Therapy clinic sees Galway girl add new string to her bow

Model, YouTuber, blogger, artist and personal trainer – just some of the many talents Maam Cross model, Cara Lyons, has at her disposal.

Now, on top of that, Cara has taken the plunge into business and entrepreneurship and she has recently opened a new Holistic Therapy Clinic in Oughterard, called Prestige Therapy.

Diversity and new goals are what motivates Cara on a daily basis and this new challenge she describes as one of her ‘scariest experiences’ yet.

Speaking on her first venture into the business world, she admitted: “It’s terrifying. I could put a load of money into this and it could fail to gain popularity. I remember my very first day and I had no customers. I just sat there and I was thinking ‘Oh My God what have I done?’”

But since then, her business has grown from strength-to-strength, something she credits with the strong support she has received from her local community – something she is immensely grateful for.

The 26 year old has been modelling professionally for ten years and, while she continues to enjoy the line of work, she feels there is more in her creative locker than simply being a pretty face.

“I have taken less of an interest in it recently because there are so many other things I want to do. A picture can only say so much.

“Some of the time when you’re working with a photographer he is coming up with the ideas and he is the one deciding what this image is going to say. So if you’re doing a lingerie picture for example, I mean how much can that say about you or your personality or your message?

“Whereas if I’m writing on my blog or I’m doing videos, I feel so much more in them and that’s kind of why I’ve become more attached to that kind of work,” added the Connemara beauty.

Her YouTube channel and blog both named LovefromCara and are something in which Cara takes huge pride in.

That YouTube channel has attracted over 600,000 views from all over the world and is a mixture between comedy and more dealing with more serious issues which are currently afflicting young people today- such as body issues, stress and mental health.

“I think it’s like I was saying with the pictures – I had so much more I wanted to give to people and so much more I wanted to say.

“Even though I have my therapy business now as well, I still feel like I helped more people so far with the YouTube videos and that’s what really matters to me – how I can make people feel. That’s why I do the therapy with people because it makes people feel better and it’s that reward I get from making people happy.

“I have previously had a young man from America who sent me a letter explaining how he was depressed and how these people had been bullying him and all these awful things. And just that moment I replied to him it clearly meant so much.

“They (her viewers) want to talk about things that are serious or they need answers and I feel they can always talk to me. I think that’s why I loved YouTube videos so much,” she said.

Art is another huge passion in Cara’s life and is something she traces back to her youth. She regularly produces acrylic canvas paintings – with some of her work been commissioned for people in Ireland, England and America. She also has had her artwork featured in numerous exhibitions throughout Galway and Connemara.

Despite having such a hectic schedule, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is something Cara always makes time for.

She said, “I love the gym. Getting me to the gym is never a problem. I’ll always find 30 minutes to maybe go to the gym and have a run on the treadmill or something because it actually makes me feel really good.

“I’m actually qualified as a gym instructor and personal trainer as well, so I kind of have the knowledge behind me of -if you do this it will be really good for you and you know the reasons why you should do it.”

Asking Cara would see have any advice for ambitious teenagers looking to achieve their goals like her, she said: “Most importantly never give up, if it’s something you think you really want you can do it. You don’t have to go to college to achieve certain goals. Also, don’t be afraid of failure because of everyone fails and that’s just a part of life.”

So what does that future hold for the aspiring entrepreneur?

“I’d love to think I’m still being creative and helping people feel better in some way. I’d love to see myself writing more but I think I will just take it one day at a time and see wherever I end up.

“I’m not someone who says, ‘Oh you have to achieve this big goal by this time.’ Thankfully it has led me down a path that has been rewarding. I just take each day as it comes, otherwise I think you become very stressed out and I think I just want to be happy in the future…..whatever that means.”