holy shit, this is really happening!

If you’re reading this, it’s all happening now. I’m launching my very own business, helping women find their true power and break free from people-pleasing and perfectionism! And the timing couldn’t be more perfect. I think it’s fair to say there is a self-love movement going on across the land and it is HIGH TIME, ladies! I’ve seen the recent momentum of women seeking deep connections to themselves by connecting with other women who are doing the same thing, and it has confirmed to me that many women need an even deeper movement. I am so excited to share what I’ve been working on for so long!

In the words of the great Brené Brown,

I'm dangerous, I like myself so much.

For the first time in my life, I can say that I am a force to be reckoned with. I believe in my value so much that I no longer allow myself to not be a priority. And I have accomplished this by learning to trust myself to know what is best for me and only surrounding myself with people who I’d be honored to be like. Listen, I'll be the first to admit that I used to think this kind of stuff was for the birds. You know, the idea that someone can truly be happy most of the time because they love themselves so much? Trust me, it’s one of those things you have to experience to understand, and once you do, you’ll only want to keep moving forward!

It starts with a simple realization: No matter how hard you try, perfection does not exist. Once you accept that fact, your life will change dramatically. You have to be ready to allow your life to change, though. I wasn't ready for it until a few years ago when an ulcer slapped me in the face. When the Urgent Care doctor learned I had been worrying myself sick over something a friend was struggling with, he hit me with a hard truth. “So, you’re worrying about everyone else so much that you’ve forgotten about yourself.” My mindset shifted in an instant, just enough to wake me up. I started doing the work immediately, studying the power of our minds and all the ways I needed to clean up my life. Relationships ended, relationships changed, new relationships were formed... all because I finally believed in the power I have over what value outside relationships bring. More than that, I began falling madly in love with myself. For me, that meant loving my body for all it does for me, appreciating my mind for handling so much, and forgiving myself for being a people pleasing perfectionistic lunatic! It also meant letting go of the idea that I had to be the person everyone could rely on at all times, especially now owning that I’d neglected to be that person to myself. It was so liberating!!

If you're not making you #1, no one is. That's your responsibility. You know the oxygen mask metaphor. And it's so commonly used outside an airplane because it's true!! It's no joke. You have no business helping someone else if you are falling apart in the process. It doesn’t mean you stop caring about others. It means you care enough about yourself to be realistic about what you’re capable of holding and what is actually within your control. Being aware of those things in your day-to-day life is one of the greatest powers you have, and when you master that awareness, you will be the strongest version of you and also allow yourself grace in difficult times.

Finding out I had breast cancer in the middle of building my business was certainly a twist I didn’t see coming. One of the first thoughts I had was, “Damnit, I’ve got shit to do!” I wasn’t in denial about what was happening. I was so connected to my purpose and my mindset was on point, and I wasn’t going to let the diagnosis (of what I now refer to as the best case scenario breast cancer) get in the way of the life I’m designing. I had a lot of challenges ahead in this journey, with all of the doctor’s appointments and the conversations I would have to have with the people who love me, among many other things I didn't know about yet. One thing I knew right away, though, was that I no longer felt like an imposter becoming a coach. I have the healthiest mindset ever because of the systems I've built, and that was enough for me to launch this business and want to share it. So when breast cancer came along, I was ready to kick it straight in the teet and accept that the tough stuff is still going to be really tough. In the meantime, I'll be putting my life's work to use by helping other badass women learn how to do the same thing.

There will always be challenges in life. If you wrote your life story, you'd notice it's made up of challenges that you worked through one way or another. I’m sure we all have moments we look back on and cringe about how we handled things. Yikes, I sure do. And the fact that we can learn from those experiences, even all this time later, is pretty amazing! When your mindset is solid, you will also see the opportunities that come along. I look at it as this… we all have it in us to look at life differently than we’re used to, and we have to be willing to give it a try. Practice it. Put on your Willpower pants and make the best of what comes your way. I promise, you’ll never regret taking center stage in your own life!