a bit about how the products were conceptualised and executed, and the kind of feedback you’d receive from your peers before the sexual wellness brand was launched?
Anupriya Kapur: We commenced the process by having a conversation with doctors who had excellent products which were purely natural and Ayurvedic. We realised that not enough conversations about sexual wellness and intimate hygiene happen in India and that’s what we exactly wanted to change. We began developing the right kind of products, which led to the creation of Imbue Natural. My biggest contribution to Imbue would be to have the right conversations. Conversations that are direct and far from the hush-hush environment. The significance of being aware of infections, sexual pleasure, and the whole concept of it are vital things which need to be discussed. People accepted and appreciated our sense of direct communication. Initially, a few of my family members and peers were visibly uncomfortable and some still are but it has to be done. I don’t give a second thought about the stigma attached to these topics because we need to talk.
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T+L India: What motivates you to keep going in the face of challenges?
Anupriya Kapur: I just look at it like–do we really have a choice? We have to live and if we have to live then we might as well make the most of it. There’s no point in whining, crying, and being melancholic. I’m not saying that I don’t have days where I just want to be left alone. But most days I rise up and say, let’s live life to its fullest. It’s as simple as that.
T+L India: When you started your blog, did you imagine having the kind of following you have today?
Anupriya Kapur: Definitely not! I never started with that intention. I think when you begin with a pure intention, it really takes one a long way. I just thought that even if I could help a couple of women step out of depression and find a reason to change the course of their life reading one of my blogs then that would be an achievement. Never imagined that so many will look up to me one day. I started off with a women’s point of view, and slowly it has transitioned into a gender-neutral blog that appeals to both a 20-year-old and a 50-year-old. And that I will be able to make a living out of it is something I never saw coming.
T+L India: Tell us about the first blog you posted.
Anupriya Kapur: My first few blogs were about my running experiences in Philippines, and how I was sexually molested by my own family member. More than putting it out there for others to know, I wrote because it helped me cope up with myself. It helped me uncover multiple emotions like self-therapy.
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T+L India: Why do you love running so much? How did you discover your love for fitness?
Anupriya Kapur: I actually don’t run anymore because I think the purpose of running in my life is solved. I gave up running when I took up strength training. I used to be mesmerised by how people ran for hours in circles. I used to question myself how does one do that. I was very curious and wanted to figure out what makes one keep running at a stretch like that. One fine day I decided to give it a shot and I fell in love. I went from 500 meters to 5km to 10km to 20km. It just kept happening. An average person can achieve this and that’s the beauty of running.
T+L India: What advice would you give to your 25-year-old self?
Anupriya Kapur: Two things: financial independence and functional strength training. This will help one build self-worth, self-respect, and confidence. As a woman, I feel everyone should be financially independent no matter which background they come from.
T+L India: Some #WomenOnTheMarch who inspire you?
Anupriya Kapur: There are so many! A 60-year-old runner named Kristin, young girls who travel just because it inspires them to open up to the world… I don’t think I can pin point any one. I admire every single woman.
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T+L India: Your favourite destinations to travel with your girl gang? And those that are on your bucket list?
Anupriya Kapur: Every destination feels great when you are traveling with the right people but I would love to do Spiti and Sri Lanka again with my girls. Turkey and Japan have been recently added to my bucket list for this year.
T+L India: What’s next on your radar?
Anupriya Kapur: A course in nutrition and life coaching. I want to take a step ahead in life and do something more substantial. I recently signed up for pole dancing classes and after each class I wait for the next one.
Related: Women On The March: Tina Tahiliani Parikh Of Ensemble Shares Why She Finds Travel Exciting
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